| .440 Cor-bon | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type | hunting, Rifle, Pistol | |
| Place of origin | United States | |
| Production history | ||
| Designed | 1997 | |
| Manufacturer | Cor-Bon | |
| Produced | 1998 to the present | |
| Specifications | ||
| Parent case | .50 AE | |
| Case type | Rimless, bottlenecked | |
| Bullet diameter | .429 in (10.9 mm) | |
| Neck diameter | .461 in (11.7 mm) | |
| Shoulder diameter | .529 in (13.4 mm) | |
| Base diameter | .538 in (13.7 mm) | |
| Rim diameter | .510 in (13.0 mm) | |
| Rim thickness | 0.055 in (1.4 mm) | |
| Case length | 1.280 in (32.5 mm) | |
| Case capacity | 50.5 gr H2O (3.283 cm³) | |
| Rifling twist | 1 in 18 | |
| Primer type | 0.210 | |
| Maximum pressure | 26,000 (250 MPa) | |
| Ballistic performance | ||
| Bullet weight/type | Velocity | Energy |
| 240 gr (15.55 g) | 1,900 ft/s (580 m/s) | 1,920 ft·lbf (2,600 J) |
| 260 gr (17 g) | 1,420 ft/s (430 m/s) | 1,665 ft·lbf (2,257 J) |
| 305 gr (19.8 g) | 1,600 ft/s (490 m/s) | 1,730 ft·lbf (2,350 J) |
The Cor-Bon company produced the .440 Cor-bon cartridge in 1998. As is fairly typical in the wildcat cartridge industry, this cartridge necked down from an existing cartridge, the .50 AE to accept a .44-caliber (.429 in) (10.89 mm) bullet.
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The .50 AE was introduced in the Desert Eagle from Magnum Research 1991, and shortly thereafter shooters began wondering whether there was an alternative to the relatively small selection of factory ammunition, and, for sensitive shooters, the recoil of the .50 round, but still with more substantial stopping power than the .44 Magnum.
In designing the .440, Cor-bon created a lighter recoiling round than the .50 AE with greater penetrating power than the .50 AE and 44 Magnum. The round has a flatter trajectory, and leaves the barrel considerably faster than either the .50 AE or the .44 Mag. However, the cartridge has never taken off, and has remained fairly expensive.
The round is generally considered to be a hunting round rather than a defense round for a number of reasons. Its excessive penetration and recoil make it unsuitable for self defense. Also, as it is physically a very large cartridge, commonly chambered in a very large pistol such as the Desert Eagle, it is not particularly feasible to carry it concealed.
It is effective at disabling and killing large animals, able to penetrate large bones such as the shoulder in deer. Some gunsmiths are chambering lever-action rifles to take full advantage of this cartridge on large game.[1]