Buffalo Bore’s own motto tells you most of what you need to know: “If your main concern is price, we’re not your company.” Buffalo Bore Ammunition is the Idaho maker of the hardest-hitting factory loads you can buy — heavy +P and +P+ defensive rounds, deep-driving hard-cast hunting loads, and big-bore dangerous-game ammunition for cartridges most companies will not touch. Here is who they are, what they make, and what is worth buying.
Who Buffalo Bore is
Buffalo Bore Ammunition is a Salmon, Idaho maker founded by Tim Sundles in 1997, specializing in heavy, high-performance ammunition: stout +P and +P+ defensive loads, hard-cast hunting bullets and big-bore dangerous-game cartridges. It loads roughly 70 calibers and more than 250 different loads.
Founder Tim Sundles grew up on the wild side of Idaho and Oregon and learned to handload as a boy. After a stint as a contractor in northern California, he turned the hobby into a business, contacted Starline to make brass, and opened Buffalo Bore in 1997. You can read his story on the Buffalo Bore site.
The company made its name doing something no major manufacturer would: its very first commercial loads were for the .475 and .500 Linebaugh — serious big-bore revolver cartridges that had lived as wildcats until Buffalo Bore offered the first factory ammunition for them. Legitimizing those cartridges set the tone for everything since: Buffalo Bore exists to load the heavy, the powerful and the overlooked, and to load them honestly to their potential.
On price, Buffalo Bore is premium and proud of it. The company is explicit that it competes on performance, not cost. The other honest note is power: many Buffalo Bore loads are genuinely stout +P or +P+ ammunition, so you must confirm your specific firearm is rated to handle them before shooting. For the right gun and the right job, nothing hits harder off the shelf.
What Buffalo Bore makes
Heavy defensive handgun ammo
Buffalo Bore’s bread and butter is hard-hitting defensive ammunition — 9mm +P and +P+, .38 Special +P, .357 Magnum, .45 ACP +P and .40 S&W — loaded heavier and faster than mainstream offerings, including standard-pressure and low-flash tactical options for those who want them.
Hard-cast hunting and bear loads
For backcountry carry and handgun hunting, Buffalo Bore’s hard-cast loads drive heavy flat-nosed bullets deep in .44 Magnum, .45 Colt +P, 10mm, .41 Magnum and more. These are the loads people carry against the biggest animals on the continent.
Big-bore and dangerous game
This is where Buffalo Bore stands alone. From the .475 and .500 Linebaugh that started it all to .454 Casull, .45-70 Government, .458 rifle loads and beyond, the company loads serious dangerous-game cartridges to full power. The Buffalo-Barnes line pairs that power with Barnes copper bullets for controlled expansion and deep penetration.
Lever-gun and rifle loads
Buffalo Bore also serves the lever-action and outdoorsman crowd with heavy loads for .45-70, .35 Remington, .444 Marlin and similar cartridges, plus the Sniper line in .223 and other rifle offerings.
Build quality and the heavy-load idea
Buffalo Bore is a performance-first boutique loader. It uses quality brass (originally sourced from Starline), heavy hard-cast and premium jacketed or copper bullets, and loads them to the top of each cartridge’s safe potential. The trade-offs are exactly what the company tells you up front: premium pricing and serious power. Because so many loads are +P or +P+, the single most important step is confirming your firearm is rated for them — and, as with any ammo, the company’s velocity figures are best confirmed on your own chronograph. For shooters who need maximum factory performance, Buffalo Bore delivers it.
How Buffalo Bore compares
Buffalo Bore’s closest rivals are the other full-power boutique loaders, Underwood and DoubleTap. All three load heavy hard-cast and hot magnum ammunition; Buffalo Bore leans hardest into the “strictly business” big-bore and dangerous-game niche and offers the widest spread of serious revolver cartridges. Against mainstream defensive ammo like Federal HST or Speer Gold Dot, Buffalo Bore is the heavier, hotter, premium alternative — more power, higher price, and the requirement that your gun can handle it.
Be straight about the trade-offs: Buffalo Bore is expensive, its loads are powerful enough to demand a properly rated firearm, and some niche calibers come and go from stock. If you want the hardest-hitting factory ammunition, deep-penetrating hard-cast for bear country, or the only factory load made for a big-bore cartridge, Buffalo Bore is the answer. If price or recoil is your priority, look elsewhere.
Who should buy what
- The bear-country carrier: hard-cast loads in .44 Magnum, .45 Colt +P or 10mm for deep, straight penetration.
