.458 Winchester Magnum, History
By 1970 issues with the cartridge began to surface. Winchester had been using compressed loads of ball powder as a propellant for .458 Winchester Magnum. Due to clumping of the powder charge and the erratic burn characteristics associated with such loads, performance of the cartridge came into question. While Winchester addressed this issue, the stigma remained, and the cartridge’s performance on dangerous game was suspect. However, the .458 Winchester Magnum remained the standard of measure for dangerous game cartridges.


.458 Winchester Magnum, History
Recently other .458 cartridges and various .416 cartridges have gained wider acceptance, but the 458 Win Mag remains one of the popular choices.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Specifications
The .458 Winchester Magnum was designed from the outset to duplicate the performance level of the .450 Nitro Express and the .470 Nitro Express, which had become the mainstay of African dangerous game hunters. The .450 Nitro Express had been rated to launch a 480 gr (31.1 g) bullet at 2,150 ft/s (655 m/s) out of a 28 in (711 mm) barrel while the .470 Nitro Express would launch a 500 gr (32.4 g) bullet at 2,125 ft/s (648 m/s) out of a 31 in (787 mm) barrel. The design criteria for the .458 Winchester Magnum called for it to launch a 510 gr (33.0 g) bullet at 2,150 ft/s (655 m/s) out of a 26 in (660 mm) barrel.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Specifications
The .458 Winchester Magnum's case was based on a .375 H&H case shortened to 2.5 in (63.5 mm) and renecked (to reduce taper) to accept a .458 in (11.63 mm) bullet. The cartridge remains the largest of the standard length magnum cartridge family released by Winchester, which includes the somewhat obsolete .264 Winchester Magnum and the popular .338 Winchester Magnum.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Specifications
SAAMI recommends a 6 groove with a twist ratio of 1:14 with a bore Ø of .450 in (11.43 mm) and a groove Ø of .458 in (11.63 mm) with each groove having an arc length of .150 in (3.81 mm). While case volume varies between manufacturers, the typical Winchester case capacity is 95 grain of H2O (6.17 cm3). Maximum recommended pressure given by SAAMI is 53,000 c.u.p. while the CIP mandates a maximum pressure of 4,300 bar (62,000 psi).


.458 Winchester Magnum, Performance
The original specifications for the cartridge called for a 510 gr (33 g) bullet to be fired at a velocity of 2,150 ft/s (660 m/s) through a 26 in (660 mm) barrel. Winchester achieved and surpassed this performance with their .458 Magnum cartridge.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Performance
Current performance standards for the cartridge allow it to launch a  500 gr (32 g) bullet at a velocity of about 2,150 ft/s (660 m/s) through a 24 in (610 mm) barrel. The 500 gr (32 g) bullet is seen as the standard weight for a 45 caliber (11.43 mm) rifle bullet. This bullet has a sectional density of .341, which provides the bullet a high penetrative value at a given velocity. Among standard sporting cartridge bullets, the 45 caliber (11.43 mm) 500 gr (32 g) bullet has the highest sectional density.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Performance
While bullets such as the 250 gr (16 g) 30 caliber (7.62 mm) bullet with a sectional density of .374 and even a 600 gr (39 g) 45 caliber (11.43 mm) with a sectional density of .409 exist these weights are not seen as a standard for those calibers. The .458 Winchester Magnum loaded with the 500 gr (32 g) solid bullet provides adequate penetration for dangerous game up to and including elephant.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Performance
Due to the cartridge's relatively short case and powder column, longer bullets and those with a lower weight to length ratio—such as mono-metal bullets like the A-Square Monolithic Solid and the Barnes Banded Solids—may take up valuable powder space and lead to lower velocities and reduced performance. Hence, the reason for companies such as A-Square loading the .458 Winchester Magnum and even the .458 Lott with the 465 gr (30.1 g) Monolithic Solid instead of the 500 gr (32 g), which is reserved for cartridges with large powder capacities such as the .450 Assegai and the .460 Weatherby Magnum. Bullets that tend to have a high weight to length ratios such as now discontinued 500 gr (32 g) Speer African Grand Slam solid tend to work better in the .458 Winchester Magnum.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Performance
With modern powders the .458 Winchester Magnum is capable of launching a 300 gr (19 g) bullet at 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s), a 350 gr (23 g) bullet at 2,500 ft/s (760 m/s), a 400 gr (26 g) bullet at 2,400 ft/s (730 m/s), and the 450 gr (29 g) bullet at 2,300 ft/s (700 m/s). However, as no mainline ammunition manufacturer provides sub-500 gr (32 g) .458 Winchester ammunition this is a choice for those who load their own ammunition or have access to custom-loaded ammunition.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Sporting usage
The .458 Winchester Magnum was designed for use against heavy thick skinned African game species such as elephant, rhinoceros and African Cape buffalo. The exceptional sectional density of the 500 gr (32 g) bullet combined with a muzzle velocity of between 1,950–2,250 ft/s (590–690 m/s) provides the cartridge adequate penetration on these dangerous game species. Rifles produced for this cartridge usually weighed under 11 lb (5.0 kg). The combination of these factors helped the .458 Winchester Magnum become the most popular dangerous game cartridge on the African continent.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Sporting usage
Unlike the more powerful .460 Weatherby Magnum the .458 Winchester Magnum is not considered overly powerful for the larger felids such as lion or leopard in Africa. However, bullet selection is important for these felids as they are not considered thick skinned species with the largest of the lions weighing under 500 lb (230 kg). These species require bullets that open quickly upon impact, such as A-Square’s Lion load.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Sporting usage
While the .458 Winchester Magnum is considered over powered for North American game species, the cartridge has found use for the hunting of large bears such as the polar and Alaskan brown bear and American bison. A few guides in Alaska and Canada carry rifles chambered in this cartridge to provide a defense against these largest bear species for themselves and their clients. The number one cartridge of professional guides in Alaska for Great Bears is the .338 Winchester Magnum.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Sporting usage
As almost all dangerous game hunting is conducted at short ranges with most shootings occurring well within a distance of 60 yd (55 m), the .458 was not designed as a long range hunting cartridge. Its effective hunting range against large dangerous game is considered less than 110 yd (100 m).


.458 Winchester Magnum, Ammunition
Since the .458 Winchester Magnum was intended as a dangerous game hunting cartridge, almost all ammunition manufactured for the cartridge is manufactured for these game species. Bullets used to load the .458 Winchester Magnum by ammunition manufacturers generally range between 450–510 gr (29–33 g).


.458 Winchester Magnum, Ammunition
Winchester currently offers ammunition in the traditional 510 gr (33 g) Soft Point and the new 500 gr (32 g) Nosler Partition and Nosler Solid. The Winchester 500 gr (32 g) loading has a muzzle velocity of 2,240 ft/s (680 m/s) and muzzle energy of 5,570 foot-pounds force (7,550 J). Winchester's 510 gr (33 g) X4581 ammunition, which has a muzzle velocity of 2,040 ft/s (620 m/s), is rated for CXP3 (large, non-dangerous) game species.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Ammunition
Hornady offers what they call a "heavy magnum" loading that features a 500 gr (32 g) bullet with a velocity of approx 2,260 ft/s (690 m/s). They use a special double-based cooler burning propellant ("powder") not available to the public for handloading. This innovative loading allows the .458 Winchester Magnum to attain 5,670 foot-pounds force (7,690 J) of muzzle energy.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Ammunition
Federal Cartridge is now loading a 500-grain (32 g) Barnes X bullet with a sectional density and ballistic coefficient that allows it to maintain approximately 2,000 foot-pounds force (2,700 J) of energy at 500 yards (460 m) and a flatter trajectory than has ever before been attained with this cartridge and bullet weight. Numerous companies offer rifles in this caliber, including the Winchester Model 70, which was used by Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Ammunition
The rounds for the .458 Win mag are more expensive than cartridges like the popular .30-06, making handloading a worthwhile effort. Though more expensive than deer hunting ammunition, the .458 Winchester Magnum is significantly less expensive than its competitors. For many decades the .458 has been the most popular rifle cartridge of professional hunters who pursue heavy dangerous game in Africa because of its performance, price, and availability. When British ammunition companies, including Kynoch, began closing in the 1960s, Winchester and the .458 Winchester Magnum filled the gap left behind.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Ammunition
The recoil of the factory loads is about 70 foot pounds. Handloads can make this cartridge more comfortable to shoot, for example using a 300-grain (19 g) cast lead bullet at 1,282 ft/s (391 m/s). This load mimics the .45/70 in both power and recoil.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Criticism
The .458 Winchester Magnum has had critics in its over 50 years of existence. By the late 1960s, professional hunters such as Jack Lott and others, suspected performance issues with .458 Winchester Magnum ammunition, particularly as produced by Winchester.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Criticism
Winchester loaded the cartridges with a ball powder that required compression to fit enough in the .458 short case to provide required performance. In time, however, the compressed powder charge "caked," causing erratic burn and poor performance levels. By the 1970s, Winchester rectified this issue by manufacturing the cartridge with non-clumping propellant.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Criticism
While the design specifications had called for a 510 gr (33 g) bullet at 2,150 ft/s (660 m/s) through a 26 in (660 mm) barrel, hunters wanting a lighter, handier faster swinging rifle were gravitating towards rifles sporting shorter barrels. Barrel lengths 18–24 in (460–610 mm) became the norm with hardly any rifle manufacturer producing .458 rifles with barrels greater than 24 in (610 mm). Shorter barrels, as expected, produced reduced performance levels due to lower attainable velocities. When fired from these shorter barrels, chronograph velocities fell from 2,050–1,850 ft/s (620–560 m/s), in line with expectations. However, the .458 Winchester Magnum cartridge was blamed for the loss of performance, and Winchester was accused of over-stating the cartridge’s performance.


.458 Winchester Magnum, Criticism
Due to the negative publicity, Winchester increased the performance of the .458 Winchester Magnum, which allowed the 500 gr (32 g) bullet to achieve 2,240 ft/s (680 m/s). While Winchester, like most .458 Winchester Magnum ammunition manufacturers (except Norma), continues to state velocities achieved from the 26 in (660 mm) test barrel, the velocity from a 24 in (610 mm) barrel is in keeping with the original expectations of the cartridge.


.458×2-inch American
The .458×2-inch American is a straight, belted, .458 caliber (11.6 mm) big bore cartridge designed by Frank Barnes. It is based on the .458 Winchester Magnum shortened to 2-inch (51 mm).


.458×2-inch American, General Information
The .458×2-inch American was designed as a medium power big bore cartridge by Frank Barnes for North American big game. Frank Barnes found that the .458 Winchester Magnum and the .460 Weatherby Magnum too powerful for North American big game and believed that a cartridge of lesser power would be ample for the task.


.458×2-inch American, General Information
The cartridge has the power required to take all North American big game species. It is also adequate for African dangerous game in close cover.


.458×2-inch American, General Information
The .450 Marlin and the .458×2-inch American are very similar cartridges. The cartridges are essentially the same length. However, the .450 Marlin will not chamber in the .458×2-inch American as the belt on the .450 Marlin is considerably wider. The .458×2-inch American should not be fired in a .450 Marlin as failures may occur. While not interchangeable, the .458×2-inch American will do anything the .450 Marlin is capable of accomplishing, and converting such a rifle to .450 Marlin is fairly straightforward.


