Testing Buffalo Bore's New Ammunition

Buffalo Bore Ammunition is a new company specializing in heavy loads for those caliber's that normally do not have factory offerings of such ammo.  They  provide ammunition for the .44 Magnum with bullets of 300 gr. and 305 gr. weights.  They also are offering heavy .45 Colt loads with 300 gr. and 325 gr.bullets.  Recently they introduced two brand-new calibers, the .475 Linebaugh and the .500 Linebaugh.  These caliber's have been loaded for a number of years by wildcatters. And to be truthful, they were quite a bit of work to make.  Now though they can be purchased directly from Buffalo Bore!

I took some of Buffalo Bore's loads in .45 Colt and .475 Linebaugh and tested them and was pleasantly surprised. The .45 Colt loads are what a lot of us have been handloading for years.  Right up front let me say that these loads are not for Colt Single Actions, Colt copies, Schofield copies and other small-frame handguns.  They are intended for Ruger large-frame guns and the Colt Anaconda. They are also safe in Thompson Center Single Shot handguns.

In the same way, the .44 Magnum loads are for large-frame guns only.  They will work fine in the Colt Anaconda and the Ruger Redhawk models and the Ruger Single Action.  I would not shoot a lot of them in the S&W Model 29.  Over the years it has been proven that a steady diet of heavy loads will loosen up the fine old Smith.  Keep it for what it was intended.   

The .475 Linebaugh loads were fired in a Linebaugh Custom Sixguns .475 built on a Ruger Bisley frame.  This 5-shot conversion is an accurate, powerful handgun. One of the most powerful that is made in this frame size.  It is a gun that can be packed on the hip all day and mirrors John Linebaugh's philosophy accurately: "..powerful, practical, packable..".   The .475 is powerful enough to take any game animal on the face of the earth.   Yet you can carry it on your belt easily.  It is one of my favorites.

Buffalo Bore .44 Magnum

The .44 Magnum loads were chronographed at 7 feet from the muzzle to the first screen.  All loads were fired from a Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 7 1/2" barrel.  All velocities are the average of 10 shots.

300 gr. Speer jacketed ..... 1313 fps       305 gr. LBT cast lead ..... 1334 fps

Buffalo Bore .45 Colt

The .45 Colt loads were chronographed at 7 feet from the muzzle to the first screen. All loads were fired from a Texas Longhorn Arms revolver with a 7 1/2" barrel.  All velocities are the average of 10 shots.

300 gr. Speer jacketed ..... 1318 fps      325 gr. LBT cast lead ..... 1331 fps

Buffalo Bore .475 Linebaugh

The .475 Linebaugh loads were chronographed at 7 feet from the muzzle to the first screen. All loads were fired in a Linebaugh Custom Sixguns .475 with a 5 1/2" barrel.  All velocities are the average of 10 shots.

420 gr. LBT lead (light load) ..... 970 fps      420 gr. LBT lead (heavy load) ..... 1340 fps

I set up a series of baffles made from hard yellow pine 2"X8" blocks, 8" long.  The blocks were fastened together, 2" from each other.  I shot into the end of the blocks with various guns from 9MM, .357 Magnum, and up.  I then fired the Buffalo Bore Ammunition loads from the .45 Colt and the .475 Linebaugh into it.  The results were impressive.   Where the 357 and 9mm failed to consistently penetrate 4 blocks, the .45 loads shot through 5 and the .475 consistently penetrated 6 blocks.

The Buffalo Bore Ammunition in the .44, .45 and .475 has proven accurate and reliable in my guns.  At the present time there is no one else commercially loading .475 and .500 Linebaugh ammo.  They are also making .475 and .500 empty brass available to those who reload. I know that there are some other calibers in the works, so stay tuned!

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