Buffalo Bore Heavy 357 Mag 125gr XPB – Powerful Full House Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore Heavy 357 Mag 125gr XPB is the opposite of a short barrel load. It is a full house 357 Magnum running 1650 fps for roughly 756 ft-lbs, and Buffalo Bore restricts it to all steel revolvers and to any 357 Magnum rifle. Do not use it in a lightweight alloy framed or alloy cylinder revolver. Twenty rounds per box, item 19J/20.

• Buffalo Bore Heavy 357 Mag 125gr XPB Overview
• Full Power 357 Magnum Ammo Ballistics
• Why The 125 Grain XPB Copper Bullet Hits Hard
• Specifications
• Safety Notes For This Lead Free Heavy 357 Load

Buffalo Bore Heavy 357 Mag 125gr XPB Overview

The projectile is a Barnes XPB, machined from solid copper with a deep hollow cavity and no lead core. It expands into copper petals and holds essentially all of its weight, which is what lets a 125 grain bullet penetrate the way a much heavier lead bullet would.

Where this differs from Buffalo Bore’s low flash line is the powder charge. That line is built around fast burning low flash powder for two and three inch revolvers. This one is loaded for everything the cartridge will give, and Buffalo Bore is candid that there is noticeable muzzle flash as a result, except from a rifle.

That is a deliberate trade and it points at a different buyer. If you carry a light snub in poor light, the low flash loads are the right answer. If you shoot an all steel revolver or a lever gun and you want the most a 357 Magnum can do, this all steel revolver 357 ammunition is it.

Full Power 357 Magnum Ammo Ballistics

Buffalo Bore publishes real gun figures for this load and they are worth reading carefully. A 2.5 inch Smith and Wesson Model 66 gives 1448 fps, a 3 inch Model 66 gives 1507, a 4 inch Mountain Gun 1591, a 5 inch Model 27 1583, and an 18 inch Marlin 1894 gives 2145 fps.

That rifle number is the headline. 2145 fps with a 125 grain copper bullet is about 1277 ft-lbs, which puts a lever action 357 into serious short range hunting territory and well past what most people assume a pistol calibre carbine can do.

Even from a short revolver this full power 357 Magnum ammo is producing more than 580 ft-lbs, which is roughly forty percent more than the low flash loads in the same catalogue. You pay for that in recoil, in flash, and in wear on the gun.

Why The 125 Grain XPB Copper Bullet Hits Hard

The old argument against a 125 grain bullet in 357 Magnum was that it was fast but shallow. A conventional lead core hollow point at these speeds tends to come apart, dump its energy early and stop short of anything that matters, which is fine on paper and poor in the field.

Solid copper removes that failure mode. With no jacket to strip and no core to separate, a 125 grain XPB copper bullet opens into petals and stays in one piece, so it keeps driving after it has expanded. You end up with the flat trajectory and violent expansion of a light bullet and the penetration of a heavier one.

That combination is what makes the Buffalo Bore Heavy 357 Mag 125gr XPB credible for more than defense. Out of a lever gun at 2145 fps it is a legitimate deer load inside sensible ranges, and out of a steel revolver it will handle hogs and predators without asking you to move up a calibre.

There is also the lead free angle. Non toxic requirements are spreading across public land and a few states, and a lead free heavy 357 load lets you meet those rules without dropping to a reduced power option.

Specifications

Safety Notes For This Lead Free Heavy 357 Load

Read the restriction first and take it literally. Buffalo Bore says this all steel revolver 357 ammunition is for steel revolvers and any 357 Magnum chambered rifle, and not for lightweight alloy framed or alloy cylinder guns. If your revolver has a scandium or aluminium frame or a titanium cylinder, choose one of the low flash loads instead.

Expect flash. Buffalo Bore says so plainly, and the powder that produces this velocity is not a low flash powder. In daylight it is a non issue. In a dark room it will affect your vision, which is exactly why the tactical line exists as a separate product.

Recoil is substantial in a revolver and mild in a carbine. If you own both, this is a rare load that genuinely suits the rifle better than the handgun, and the 600 extra feet per second a lever gun gives you is not a small thing.

Confirm your zero. A 125 grain XPB copper bullet at this velocity shoots noticeably flatter than the 158 grain loads most 357 sights were set up for, so expect a different point of impact and find it on paper before you rely on it.

All Steel Revolver 357 Ammunition Availability

This lead free heavy 357 load 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 another full power 357 Magnum ammo option from the Buffalo Bore catalog, call us and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. If you carry a lightweight snub, use the low flash line instead: the 357 Mag 125gr XPB low flash or the 357 Mag 140gr XPB low flash. You can also browse our full ammunition selection.