.458×2-inch American, General Information
The .458×2-inch American was intended for bolt action rifles. The first rifle chambered for the cartridge was a customized Remington Model 722. The cartridge also can be chambered for the Winchester Model 94 lever action rifle.


.458×2-inch American, General Information
Ammunition can be made from .375 H&H Magnum cases and cases derived from it, including the .458 Winchester Magnum. Dies are available from RCBS and chamber reamers from H&M Tool Company.


.458×2-inch American, General Information
.458×2-inch American has remained a wildcat caliber, as no factory rifles or ammunition were offered in this caliber.


.46 rimfire
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Molestash (talk | contribs) at 23:30, 17 November 2019 (Removed Old Stub Tags). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


.46 rimfire
.46 rimfire is a family of cartridges which were chambered in revolvers and rifles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were primarily made in short, long and extra long lengths, however a variety of other lengths were designed. Manufacturers in the USA discontinued making .46 Short and .46 Long ammunition after the country's entrance into World War I in 1917, however production of .46 Extra Long continued after the war.


.46 rimfire, History
The .46 Short was used in the first large-caliber metallic cartridge revolvers available. Previously Smith & Wesson, who owned the Rollin White patent, had produced the Model 1 in .22 Short and Model 2 in .32 Short. In 1868, Remington paid a royalty fee to Smith & Wesson for use of the Rollin White patent and began to produce .46 Short metallic cartridge conversions for their New Model Army. These converted revolvers were also capable of firing the .46 Long cartridges when they were introduced a few years later.


.46 rimfire, Technical background
The Remington New Model Army was a .44 caliber percussion cap revolver. In the nomenclature of the time, .44 caliber referred to the bore diameter of the barrel which was nominally 0.440". The grooves of the rifling were .006-.007" deep so the groove diameter was nominally 0.451-0.454". These revolvers were generally loaded with a .457" diameter lead ball (48-gauge), ensuring a good seal in the chamber. On conversion to cartridge ammunition, the nomenclature changed so that the name of the cartridge was based on the size of the projectile, hence the .46 Short (0.458" diameter bullet) fit the .44 caliber revolver.


.460 S&W Magnum
The .460 S&W Magnum round is a powerful revolver cartridge designed for long-range handgun hunting in the Smith & Wesson Model 460 revolver.


.460 S&W Magnum, Overview
The .460 S&W round is a lengthened, more powerful version of the popular .454 Casull, itself a longer and more powerful version of the .45 Colt. For this reason, the .460 S&W Magnum could be considered an example of a "super magnum". Consequently, firearms that fire .460 S&W are usually capable of firing the less powerful .454 Casull, .45 Colt, and .45 Schofield rounds, but this must be verified with each firearm's manufacturer. For instance, some lever-action firearms are designed to handle cartridges within a certain length and bullet profile range.


.460 S&W Magnum, Overview
The reverse, however, does not apply: .45 Schofield, .45 Colt, and .454 Casull handguns generally cannot safely fire .460 S&W rounds — nor can they even chamber the .460 S&W because of the longer case length. It is also the most versatile big bore revolver being able to fire four standardized cartridges, as well as lesser known rimmed and straightwall cartridges of .45 caliber that predate the .45 Colt. The .460 Smith and Wesson Magnum is built to handle both long-range hunting and Dangerous Game hunting and defensive performance.


.460 S&W Magnum, Performance
Smith & Wesson says that the .460 S&W is the highest velocity revolver cartridge in the world, firing bullets at up to 2,409 feet per second (734 m/s). The .460 cartridge achieves high velocities by operating at chamber pressures (65,000 psi max) normally reserved for magnum rifle cartridges. The recoil when shooting .45 Colt ammunition out of the S&W .460 firearm is comparable to recoil from a 9mm or .380 load, due to the weight of the gun and lower chamber pressures. Since firearms chambered in .460


.460 S&W Magnum, Performance
S&W magnum can also fire cartridges of dissimilar trajectories, such as .45 Colt, S&W provides an extra additional rear sight with the gun to compensate for bullet drop down range, depending on the user's load and shooting applications. With Buffalo Bore's loadings, the .460 S&W can achieve 2,826 ft⋅lbf (3,832 J) of energy by driving a 300 grain .452 caliber bullet at 2,060 ft/s (630 m/s) and 2,860 ft⋅lbf (3,880 J) of energy by driving a heavier 360 grain .452 caliber bullet at 1,900 ft/s (580 m/s).


.460 S&W Magnum, Performance
For comparison, Hornady's 9249 load for the .500 S&W Magnum cartridge offers slightly more energy at the muzzle, achieving 2,868 ft⋅lbf (3,888 J) by driving a 300 grain (19 g) FTX bullet at 2,075 ft/s (632 m/s). Buffalo Bore's loading for the .500 S&W Magnum cartridge offers much less energy at the muzzle, achieving only 2,579 ft⋅lbf (3,497 J) by driving a 440 grain .500 caliber bullet at 1,625 ft/s (495 m/s).


.460 S&W Magnum, Long gun firearms and ammunition
Big Horn Armory's Model 90 carbine and rifle are currently the only repeating long guns chambered in this cartridge. The .460 S&W Magnum typically produces an additional 200-400 feet per second. This extra velocity flattens the trajectory and increases energy. The Ruger No.1 single-shot, falling block action rifle is currently offered in .460 S&W Magnum, as well as the Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter Katahdin, break action, single shot rifle.


.460 Steyr
The .460 Steyr (11.6×90mm Grillmayer) is a center fire cartridge from the weapons manufacturer Steyr Mannlicher, which was developed for sniper rifles. During the development, important features for the military, such as the penetration power of armor or a tracer, were not taken into account. The cartridge was presented for the first time in February 2004 at the ShotShow-2004 in Las Vegas together with the Steyr HS .50.


.460 Steyr
The cartridge was designed by Horst Grillmayer in 2002, while the projectile was designed by Guido Wasser. Production started around 2004 together with the Steyr HS .460. The ammunition was developed for precision rifles for sport shooters, with the focus on the long range and bypassing the 12.7 × 99 mm NATO (.50 BMG) caliber, the use of which is prohibited in many European countries for non-official purposes. The ammunition can also be of interest to armies deployed abroad, which have been banned from using 12.7 mm ammunition in peacekeeping operations.


.460 Steyr, Overview
The external shape of the .460 Steyr cartridge is very similar to cartridges in the 12.7 × 99 mm caliber, but has a shorter case and a narrower cartridge neck, which leads to increased gas pressure. The ballistic properties of the .460 Steyr and the 12.7 × 99 mm are largely similar.


.460 Steyr, Overview
The ammunition is also comparable to other special cartridges such as the .408 Chey Tac or the .416 Barrett, which were also developed as special calibers for precision rifles in order to be able to work over long distances.


.460 Weatherby Magnum
The .460 Weatherby Magnum is a belted, bottlenecked rifle cartridge, developed by Roy Weatherby in 1957. The cartridge is based on the .378 Weatherby Magnum necked up to accept the .458-inch (11.6 mm) bullet. The original .378 Weatherby Magnum parent case was inspired by the .416 Rigby. The .460 Weatherby Magnum was designed as an African dangerous game rifle cartridge for the hunting of heavy, thick skinned dangerous game.


.460 Weatherby Magnum
Prior to the Weatherby's arrival, the .600 Nitro Express had been the most powerful cartridge but the .460 Weatherby Magnum eclipsed this, and was the world's most powerful commercially available sporting cartridge for 29 years until the advent of the .700 Nitro Express.


.460 Weatherby Magnum
The .460 launches a 500-grain (32 g) bullet at a chronographed velocity of 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s) from a 26-inch (660 mm) barrel, measuring 8,100 ft⋅lbf (11,000 J) of muzzle energy.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Cartridge history
Roy Weatherby had expected the .378 Weatherby Magnum to make some headway in the African continent but believed that his cartridge was being bypassed for low-velocity, big-bore cartridges by professional hunters who he felt were resistant to change. Furthermore, new regulations prohibiting the hunting of heavy, thick skinned, dangerous game with sub-.40 caliber (10.16 mm) cartridges were being enacted in some African countries. These regulations would essentially ban the use of all previous Weatherby cartridges for the hunting of elephant, African Cape buffalo and rhinoceros.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Cartridge history
In response to these factors,  Weatherby believed that it was necessary to provide hunters a Weatherby cartridge that could be used to hunt African dangerous game in the countries which had legislated against hunting with sub-.40 caliber rifles. He accomplished this by necking up the .378 Weatherby Magnum case to accept a .458 caliber bullet. He named the new cartridge the ".460 Weatherby Magnum". The first rifles for the .460 Weatherby Magnum were built on Brevex Magnum Mauser action.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Cartridge history
However, Weatherby was not the first cartridge designer to neck up the .378 Weatherby Magnum to .45 caliber (11.6 mm). That distinction belongs to John Buhmiller, a gunsmith and hunter from Montana. Buhmiller named his cartridge the ".45 Weatherby". He had success with the cartridge in Africa shooting Cape buffalo and rogue elephants in 1956, a year before Weatherby began work on his own .45-caliber cartridge.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Cartridge history
Norma Precision of Sweden was the first and only manufacturer of .460 Weatherby Magnum cases and ammunition which carried the Weatherby name and has done so under contract from Weatherby. During Weatherby's partnership with J.P. Sauer/Dynamit-Nobel, production at Norma ceased and shifted to RWS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dynamit-Nobel. However, RWS did not tool up in time to produce the .460 Weatherby Magnum cartridge and in the end only produced substandard .300 Weatherby ammunition before production once again moved to Norma.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Cartridge history
DuPont at one time shipped DuPont No. 4350 powder to Norma Projektilfabrik for the reloading of Weatherby ammunition. But some time later Norma was able to source a powder with similar burn characteristics locally which was used instead of DuPont's IMR 4350. Norma would later purchase the company and rename the powder Norma 204.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Design and specifications
The .460 Weatherby Magnum is no longer considered a proprietary cartridge as the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI) established voluntary specifications for the cartridge in January 1994. The Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives (CIP) has also provided  specifications for the cartridge to which all member states must comply when exporting, importing or manufacturing ammunition.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Design and specifications, Cartridge design
The .460 Weatherby Magnum case uses a necked up .378 Weatherby Magnum case. Although the .378 Weatherby Magnum case was inspired by the .416 Rigby case, it is considered a unique case which has gone on to serve as the parent cartridge of several high performance cartridges. The .460 Weatherby Magnum requires a case with the large propellant capacity necessary to propel a 500 gr (32 g) bullet at 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s). To accomplish this design goal, the cartridge case has a capacity able to hold 141.1 gr. of water (9.17 cm3). Frequently the powder charges for the .460 Weatherby Magnum can weigh well in excess of 120 gr (7.8 g); in comparison a powder charge for the .458 Winchester Magnum rarely weighs over 80 gr (5.2 g).


