Buffalo Bore Ammo

[BearBio]

Don't want to start a fight or get anyone all defensive. Just gonna relate my experience from this weekend.

Wife and I went to the range to test some new autos "for function". I especially wanted to try out a 1951 Commander in 38 Super, as well as a P-38, S & W Model 39, HK4 (32 acp), my wife's Bersa. My plans were to place a couple of double action autos inside my gun safes (loaded), in case we were home invaded and forced to open our safes under duress. No comments needed==we have already worked out contingency plans for everything we can think of (one of us as a hostage, etc).

Anyway, we were less than pleased with the Buffalo Bore ammo. The wife's 380 had one failure to eject/double feed per magazine full==sometimes two. These were the FMJs. Went back to XTP hollow points and no problem.

My HK4 in 32 (as well as my Walther) wouldn't feed the Buffalo Bore 32 hollowpoints, as well as a couple of stovepipes.

The nine's= neither would feed Buffalo Bore hollow points but the P-38 wouldn't feed any HPs well. The S & W fed XTPs well.

On the other hand, the Commander digested Buffalo Bore very well==no jams and a 2" group between the eyes on a zombie target at 20 yards.

Take home message: BE SURE TO FUNCTION TEST ANY DEFENSIVE WEAPON WITH THE AMMO YOU ARE GOING TO USE! AGAIN, this was a function test-I was very pleased with the way the Commander functioned but I wasn't trying for accuracy with the others.

 

[JJEH]

Did you also try other ammo or just BB?

 

[BearBio]

Did you also try other ammo or just BB?

"Went back to XTP hollow points and no problem."

"The S & W fed XTPs well."

 

[Cpo1944]

That`s why all of my defense guns are revolvers. No worries , just point and shoot!

 

[Big Cholla]

I built myself a .300 Win. Mag sniper rifle and after shooting some reloads to sight it in and to break-in the barrel, I switched to Buffalo Bore .300 wm with 180 gr. Sierra Matchking bullets (today they are using Barnes Bullets). I do not know what powder they were using at that time. I switched over to a clean target at 600 yds and fired five shots from a very good benchrest and bag setup. I went down to get the target and was very pleased to find a five shot group that measured 1 3/4" at the extreme. I have been a fan of BB ammo ever since and have used a lot of their pistol ammo. IMHO, you might have some small anomaly with your pistol. I would look everything over very carefully. ............ Big Cholla

 

[BearBio]

I built myself a .300 Win. Mag sniper rifle and after shooting some reloads to sight it in and to break-in the barrel, I switched to Buffalo Bore .300 wm with 180 gr. Sierra Matchking bullets (today they are using Barnes Bullets). I do not know what powder they were using at that time. I switched over to a clean target at 600 yds and fired five shots from a very good benchrest and bag setup. I went down to get the target and was very pleased to find a five shot group that measured 1 3/4" at the extreme. I have been a fan of BB ammo ever since and have used a lot of their pistol ammo. IMHO, you might have some small anomaly with your pistol. I would look everything over very carefully. ............ Big Cholla

One, it was more than one pistol, it was about a half-dozen different firearms in 4 calibers. Besides, my 38 Super seemed to like it.

Two, BIG difference between a bolt action rifle and a semi-auto pistol. I do not consider an opponent at 6oo yards much of a threat. BTW, my 300 mag likes Federal Premium (1 1/2" at 400 yards). Which proves nothing except my 300 mag likes Federal Premiums =witness 1 elk, several deer and at least a dozen wild pigs at 400 yards +/-.

Three: Again, the pistols all fed XTPs well.

Anyone who has shot more than one brand of ammo knows that every gun has its own idiosyncrasies. I wouldn't go hunting without testing the ammo I was going to use and I wouldn't carry a gun in defense without trying it out (the point of my original post).

 

[old bear]

As we all know, auto-loaders can be fussy with the ammo it will or will not digest. Another reason I prefer revolvers.
As Buffalo Bore is EXPENSIVE stuff, their 38/44 HD I load my M-19/66's with works out to be $1.75 a round. So it's not what I consider range ammo. I do though believe it's worth the money for self-defense though.

 

[ColbyBruce]

40+ year old semi auto pistols were not designed to shoot hollow points. Shoot what works in them.

