Remington's 360 Buckhammer ammo has been a big deal in the "big and slow" strategy of big-game hunting ever since it was released. That's because it's a truly optimized straight-walled cartridge that allows hunters to make clean harvests on animals at closer ranges without worry of "overpenetration."
You might be wondering what straight-walled cartridges are, and why a hunter would want to shoot them? Essentially, straight-wall cartridges exactly what it sounds like: The walls of the ammo case are straight--no taper or bottleneck. This results in a cartridge that accepts less propellant to send the bullet downrange, so generally ammo manufacturers will use larger projectiles to allow for an ethical kill. It's the "big and slow" way of getting as much energy into the target as possible, and it results in a bullet that just won't travel as far as a "necked" case would allow.
Why would you limit the range of your ammo? Well, many areas--especially ones with high human population density--require that hunters use such ammunition all of the time, or may require such ammo be used during special "primitive" seasons. It's about safety, and about extending hunting opportunities.
Why is Remington's 360 Buckhammer one of the best examples of the straight-wall philosophy? This great episode of American Rifleman TV explains! To watch complete segments of past episodes of American Rifleman TV, go to americanrifleman.org/artv. For all-new episodes of ARTV, tune in Wednesday nights to Outdoor Channel 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. EST.