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Design and specifications, Cartridge design
The .460 Weatherby Magnum is designed to headspace on its belt. The close chamber tolerance of Weatherby rifles indicate that these rifles do indeed headspace on the belt rather than the shoulder, unlike most modern belted cartridges which headspace on the shoulder regardless of the belt; the few exceptions being the .375 H&H Magnum and the .300 H&H Magnum. SAAMI recommended chamber dimensional tolerance range does allow for the headspacing to take place on the shoulder if need be.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Design and specifications, Cartridge dimensions and specifications
Diagram reflects SAAMI dimensions for the .460 Weatherby Magnum. CIP dimensions for the r1 (inside shoulder radius), r2 (outside shoulder radius), L1 (height from base to shoulder), L2 (height from base to neck), S (shoulder angle intercepts the center line) and the α dimensional value (shoulder angle) conflict with SAAMI dimensions. This is due to how the L1 and L2 values are defined in relation to the centers of the r1 and r2 dimensional values by CIP. The following table provides the conflicting values provided by SAAMI and CIP.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Design and specifications, Cartridge dimensions and specifications
Like all Weatherby cartridges, the .460 Weatherby Magnum cartridge has a double radius shoulder where the body and the neck are connected with a continuously curving shoulder; the curve of which reverses at the point of tangency. SAAMI defines the length to the shoulder as the demarcation point where the bottom of inside curvature radius (corresponding roughly to CIP's r1)  of the shoulder begins and the length to the neck as where the outside curvature radius (approximating CIP's r2) meets the neck.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Design and specifications, Cartridge dimensions and specifications
However, CIP does not define the location of the centers of the r1 and r2 whereas SAAMI provides this as being in inline with the length to the shoulder (inside radius) and length to neck (outside radius). This is due to the CIP treatment of r1 and r2 values as fillet radii as they do with many other cartridges.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Design and specifications, Chamber dimensions and specifications
SAAMI recommends a maximum chamber pressure rating of 65,000 psi (4,500 bar) while CIP provides a maximum chamber pressure rating of 4,400 bar (64,000 psi).


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Design and specifications, Chamber dimensions and specifications
Weatherby no longer provides a long leade (freebore) for the cartridge. Currently Weatherby provides .756 inches (19.2 mm) of freebore for the .460 Weatherby in the Weatherby Mark V rifle. CIP recommends that rifling commence at .975 in (24.8 mm) from the case mouth reflecting the longer leade provided by Weatherby in the early 1960s. SAAMI recommends the present leade provided by Weatherby of .756 inches (19.2 mm).


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Design and specifications, Chamber dimensions and specifications
Twist rate is given as 1 in 16 by Weatherby which would stabilize bullets up to 600-grain (39 g) and mono-metal bullets. Weatherby provides a six-groove contour No. 4 barrel for the .460 Weatherby Magnum. Ø land is given at .450 in (11.4 mm) and Ø groove is .458 in (11.6 mm). The recommended land arc width by both SAAMI and CIP is .175 in (4.4 mm).


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
The .460 Weatherby Magnum cartridge is very accurate despite its size. Weatherby guarantees a 1.5 MOA (44mm/100m) accuracy for this cartridge in a Weatherby rifle. Typically a full-metal-jacketed or monolithic solid type bullet will penetrate more than 40 in (1.0 m) when impacting a dangerous game animal such as the Cape buffalo or African elephant. The .460 Weatherby Magnum has few peers for stopping dangerous African game.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
Compared to its contemporaries, the 460 Weatherby Magnum has more energy at 150 yards than the .458 Winchester Magnum does at the muzzle and at 100 yards more energy than the .458 Lott with factory ammunition. The .460 Weatherby Magnum provides a significant step up in performance over other production .458 caliber (11.6 mm) cartridges. The increased performance is realized in terms of both remaining energy and extended range.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
The .460 Weatherby Magnum, like the .375 H&H Magnum, is a relatively flat shooting cartridge. The maximum point blank range (MPBR) for the 450-grain (29 g) Weatherby load is 258-yard (236 m). The 500-grain (32 g) Weatherby factory ammunition has a maximum point blank range of 245-yard (224 m). These trajectories compare well with those of the .375 H&H Magnum. At 200 yd (180 m) Hornady's Interlock .375 H&H Magnum's 270 gr (17 g) bullet drops 11.3 in (29 cm) while Hornady's DGX 300 gr (19 g) bullet drops 13.8 in (35 cm). In contrast the .460 Weatherby Magnum's 450 gr (29 g) (B460450TSX) drops 12.3 in (31 cm) and the 500 gr (32 g) (H460500FJ) drops 12.7 in (32 cm). The .460 Weatherby Magnum, however, averages over 75% greater energy than the .375 H&H Magnum.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
Compared to the more popular .458 Winchester Magnum and the .458 Lott, the .460 Weatherby Magnum provides a flatter trajectory, dropping less than 10-inch (25 cm) at 300-yard (270 m) when sighted in at 200-yard (180 m) with the 450 gr. Barnes TSX Weatherby ammunition. With the 500 gr (32 g) FMJ or RN Weatherby ammunition bullet drop is 11-inch (28 cm) at the same range. The .458 Winchester Magnum and the .458 Lott  have a 206-yard (188 m) and 220-yard (200 m) MPBR respectively in comparison.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
The 500 gr (32 g) FMJ or RN Weatherby ammunition shoot to the same point of impact, which is necessary in a dangerous game cartridge as hunters may need to switch from solids to soft round nose rounds depending on the circumstances and game being hunted. This is due to Weatherby's (Norma) factory loaded ammunition using Hornady's DGS and DGX bullets which have identical G1 ballistic coefficients of .295.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
The ability of the .460 Weatherby to carry the energy and velocity required to take heavy, tough skinned dangerous game combined with the flatter trajectories it provides, gives the shooter the ability to take game species at longer ranges than its competition. The stand-off ability assures a greater margin of safety when hunting dangerous game species as the hunter need not get as close to the game as with other cartridges. Furthermore, this lessens the need to compensate for bullet drop and target size. However, for practical reasons, most dangerous game are shot at close ranges of less than 60 yd (55 m).


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
Bullets available for the .460 Weatherby Magnum range from 300–600-grain (19–39 g). Velocities with these bullets vary from 2,500-foot-per-second (760 m/s) with the 600-grain (39 g) bullet to 3,100-foot-per-second (940 m/s) with the 300-grain (19 g) bullet. The good sectional density and ballistic coefficients of these bullets, particularly spitzer bullets available, give the cartridge the ability to conserve velocity in flight and provide deep penetration on game. The wide range of bullet weights available and the ability tailor the performance the .460 Weatherby Magnum gives the cartridge a performance envelope unmatched by most cartridges. The combination of velocity and bullets of very good sectional density contributes to the .460 Weatherby Magnum's excellent penetration on game provided the toughest bullets are employed for the task.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
As with other most other cartridges, the Weatherby's performance with mono-metal bullets is slightly poorer than with conventional bullets. Mono-metal bullets tend to be longer for a given bullet weight than conventional lead core bullets. For this reason, the mono-metal bullets similar to the Barnes TSX may have to be seated more deeply into the case displacing volume which could be filled with the propellant. A loss of velocity of 50–100-foot-per-second (15–30 m/s) can be expected with these mono-metal bullets. Likewise bullets which have a higher specific gravity than lead, such as the tungsten core Speer African Grand Slam solids being shorter than conventional FMJ bullets will allow for more powder capacity and therefore a higher velocity.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
The performance level of the Weatherby cartridge comes at a cost: recoil. The recoil of the .460 Weatherby Magnum is severe. The cartridge generates close to 100 ft⋅lbf (140 J) of energy. This is in keeping with Newton's Third Law of Motion: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. As performance levels rise, so does the recoil. Put into perspective the recoil of the .460 Weatherby is 120% greater than the .375 H&H Magnum, 50% greater than the .458 Winchester Magnum and 20% greater than the .458 Lott.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
The .460 Weatherby Magnum compares well with the classic English big bore cartridges; it exceeds all these cartridges in velocity, energy, trajectory and penetration. Cartridges such as the .500 Jeffery, .500 Nitro Express, .505 Gibbs, .577 Nitro Express, .600 Nitro Express do however provide a larger diameter bullet while the latter two cartridges are also capable of  launching heavier bullets than the .460 Weatherby Magnum. At present only the modern classic .700 Nitro Express exceeds the performance of the .460 Weatherby and then in only a single category: energy. Cartridges such as the .475 A&M Magnum, .500 A-Square, and the .550 Magnum which are based on the .460 Weatherby Magnum can exceed the performance of the parent cartridge, however, these are considered wildcat and proprietary cartridges.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Sporting use
The .460 Weatherby Magnum is primarily a thick skinned dangerous game cartridge designed to provide the ultimate in stopping power against African elephant, African buffalo, hippopotamus and  the rhinoceros. When loaded to its full potential has little use outside this primary use - although it can be used to hunt any species, there are far better cartridge choices for other game animals.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Sporting use, Thick-skinned big game
When loaded to its full potential it has more than the required energy necessary to drive 450–600-grain (29–39 g) bullets into the elephant's vital organs from any angle provided that the bullet is up to the task. Generally, elephants require solid bullets especially when head-shots are taken. Monolithic bullets such as the A-Square Monolithic Solid, Barnes Banded Solid, Supreme Nosler Solid and more conventional tougher FMJ bullets such as the Hornady DGS are good choices as they are able to withstand stresses placed on the bullets by the velocity of the .460 Weatherby Magnum.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Sporting use, Thick-skinned big game
At the 250 yd (230 m) mark, the .460 Weatherby has enough remaining energy and velocity to make quick kills on elephant. At this range its impact energy is comparable to that of the  .458 Winchester Magnum at 65 yd (59 m) However, as elephant hunting is usually a close range affair where 90% of the shooting situations fall within 60 yd (55 m) the fact that the .460 Weatherby can fell an elephant at long ranges is mostly an academic argument at best.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Sporting use, Thick-skinned big game
Bullets in the 400–500-grain (26–32 g) range are excellent for African cape buffalo and rhinoceros. A combination of solids and expanding bullets may be used against these big game. Expanding bullets should be of the controlled expansion variety. Rapidly expanding bullets are to be avoided. A-Square Dead Tough, Barnes TSX, Hornady DGX and similar toughly constructed expanding bullets are recommended. As with the solid bullets, expanding bullets for the cartridge should be rated to perform well at .460 Weatherby velocities.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Sporting use, Thick-skinned big game
The  .460 Weatherby is one of the very few rifle cartridges approved by the International Whaling Commission for the harvesting of whales. The cartridge was deemed to have the penetration necessary to penetrate to the brain stem to provide a quick kill on whales. The Makah people of the Pacific Northwest have used this rifle cartridge for decades hunting whales.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Sporting use, Other big game
The .460 Weatherby is overly powerful for lion or leopard. Lion are thin skinned and weigh no more than 600 lb (270 kg) while leopards weigh no more than 250 lb (110 kg). When the .460 Weatherby is used for hunting leopard or lion, a rapidly expanding bullet is normally used. Bullets ideal for lion or leopard begin with the 300-grain (19 g) bullets. A-Square's Lion Load, a fragmenting 465-or-500-grain (30.1 or 32.4 g) soft point is one such load appropriate for the big cats.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Sporting use, Other big game
Apart from the A-Square Lion Load bullets ranging in weight from 300–400 gr (19–26 g) are better used on lion and leopard. Since the .460 Weatherby can drive these bullets at over 3,000 ft/s (910 m/s), and the large felidae are susceptible to hydrostatic shock, these lighter weight bullets in relation to the caliber may provide the best option if the .460 is chosen for the big cats. However, as no mainstream ammunition manufacturer loads these bullets, tailoring such loads for lion or leopard is strictly an option available only to the handloader or for those willing to have custom ammunition made to order.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Sporting use, Other big game
The capability of the .460 Weatherby Magnum to hold flatter trajectories with appropriate bullets provides the cartridge the ability to take African plains game at distances beyond 250-yard (230 m) with no holdover adds to the versatility of .460 Weatherby Magnum as an all round African game cartridge. However, while the .460 Weatherby has the capacity to take such game species, there can be little doubt of the fact that there are more suitable cartridge choices for these species with far less recoil.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Sporting use, Other big game
North American big game also does not require the full power of the .460 Weatherby Magnum. Harvesting of bison, elk, moose and brown bear can however be accomplished by reducing the performance of the cartridge to match the requirements. The .460 Weatherby Magnum cartridge has the flexibility to be loaded to duplicate the performance of the .45-70 Government to the .450 Rigby - and have significantly lower recoil.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Rifles and ammunition
Due to the recoil energy and recoil velocity of the cartridge rifles designed for the .460 Weatherby Magnum and other cartridges in its class demand particular attention with regard to their design. Most modern rifles designed for cartridges of this class incorporate design features that reduce the felt recoil to the shooter and improve durability. Rifles chambered for the .460 Weatherby Magnum require close mating of metal to stock. This can be accomplished by properly bedding the action to the stock.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Rifles and ammunition
Recoil lugs and crossbolts serve the purpose of preventing a movement differential between the action and the stock which could lead to further loosening between the action and the stock or splitting the stock. Proper bedding and properly installed recoil lugs and crossbolts can go a long way in preserving the integrity of the firearm chambered in cartridges such as the .460 Weatherby Magnum as functional implements.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Rifles and ammunition
The Weatherby Mark V is the most popular rifle chambered for the .460 Weatherby Magnum cartridge. The rifle stock is engineered to minimize the felt recoil of heavy recoiling cartridges. The California Style Monte Carlo stock's  slanting comb will under recoil push away from the shooter's face. The rifle stock is also designed with a generous cast off to help tame the heavy recoil of the .460 Weatherby Magnum. The rifle uses an aluminum bedding block and recoil lugs to prevent any movement between the stock and the action. At a point of time the .460


