Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters What is a magnum cartridge?

Barney Miller and the detectives were sitting around contemplating just one of those that had been used in a murder. The question arose as to whether or not it could be hurled through the solid-core wooden door to the office, the twin points of interest being if it was strong enough to hold together and it it could be thrown hard enough. Abe Vigoda volunteered to give it a try. He drew back and threw it as hard as he could. The blade held up its end of the bargain, but only stuck in the door, not penetrating completely. Someone was heard to remark, "The spear is willing, but the Fish is weak."

aww hell, as fast as ya open your mouth ya gotta stuff your foot in faster,

those damn Brits anyway, we have no originality it seems like !

if larger makes a magnum then one could argue how come the Chey Tacs and Snipe Tacs ain't Magnums ? BUUT the parent case is an Express and a Magnum so no argument... I'm starting to like the 500 Jefferey more and more, the Brits didn't invent it,
and it ain't a magnum !!!!! so it will be real pleaseant to shoot off the bench or anywhere else... HAHAHaowwwwww

Swamplord - NEVER say never,<G>

jwall...

10-4

And then, there are the two classes of magnums the "classic" magnums and the "new" magnums...
Classic magnums being more suited to short range shooting and newere magnums being suited for long range shooting.
Classic, new, short range and long range all being equally definitive.

I like this. However, i wouldn't just include the .30-06 itself but all cartridges based on its case. How about this: If a cartridge shoots a given bullet weight at least 200 fps faster than the .30-06 case, it's a magnum? I think this is a decent definition, at least with calibers from .25-.35.

A magnum is any gun that turns you green when you shoot it.

not true !!! ya can screw on that thingy with holes on it on the end of your barrel then any anti-magnum posse can shoot it !

I agree with Greydog... it's a marketing term.

My own arbitrary view is a magnum is anything that holds somewhere around 20% more powder than a 30-06-based round of the same caliber.

That's why I think of the 300 WSM as barely a "semi magnum" and don't consider the SAUM's or RCM's magnums at all...

There is less than 100 FPS difference between MOST WSM and SAUM loads, so 100 FPS makes the difference between a mag and a standard round?

I called the WSM's "semi-magnums"... I don't consider them actual magnums. And they barely qualify as "semi"...

"Magnum" applied to the name of a cartridge has about as much meaning as "GT" applied to the moniker of a hunk of Detroit iron.

Magnum is simply a term used to market another product. If became important as hunters and rifle shooters where exposed to magazines that tried to convice them they needed something "bigger" than their 30-06's and .270's. As the post WWII economy improved, much in the way of equipment, from "glass" to "rifles" and other support stuff blossomed to meet the demand of the sportsmen. No doubt Weatherby, SCI and others fueled the fire that bigger was better. Taken to the extreme now, most of us know better and have gone back the other way.

bigwhoop, you and others have assigned 'magnum' with the 30-06 as a starting place. As Mule Deer & Con have printed in this thread......

The Brits WERE USING the terms 'magnum' & 'express' BEFORE 1906 and even much earlier than 1925.

It wasn't much of a marketing term THEN and YES I agree it HAS BECOME a marketing WORD (only) today. eg. 'short magnum' 'compact magnum' etc. At lease I am UNIMPRESSED with many of those.

I guess 'marketing' played an important role at the end of the 19th Century. (sarc) It ain't NEW.

Nope! At least not since some caveman decided he could persuade other cavemen that he knapped the best spear points, because of a proprietary technique that made his kill mammoths like, well, a magnum.

MD -

My quote of yours was in response to OTHERS stating that 'magnum' was just another marketing tool and aimed at besting the 06 and/or 270.

When AS YOU had pointed out that the Brits were the FIRST to use the monikers of express and/or magnum much earlier than the 06 appeared AND it does mean larger, stronger, faster etc.

Apparently my "nope" was too short. What I was gfreeing with your last sentence, saying, "Nope, marketing ain't new!"

YEP - I missed that. Right over my head. Sorry.

I'm "fixin to" make a couple of edits that'll clarify.

THNX
Jerry

The word "magnum" was first used by (IIRC) Romans and their containers of wine.....large containers were referred to as "magnums"

Take it from there