.45 Winchester Magnum

The cartridge has been primarily used by small game hunters and metallic silhouette shooters.

• Name —.45 Winchester Magnum • Origin — United States • Type — Pistol • Designer — Winchester • Design Date — 1977 • Manufacturer — Winchester • Production Date — 1979–present • Parent —.45 NAACO • Case Type — Rimless, straight • Bullet —.452 • Neck —.473 • Base —.476 • Rim Dia —.480 • Rim Thick —.072 • Case Length — 1.198 • Length — 1.575 • Case Capacity — 38 • Primer — Large pistol • Max Pressure — 41500 • Pressure Method — SAAMI • Bw1 — 230 • Btype1 — JHP Underwood • Vel1 — 1600 • En1 — 1307 • Bw2 — 255 • Btype2 — HC FN Buffalo Bore • Vel2 — 1400 • En2 — 1110 • Bw3 — 260 • Btype3 — Power-Point Winchester • Vel3 — 1200 • En3 — 831

Although the.45 Winchester Magnum may be based on the.45 ACP and have the same Rim and Base dimensions, the.45 Winchester Magnum has no parent case. The.45 Winchester Magnum case is redrawn with thicker walls and longer case. The thicker wall dimensions of the.45 Winchester Magnum are designed to accommodate a higher internal pressure (40,000 copper units of pressure) than that of the.45 ACP (18,000 copper units of pressure, 21,000 psi, or 140 MPa).

The.45 Winchester Magnum had been on the drawing board for two years before its introduction, in 1979, by Winchester. The cartridge did not gain much popularity due to the intermittent availability of the Wildey and LAR Grizzly pistols. The cartridge was chambered in the Thompson-Center Contender single shot pistols. The cartridge was also chambered for the Freedom Arms Model 83 single-action revolver via an available optional cylinder. The.45 Winchester Magnum gained a following among IHMSA competitors as it provided the power and performance necessary to knock down targets at an extended range. The cartridge has been used by handgun hunters and is among the few semi-automatic pistol (as opposed to revolver) cartridges which have been adopted for this sport.