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Rifles and ammunition
Weatherby Magnum was offered for sale as an over the counter item in a few Mark V rifle lines, however, at present it is only available in the Mark V Deluxe. The Weatherby Custom Shop does offer the rifle in a few lines such as the Crown Custom, Dangerous Game Rifle (DGR) and the Safari Custom. All the over the counter and custom shop rifles are built on the Mark V action which is regarded by many as one of the strongest rifle actions available. The first .460 Weatherby's were built on Magnum Mauser actions but these were found wanting due to the higher pressures generated by Weatherby cartridges. The Mark V action is able to contain 200,000 psi (14,000 bar) pressure.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Rifles and ammunition
A-Square currently offers rifles chambered .460 Weatherby Magnum in the Hannibal (right handed) and Caesar (left handed) lines. The rifles are based on the Enfield P14 design and like the Weatherby's are designed to minimize felt recoil. The rifles are ruggedly build to perform well with hard recoiling cartridges such as the .460 Weatherby Magnum, .500 A-Square, .577 Tyrannosaur. Dumoulin Herstal of Belgium manufactures rifles for the cartridge in their proprietary A2000/LM Long Magnum Mauser action White Hunter rifle line. The Dumoulin White Hunter is also available in .416 Rigby, .500 Jeffery and 505 Gibbs. Apart from these companies, several custom rifle maker such as Ballard Arms and Empire Rifles provide custom rifles in this chambering.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Rifles and ammunition
Weatherby ammunition is billed as Ultra Velocity Ammunition by Weatherby. Typically, Weatherby cartridges exhibit velocities greater than 200–300 ft/s (61–91 m/s) over the more popular similar caliber cartridges. Early Weatherby ammunition was loaded to near maximum pressures. Since then, however, Weatherby has backed off from these pressures. The resulting factory ammunition is about 100 ft/s (30 m/s) slower than early Weatherby Ammunition.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Rifles and ammunition
Currently ammunition is available from A-Square, Conley Precision Cartridge and Weatherby (Norma) among others. Factory ammunition is loaded with 350-to-600-grain (23 to 39 g) bullets. Factory ammunition are relatively expensive costing between $6.00 and 8.50 per cartridge.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Accessories
Although most elephant guns are equipped with open sights the typical Weatherby Mark V rifle chambered for the .460 Weatherby Magnum does not come equipped with open sights. Instead they are drilled and tapped for scope mounts. The cartridge's performance even at 200 yd (180 m) leaves enough energy necessary to bring down large dangerous thick skinned game. At these ranges, telescopic sights have a greater advantage than open sights. The stock itself is designed for with the intent of providing the shooter a higher line of sight which is consistent with the use of telescopic sights.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Accessories
Weatherby rifles such as the Dangerous Game Rifle and other Weatherby factory custom offerings are provided with open sights. Open sights tend to sight in quicker than scoped rifles and for this reason open sighted rifles are preferred by hunters for back-up work—when the hunter or guide must mount and discharge their firearm to ensure a charging game animal does not injure a client or to deliver a killing blow to a wounded game animal. It also has the added benefit of preventing the hunter from getting their eyebrow cut by the scope, which is not uncommon with a firearm with as much recoil as the .460 Weatherby Magnum.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Accessories
The recoil of the .460 Weatherby Magnum presents a problem for many shooters when shooting a cartridge of this size. Even with a 12 lb (5.4 kg) rifle (scope, base, rings and cartridges included) the recoil against the shooter's shoulder is measured at 100 ft⋅lbf (140 J). Most rifles chambered in .30-06 Springfield develop an average of 20 ft⋅lbf (27 J) of free recoil. Recently Weatherby has offered some reduced loads in the 7,500 ft⋅lbf (10,200 J) range, in order to be more forgiving to shooters. The recoil of the full-power loads is very punishing and if the gun has a scope, scope cuts on the forehead are common. A factory powder charge for this cartridge is about 115 grains (7.5 g).


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Accessories
For many years the Weatherby Mark V rifles chambered in .460 Weatherby were equipped with Pendleton muzzle brakes to help alleviate the effects of recoil. The Pendleton muzzle brake is an integral braking system installed by porting the rifle barrel and once cut into the barrel cannot be reversed. All current Weatherby Mark V rifles chambered for the .378 Weatherby Magnum and its derivatives are provided with the Accubrake as a standard accessory with the rifle package. The Accubrake reduces felt recoil by about 53%. Unlike the earlier Pendleton muzzle brake, the Accubrake is a removable, screw-on type brake. The use of muzzle brakes is frowned on by the hunting community in particularly in guided hunting situations involving dangerous game. Since the Accubrake is a removable accessory, it can be reserved for sighting in. According to Weatherby, the removal of the Accubrake will not change the point of impact.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Handloading
As factory loaded ammunition for the .460 Weatherby Magnum is optimized for only heavy dangerous game, reloaders gain a great benefit from reloading for the .460 Weatherby Magnum. Reloading the .460 Weatherby Magnum is no more difficult than reloading any other belted magnum cartridges. The reloader has a wide variety of components, bullets and powders available.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Handloading
Among bullet manufacturers Barnes, Hornady and Lyman provide reloading data in their manuals for the .460 Weatherby Magnum. Powder manufacturers Accurate Arms, Hodgdon and Norma have also provide reloading data for the cartridge.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Handloading, Bullets
The .460 Weatherby Magnum accepts .458 in (11.6 mm) bullets. There are a large variety of bullets manufactured which are suited for the .460 Weatherby. Bullets weighing between 250–600 gr (16–39 g) are acceptable although the cartridge performs best with bullets weighing between 450–600 gr (29–39 g). The 250–400 gr (16–26 g) bullets are optimized for use with the .45-70 Government cartridge. Such bullets are used with reduced loads. All major bullet manufacturers produce bullets that can be used in the .460 Weatherby.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Handloading, Bullets
In addition bullets there are several hard cast .458 in (11.6 mm) diameter bullets that are compatible with the .460 Weatherby Magnum. Such bullets, unlike jacketed bullets, are designed to be driven at reduced velocities. Driving these bullets at .460 Weatherby velocities can cause lead to be deposited in the barrel. Regular cast bullets are not recommended with the .460 Weatherby as the upper end of the permissible velocities for these cast bullets is lower than the lowest velocities obtainable from the .460 Weatherby Magnum.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Handloading, Powders
The .460 Weatherby performs at its best with medium slow burning powders especially with heavier bullets. Usual powder charges start in excess of 100 gr (6.5 g). Due to the large capacity case, charges less than 90% load density are not usually recommended. Hangfires with cartridges such as the .460 Weatherby are extremely unpleasant. Powder charges with higher load densities provide more reliable burn performance than lighter charges.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Handloading, Powders
For reduced velocity reloads powders such as Accurate Arms' AA8700 and Hodgdon's H870 have performed well. With AA8700 and H870 there remains a large quantity of un-burnt powder. Faster powders occupy less volume; so a  filler such as Dacron is used to hold the powder charge against the primer to provide shot to shot consistence and reliable ignition.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Handloading, Cases
At present there is one single manufacturer of .460 Weatherby Magnum brass: Norma Precision. Norma Precision manufactured brass is headstamped as Weatherby (as opposed to Norma) as they are under contract by Weatherby to manufacture Weatherby Ammunition. Weatherby brass is available from Weatherby.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Handloading, Primers
When Roy Weatherby began working with the .378 Weatherby Magnum, the parent cartridge of the .460 Weatherby Magnum, he found the primers of the day to be unreliable. Roy Weatherby contacted Charles L. Horn, the founder of Federal Cartridge Company and explained his problem. Horn's reply was "We'll make you a primer that, by God, will set your powder ablaze". The Federal 215 primer was developed for the .378 Weatherby Magnum cartridge and is the only primer which is generally recommended for use with the .460 Weatherby Magnum cartridge. This primer was created specifically to provide reliable ignition for compressed powder charges in large capacity cases. All reloading manuals provide loading data using only this particular primer to develop reloading data for the .460 Weatherby Magnum.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Handloading, Primers
In a pinch the Winchester WLRM primer or primers with similar brisance may be substituted. The Federal 216 primer is not available for sale to the reloader at present but should the primer become available it may be substituted for the Federal 215 primer. This primer was developed for the .470 Nitro Express and is currently used by Federal to load the cartridge.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Handloading, Dies
Full length and neck sizing dies are available from RCBS and Redding. A full length die set is available from Hornady Manufacturing. Most two-die set includes a bullet seating die and either a full length resizing die or a neck sizing die. A full length sizing die reforms the complete body of the case to specification. The neck sizing die reforms only the neck so that it can hold the bullet in place. Neck-sizing cases rather than full length sizing cases can extend the case life of cartridges.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Handloading, Dies
On the downside, cases that are only neck sized may not feed through some actions reliably especially when used in semi-automatic rifles. Cartridges which are intended for semi-automatics should be full length resized. Most Weatherby manufactured rifle chambers are machined to very tight tolerances making  full length resizing has little effect on extending the case life as the cartridge brass does not have to be worked as much to reform it. If once fired cases are to be used in a rifle in other than one it which it had been previously fired full length resizing the cases is the norm.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Criticism
On paper the .460 Weatherby Magnum has better penetration than most other rifle cartridges including the .577 Tyrannosaur, .585 Nyati, .600 Overkill and the Nitro Express line of cartridges. However, the .460 Weatherby Magnum was beset by penetration issues from the beginning. Safari hunters had variously reported the 500-grain (32 g) round nose bullets' fragmenting and the solids' deforming and core separation which lead to poor terminal performance on heavily boned animals. In such cases, the energy of the bullet is expended through the work performed deforming or disintegrating the bullet rather than directed towards the more productive penetration which is the sole reason for the use of these solid bullets.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Criticism
Early Norma factory ammunition loaded for Weatherby used Hornady 500-grain (32 g) RN and FMJ. Norma had been loading these bullets to a velocity of 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s). Norma dropped the velocity of the cartridge to 2,650 ft/s (810 m/s) while Hornady introduced the mechanically locked-in lead core InterLock bullets in 1980 to improve the terminal ballistics of their bullets. Subsequently, Hornady introduced the 500-grain (32 g) InterBond FMJ (IB-FMJ) and RN (IB-RN) bullets which featured a brass jacket with a welded lead core. The IB-FMJ and IB were loaded by Norma for the Weatherby cartridge. These Hornady .458 caliber round nose and solid bullets were later found to have a performance envelope of not exceeding 2,300 ft/s (700 m/s) in the .458 caliber.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Criticism
Hornady has since developed the copper-clad steel-encased bonded core DGX and DGS bullets rated for a velocity of 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s). The new Hornady DGX and DGS bullets are now being loaded by Norma at the reduced velocity of 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) to coincide with the velocity rating of the tougher DGS and DGS 500-grain (32 g) bullets. Hornady's performance envelope for the .458 caliber 500-grain (32 g) DGX and DGS bullets are between 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) and 1,600 ft/s (490 m/s) the same rating they had assigned earlier to the more lightly constructed InterLock bullet.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Criticism
While poor penetration due to bullet construction was not limited to the .460 Weatherby Magnum, the issue was more magnified in this cartridge than others due to the additional stress imposed on the bullet by the higher velocity of the cartridge as is the case with the .375 H&H Magnum cartridge firing the 300 gr (19 g) solids at 2,530 ft/s (770 m/s). Using premium, stoutly constructed premium solid bullets similar to the Barnes Banded Solid, Hornady DGS, Nosler Solid, Speer African Grand Slam Solid and others have resolved this problem.


