.460 Weatherby Magnum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| .460 Weatherby Magnum | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type | Centerfire/Rifle | |
| Place of origin | South Gate, Califonia | |
| Service history | ||
| In service | None | |
| Production history | ||
| Designer | Roy Weatherby | |
| Designed | 1958 | |
| Manufacturer | Weatherby Co. | |
| Produced | 1958 | |
| Specifications | ||
| Parent case | .378 Weatherby Magnum | |
| Case type | Belted | |
| Bullet diameter | .458 in (11.63 mm) | |
| Neck diameter | .481 in (12.22 mm) | |
| Shoulder diameter | .560 in (14.22 mm) | |
| Base diameter | .582 in (14.78 mm) | |
| Rim diameter | .603 in (15.32 mm) | |
| Case length | 2.908 in (73.86 mm) | |
| Overall length | 3.65 in (92.71 mm) | |
| Rifling twist | 1 in 16 | |
| Primer type | Large Rifle | |
| Ballistic performance | ||
| Bullet weight/type | Velocity | Energy |
| 500 gr FMJ | 2600 ft/s (~793 m/s) |
7504 ft·lbf (~10205 J) |
| 500 gr Round Nose | 2600 ft/s (~793 m/s) |
7504 ft·lbf (~10205 J) |
| 450 gr Truncated Solid | 2660 ft/s (~811 m/s) |
7072 ft·lbf (~9618 J) |
| Test barrel length: 26 in (66 cm) Source: Weatherby |
||
The .460 Weatherby Magnum is a rifle cartridge, developed by Roy Weatherby in 1958. It is simply the .378 Weatherby Magnum necked up to accept the 11.6 mm (.458 caliber) bullet. This case is now made commercially from virgin brass. The .378 Weatherby Magnum cartridge has also been necked down to create the .338-378 Weatherby Magnum and .30-378 Weatherby Magnum cartridges. The original .378 Weatherby Magnum case was based on a belted version of the .416 Rigby.
The .460 is one of the world's most powerful rifle cartridges, in terms of both velocity and bullet weight. The .460 will launch a 32 gram (500 grain) bullet at a chronographed 823 m/s (2700 ft/s) from a 66 cm (26 in) barreled rifle; measuring 10980 J (8100 ft • lbf) of muzzle energy.
Recoil is a problem for many shooters when using a cartridge of this size. Even with a 5.4 kg (12 lb) rifle (scope, base, rings and cartridges included) the recoil against the shooter's shoulder is measured at 135 Joule (100 foot-pounds force). Compare this to most rifles chambered in .30-06 Springfield which develop an average of 27 J (20 ft • lbf) of free recoil. Recently Weatherby has "toned-down" the loadings of the .460, to the 10170 J (7,500 ft • lbf ) of muzzle energy range to be slightly 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. For that reason, many gun owners reload their cartridges with a lighter-than-factory charge. A factory powder charge for this cartridge is about 7.45 g (115 gr).
The .460 is primarily an elephant gun and might also be equipped with only open sights. Open sights tend to sight in quicker then scoped rifles and for this reason open sighed rifles are preferred by Professional Hunters for back-up work. Back-up work is when the Professional Hunter and or Guide must mount and discharge their firearm to ensure a charging game animal does not hurt a client or ensure a clean kill of a wounded game animal.
This cartridge is very accurate despite its size. Typically a full metal jacketed or monolithic solid type bullet will penetrate more than 1 m (36in) when impacting a dangers game animal such as the Cape Buffalo or African Elephant. The .460 Weatherby Magnum has few peers for stopping dangerous African game. Many hunters and guides carry this firearm exclusively for back-up work.
Factory bought cartridges are relatively expensive costing between $4.00 and $5.50 per cartridge.
[edit] Trivia
- The .460 Weatherby Magnum was developed after professional guides and hunters in Africa loyal to Remington and Winchester successfully lobbied local governments to ban cartridges under .40 caliber for elephant hunting. This was done with the intent to keep Weatherby out of the market.[citation needed] Weatherby responded by upgrading the .378 Weatherby Magnum into the .460.
- The .460 Weatherby Magnum can develop over 8,000 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle.
- The wildcat .475 A & M Magnum which develops over 13558 J (10,000 ft • lbf) of energy at the muzzle is a .460 Weatherby Magnum necked up to accommodate a 12 mm (.475 in) bullet.
- The .460 Weatherby Magnum is another one of Roy Weatherby's double radius belted magnum designs. The belt originally was designed to simulate the positive headspacing of British rimmed cartridges,[citation needed] but still function through a magazine. The .460 Weatherby Magnum has become a symbol of a "magnum" or high velocity and high power, load. The belted design is hypothetically an inferior design to a cartridge that headspaces on the shoulder of the case, resulting in a lesser degree of accuracy. But when considering the purpose of this cartridge and the proximity to the game when hunted, MOA accuracy is of little concern.
- In Peter Hathaway Capstick's novel Death in the Silent Places, he details an event where a client quickly and repeatedly fires a .460 at a charging lion. The man's nose begins to bleed after the second shot.
