Aiming at the problems of large peak pressure, low buffer capacity and unstable buffering process of traditional hydraulic buffer, based on the previous research on multi-head spiral hydraulic buffer, the buffering characteristics of three different damping forms of hydraulic buffer, namely, single-head, double-head spiral and damping holes, under different buffering positions and inlet velocities, were investigated based on the mathematical model of energy loss. The dynamic characteristics of the three damping forms of hydraulic buffers and the validity of the simulation model were verified through impact tests. The results show that compared with the traditional damping hole hydraulic snubber, the single-head spiral structure can reduce the peak pressure by 19.1%, while the double-head spiral structure can realize 26.8% peak pressure reduction, and the spiral hydraulic snubber shows better characteristics in terms of pressure control, energy dissipation efficiency and system stability. Compared with the single-head helical hydraulic snubber, the double-head helical type has a smaller pressure peak and a more stable cushioning process, but with a smaller cushioning capacity.