.460 Weatherby Magnum, Parent cartridge
The large case capacity of the .460 Weatherby Magnum lends itself to various forms of conversion and experimentation. The .460 Weatherby Magnum has served as the immediate parent cartridge of several proprietary and wildcat cartridges. It is, however, also correct to list the .378 Weatherby Magnum as the parent cartridge for these cartridges as the .460 Weatherby Magnum itself was based on the .378 Weatherby Magnum case. The following are some of the better known cartridges based on the .460 Weatherby where the .460 acted as the direct parent cartridge:


.461 Gibbs
The .461 No 1 Gibbs and the .461 No 2 Gibbs are two obsolete proprietary rifle cartridges developed in 19th century Britain.


.461 Gibbs, Design
The .461 No 1 Gibbs and the .461 No 2 Gibbs are both rimmed, bottlenecked centerfire rifle cartridges designed for use with blackpowder. Both cartridges were offered with two loadings, when loaded with the lighter both cartridges were considered expresses.


.461 Gibbs, Design, .461 No 1 Gibbs
The .461 No 1 Gibbs, also known as the .461 No 1 Gibbs 2 11⁄32 inch, in express form it fired a 360 gr (23 g) projectile driven by  90 gr (5.8 g) of black powder, in its heavier loading it fired a 540 gr (35 g) projectile driven by 75 gr (4.9 g) of powder.


.461 Gibbs, Design, .461 No 2 Gibbs
The .461 No 2 Gibbs, also known as the .461 No 2 Gibbs 2 ¾ inch, was based on the No 1 cartridge case with a lengthened neck. It fired either a 360 gr (23 g) or a 570 gr (37 g) bullet driven by 90 gr of powder.


.461 Gibbs, History
Both cartridges were developed by Bristol gunmaker George Gibbs for use in his Gibbs–Farquharson–Metford single shot rifles built on the Farquharson falling block action, although Gibbs also built double rifles with Metford barrels chambering these cartridges. The .461 No 1 Gibbs was designed around 1879–80, whilst the .461 No 2 Gibbs was designed around 1890.


.461 Gibbs, History
Both cartridges were subsequently loaded with mild loadings of smokeless cordite, carefully balanced to replicate the ballistics of the original black powder versions, to become the .461 No 1 Gibbs Nitro for Black and the .461 No 2 Gibbs Nitro for Black, but unlike other similar black powder cartridges of their era, neither became a Nitro Express cartridges.


.461 Gibbs, Use
Both the .461 No 1 Gibbs and the .461 No 2 Gibbs were designed as match rifle cartridges for long range target shooting although both cartridges gained popularity as hunting cartridges.


.461 Gibbs, Use
Frederick Selous used a Gibbs–Farquharson–Metford rifle chambered in .461 No 1 Gibbs extensively in Africa. With this rifle he shot elephant, lion, giraffe, buffalo, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, zebra and numerous species of antelope.


.461 Gibbs, Use
Frederick Vaughan Kirby hunted extensively in southern Africa with several .461 Gibbs rifles, including at least one Gibbs–Farquharson–Metford rifle chambered in .461 No 1 Gibbs and a Gibbs–Metford double rifle chambered in .461 No 2 Gibbs regulated for the 570 gr loading. With these rifles he shot rhinoceros, buffalo, hippopotamus, lion, leopard and various antelope, stating that the .461 Gibbs was "perhaps as perfect a weapon for lion-shooting as one can desire". Kirby also shot elephant with these rifles, although stated elephant should only be killed with small bore rifles under special circumstances.


.465 H&H Magnum
The .465 H&H Magnum also known as .465 Holland & Holland Magnum, is a modern big bore firearms cartridge introduced by Holland & Holland in 2003 together with the .400 H&H Magnum. The .465 H&H Magnum is a .468 caliber, belted, rimless bottlenecked cartridge. The cartridge is a necked-up, shoulder-lowered tapered cartridge based on the .378 Weatherby Magnum case.


.465 H&H Magnum, General information
Holland & Holland began receiving requests from potential customers for a cartridge that would provide more power than the .375 H&H Magnum. Holland & Holland director Russell Wilkins undertook the project which  culminated in the .400 H&H Magnum and the .465 H&H Magnum cartridge designs. The original design requirements called for a muzzle energy of over 6,000 ft⋅lbf (8,100 J). To meet this requirement Holland & Holland chose the .460 Weatherby Magnum case as a starting point in their design.


.465 H&H Magnum, General information
This .465 H&H Magnum cartridge is not the same as the famous .500/465 Nitro Express also designed by Holland & Holland for "India" double rifles. The .500/465 Nitro Express is the only other cartridge with the same bullet diameter as the .465 H&H Magnum. Both cartridges are designed to fire a 480-grain (31 g) .468 caliber (11.89 mm) bullet. Although, the cartridge is capable of operating at rather high pressures, Holland & Holland chose to load the cartridge to a moderate pressure of around 47,000 psi (3,200 bar). The moderate pressure of the cartridge ensures reliability and safety in the tropical climes in which the cartridge was intended to be used. Furthermore, the taper and shallow shoulder of the cartridge aids in the smooth, reliable feeding and extraction.


.465 H&H Magnum, General information
The .465 H&H Magnum is an excellent cartridge for all-around game and African dangerous game including the Big 5. It has a similar trajectory to that of the .375 H&H Magnum. It is considered as the best-balanced cartridge for hunting dangerous game in India(this reference was from my late father HE M A Rahman who was referring to the  465 India also known as the 500/465 H & H.


.465 H&H Magnum, General information
Ammunition for the .465 H&H Magnum is being manufactured by Wolfgang Romey for Holland & Holland.


.465 H&H Magnum, Specifications
Both .465 H&H Belted Magnum cartridge and chamber specifications were standardized by CIP on 2006-09-19.


.465 H&H Magnum, Specifications
The .465 H&H Magnum is based on the .460 Weatherby Magnum case, itself based on the .378 Weatherby Magnum. The .378 Wea. Mag. was itself based on adding a belt to the .416 Rigby case & giving it a Weatherby double radius shoulder. Holland & Holland took the .460 Weatherby case and moved the shoulder back, creating a longer neck for the cartridge, and increased the body taper of the cartridge to improve feeding reliability. The case is also necked up to accept a .465 caliber (11.65 mm) bullet.


.465 H&H Magnum, Specifications
Rifles chambered for the .465 H&H Magnum have a bore ∅ of 11.65 mm (0.459 in) and a groove ∅ of 11.87 mm (0.467 in). Twist rate for rifles can range from one revolution in 406 mm (16.0 in) to 711 mm (28.0 in). The maximum average pressure suggested for the cartridge is 4,300 bar (62,000 psi).


.470 Capstick
The .470 Capstick is a rifle cartridge created by Col. Arthur B Alphin from A-Square in 1990, named after writer and hunter Peter Hathaway Capstick. It is based on a .375 H&H Magnum case blown out and necked to accept a .475 inch (12 mm) bullet. With 500 grain (32 g) bullets, it can achieve 2400 feet per second (730 m/s) muzzle velocity from a 26" barrel.


.470 Capstick, Overview
Although it is not very flat shooting because of slow velocities, it is flat enough for use out to 250 yards (230 m). It transmits an extreme amount of power at over 6,000 ft·lbf (8,000 J) and is designed for use on dangerous game out to 200 yards (180 m). Like other large cartridges, the high energy performance is accompanied by a large amount of recoil.


.470 Capstick, Overview
The Capstick is very similar in dimension to the .470 Ackley, but where the Ackley uses a 600-grain (39 g) bullet, the Capstick uses a lighter 500-grain (32 g) bullet for a better trajectory.


.470 Capstick, The cartridge
The .470 Capstick is a belted magnum with the same rim and belt size as a .375 H&H. The case has a length of 2.800 inches (71.1 mm), and the overall cartridge length is 3.65 inches (93 mm). A cartridge drawing is shown below for dimensions.


.470 Capstick, The cartridge
The .470 Capstick will fit in the same length action as the .375 H&H Magnum and .458 Lott. Actually the .458 Lott is a good measuring stick for the .470 Capstick. The Capstick has a bullet that has 7% more cross sectional area than the .458 Lott, which, in theory, would result in more shock transfer to game and a larger wound channel..  As for powder capacity and velocity, they are similar, with the .470 Capstick having a slight edge in powder capacity and therefore a slight edge in theoretical velocity. However, for field use the .470 Capstick and .458 Lott should have identical performance because the differences between them are rather small.