 

[vipermd]

I can understand that you were not "pleased " with how it worked in your guns, but your guns were not designed to function with hp ammo. My PPK would choke on old ( 1980's) federal hydroshock, my 39 will only function with pmc hp's and (ball) last time I tested 25 yrs ago. There is nothing wrong with their ammo it just does not work in "your" guns. I am not currently using any BB in handguns, ranger in 40,45,380, xtp in 22 mag, 44 mag, 500 SW, golddot in 38 snub,44 snub,357 sig, while I use fed 125 JHP in 357 mag.
So if your saying check your ammo for feed and function I totally agree with you, if you are saying BB handgun ammo is "bad" I would respectfully disagree with you. Bottom line the xtp works in your guns so the world is good. Be Safe,

 

[BearBio]

I can understand that you were not "pleased " with how it worked in your guns, but your guns were not designed to function with hp ammo. My PPK would choke on old ( 1980's) federal hydroshock, my 39 will only function with pmc hp's and (ball) last time I tested 25 yrs ago. There is nothing wrong with their ammo it just does not work in "your" guns. I am not currently using any BB in handguns, ranger in 40,45,380, xtp in 22 mag, 44 mag, 500 SW, golddot in 38 snub,44 snub,357 sig, while I use fed 125 JHP in 357 mag.
So if your saying check your ammo for feed and function I totally agree with you, if you are saying BB handgun ammo is "bad" I would respectfully disagree with you. Bottom line the xtp works in your guns so the world is good. Be Safe,

Halleluiah==someone actually READ what I was saying. That's all I was saying!==check the ammo in your guns!

 

[moxie]

40+ year old semi auto pistols were not designed to shoot hollow points. Shoot what works in them.

Agree shoot what works. Like the OP says, check and see what in fact does work.

But in my experience there are many older semiautos that work just fine with hollow points. Although not quite 40 years old, my 1980 Commander and ~1985 Star PD have functioned flawlessly with every brand and type of hollow point ammo I've fed them. My point here is that you shouldn't assume that just because your gun is old that it won't function properly with new hollow points. Check and see for yourself. You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

That`s why all of my defense guns are revolvers. No worries , just point and shoot!

I shoot BB ammo in my revolvers with impunity! Great stuff.

In my autos I don't play games with variable ammunition. By variable I mean varying from what the manufacturer expected me to use.

As for old guns, as noted above, I do not use anything but hard ball. I really only have one old gun left in the autos and it's a Walther P-4 and I only fed it hardball. I guess I do have an old .380 or two around, and a .25 ACP. They get hardball, too, usually, but not always, but not fancy, high potency Buffalo Bore HPs. They don't get shot much, anyway, and they're not my defensive guns.

***GRJ***

 

[ColbyBruce]

Halleluiah==someone actually READ what I was saying. That's all I was saying!==check the ammo in your guns!

I read and comprehended what you said just fine. Anyone carrying a firearm should test it for accuracy and function with a variety of ammo, especially the type of ammo they intend to carry. Not everybody does this, and there has been a large increase in new, first time gun owners and shooters these past few years.

I own fourteen 9mm pistols, while they will all eat hardball of any brand there are a few that will only reliably work with the heavier hollow points. My 1973 BHP, Beretta 92FS, and battered Glock 26 like the 147 grain HP ammo.

In my youth I owned a P38 and a H&R imported HK4 two barrel kit, and a good many S&W 39-2 and 59 pistols. Only the S&W's impressed me. But 37 years ago that P38 was dirt cheap and so was surplus ammo.

 

[chief38]

Some guns are ammo sensitive and some are not - just that simple. Carry what you feel is 100% (or as humanly close to it as possible) and gives the the best ballistics and accuracy results.

I have always carried a Revolver for SD and while I am a huge BB fan, I have never bought or tried any of their semi auto ammo because I only use semi's for shooting at the Range.

On the RARE, RARE occasion that I do actually carry my "Range gun of the day" (let's say a 1911 .45 acp) I'll load it with 230 grain hardball ammo. Is FMJ Hardball the best defense load (ballistically speaking) - ABSOLUTELY NOT but I know for sure my 1911 Gov't model has NEVER had a FTF with it in over 18,000 rounds!

 

[BigCityChief]

^Makes sense to me.^


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[ArchAngelCD]

I'm still trying to figure out what a sniper rifle is??

 

[litenlarry]

Hickock45 recently test fired the new Glock 42, .380..He test fired BB ammo..He had 2 malfunctions, first round in mag, when fired would lock the slide back..That happened twice..
I have read other reports of the BB.380 round being too "hot" for their pistols..

 

[blujax01]

Hickock45 recently test fired the new Glock 42, .380..He test fired BB ammo..He had 2 malfunctions, first round in mag, when fired would lock the slide back..That happened twice..
I have read other reports of the BB.380 round being too "hot" for their pistols..

Same thing happened twice with Double Tap ammo in the American Rifleman review. The G42 apparently doesn't digest boutique ammo very well.

 

[Pigirondan]

I've found using my vernier caliper's helpful when having feeding problems with hollowpoint ammunition. With some brands OAL is greater with hollowpoints than FMJ. YMMV

 

[Larry from Bend]

Glad you did your homework.

My P38 (made in 1944) DOES (without issue) digest 115 grain HPs, such as WW SilverTips, Rem 50 count green box and Federal. It seems to have a minimum-spec chamber, however. I've had major trouble with lead bullets and handloads.