.400 Corbon
| .400 Corbon | ||||||||||||||||
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| Type | Pistol | |||||||||||||||
| Place of origin |
 United States
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| Production history | ||||||||||||||||
| Designer | Peter Pi | |||||||||||||||
| Designed | 1997 | |||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Cor-Bon | |||||||||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||||||||
| Parent case | .45 ACP | |||||||||||||||
| Case type | Rimless, bottleneck | |||||||||||||||
| Bullet diameter | .401 in (10.2 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Neck diameter | .423 in (10.7 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Shoulder diameter | .469 in (11.9 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Base diameter | .470 in (11.9 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Rim diameter | .471 in (12.0 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Rim thickness | .050 in (1.3 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Case length | .898 in (22.8 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Overall length | 1.20 in (30 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Rifling twist | 16 | |||||||||||||||
| Primer type | small pistol/rifle | |||||||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||||||
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| Source(s): Corbon | ||||||||||||||||
The .400 Corbon is an automatic pistol cartridge developed by Cor-Bon in 1997. It was created to mimic the ballistics of the powerful 10 mm Auto cartridge in a .45 ACP form factor. It is essentially a .45 ACP case, necked down to .40 caliber with a 25 degree shoulder.
Peter Pi, founder of Cor-Bon and the designer of the cartridge, explained his reason for developing the cartridge: "Velocity is the key to making hollowpoint bullets work. The added velocity assures that the hollowpoint will open up even if plugged with material. This reduces the risk of overpenetration and allows the action of the hollowpoint bullet to dump the available energy into the target."
Mr. Pi said because he wanted the .400 Corbon to be easy for handloaders to make, he based the cartridge on the ubiquitous .45 ACP so that an ample supply of cases were readily available, gave the shoulder a 25 degree angle, and headspaced it on the case shoulder rather than the mouth so that over-all-length is not critical and the bullet can take a tight roll crimp to avoid setback and to get a more efficient powder burn.
According to Guns & Ammo magazine,
Performance is on a par with the 10 mm, yet pressures are much milder. Factory ammo is loaded to +P .45 levels, but the lighter bullet weights make recoil comparable to .45 hardball loads. Felt recoil is a little sharper but still very controllable.
Because of its relatively high velocity for a handgun round, the .400 Corbon offers a very flat trajectory, which in turn allows the firearms chambered for it more effective range. Ed Sanow also felt recoil was equivalent to 230 gr (15 g) hardball in .45 ACP. In addition, the bottleneck case can function better than a straight case with a wider variety of bullet shapes and sizes and allows the use of fully supported barrels.
Ballistics fall somewhere between the .40 S&W and the 10 mm Auto. Unlike the 10 mm which operates at a SAAMI maximum of 37,500 psi, the .400 Corbon operates at 29,000 psi (although one source states that the pressure is 26,500 psi), much closer to the SAAMI maximum pressures for .45 ACP (21,000 psi), and .45 ACP +P (23,000 psi).SAAMI Maximum Average Pressure for 400 Cor-Bon is 35,000 psi. In 2008, Michael Shovel, then National Sales Manager for CORBON/Glaser, stated that Cor-Bon "submitted the 400 COR-BON to SAAMI and it was approved [in 2006]. Pressures for the 400 are in the 23,000 PSI range." While many contend that the .400 Corbon does not batter converted model 1911 handguns nearly as harshly as the 10 mm Auto, yet performs comparably with up to 180 gr (12 g). bullet weights in handloads, the difference between SAAMI Maximum Average Pressure is only 2,500 psi and identical to that of the .40 S&W (35,000 psi).
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Wikipedia