.470 Capstick, The cartridge
That being said, the differences in field results between the .458 Winchester Magnum and the .470 Nitro Express should be nonexistent, because both push a 500-grain (32 g) bullet at 2,150 ft/s (660 m/s)   But some people have noted an observable difference in the way shot game behaves with those two cartridges, possibly due to the greater cross sectional area of the .474” bullet. If desired, the .470 Capstick can be used to create a ballistic twin to the .470 Nitro Express, pushing a 500-grain (32 g) bullet at 2,150 ft/s (660 m/s) while generating low pressure.


.470 Capstick, The cartridge
For those who remember the .475 Ackley, it is similar to the .470 Capstick, except that the Capstick has a ghost shoulder which allows the cartridge to achieve excellent accuracy. Use of a ghost shoulder, rather than a continuous taper on the case wall, helps the cartridge to line up concentrically with the bore axis, contributing to accuracy.


.470 Capstick, The cartridge
Although it is possible to use 600-grain (39 g) bullets in the .470 Capstick cartridge, the powder capacity is not sufficient to push 600 grains (39 g) at anything near 2,300 ft/s (700 m/s) without high pressure, so this is not the best bullet weight for the Capstick. 500-grain (32 g) bullets seem to be the best all-around compromise. With full power loads, recoil is significant but not difficult to control or become accustomed to. Recoil from the cast lead bullet load shown below is almost nonexistent.


.470 Capstick, The cartridge
For plinking or light game hunting, 400-grain (26 g) pistol bullets are a candidate, but they generate almost as much recoil as 500-grain (32 g) bullets. The advantage of 400-grain (26 g) bullets is that they are inexpensive and will open up quickly on light game. In my rifle they also tend to hit at least 6 inches (150 mm) higher than the 500-grain (32 g) bullets, creating an inconvenience for the hunter who wishes to use both bullets on the same hunting excursion.


.470 Capstick, The rifles
Currently factory rifles in .470 Capstick are available from A-Square, from the Winchester Custom Shop and from Fuchs Fine Guns. However, that short list should not disappoint the reader because there are many options for building a nice custom rifle in .470 Capstick. Any action that can handle the .375 H&H Magnum is a suitable candidate.


.470 Capstick, The rifles
The easiest conversion is a CZ550 that came from the factory in .375 H&H Magnum, .458 Winchester Magnum or .458 Lott. All that has to be done is to replace the barrel with another in .470 Capstick. Barrels are available from Lothar-Walther and Pac-Nor. A 2nd recoil lug must be added to the underside of the barrel and inletted into the forearm of the stock. The 2nd recoil lug will spread recoil that the stock is exposed to, across a wider surface area to avoid splitting the stock. Glass or steel bedding is recommended.


.470 Capstick, The rifles
Some minor polishing or adjusting of the ramp and rails may be needed, and then the rifle is ready to shoot. The advantage of the CZ550 conversion is that they typically hold 5 rounds in the magazine box plus one in the chamber, and very little work is usually needed to get them to feed.


.470 Capstick, The rifles
A Winchester Model 70 Classic (claw extractor) can also easily be converted to .470 Capstick. In addition to the steps above, the magazine box spring must also be replaced with one that has a traditional Z-shape instead of the curly-Q style that the factory provides. The Winchester conversion may only hold 2 cartridges in the magazine box, unless you purchase an extra deep magazine box and bottom metal from Sunny Hill, Williams Firearms, Jim Wisner or Ted Blackburn. Use of an extra deep magazine box necessitates replacement of the stock with another stock having greater depth of wood. Alternatively, it may be possible to fit 3 rounds in a model 70 conversion with the factory magazine box if the follower is replaced with one having a lower profile, or if the follower is milled to shorten it.


.470 Capstick, The rifles
Another option is to rebuild a surplus military Mauser 98 action to be a .470 Capstick dangerous game rifle. This is a very involved project and includes replacing the magazine box/bottom metal, spring and follower and opening up the receiver to match it. Further, some machining of the new magazine box may be needed, since no one makes a magazine box expressly intended to hold 4 rounds of .470 Capstick. Proper feeding is not easy to accomplish and requires a big bore expert.


.470 Capstick, The rifles
The stepped feed rails plus a modified feed ramp, achieve smooth feeding of flat nosed solid bullets in this rifle. Any of these routes can result in a very functional and very accurate dangerous game rifle. Frankly speaking, there are not a lot of gunsmiths who know how to get a big bore to feed properly, making the CZ550 conversion very attractive because there is so little to do.


.470 Capstick, In the field
The .470 Capstick is designed for use as a dangerous game cartridge but it has proven very useful on light game as well. The key is to select a bullet suitable for the game. If a bullet designed for use on cape buffalo is used on whitetails, it undoubtedly will not expand. For light game, Hawk bullets which expand quickly or 400-grain (26 g) pistol bullets may be best.


.470 Capstick, In the field
When the .470 Capstick is loaded with a 500-grain (32 g) bullet to a muzzle velocity of 2,300 ft/s (700 m/s) and sighted in 3 inches (76 mm) high at 100 yards (91 m), it is only about a foot low at 300 yards (270 m), giving it more effective range than many cartridges which are popular for deer and elk hunting.


.470 Capstick, In the field
Another consideration in choosing a bullet for hunting is the velocity window of the bullet. For example, the 500-grain (32 g) Woodleigh soft point is designed to expand at .470 Nitro Express velocities (2150 fps), and if pushed to the 2,400 ft/s (730 m/s) potential of the .470 Capstick, the Woodleigh will tend to expand very quickly and sacrifice penetration. The Woodleigh soft nose was designed to expand at the lower velocities of the .470 Nitro Express, and the fact that it held together at all in the .470 Capstick is testimony to the Woodleigh’s toughness. Penetration was just over 3 feet (0.91 m).


.470 Nitro Express
The .470 Nitro Express is a rifle cartridge developed  by Joseph Lang in England for dangerous game hunting in Africa and India. This cartridge is used almost exclusively in double rifles. It is in wide use in the Southern and Central-East African region, favoured by hunting guides, primarily while out for hunting Cape buffalo and elephant.


.470 Nitro Express, Overview
The .470 NE was originally designed by Lang's as a replacement for the .450 Nitro Express, after the .450 NE was banned in several countries including India. This wasn't because the .450 NE was underpowered or inadequate, but because its bullets could be removed from loaded rounds for use by natives in stolen .577/.450 Martini Henry rifles. Due to the heavy bullet and powder charge, the gun has significant recoil but this is mitigated by the low velocity, resulting in recoil being delivered as a strong push rather than a violent blow. Rifles chambered for this cartridge tend to be heavy double-gun style, and are typically quite expensive.


.470 Nitro Express, Overview
The .470 NE continues to be the most popular of all the Nitro Express cartridges. Ammunition and components are readily available.


.470 Nitro Express, Handloading
Like other 'dangerous game' cartridges, ammunition is expensive compared with standard hunting cartridges, often costing up to 10 times more per shell than typical cartridges such as the .30-06. Because of this many shooters choose to handload the .470 NE. Brass can be obtained from a variety of sources, and like most reloading components varies in quality. Lighter loads for practice can be created that are more enjoyable and cheaper to shoot.


.470 Nitro Express, In popular culture
Author and adventurer James S. Gardner provides a realistic, detailed account of the capabilities of a Nitro Express during an ill-fated safari, and again in a graphical account of a desperate firefight against men and a helicopter in his book, The Lion Killer.


.475 A&M Magnum
The .475 A&M Magnum is a rifle cartridge developed in the United States. At the time of its development it was considered the most powerful sporting rifle cartridge ever developed. However, as the .475 A&M Magnum was a wildcat cartridge, the .460 Weatherby Magnum continued to be the most powerful commercial sporting cartridge available.


.475 A&M Magnum
The cartridge and rifle were designed by the Atkinson & Marquart Rifle Co. of Prescott, Arizona, by necking up the then new .460 Weatherby Magnum to accept a .475 in (12.1 mm) diameter bullet. Fred N. Barnes, the founder of Barnes Bullets for whom the first rifle chambered for this cartridge was made, supplied the bullets. According to anecdotes, Fred Barnes gathered a group of people to demonstrate the rifle. The rifle was fired at the base of a small tree which was uprooted while Fred Barnes who had been shooting from a crouched position on a gravel bed had slid a few feet and ended on his back due to the recoil.


.475 A&M Magnum
The .475 A&M Magnum was never available commercially, and  was only Barnes Bullets and Custom Brass and Bullets provided bullet for the cartridge. Only a small number of rifles have been chambered for this cartridge. Brass is easily fireformed using .460 Weatherby Magnum brass. Dies are available from Custom Brass and Bullets.


.475 Linebaugh
The .475 Linebaugh is an extremely potent rimmed revolver cartridge developed by John Linebaugh in the late 1980s. The cartridge is based on the  .45-70 Government case cut down to 1.4 inches and loaded with .475-inch-diameter (12.1 mm) bullets weighing from 320 grains (21 g) to 440 grains (29 g). Although the .45 Silhouette cartridge is also derived from a .45-70 trimmed down to 1.5 inches, the .475 Linebaugh saw the same case modified to accept .475 caliber bullets, resulting in significantly different ballistic performance.


.475 Linebaugh
The then-new .475 Linebaugh was first announced in the May 1988 issue of Guns & Ammo in an article written by Ross Seyfried.


.475 Linebaugh, Usage
The .475 Linebaugh is primarily intended for hunting big game or as a backup when confronting dangerous animals. A 370-grain (24 g) bullet starting out at 1,495 feet per second (456 m/s) develops 1,840 foot-pounds force (2,490 J) of energy, and a 440-grain (29 g) bullet at 1,360 feet per second (410 m/s) develops 1,800 foot-pounds force (2,400 J).


.475 Linebaugh, Usage
In comparison to another popular magnum revolver cartridge, the .454 Casull, the Casull's 300-grain (19 g) .454 caliber bullet at 1,650 feet per second (500 m/s) and 1,800 foot-pounds force (2,400 J) of energy is surpassed with the Linebaugh's loading of a 370-grain (24 g) .475 caliber bullet at 1,495 feet per second (456 m/s) and 1,840 foot-pounds force (2,490 J) of energy. The .475 Linebaugh and the .454 Casull are ballistically similar and both can also be loaded to higher pressures, but the .475 Linebaugh still has an edge on the latter.


.475 Linebaugh, Usage
As with most large magnum revolver cartridges, the .475 Linebaugh produces a significant amount of muzzle blast and felt recoil. In 2003, Ruger introduced a new cartridge called the .480 Ruger, which is essentially a shortened .475 Linebaugh that operates at 4% lower pressure, 48,000 vs. 50,000 for the Linebaugh. This results in a more comfortable shooting experience with only a minor loss in performance. Just as the .38 special cartridge will chamber and fire in revolvers chambered for the more powerful .357 magnum, the .480 Ruger will chamber and fire in revolvers chambered for the .475 Linebaugh. However, as the pressures show, the two are much closer in power than are the actual "Special" cartridges compared with their "magnum" counterparts.


.475 Linebaugh, Usage
The .475 Linebaugh remains a relatively obscure cartridge, no doubt owing in part to the introduction of Smith & Wesson's more powerful .460 S&W Magnum and .500 S&W Magnum cartridges, .500 S&W being the most powerful handgun cartridge in the world to date.


