Buffalo Bore 460 S&W 360gr Hard Cast – Imposing Deep Driving Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 460 S&W 360gr Hard Cast is the penetration answer in a cartridge usually sold on velocity. A 360 grain LBT pattern hard cast lead flat nose at 1900 fps produces roughly 2860 ft-lbs, and unlike the jacketed loads in this calibre it is not designed to expand at all. Twenty rounds per box, item 26B/20.

• Buffalo Bore 460 S&W 360gr Hard Cast Overview
• 460 S&W Hard Cast Ammo Ballistics
• Why The 360 Grain LBT Lead Flat Nose Bullet Keeps Going
• Specifications
• Range Notes For This Heavy 460 Magnum Hunting Load

Buffalo Bore 460 S&W 360gr Hard Cast Overview

The bullet is an LBT pattern lead flat nose cast from a hard alloy. LBT stands for Lead Bullet Technology, the shop that developed these profiles, and the recipe is consistent: a wide flat meplat, a full calibre driving band, and an alloy hard enough that the bullet arrives at the far side looking much as it left.

At 360 grains it is heavy for the calibre, and that is deliberate. Sectional density is most of what decides how far a non expanding bullet travels, and the Buffalo Bore 460 S&W 360gr Hard Cast carries sixty grains more than the jacketed load, which is a meaningful gain in that department.

The 460 S&W Magnum is the fastest production revolver cartridge, a lengthened higher pressure development of the 454 Casull. A Smith and Wesson Model 460 will chamber 460 S&W, 454 Casull and 45 Colt, which is worth remembering when you want cheaper practice ammunition.

460 S&W Hard Cast Ammo Ballistics

2860 ft-lbs is marginally ahead of the 300 grain jacketed load at 2826, which makes the two look almost identical on paper. They are not, and the energy chart is the wrong place to look for the difference.

Momentum is the right measure for a bullet that will not deform. 360 grains at 1900 fps carries about ten percent more of it than 300 grains at 2060, and momentum is what drives a hard cast bullet through heavy bone and out the far side.

You pay for that in trajectory. At 1900 fps this drops noticeably faster than the 2060 fps jacketed load, so if your shooting involves a scope and longer distances, the lighter bullet is the better tool. Inside a hundred yards the difference is academic and 460 S&W hard cast ammo is the harder hitter.

Why The 360 Grain LBT Lead Flat Nose Bullet Keeps Going

Against the largest animals, a bullet that expands gives up the depth you actually need. That is true at handgun velocities and it stays true at 1900 fps, because a jacketed bullet arriving that fast has every opportunity to come apart on heavy bone rather than hold together.

A hard cast bullet refuses the question entirely. A 360 grain LBT lead flat nose bullet keeps every grain of its weight and its full 0.452 inch frontal area, and it keeps going. Against a big bear, a bison or a heavy bodied hog, that is the behaviour that finishes the job.

The wide flat meplat turns depth into a proper wound. A round nose of the same weight will slip through and leave a narrow track. A flat face crushes and cuts, leaving a full calibre hole with clean edges from entry to exit.

It is also the sensible choice if you shoot a 460 chambered lever gun or single shot fed from a magazine tube, where a flat profile is the required one. Maximum penetration big bore ammunition in a rifle at these velocities is a serious proposition.

Specifications

Range Notes For This Heavy 460 Magnum Hunting Load

Shoot it from sticks or a padded rest rather than a hard bench. Nearly three thousand foot pounds in a handgun produces recoil that will build a flinch quickly if you concentrate it into your shoulder and cheek.

Keep sessions short. A heavy 460 Magnum hunting load is expensive and genuinely tiring, so sight in, confirm at your realistic distance, and save the rest for the field.

Double up on hearing protection. A 460 S&W with a muzzle brake is among the loudest things on any range, and being considerate to the shooter next to you is part of the deal.

Confirm your point of impact against the 300 grain load if you shoot both. A 360 grain LBT lead flat nose bullet at 1900 fps will not land where a 300 grain bullet at 2060 does, and the difference is meaningful at a hundred yards. Settle it before the season rather than during it.

Maximum Penetration Big Bore Ammunition Availability

This maximum penetration big bore ammunition is in stock and ready to ship from MAG5 Firearms, a family owned FFL dealer in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Ammunition orders ship to most states, and local customers are welcome to pick up in the shop. If you need case quantities or a lighter 460 load, call us and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. For a flatter shooting jacketed bullet in the same calibre, see the 460 S&W 300gr JFN. For the same hard cast idea in a bigger case, compare the 500 S&W 440gr hard cast, or browse our full ammunition selection.