.460 Weatherby Magnum

.460 Weatherby Magnum
Fourth from right
TypeRifle
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerRoy Weatherby
Designed1957
ManufacturerWeatherby Inc.
Produced1959–present
Specifications
Parent case.378 Weatherby Magnum
Case typebelted, bottlenecked
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.579 in (14.7 mm)
Rim thickness.063 in (1.6 mm)
Case length2.913 in (74.0 mm)
Overall length3.65 in (93 mm)
Case capacity141.1 gr H2O (9.14 cm3)
Rifling twist1 in 16 in (410 mm)
Primer typeLarge rifle magnum
Maximum pressure65,000 psi (450 MPa)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/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 (660 mm)
Source(s): Weatherby[1]

The .460 Weatherby Magnum is a belted, bottlenecked rifle cartridge, developed by Roy Weatherby in 1957. The cartridge is based on the .378 Weatherby Magnum necked up to accept the .458-inch (11.6 mm) bullet. The original .378 Weatherby Magnum parent case was inspired by the .416 Rigby.[2] The .460 Weatherby Magnum was designed as an African dangerous game rifle cartridge for the hunting of heavy, thick skinned dangerous game.

Prior to the Weatherby's arrival, the .600 Nitro Express had been the most powerful cartridge[3] but the .460 Weatherby Magnum eclipsed this, and was the world's most powerful commercially available sporting cartridge for 29 years until the advent of the .700 Nitro Express.[4]

The .460 launches a 500-grain (32 g) bullet at a chronographed velocity of 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s) from a 26-inch (660 mm) barrel, measuring 8,100 ft⋅lbf (11,000 J) of muzzle energy.[5]

  1. ^ ".460 Weatherby ammo data". Weatherby. Archived from the original on 2008-08-08. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
  2. ^ Bossert, Hans. "The .460 - Roy Weatherby's biggest Magnum" (PDF). NIOA.net. NIOA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-02-27. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
  3. ^ "460 Weatherby Magnum". Norma. Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  4. ^ Which was itself eclipsed in only five years by the 1993 introduction of the .577 Tyrannosaur.
  5. ^ Weatherby Guide 12th Ed. 1962