- The defensive shooter who wants maximum power: 9mm +P+, .38 Special +P or .357 Magnum — in a gun rated for it.
- The big-bore revolver hunter: .454 Casull, .475 or .500 Linebaugh factory loads.
- The lever-gun hunter: heavy .45-70, .35 Remington or .444 Marlin loads.
- The copper-bullet hunter: the Buffalo-Barnes line for controlled expansion and penetration.
Who should look elsewhere? Shooters on a budget, anyone wanting light-recoiling range ammo, or owners of firearms not rated for +P/+P+ pressure. Buffalo Bore is for maximum performance, full stop.
The Buffalo Bore philosophy
Buffalo Bore is the purest expression of a single idea: load ammunition to its real potential and never apologize for the price. Tim Sundles built the company by serving shooters the majors ignored — big-bore hunters, bear-country guides, and anyone who wanted a defensive load at full power. That uncompromising, performance-over-everything stance is the whole brand, and it is exactly why Buffalo Bore commands the loyalty it does.
How to choose your Buffalo Bore load
Start with the firearm and the job — and check pressure rating first. For bear or dangerous game, choose the heavy hard-cast load for your caliber and lean on its deep penetration. For defense, decide whether you want maximum +P/+P+ power or a standard-pressure, low-flash option, and make sure your carry gun is rated for it. For big-bore revolvers and lever guns, Buffalo Bore is often the most powerful factory load available. Whatever you choose, confirm your gun handles the pressure, pattern it for reliability, and verify the caliber matches your firearm before shooting.
Strictly big bore, strictly business
Some companies chase the popular cartridges and the lowest price. Buffalo Bore did the opposite from day one — legitimizing the .475 and .500 Linebaugh with the first factory loads, then building a 250-load catalog around power the majors would not offer. From a contractor’s career change in 1997 to the brand serious outdoorsmen trust for the heaviest hitting ammunition on the shelf, Buffalo Bore has never wavered from its promise. If performance is what you need and your firearm can handle it, there is nothing quite like it.
Shop Buffalo Bore Ammunition & Prices
Live Buffalo Bore products and current prices, organized by caliber and updated automatically.
Buffalo Bore .44 Magnum Ammo
Buffalo Bore .38 Special & .357 Magnum Ammo
Buffalo Bore 9mm +P Ammo
Buffalo Bore .40 S&W Ammo
Buffalo Bore .223 / 5.56 Sniper Ammo
Buffalo Bore .45 ACP +P Ammo
Where Buffalo Bore Fits in Our Buying Guides
- Best Defensive Ammo
- Best 9mm Ammo
- Best .45 ACP Ammo
- Best Deer Hunting Cartridges
- Best AR-15 Ammo (5.56 NATO / .223 Rem)
Buffalo Bore Ammunition FAQ
Where is Buffalo Bore ammunition made?
Buffalo Bore is based in Salmon, Idaho, where Tim Sundles founded the company in 1997.
What is Buffalo Bore known for?
Heavy, high-performance ammunition — stout +P and +P+ defensive loads, deep-penetrating hard-cast hunting and bear loads, and big-bore dangerous-game cartridges, including the first factory loads ever offered for the .475 and .500 Linebaugh.
Is Buffalo Bore ammo safe in my gun?
Many Buffalo Bore loads are +P or +P+, so you must confirm your specific firearm is rated for that pressure before shooting. The company also offers standard-pressure options for guns that should not run +P.
Why is Buffalo Bore so expensive?
Buffalo Bore competes on performance rather than price, using premium components and loading to the top of each cartridge’s potential. The company is explicit that it is not the budget choice.
Is Buffalo Bore good for bear defense?
Yes — its hard-cast loads in calibers like .44 Magnum, .45 Colt +P and 10mm are popular bear-country choices for their deep, straight-line penetration.
What is the Buffalo-Barnes line?
It is Buffalo Bore ammunition loaded with Barnes copper bullets (such as the TSX and TAC-XP) for controlled expansion and deep penetration, including lead-free options.
Buffalo Bore vs Underwood vs DoubleTap?
All three are full-power boutique loaders. Buffalo Bore leans hardest into heavy hard-cast and big-bore dangerous-game loads and offers the widest range of serious revolver cartridges. All run hot — confirm your firearm is rated for the pressure.
What tier is Buffalo Bore?
Premium boutique. Buffalo Bore is a performance-first American maker of the heaviest-hitting factory defensive, hunting and big-bore ammunition available.
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