gun porn

 

1. Nice. Nothing like wild-eyed excess to put a spike in dreary mid-winter sales!!

   The .460 is a lengthened and hopped up version of the venerable .45 Colt. As such, it uses a standard 0.451” diameter pistol bullet, usually in the 250-350 grain range, somewhere between 1400fps and 2100fps. It’s a cannon. The loaded cartridge is 2.30” long.

   For comparison’s sake, the “powerful” 1911 .45 ACP shoots a 230 grain .451” diameter bullet at about 900fps. The .460 thus has about 8 times the kinetic energy of the .45 ACP.
   e= 1/2mV^2

   The old (1870s) .45 Colt ran at low pressure even for the black powder of the day. Another version of the modernized Colt cartridge, called the .454 Casull, can run at more than triple the chamber pressure of the old Peacemaker; 50,000psi, compared to the 35,000psi of a .357 Magnum or a 9mm Luger. The .460 is a slightly longer cartridge still, which holds more powder, and it can run at full magnum rifle pressure, 65,0000psi. More pressure generally means more velocity, but only if the barrel is long enough and the powder burn rate is optimized for it. Pressure alone just gives you lots of noise.

   The bottom line is that this whiz-bang super dooper pistol cartridge, pushed to the utter maximum, is about equal to the anemic out of the box performance of modern .45-70 rifle ammunition ( a 300 grain .458” diameter bullet at 2000fps ), which is required to run at the same anemic black powder pressure it did way back in 1873, 28,000psi. The .45-70 round looks remarkably just like the .460 Magnum round, except it’s a quarter inch longer still, 2.55”. And you can get a .45-70 revolver (called a BFR) as well as a .45-70 derringer.

   So ... in order to get that 300gr @ 2000fps ballistics, you need something akin to a rifle barrel and a tightly sealed rifle-like action. A revolver, with that little air gap between the cylinder and the forcing cone, isn’t so tightly sealed. And while a 14” barrel or longer would give you something close to the kind of velocity you’re looking for, a 3"-4" “backpack cannon” isn’t going to give you much except a massive fireball. Plus, barrel pressure from max loaded ammo at such a short muzzle distance is going to be up in the mid 40s or higher, which means the thing is going to be eardrum shattering loud. Any time a barrel is so short that muzzle pressure is over 15,000psi hearing loss occurs. Long barrels = higher velocity = less fireball = quieter guns.

   So, it’s impressive to look at, and it’s impressive to BS about at the gun shop. And pulling the trigger will blow your mind. But in the real world, you’ll be just as well off with a standard .44 Magnum with an 8” barrel and the 260gr 0.429” bullets. Or go spend half the money and get a BFR from Magnum Research.

   But it sure is a helluva cannon, ain’t it? Not that anyone smaller than Andre The Giant could fire this beast one handed anyway. Use two hands AND a sling AND a bipod.

   I’d also suggest making your own loads, and loading them way down. 300 grains at “merely” 1400fps is more than enough for deer or bear; it’s actually double the power of a maximum loaded .357 Magnum. You might even have a bit of hearing left after firing a few of those.

   nice post. Great little gun.

   Posted by Drew458       01/21/2014  at  06:38 PM  



2. "Back up”? Oh yeah, ankle holster material for sure!

   Posted by cmblake6       01/22/2014  at  12:48 AM  



3. I like it!!

   Mike

   Posted by BOGEYB       01/22/2014  at  07:43 AM  



4. I wonder what retired Inspector Harry Callahan would think of today’s weapons!

   Posted by Macker       01/22/2014  at  07:45 AM  



5. Macker:  “Swell.”

   Posted by Argentium G. Tiger       01/22/2014  at  09:39 AM  



6. Cannon is right.  That thing just about needs wheels.  I used to own a 8” Ruger Redhawk in 44 Magnum.  This latest Smith makes the Redhawk look downright wussy.

   Posted by Dr. Jeff       01/22/2014  at  06:24 PM  

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