.460 S&W Magnum

Left to right: .460 S&W Magnum, .454 Casull, .44 Magnum, .45 ACP, .22LR

Type

Handgun

Place of origin

United States

Production history

Designer

Hornady / Smith & Wesson

Designed

2005

Produced

2005-present

Specifications

Parent case

.454 Casull

Case type

Rimmed, straight

Bullet diameter

.452 in (11.5 mm)

Neck diameter

.478 in (12.1 mm)

Base diameter

.478 in (12.1 mm)

Rim diameter

.520 in (13.2 mm)

Rim thickness

.059 in (1.5 mm)

Case length

1.80 in (46 mm)

Overall length

2.300 in (58.4 mm)

Primer type

Large rifle

Maximum pressure

65,000 psi (450 MPa)

Ballistic performance

Bullet mass/type	Velocity	Energy
200 gr (13 g) DPX Cor-Bon	2,300 ft/s (700 m/s)	2,350 ft·lbf (3,190 J)
260 gr (17 g) PG Winchester	2,000 ft/s (610 m/s)	2,309 ft·lbf (3,131 J)
300 gr (19 g) JFN Buffalo Bore	2,060 ft/s (630 m/s)	2,826 ft·lbf (3,832 J)
360 gr (23 g) LLFN Buffalo Bore	1,900 ft/s (580 m/s)	2,860 ft·lbf (3,880 J)
395 gr (26 g) HC Cor-Bon	1,525 ft/s (465 m/s)	2,040 ft·lbf (2,770 J)

Test barrel length: 8.375 inches
Source(s): Corbon Ammo, Cartridges of the World, Buffalo Bore

The .460 S&W Magnum round is a powerful revolver cartridge designed for long-range handgun hunting in the Smith & Wesson Model 460 revolver.

The .460 S&W round is a lengthened, more powerful version of the popular .454 Casull, itself a longer and more powerful version of the .45 Colt. Consequently, firearms that fire .460 S&W are usually capable of firing the less powerful .454 Casull, .45 Colt and .45 Schofield rounds, but this must be verified with each firearm's manufacturer. For instance, some lever-action firearms are designed to handle cartridges within a certain length and bullet profile range. The reverse, however, does not apply: .45 Schofield, .45 Colt and .454 Casull handguns generally cannot safely fire .460 S&W rounds—nor can they even chamber the .460 S&W because of the longer case length. The length of the .460 S&W was intended to fully use the overall length (2.30") of the S&W X frame cylinder thereby increasing its powder capacity.

The .460 cartridge achieves high velocities by operating at chamber pressures (65,000 psi max) normally reserved for magnum rifle cartridges.

Smith & Wesson says that the .460 S&W is the highest velocity revolver cartridge in the world, firing bullets at up to 2409 ft/s. With Buffalo Bore's loadings, the .460 S&W can achieve 2,826 ft lbf of energy by driving a 300 grain .452 caliber bullet at 2060 ft/s, and 2,860 ft lbf of energy by driving a heavier 360 grain .452 caliber bullet at 1900 ft/s. For comparison, Hornady's 9249 load for the .500 S&W Magnum cartridge offers a bit more energy at the muzzle, achieving 2,868 ft lbf (3,888 J) by driving a 300 grain (19 g) FTX bullet at 2,075 ft/s (632 m/s). Buffalo Bore's loading for the .500 S&W Magnum cartridge offers much less energy at the muzzle, achieving only 2,579 ft lbf by driving a 440 grain .500 caliber bullet at 1625 ft/s.

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Wikipedia