You're fired, Ranger Smith, and not a single pic-a-nic basket will be safe.
Posted on 02/26/2025 5:44:16 PM PST by kevcol
Glad to see you found this thread. Right up your alley!
“...proven to drill a 4.5 foot hole through Mr. Bear before it stops.”
Is “it” the bear? Or is “it” the bullet?
4.5 feet in muscle, organs and other tissue? Wow. The shots I see in ballistic gel don’t seem to go anywhere near that far.
Essentially, I like animals better than people. They never lie, are always who they they are.
They are not nearly as subtle about it as humans, but they do it. They do not have the language skills, but they deceive and bluff very often.
Exactly. Buffalo Bore is some outstanding stuff. Hot loads, bullets that don’t deform or expand. Shaped to drill a straight hole. Big game stoppers. If you can hit where it counts.
Bears are friendly.
Just give them a belly rub and they are fine
If you think a park employee is going to save you from critters, you have some disappointment in your future.
What are the terminal ballistics like for Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman hardcast bullets in .357 Magnum?
ChatGPT said:
Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman hardcast bullets in .357 Magnum are designed to provide excellent performance, particularly for self-defense and hunting, with an emphasis on deep penetration and barrier performance. The terminal ballistics of these rounds can be broken down into several key aspects:
Penetration: The hardcast design of the Outdoorsman bullets is specifically built for deep penetration. Hardcast bullets are typically made from a tough, high-antimony lead alloy, which is harder than traditional lead, allowing it to penetrate deeper into targets. This feature is particularly important when dealing with tough-skinned animals (like wild boar or large game) or barriers (such as glass or wood), where a soft lead bullet might deform or break apart.
Expansion: Unlike jacketed hollow point (JHP) bullets, hardcast bullets do not typically expand upon impact. This means that while they maintain their weight and integrity, they will pass through targets with more penetration, though they may not create the same size wound cavity as expanding bullets. For hunting, this can be an advantage, as it allows the bullet to reach vital organs more effectively.
Energy Transfer: Hardcast bullets, due to their higher mass and velocity, still transfer significant energy to the target. While they won’t expand to maximize tissue damage like expanding projectiles, they are highly effective at delivering the energy deep into the target. This is especially useful for larger game where deep tissue damage is required for a humane kill.
Speed and Velocity: Buffalo Bore’s Outdoorsman .357 Magnum load tends to be loaded to high pressures, giving it a higher velocity than standard .357 Magnum rounds. This velocity enhances the bullet’s ability to penetrate tough targets and helps to maintain velocity over longer distances, making it effective at a wide range of shooting distances.
Accuracy: Due to their solid, non-deforming nature, these hardcast bullets are generally known for providing good accuracy, particularly at medium to long ranges. This makes them ideal for hunters who may need to take precise shots at larger game from a distance.
In summary, the terminal ballistics of Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman hardcast .357 Magnum bullets make them a top choice for applications requiring deep penetration and reliable performance on tough targets, though they lack the explosive expansion characteristics of hollow points. They are particularly well-suited for hunting, defense against larger predators, and situations where barrier penetration is a priority.
“Just give them a belly rub and they are fine”
That’s what all the Japanese tourists in Yellowstone believe.
Same question asked to Grok 3 below. Lots of similarities, but some key differences, too. There’s more emphasis on numeric data for muzzle energy and muzzle velocity. I was wondering about the differences in hydrostatic shock and Grok touched on that.
The terminal ballistics of Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman .357 Magnum hardcast bullets, specifically the 180-grain Hard Cast Lead Flat Nose Gas-Checked (LFN-GC) load, are designed for deep penetration and minimal expansion, making them ideal for outdoor scenarios where maximum penetration is key—like dealing with tough game or potential encounters with large animals.
This load is rated at 1,400 feet per second (fps) from a typical revolver barrel (Buffalo Bore uses real-world firearms, not exaggerated test barrels, so this is a practical figure), delivering a muzzle energy of around 783 foot-pounds. The hardcast bullet, being a flat-nosed, non-expanding design, is built to punch straight through dense tissue, bone, and cartilage without deforming. This is a stark contrast to hollow-point bullets that expand and dump energy quickly but may not penetrate as deeply.
In practical terms, users report this round achieving exceptional penetration. For example, in field use, it’s been noted to pass completely through deer and hogs—sometimes exceeding 3 feet of penetration in game—leaving clean entry and exit wounds. The flat nose aids in cutting a straight wound channel, and the gas check reduces lead fouling while maintaining velocity, contributing to consistent performance. On harder targets like bone, it’s known to smash through rather than deflect or fragment, which is why it’s favored for situations where you need to reach vital organs on something as tough as a bear or hog.
Recoil is stout—expect a significant kick, especially from shorter barrels—but it’s manageable in a solid all-steel revolver. From a 6-inch barrel, velocities can climb higher (some users report up to 1,660 fps from a Ruger GP100, yielding over 1,100 foot-pounds of energy), amplifying its terminal effect. In rifles like a Marlin 1894 with a 16.5-inch barrel, speeds can hit around 1,840 fps, pushing energy well over 1,350 foot-pounds, making it even more devastating.
The trade-off is that it doesn’t create the wide wound channels of expanding bullets. The damage is narrower but extremely deep, relying on shot placement to hit vitals rather than hydrostatic shock. This makes it less ideal for self-defense against humans, where over-penetration is a concern, but excellent for wilderness use against thick-skinned or heavy-boned animals. Think of it as a sledgehammer driving a spike—brutal, focused, and relentless.
“An off-duty Montana highway patrolman shot a charging black bear with the 180-grain .357 Outdoorsman load. The bullet broke the bear’s shoulder, shattered the hip, and exited”
Stem to stern through a black bear!
https://www.handgunsmag.com/editorial/buffalo-bore-hardcast-bullets/466587
Damn, packs of wolves and bears are my biggest fears. This changes everything.
“ That’s what all the Japanese tourists in Yellowstone believe.”
I hand out brochures to them telling them it’s ok.
My Asians only for profit EMT business does very well.
“How deep will they penetrate? I fired some 180-grain .357 Magnum Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman loads into blocks of 10% gelatin, and they penetrated — on a straight line — more than three feet. After exiting the gel blocks, they kept going. Hell, for all I know, they might still be going.”
Ibid.
Also, there’s that one-and-only Parks guy who has THE key to the bathrooms at Yellowstone. DOGE is going to force visitors to “hold it” for who knows how long. All of this is inexcusable.
I am surrounded by wolves and black bear where I hunt deer. I have 16+1 of 9mm in a stack, with the first 5 being Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman hardcast for Mr. Bear, followed by Federal HST. Then I have on my other hip another 16 and 13 mags of HST for the rest of wolf pack. Plus my Win Model 94 in .30-30 (125 years old!) with 8 rounds in the pipe.
Everyone in the same area carries multiple backup mags, but I don’t know their preferences among rounds.
You’ve really got to stop spoiling bears like that. The rest of us won’t be able to keep up to your high standards. Not that I have to even try; running was never my forte. I’ll be consumed forthwith if a bear ever catches sight of me.
I’m the gimp in my immediate circle.
1. All plane crashes. Trump’s fault.
2. All bear attacks, Trump’s fault.
You're fired, Ranger Smith, and not a single pic-a-nic basket will be safe.
That guy should already have a .44 mag in his hand.
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