.475 Nitro Express
The .475 Nitro Express is a British rifle cartridge developed in the early 20th century.


.475 Nitro Express, Design
The .475 Nitro Express is a slightly tapered, non-bottlenecked rimmed cartridge very similar in appearance to the .450 Nitro Express, that is designed for use in single-shot and double rifles.


.475 Nitro Express, Design
Original loadings fired a 480 gr (31 g) projectile at a listed speed of 2,175 ft/s (663 m/s), these loadings are still available, additionally Westley Richards have a  500 gr (32 g) loading with a listed speed of 2,125 ft/s (648 m/s).


.475 Nitro Express, History
It is believed the .475 Nitro Express was introduced around 1900, well before the British Army 1907 ban of .450 caliber ammunition into India and the Sudan which saw the development of the ballistically very similar .500/465 Nitro Express, .470 Nitro Express, .475 No 2 Nitro Express, and .476 Nitro Express.


.475 Nitro Express, History
Firearms historians remain unclear who developed the .475 Nitro Express, it is likely that a combination of companies going out of business and merging, along with records being lost or destroyed during the London blitz will mean the origins of this cartridge will never be known.


.475 Nitro Express, History
The .475 Nitro Express has never enjoyed the success of any of the cartridges listed above, largely because it was never adopted by any of the major rifle manufacturers. Due to this, rifles in this calibre have always been rare, generally from lesser known makers such as W.W. Greener, Army & Navy and Manton of Calcutta.


.475 Nitro Express, Use
The .475 Nitro Express is considered a good large-bore round, suitable for all big game, its power is very similar to the .470 Nitro Express. Ballistically it is almost identical to the .450 Nitro Express, with a larger diameter bullet; whether this is an advantage remains in dispute.


.475 No 2 Nitro Express
The .475 No 2 Nitro Express is a British rifle cartridge developed by Eley Brothers in the early 20th century.


.475 No 2 Nitro Express, Design
The .475 No 2 Nitro Express is a rimmed bottle necked cartridge designed for use in single-shot and double rifles. The .475 No 2 Nitro Express is a very large, impressive cartridge, the empty round is 3.5 in (89 mm) long with an overall length of 4.26 in (108 mm).


.475 No 2 Nitro Express, Design
The standard factory load fires a .483 in (12.3 mm) diameter 480 gr (31 g) bullet at 2,200 ft/s (670 m/s), although two powder charges were available with either 80 gr (5.2 g) or 85 gr (5.5 g) of cordite.


.475 No 2 Nitro Express, Design, .475 No 2 Jeffery
W.J. Jeffery & Co offered an alternate loading, known as the .475 No 2 Jeffery which fired a slightly larger .489 in (12.4 mm) diameter 500 gr (32 g) projectile at 2,150 ft/s (660 m/s), although again multiple powder charges were available, with either 75 gr (4.9 g), 80 gr (5.2 g) or 85 gr (5.5 g) of cordite. Jefferys built a very fine handling double rifle for this round with a 24 in (610 mm) barrel that weighed only 11 lb (5.0 kg) but retaining moderate recoil.


.475 No 2 Nitro Express, History
The .475 No 2 Nitro Express is one of several rounds developed in response to the British Army 1907 ban of .450 caliber ammunition into India and the Sudan which saw the development of the ballistically very similar .500/465 Nitro Express, .470 Nitro Express, .475 Nitro Express, and .476 Nitro Express.


.475 No 2 Nitro Express, History
Eley created the .475 No 2 Nitro Express by necking up their earlier .450 No 2 Nitro Express.


.475 No 2 Nitro Express, History, WWI service
In 1914 and early 1915, German snipers were engaging British Army positions with impunity from behind steel plates that were impervious to .303 British ball ammunition. In an attempt to counter this threat, the British War Office purchased sixty-two large bore sporting rifles from British rifle makers which were issued to Regiments, including a single .475 No 2 Nitro Express rifle. These large bore rifles proved very effective against the steel plates used by the Germans, in his book Sniping in France 1914-18, MAJ H. Hesketh-Prichard, DSO, MC stated they "pierced them like butter."


.475 No 2 Nitro Express, Use
The .475 No 2 Nitro Express is considered good general purpose round, suitable for all big game in Africa and India, its power is very similar to the .450 Nitro Express, with a larger diameter bullet; whether this is an advantage remains in dispute.


.475 No 2 Nitro Express, Use
In his African Rifles and Cartridges, John "Pondoro" Taylor stated the .475 No 2 Nitro Express is "an eminently satisfactory shell and a certain killer - but don't let yourself be hypnotised by that great fat gleaming shell into the belief that you have something comparable with the atomic bomb to play with!"


.475 No 2 Nitro Express, Use
Because of the larger diameter bullet, .475 No 2 Jeffery rounds cannot be fired through .475 No.2 Nitro Express rifles.


.475 Wildey Magnum
The .475 Wildey Magnum is a semi-automatic pistol cartridge designed for big game hunting in the Wildey pistol.


.475 Wildey Magnum, History
The .475 Wildey Magnum was designed to be a hunting round. Cases are formed from .284 Winchester brass with the neck cut down and widened to take a .475" bullet, and the length is the same as the .45 Winchester Magnum. Velocity at 100 yards is equivalent to the muzzle velocity of the .44 Magnum.


.475 Wildey Magnum, Popular media
While not being very common, the .475 Wildey Magnum is most famous for its appearance in Death Wish 3, where the Wildey (chambered for this cartridge) was a signature weapon of Paul Kersey, a character portrayed by Charles Bronson (using his own personal Wildey firearm) in the Death Wish film series.


.475 Wildey Magnum, Additional Wildey calibers
In the late 1980s, Wildey, Inc. produced three additional calibers using necked down versions of the .475 Wildey Magnum brass casing originally designed in 1983 in order to achieve higher velocities and muzzle energies. First was the .357 Wildey Magnum (also known as the .357 Peterbuilt) which used a .357 Magnum bullet. Second was the .41 Wildey Magnum (also known as the 10 mm Wildey Magnum) which used a .41 Magnum bullet. Last was the .44 Wildey Magnum (also known as the 11 mm Wildey Magnum) which used a .44 Magnum bullet. All calibers were eventually discontinued.


.475 Wildey Magnum, Additional Wildey calibers
The .45 Wildey Magnum was introduced by Wildey F.A., Inc. in 1997, which is also a necked down version of the .475 Wildey Magnum using a .45 ACP bullet. It was discontinued in 2011 when overall productions ceased.


.475 Wildey Magnum, Additional Wildey calibers
Listed below is the ballistic performances of each produced cartridge as fired from a 10 in (254 mm) barrel. The information on the .45 Wildey Magnum is from a 12 in (305 mm) barrel. Bullet types were not provided.


.476 Enfield
The .476 Enfield, also known as the .476 Eley, .476 Revolver, and occasionally .455/476, is a British centrefire black powder revolver cartridge. The Enfield name derives from the location of the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock, the armoury where British military small arms were produced, while Eley was a British commercial brand. Used in the Enfield Mk II revolver, the Mk III variant was introduced by the British Army in 1881, supplanting the earlier .476 Enfield Mark I and II cartridges, which in turn had replaced the .450 Adams cartridges, all of which also used black powder propellant.


.476 Enfield, History, British service use
The .476 Enfield cartridge was only in British service for a comparatively short period before it was replaced by the black powder-loaded .455 Webley Mark I in 1887 and then by the smokeless powder-loaded .455 Webley Mark II in September 1897. Just over 1,000 Enfield Mark IIs were issued to the North-West Mounted Police, and these remained in service until 1911, when the last Enfields were phased out in favour of more modern (and reliable) .45 Colt New Service revolvers.


.476 Enfield, History, Interchangeability
Using the same bullet as the .455 (11.6mm) Webley Mark I, the .476 casing is 0.05 mm (0.002 in) longer and carries a charge of 18 gr (1.17 g) of black powder, compared to 6.5 gr (0.42 g) of cordite in the .455 Mark I. While the .476 Enfield cartridge could be used in any British-manufactured .455 Webley calibre service revolver, there were issues with the later-production Colt or Smith & Wesson .455 Revolver models, which were liable to have slightly smaller bore diameters.


.476 Enfield, History, Interchangeability
Despite the difference in designation, the .476 readily interchanged with the earlier .450 Adams and .455 Webley rounds (the latter in black powder Mark I and smokeless Marks II through VI), as well as the .455 Colt (a U.S. commercial brand for the same .455 Webley round, with slightly different ballistics), which all use the same .455 in (11.6mm) bullet, the distinction being which diameter was measured. Officially, .450 Adams, .476 Enfield, and .455


.476 Enfield, History, Interchangeability
Webley cartridges can all be fired in the Webley Mark III British Government Model revolver; although case length, bullet weight and shape, and powder charge differ, all three cartridges feature a case diameter of .476 inch with a bullet diameter of .455 inch, which can be fired in a barrel of .450 inch bore.


.476 Nitro Express
The .476 Nitro Express, also known as the .476 Westley Richards, is a British rifle cartridge introduced by Westley Richards around 1907.


.476 Nitro Express, Development
The .476 Nitro Express is one of several rounds (including the .500/465 Nitro Express, .470 Nitro Express, .475 Nitro Express, and .475 No. 2 Nitro Express) developed as a replacement for the .450 Nitro Express following the British Army 1907 ban of .450 caliber ammunition into India and the Sudan, all with comparable performance.


.476 Nitro Express, Development
Westley Richards created the .476 Nitro Express by necking down the .500 Nitro Express 3".


.476 Nitro Express, Use
Available in single-shot and double rifles, it was less popular than the above-mentioned rounds. It is nearly identical in performance to a number of others in the same class.


.476 Nitro Express, Use
The .476 is considered adequate for all African and Indian big game, including elephant and rhinoceros. Its ballistics resemble the .458 Winchester Magnum, with a larger diameter bullet; whether this is an advantage remains in dispute.


.476 Nitro Express, Use
Commercial rifles are no longer available in .476 Nitro Express except by special order, ammunition is no longer commercially available, and handloading data are scant, the factory load used 75 gr (4.86 g) of cordite under a 520 gr (33.7 g) slug.


.480 Ruger
The .480 Ruger (12.1×33mmR) is a large, high-power revolver cartridge, introduced in 2003 by Sturm, Ruger and Hornady. This was the first new cartridge introduced by Ruger, and was at time of introduction the largest-diameter production revolver cartridge, at .475 in (12.1 mm).


.480 Ruger, Design
The idea of .475 caliber handgun cartridges is not new. The .475 Linebaugh was introduced around 1988, for a custom, five-shot Ruger Blackhawk single-action revolver. The .475 is a wildcat cartridge made by cutting a .45-70 case to a length of 1.4 inches (36 mm), and necking it to accept a .475 bullet. The .475 Linebaugh is an immensely powerful cartridge,  almost as powerful as the .454 Casull, the most powerful production revolver cartridge at the time (the .475 generates about 1,800 ft-lbs of energy. The .454 can generate around 2,000 ft-lbs).


