James,
I’d like to offer a quick bit of follow up on Pat Cascio’s review of Buffalo Bore ammo. I’m a big fan of their ammo, and have quite a bit of experience with it. I recently ordered and tested some of the .45 Auto Rim +P 225 grain hard cast wad cutters, as well as the 200 grain version in .44 Special. I shot the Auto Rim in a 325 Airlight 2.5″ Smith & Wesson, as well as a Model 22 4″. This is stout ammo, pushing the big flat point bullet at over 1100 fps. I have to admit that it was not fun to shoot in the lightweight snubby, very much like shooting full house .357 ammo in a lightweight J frame. I believe that I will order some of the non +P version (1,000 fps) for the 325, and reserve the +P version for the all steel revolver. It was very controllable and accurate in the Model 22, and I’d feel very confident and well armed with it against two or four legged predators. The .44 Special version pushes a 200 grain bullet about 1,000 fps, and was a joy to shoot in a 3″ 629. There is a .44 Magnum version available that pushes about 1300 fps. These big wadcutter loads harken back to Jim Cirillo and the “man stopper” loads he used on stake out duty with the NYPD. While somewhat “retro”, they provide reliable stopping power and penetration without relying on a hollow point that may or may not expand. I believe they would be excellent carry loads for the backwoods.
As Pat mentioned, what I really like is that Buffalo Bore creates ammo that maximizes the potential of the case capacity, with bullets that meet real world needs, and tests their ammo in real world guns. Each cartridge description includes real world velocities for actual firearms, not long test barrels.
I also recommend their .357 Magnum “Low flash, low recoil, tactical” 158 grain jacketed hollow point ammo, which I’ve found to be an ideal load for a S&W 327 Nightguard snubby. In my .38 Specials, such as the Detective Special I’m carrying, I use their 158 grain lead semi-wadcutter hollow points. I’ve never found any problems with the BB ammo, finding them to be accurate, powerful and reliable. Much of their line is available at Cabela’s, but I normally order directly from the Buffalo Bore web site, and have experienced quick and reliable shipping.
I’m just a satisfied customer, have bought all my own Buffalo Bore ammo, and have no interest in the company. Thanks, – S.M.O.