The .500 Linebaugh (13x35mmR) is a .50 caliber handgun cartridge designed for use in revolvers.
History
Inspired by the existing .50 WT Super cartridge devised by Neil Wheeler and Bill Topping of Sandy, Utah, John Linebaugh developed the .500 Linebaugh cartridge in 1986. Linebaugh was then known for converting six-shot
.45 Colt revolvers to five-shot configuration, which allowed the use of higher-pressure ammunition than would be safe in many existing firearms chambered for the cartridge. While this venture was a success, Linebaugh was intrigued by Wheeler and Topping's work, and decided to pursue a .50 caliber handgun cartridge of his own.
The cartridge case itself was designed by cutting off the
.348 Winchester case to , opening the case mouth to accept a .510 caliber (12.95 mm) bullet, and reaming the inside of the case. The first revolvers converted to use the .500 Linebaugh were the Ruger Bisley and the Seville revolvers. Due to the demise of the Seville revolvers in the early 1990s, most subsequent conversions have been carried out on revolvers based on the
Ruger Bisley frame.
It was when the supply of .348 Winchester cases started running out that John Linebaugh began working on the
.475 Linebaugh, which could be formed from the more available
.45-70 Government cases. When the Winchester Model 71 was reintroduced in the .348 Winchester, the ability to form .500 Linebaugh cases again became feasible.
Today, Starline and Buffalo Bore offer .500 Linebaugh cases which are not dependent on the supply of .348 Winchester cases.
Cartridge design and specifications
The .500 Linebaugh is a proprietary cartridge and thus has not been adopted by mainline firearms manufacturers. Currently the only firearm manufacturer that produces a revolver for this cartridge is
Magnum Research
Magnum Research, Inc. (MRI) was an American privately held corporation based in Fridley, Minnesota which manufactured and distributed firearms. The majority owners, Jim Skildum (President and CEO) and John Risdall (Chairman, COO), had been wit ...
(owned by
Kahr Firearms Group), in the BFR product line. Prior to January 2019, the only alternative was to have a gunsmith such as John Linebaugh of Linebaugh Custom Six guns or Hamilton Bowen of Bowen Classic Arms convert pre-existing revolvers such as the Ruger Blackhawk and Bisley to fire the cartridge. Bowen is known to have converted the
Ruger Redhawk
The Ruger Redhawk is a DA/SA, large-frame revolver introduced in 1979 by Sturm, Ruger & Company.
Design and construction
The Redhawk is the first large-bore double-action revolver introduced by Ruger. It was designed by Roy Melcher and Harry Se ...
double-action revolver for use with this cartridge.
:
Due to the proprietary status of the cartridge neither the
CIP nor
SAAMI
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI, pronounced "Sammy") is an association of American manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and components. SAAMI is an accredited standards developer that publishes several A ...
have published official specifications for the cartridge. As is the case, there can be some variations from gunsmith to gunsmith. No pressure standard has been published for the cartridge but according to Linebaugh, pressure levels between and are considered safe in the converted revolvers.
The cartridge uses .510 in (12.95 mm) diameter jacketed bullets or .511-.512 in (12.98-13.01 mm) lead bullets.
Sporting usage
The .500 Linebaugh was designed as a hunting cartridge. It was designed to fire a bullet at .
This particular loading generates of energy making this one of the most powerful handgun cartridges put into production. In terms of energy, this is comparable to the
.454 Casull cartridge. However, the .500 Linebaugh provides a larger diameter, heavier bullet with a greater sectional density than the .454 Casull. As a hunting cartridge it is capable of taking any North American game animals and most African game species.
See also
*
.50 Action Express
*
.50 GI
*
.500 S&W Magnum
*
List of rimmed cartridges
Below is a list of rimmed cartridges (R). Although similar, rimmed cartridges differ from rimfire cartridges (list). A rimmed cartridge is a cartridge with a rim, whose primer is located in the center of the case head; the primer is detonated by ...
*
13 mm caliber
This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets that are to in caliber.
*''Length'' refers to the cartridge case
Case or CASE may refer to:
Instances
* Instantiation (disambiguation), a realization of a concept, theme, or design
* ...
*
List of handgun cartridges
This is a list of handgun Cartridge (weaponry), cartridges, approximately in order of increasing caliber.
Table of handgun cartridges
Other cartridges used in handguns
Although not originally designed for handguns, several rifle and shotgun ...
Notes
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:500 Linebaugh
Rimmed cartridges
Pistol and rifle cartridges