.480 Ruger, Design
The .475-diameter bullet allows bullet weights over 400 grains (26 g), a feat not possible with the .45 caliber cartridge cases, and the terminal ballistics of the heavy bullet, even when loaded to moderate velocities, were impressive. The .475 Linebaugh was designed for handgun hunting of large game, such as bear, where deep penetration is required for a quick, humane kill, and the heavy, cast Keith-style semiwadcutter bullets out of the .475 Linebaugh penetrated very well.


.480 Ruger, History
When Ruger began to design their new cartridge, they started with the .475 Linebaugh super-magnum cartridge, but went a different direction. Rather than using the Blackhawk, Ruger chose to chamber the new round in the double-action Super Redhawk, and designed the cartridge to fit in a 6-shot cylinder. The Super Redhawk was already the only 6-shot .454 Casull revolver in production, as all other makers used 5-shot cylinders to keep the cylinder walls thicker to handle the high pressures.


.480 Ruger, History
The .480 Ruger uses lower pressures than the .454 Casull at 48,000 PSI, so the .454 Casull can produce higher velocities and more energy, although, with much lighter bullets than available in .475 caliber. The .480 case was also .115 inches shorter than the .475 Linebaugh, at 1.285 inches, the same as the .44 Magnum. The .480's large diameter rim is also turned down, which is required to fit the 6 cartridges in the Super Redhawk's cylinder without interference.


.480 Ruger, History
The .480 Ruger is often viewed by some as a ".475 Special";  in other words, as a slightly downgraded version of the super-magnum cartridge. In fact, .480 Ruger rounds will fit and function in a .475 Linebaugh revolver, just as a .44 Special will fit and function in revolvers chambered for the .44 Magnum. Reviewing the .480's ballistics, however, reveals this is somewhat misleading, as this "Special" reference may cause one to consider the .480 as a low-powered target round, when in actuality it is much closer to its more powerful cousin, the .475 Linebaugh than the .44


.480 Ruger, History
Special is to the .44 Magnum. The .480 Ruger operates at a maximum pressure of 48,000 psi, whereas the Linebaugh has a maximum pressure of 50,000, showing how close indeed the two cartridges are. Depending on load, the .480 Ruger can easily reach within 150 ft/s (46 m/s) of the .475 Linebaugh, making it a very formidable hunting cartridge for large and dangerous game. The initial response to the .480 Ruger was mixed, as many reviewers compared it unfavorably to the more powerful .475 Linebaugh or .454 Casull, and wondered why Ruger had bothered to introduce a lower-powered cartridge.


.480 Ruger, History
(This was based on muzzle energy alone, with no regard to either bullet diameter or weight, or to TKO, as was evident in the sales literature and magazines of the times, which compared the new 325 gr load's muzzle energy to the muzzle energy of other handgun hunting cartridges.) Indeed, the first factory load, a 325-grain (21.1 g) bullet at 1,350 ft/s (410 m/s), is nearly within reach of the .44 Magnum. However, with bullets of 400 grains (26 g) and higher, the .480 Ruger starts to show more potential. The standard .44


.480 Ruger, History
Magnum powders, in similar amounts, will push a 400-grain (26 g) bullet at over 1300 ft/s (thus yielding a TKO factor around 35.28 vs. 34.62 for a 325 gr 454 Casull at 1,650 ft/s (500 m/s)  ). This provides 1,500 ft⋅lbf (2,000 J). of muzzle energy, about 50% more than commercial .44 Magnum loads, showing the .480 Ruger's good efficiency with the heavy bullets. The lower velocities and lower pressures mean the .480 Ruger has less felt recoil and muzzle blast than the higher pressure super-magnums.


.480 Ruger, Usage
The .480 is a well-balanced cartridge, providing a lot of energy without the recoil of larger hard-kicking rounds. It has been stated by many gun writers that the .44 Magnum is typically the most powerful handgun an average person can master. The .480's original Hornady loading of a 325 gr JHP, easily surpasses factory loadings for the .44 Magnum, with very similar recoil in handguns of like weight. As a point of reference, the factory 325 gr bullet of the .480 Ruger, has the same approximate sectional density as the 300 gr projectiles often loaded in the .44 Magnum, which has been proven quite capable for very large game species.


.480 Ruger, Usage
The future of this round remains unsure. Magazine articles and online forums were, for a brief while, replete with discussion about the potential of the cartridge. However, lackluster sales and a limited number of firearms available in this caliber have shown it to have only moderate popularity. Handloaders reported getting phenomenal performance out of the round rubbing shoulders with the .475 Linebaugh and easily equaling and even eclipsing the Taylor Knockout Value (TKO) of the .454 Casull, with less recoil, muzzle blast and noise due to the .480's lower pressures. Still, for the most part, the round was seen as not doing anything new, and available loads limited its potential for the non-handloader to mere deer hunting (for which many calibers already exist to serve that need).


.480 Ruger, Usage
After Smith & Wesson introduced its .500 S&W in 2003 and .460 S&W Magnum in 2005, the .480 fell even further into obscurity as it could not compete with the glitz of these new mega-cartridges. Revolvers chambered in .460 S&W Magnum can usually accept .454 Casull and .45 Colt rounds as well (in the same way that a .475 Linebaugh revolver can take .480 Ruger), a useful cost-saving feature that can increase the appeal of the .460 over the .480 for some shooters, especially for practice sessions where full-power rounds are not necessary.


.480 Ruger, Usage
There were many handgunners that disliked the heavy Super Redhawk, and waited for Ruger to release the cartridge in their Super Blackhawk single-action. This did not occur until August 2015, when a Bisley Super Blackhawk model in .454 Casull and .480 Ruger, produced as a distributor exclusive through Lipsey's, was announced.


.50 Action Express
The .50 Action Express (AE, 12.7×33mmRB) is a large-caliber handgun cartridge, best known for its usage in the Desert Eagle. Developed in 1988 by American Evan Whildin of Action Arms, the .50 AE is one of the most powerful pistol cartridges in production.


.50 Action Express, Overview
The Arcadia Machine and Tool AMT Automag V was the first handgun chambered for the .50 AE.


.50 Action Express, Overview
The actual cartridge has a .547 inch (13.9 mm) diameter base, with a rebated rim. The rim diameter of the .50 AE is the same as the .44 Remington Magnum cartridge. A Mark XIX Desert Eagle in .50 AE can be converted to .44 with nothing more than a barrel and magazine change.


.50 Action Express, Overview
The introduction of the .50 AE in the US was met with a rocky start. US laws state that non-sporting firearms may not be over 0.500" in bore diameter (measured land to land) to meet Title I regulations. The original .50 Action Express bore diameter was .500" with conventional rifling, but the switch to polygonal rifling on production Desert Eagles allowed the gauge plug to drop through, rendering the gun a destructive device under Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) regulations. Nominal bullet diameter was reduced to the current 0.500 inch (12.7 mm) rather than the original .510" – thus the noticeably tapered case.


.50 Action Express, Overview
Recoil of the .50 AE in the Desert Eagle pistol is substantial, although only marginally more severe than the .44 Magnum, as the auto mechanism and weight of the gun smooth the recoil somewhat. Other firearms chambered for the .50 AE include the AMT AutoMag V, the LAR Grizzly Win Mag, the Magnum Research BFR, and the Freedoms Arms Model 555.


.50 Action Express, Performance
SAAMI specifies a maximum chamber pressure of 36,000 psi (248 MPa) for the .50 AE. Available factory loads can produce nearly 1,800 ft·lbf (2440 J) of muzzle energy.


.50 Action Express, Use
Like other handgun cartridges of such magnitude, the principal uses of the .50 AE are metallic silhouette shooting and medium/big game hunting. Like the .44 Magnum, .454 Casull, .460 S&W Magnum, and .500 S&W Magnum, it is also well suited for defense against large predators, such as bears.


.50 Action Express, Wildcats
The cartridge is the parent case for the .440 Cor-Bon (1998) by Cor-Bon and .429 DE (2018) by Magnum Research (a division of Kahr Firearms Group). Though similar, they are not interchangeable. Desert Eagle magazines for .50 Action Express cartridges can feed the derivative cartridges but need to use a barrel bored for 0.429 caliber [10.89 mm] (.44 Magnum).


.50 Alaskan
The .50 Alaskan is a wildcat cartridge developed by Harold Johnson and Harold Fuller of the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska in the 1950s. Johnson based the cartridge on the .348 Winchester in order to create a rifle capable of handling the large bears in Alaska.


.50 Alaskan, Design
Harold Johnson necked out the .348 Winchester case to accept a .510" diameter bullet, and Harold Fuller developed the barrel, marrying a .50 caliber barrel to an old Winchester Model 1886 rifle.


.50 Alaskan, Design
Harold Johnson made the first 450 Alaskan in 1952, and continued to make them in the 1950s and 60s. The rifle was based on the Winchester Model 71 in .348 caliber. Bill Fuller made the reamers. John Buhmiller made the barrel. Frankl Barnes made the bullets. The "50" came later.


.50 Alaskan, Design
Since the rifle was designed for use on Alaska’s great bears, Johnson cut 720-grain (47 g) boat-tail .50 BMG bullets in half, seating the 450-grain (29 g) rear half upside down in the fireformed .50-caliber case. It didn’t take Johnson long to find out that the 450-grain truncated shaped "solid" would shoot through a big brown bear from any direction, claiming in 1988, "I never recovered a slug from a bear or moose, no matter what angle the animal was shot at."


.50 Alaskan, Performance
Harold’s favorite load in the .50 Alaskan was 51.5 grains (3.34 g) of IMR-4198 with a Barnes 400-grain (26 g) flatnose, jacketed bullet for about 2,100 ft/s (640 m/s) and just under 4,000 ft⋅lbf (5,400 J)of muzzle energy..


.50 Alaskan, Performance
The Alaskan is shorter than the .510 Kodiak Express and produces about 10% less energy or 33% less energy than the 50-110, out of a 71 Winchester re-barreled to chamber the 50-110 WCF 6,000 foot-pounds.


.50 Alaskan, Availability
Rifles for .50 BMF Bullet are available from some specialty gunsmiths and also conversions from Marlin and Winchester lever-action rifles. Reloading dies are available from Hornady. Although it is considered a wildcat cartridge, loaded ammunition is available from Buffalo Bore.


.50 BMG
The .50 Browning Machine Gun (.50 BMG, 12.7×99mm NATO and designated as the 50 Browning by the C.I.P.) is a .50 in (12.7 mm) caliber cartridge developed for the M2 Browning machine gun in the late 1910s, entering official service in 1921. Under STANAG 4383, it is a standard service cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non-NATO countries. The cartridge itself has been made in many variants: multiple generations of regular ball, tracer, armor-piercing (AP), incendiary, and saboted sub-caliber rounds. The rounds intended for machine guns are made into a continuous belt using metallic links.


.50 BMG
The .50 BMG cartridge is also used in long-range sniper rifles and anti-materiel rifles. A wide variety of ammunition is available, and the availability of match grade ammunition has increased the usefulness of .50 caliber rifles by allowing more accurate fire than lower quality rounds.


.50 BMG, History
In response to the need for new anti-aircraft weaponry during World War I, John Browning developed the .50 BMG. He wanted the round to be used in a machine gun, and wanted the machine gun to be based on a scaled-up version of the M1917 Browning.