I just haven't studied these much over the years and now am becoming interested in them. Am I correct in some calculations that a 44Mag in say a 18" Ruger levergun should get in the 1800ish fps range? Doesn't sound like much, but that's a HUGE increase in velocity over the same cartridge in say a 6" gun.
Would the same gains be realized in 357Mag and 454 Casull rifles with say a 16"-18" barrel? A 454 lever gun doin in the low-mid 2s would be ALOT of fun in the woods.
Always fartngigglin and why not try something different!
RA
I just got a 357 Mag barrel for my NEF and have not fired it as yet. However with the 200 Grain Hornady in the NEF 44 Mag with the 22 inch barrel, I can easy get 2000-2100 fps with H-110. I have 265 and 300 grain bullets ready to do some testing with as well. I have been looking at the NEF in 500 S&W. Accessory barrels have just reached the market place. Again they will have a 22 inch barrel. I have questioned the guys on the NEF site but can't get any chronograph readings from those who have the guns already. I would quess It will be a woods caliber BIG TIME.
I really enjoy the pistol calibers in carbines. I have had the Marlins and NEF rifles in many of the pistol calibers. They make good use of the slow burning pistol powders in 16-22 inch barrels. Its a cheap project to ream the NEF chambers to 445 Super Mag and 357 Maximum. Excellent velocities can be gained with the 445 Super mag conversion in the NEF. The 45-70 is being reamed to 45-90 and 45-120. I suspect the 50 S&W could be reamed to 50-110 or at least 50-70. I havn't studied the options there yet. Without some wildcatting, the 50 S&W will not offer much over the 45-70 already chambered in the NEF.
I'd like to see how the new .460 S&W Mag would do in a short levergun. Not sure that a levergun short of a Browning BLR could handle the pressures involved, though. A T/C Encore Carbine would be a nice match with the .460 S&W too.
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RE: 357, 44, 454 velocities from rifles???
its really hard to say exactly what kind of velocity increase you would get with a pistol cartridge in a rifle or carbine barrel. there are a few variables to consider one especially, the type of powder different powders reach their pressure spike ( maximum pressure)at different points in the barrel usually pistol cartridges use fast burning powders which would give a premature pressure spike in a rifle length barrel which you actually could get a lower velocity in a rifle barrel then you would with a pistol barrel say 6 inches in lengthmost likely you wont get much velocity increase if any, do tobarrel drag this is common with 38 special, 9mm, 40S&W,44 special, 45 LCand 45 acp. With factorymagnum loadings i wouldnt expect more then maybe a 200 to 300 fps velocity increases, if you handload and can select the powders used in your cartridge this will give you a better edge over what kind of velocity increase you will get. good luck
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From a pistol barrel lenght,to a small carbine barrel lenght you will increase vel,enven with modern day powders.But jonly to a certain pinnacle of vel within the cartridges limits itself. For instance a 357 mag pistol with a 4" barrel will shoot like 350 fps less than a 8 3/8" barrel with a max load, and some more will be appericated with a short barreled rifle,but not much but more. with the same cartridge.. vangunsmith
I believe that the MAP for the 460 is 65,000psi, while the 500 is 60,000. I read somewhere that they wanted to standardize the 460 at 72,000psi, but decided later to stick with 65kpsi.
Thanks for the info. I have heard that NEF will produce a barrel for the 460 as well. Don't know if thats true or just wishful thinking by the Handiholics.
I am just such a fan of the 454 Casull and one in a lever carbine would be a fun rifle that would be cheap to practice with when 45LCs were used.
As for the 500Smith in the Encore, that IS a possibility and would most certainly be a fun rifle that carrys well and would probably shoot like a dream. The only hesitation I have with ordering something like a Puma in the 454 is the fact that it is a realitively cheap foreign copy of a 94. At least with the Encore I know the quality is there to hand it down too my kids/grandkids!
357, 44, 454 velocities from rifles???
