Range Report: Henry Steel Lever Action .360 Buckhammer

The Henry .360 Buckhammer has been on the shelves of retailers for well over a year. However, it wasn’t until last week that I was able to get the Henry Steel Lever Action .360 Buckhammer in my hands for a range test. My goal is to push this new cartridge, and offering from Henry, beyond the firing range to a future hunt for feral hogs or perhaps deer. However, having elected to wait for Fall’s cooler temperatures, forgoing the 105-plus degree days we are currently experiencing in New Mexico, the field hunting report will be a future excursion.

For now, let’s be clear as to the specifics of the rifle and the cartridge along with its performance on the range. Henry offers the .360 Buckhammer chambering in several different models:

• Side Gate Lever Action
• Lever Action X Model
• Steel Lever Action (tested)
• Single Shot Rifle

The Henry Steel Lever Action

This Henry lever-action rifle gun comes stock with genuine American walnut furniture and blued steel. The rifle is topped with a 20-inch, round, blued-steel barrel with a 1 in 12 twist (proven to stabilize a variety of bullet weights). The barrel is completed with an adjustable semi-buckhorn rear sight, including a removable white diamond insert for contrast and a brass bead at the front.

The .360 Buckhammer cartridge is said to be a 200-yard (and beyond) lever gun. Therefore, the receiver is drilled and tapped to accept a Weaver 63B scope base for those wishing to add a bit of magnification. In my case, I topped the Henry with a Leupold 1.5–4x FireDot Duplex reticle, and 30mm tube scope to aid in a future hunt. Side ejection keeps spent cartridges out of the way of the scope. The shells don’t eject backward, which makes the rifle ideal for left-handed hunters.

The receiver is equipped with a side loading gate to keep the five-round magazine topped off. Additionally, the removable tube magazine makes clearing the rifle safe and efficient when returning to camp or the truck after a successful hunt.

Other features include sling swivel studs preinstalled on the buttstock, steel forearm cap, and laser-precise checkering on the forend and pistol grip of the rifle. the soft rubber pad on the buttstock allows for a non-slip contact point and assists with the moderate recoil that the .360 Buckhammer delivers.

Features and Specifications

• Caliber (tested): .360 Buckhammer
• Action: Lever
• Capacity: 5 Rounds
• Barrel length: 20 inches
• Barrel type: Round, blued steel
• Barrel twist rate: 1:12
• Overall length: 39 inches
• Weight: 7 pounds
• Receiver finish: Blued steel
• Rear sight: Adjustable, semi-buckhorn with diamond insert
• Front sight: Brass bead
• Scope: Drilled and tapped
• Scope mount: Weaver 63B
• Stock: American Walnut
• Buttplate, recoil pad: Black, solid-rubber recoil pad
• Length of pull: 14 inches
• Safety: Transfer bar
• Embellishments/Extras: side loading gate, sling swivel studs
• MSRP: $1,088

The .360 Buckhammer Cartridge

The .360 Buckhammer is a .30-30 case straightened to hold a .358 bullet. The cartridge fits the straight-wall definition and is a rimmed case. In fact, the first successful lever action, the Henry rifle, used a rimmed cartridge. This allows for precise head spacing of the cartridge which is particularly important with a straight-wall cartridge.

Interestingly, the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute, also known as SAMMI, lists a 200-grain bullet from the .35 Remington as having a muzzle velocity of 2,055 fps. The .360 Buckhammer lists the same 200-grain bullet at 2,170 fps. (Remington lists it at 2,200 fps) So, in actuality, the .360 slightly exceeds the time-proven .35 Remington’s ballistics.

Remington has two loads for the .360 Buckhammer. Both use Core-Lokt round-nose bullets. One is a 180-grain load with a muzzle velocity of 2,400 fps. The other is a 200-grain load providing a muzzle velocity of 2,200 fps.

Federal also produces two Power-Shok loads — A 180-grain with a muzzle velocity of 2,375 fps and 200-grain offering with a muzzle velocity of 2,200 fps.

Testing the Remington 200-grain and Federal 180-grain, and zeroing at 1.5 to 2 inches high at 100 yards, I had no problem hitting a 10-inch steel plate at 225 yards with a center hold. Bottom line, the .360 Buckhammer is easily a 200-yard cartridge.

The Remington 200-grain offering edged out the Federal 180-grain ammunition, by producing a sub one-inch group at 100 yards. The Federal load averaged approximately 1.5-inch groups.

At 220 yards, the Remington 220-grain resulted in about 3-inch groups, while the Federal 180-grain produced groups closer to four inches. Either load is certainly within acceptable accuracy for the hunting field on deer-sized game out to 200-plus yards.

Final Thoughts

The rifle and the cartridge no doubt have a place among lever aficionados, especially given today’s renewed interest in lever guns. The .360 Buckhammer has some felt recoil when shooting off the bench but it’s negligible when shooting offhand in field conditions. Henry makes a fine rifle and stands behind its work — all while being built right here in the USA.

This rifle will be headed to the field this coming fall on a hunt (yet to be determined) … So, stay tuned.

Ammunition companies keep delivering new calibers and cartridges, but how does the .360 Buckhammer rate with you? After all, if it outperforms the venerable .35 Remington… Share your experiences or impressions of the .360 Buckhammer in the Comment section.