.460 s&w Rifle?

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BoogieMan

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Has anyone come across a 460sw chambered rifle? I would assume you could get a single shot for a TC. But I would love to see a lever or any other repater to make a match for the revolver.
 
Ruger Number 1 Medium Sporter is the only one I am aware of and I think they dropped it from production this year but there might be some on dealer shelves or gunbroker
 
Like you guessed - T/C Encore barrels in .460S&W are widely available both in a 15" pistol version and a 20" rifle version.
 
http://www.drcfirearms.com/
I am pretty sure they used to make one. Their site is not working for me at the moment. They are either out of business and it has been neglected or they want to load some cookies on my PC and it doesn't like them(diabetic).
A really overbuilt stainless levergun if i remember correctly.
 
I will have to start writing Marlin and Henry maybe they will make me one
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The .460 S&W typically runs at 56kpsi-60kpsi. Marlin actions are good only about 40kpsi. It would be interesting to see how many pieces of an 1894 or 1895 you would find if you shot the .460 through one.

Even hot hot 45-70 Marlin handloads that are capable of killing anything on earth only push about 40Kpsi
 
@Wooly booger- I guess that leaves Marlin out. It also brings up something I had not considered with a lever gun. 460 is just to high a pressure round for that style cation. IMO there is no need to have it in a bolt action because there are already sooooooo many great choices. If I wanted a matching set I should have gone with the 45/70 revolver. I wonder what it would take to modify a 45/70 to 460? Are other lever actions rated for higher pressure to your knowledge?
 
There was a custom gun maker in AK that was building high performance lever guns that were really strong. The 45-70 bore diameter is .458, .460 S&W is .452 so a BFR conversion is not viable.

I think the ruger #1 is the only viable option.
 
Looks as if the Browning BLR could serve as the basis for a custom rifle if you are partial to lever actions. Think 450 Marlin among the offered chamberings is about the closest in size to what you need. FWIW
 
There was a custom gun maker in AK that was building high performance lever guns that were really strong. The 45-70 bore diameter is .458, .460 S&W is .452 so a BFR conversion is not viable.
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I would think that a rebarrel would be done as well as a rechamber. I havent taken any measurements or even handled a 45/70 to compare.
Kind of a pipe dream at this point. I dont have time to spend making/moding a rifle.
 
Big Horn Armory in Cody, WY makes a 500 S&W levergun. 460 S&W has quite a bit more pressure than the 500 is the reasoning behind the 500 instead of the 460. Guess you are going to have to get a 500 S&W revolver to match one of their leverguns! They make a couple of different finishes on their guns. www.bighornarmory.com
Commence drooling!
Ralph
 
MWM, that would be interesting to look at. I imagine not much, but there would be a pretty big difference out of the pistol. If you want a matched pair the 460 SW would be a better choice I think.

Of course, knowing as little as I do about reloading, it seems to me like you could work out some 460 SW loads with really slow burning powder and see gains over the 45-70 by maintaining a higher pressure over a longer period(or something).
 
I'd be curious what kind of performance differences there are between a 45-70 & a 460 S&W out of a rifle / carbine length barrel... 18- 20" ???
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Maybe a big difference if you are talking about factory ammo. Hornady 45-70 with the 250 grn bullet is advertised to be just over 2000 fps at the muzzle. Hornady .460S&W with a 200grn bullet through a 20" Encore barrel has been getting reports of over 2800fps. In fact, there have been several reports (I lurk on lots of other shooting forums) of this bullet combination failing on short-range deer kills because the bullet is traveling much faster than its composition was created for.

Admittedly, these bullet weights are different enough that it makes a true comparison hard. The typical factory ammo for a 45-70 is much heavier than the factory loads for the .460 so you might never get a true comparison using factory loaded ammo.

Correction: The Hornady 45-70 bullet is the 325grn LE bullet advertised at 2050fps.
 
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I guess I was thinking "Tabasco" loads in 45-70, since the 460 is so high a pressure cartridge ( just to try to keep things as Apple to Apple )... I have some I got the recipes for out of a handloader mag, that the author to a guide gun to Africa... they give new "life" to the old 45-70...
 
to get an apple to apple comparison, you would have to run the .45-70 through a Ruger #1 -#3 or Browning 1885.

There are some loads published using 325 grain bullets and 4198 powder that are might close. Even though the .460 run at higher pressure, there is about 1/2" difference in case length. I think the .45-70 would beat it by a hair in a ultra-strong action all conditions being equal.

I do know that many years ago, Jon Wooters worked up .45-70 400 and 500 gr loads in a #1 and wound up stopping because the recoil became too much LOL
 
H&R chambered a couple hundred single-shots in .460 S&W. But there hasn't been a single report of one leaving the factory.
A few years back, they also announced a .410/.460, but it never went into production.


I don't know of any repeating rifles chambered for it.
 
I have been researching this becaues I may need to be in the market for one soon. My wife is considering accepting a job offer in Mississippi. Their "primitive weapons" season allows use of single-shot centerfire cartridges .35 and larger. Many shooters there have dumped their muzzleloaders and picked up .35 whelen, .460, and 45-70 Encores. I'd love to go with the Whelen but getting an accurate single-shot barrel seems to be a luck-of-the-draw kind of deal due to the Whelen cartridges extrememly small shoulder. That leaves the .460 and 45-70 as viable alternatives.
 
I used to hunt with a couple of guys from MS. They all had H&R and Rossi single shots in .444 and were quite successful.

From what I have been reading, the H&R has been having lock up issues with the .500 S&W. The .460 runs at even higher pressure.
 
Yep, Wooly, I've read quite a few reports about the .500 S&W Handi-Rifles beating themselves to death. The action just doesn't seem to be able to take the abuse, with Remington's current quality control standards. (Which may be why the .460 version was never released.) Perhaps they should have put that one on the 10 ga action...


I have a (Rem) Handi-Rifle in .444 Marlin. Fit and finish are terrible. It's ugly. It's cheap. It's nowhere near the quality of the pre-Marlin or pre-Remington rifles.
But, I've still come to really like the rifle and cartridge. Mine locks up tight and shoots straight. If I could just get the trigger a little smoother and lighter, it would round out the package.

And if I didn't reload, I still wouldn't have a problem with owning an uncommon cartridge. Hornady's .444 Marlin 265 gr FP SuperFormance factory load is readily available, and absolutely fantastic. It's a great bullet, in consistent ammunition, with decent muzzle velocity. It is about the only .444 Marlin factory load that could be used for anything you ever wanted (short of frontal shots on Elephant and spine-shooting Cape Buffalo).
 
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