.460 Weatherby Magnum
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| .460 Weatherby Magnum | ||
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| Type | Centerfire/Rifle | |
| Place of origin | South Gate, California | |
| Production history | ||
| Designer | Roy Weatherby | |
| Designed | 1958 | |
| Manufacturer | Weatherby Inc. | |
| Specifications | ||
| Parent case | .378 Weatherby Magnum | |
| Case type | Belted, bottleneck | |
| Bullet diameter | .458 in (11.6 mm) | |
| Neck diameter | .481 in (12.2 mm) | |
| Shoulder diameter | .560 in (14.2 mm) | |
| Base diameter | .582 in (14.8 mm) | |
| Rim diameter | .603 in (15.3 mm) | |
| Rim thickness | .059 in (1.5 mm) | |
| Case length | 2.908 in (73.9 mm) | |
| Overall length | 3.65 in (93 mm) | |
| Rifling twist | 1 in 16" | |
| Primer type | Large rifle magnum | |
| Ballistic performance | ||
| Bullet weight/type | Velocity | Energy |
| 500 gr (32 g) FMJ | 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) | 7,504 ft·lbf (10,174 J) |
| 500 gr (32 g) Round Nose | 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) | 7,504 ft·lbf (10,174 J) |
| 450 gr (29 g) Truncated Solid | 2,660 ft/s (810 m/s) | 7,072 ft·lbf (9,588 J) |
| Test barrel length: 26 in (66 cm) Source: Weatherby [1] |
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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 inch) bullet. This case is now made commercially from virgin brass. The original .378 Weatherby Magnum case was based on a belted version of the .416 Rigby.
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[edit] Background
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.[citation needed]
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). 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.[citation needed] 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 than scoped rifles and for this reason open sighted rifles are preferred by hunters for back-up work—when the 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. And also it prevents the hunter from getting his eyebrow cut by the scope, which is common with a firearm with as much recoil as this one.
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 dangerous 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] See also
[edit] References
- 460 WEATHERBY MAGNUM Cartridge statistics from AccurateReloading.com
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