.500 Bushwhacker
Comparison of the .500 Bushwhacker (L) to the .500 S&W cartridge (R)
TypeHandgun
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerJames Tow, Keith Tow
Designed2021
ManufacturerTII Armory
Produced2022–present
Specifications
Parent case.375 Ruger
Case typeSemi-rimmed, straight
Bullet diameter.500 in (12.7 mm)
Neck diameter.525 in (13.3 mm)
Base diameter.530 in (13.5 mm)
Rim diameter.560 in (14.2 mm)
Rim thickness.059 in (1.5 mm)
Case length2.45 in (62 mm)
Overall length2.95 in (75 mm)
Rifling twist1 in 15 in (380 mm)
Primer typeLarge rifle
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
275 gr (18 g) TII Barnes XPB 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) 4,127 ft⋅lbf (5,595 J)
310 gr (20 g) TII Bengal WFNGC 2,550 ft/s (780 m/s) 4,476 ft⋅lbf (6,069 J)
340 gr (22 g) TII CEB Handgun Raptor 2,500 ft/s (760 m/s) 4,718 ft⋅lbf (6,397 J)
400 gr (26 g) TII Bengal WLFNGC 2,350 ft/s (720 m/s) 4,905 ft⋅lbf (6,650 J)
510 gr (33 g) TII Bengal WFNGC 2,141 ft/s (653 m/s) 5,191 ft⋅lbf (7,038 J)
Test barrel length: 10 in
Source(s): TII Armory (275 gr),[1] (310 gr),[2] (340 gr)[3] (400 gr),[4] (510 gr),[5]

The .500 Bushwhacker is a .50 caliber semi-rimmed revolver cartridge developed by TII Armory for the Magnum Research BFR revolvers. It is currently the most powerful revolver cartridge in the world, offering a similar level of ballistic performance to African stopping rifles, such as the .416 Rigby and .470 Nitro Express. Given comparable barrel lengths, it is nearly twice as powerful as the .500 S&W Magnum.[6] A 10-inch barrel revolver chambered in the cartridge is capable of penetrating 96-inches of 10% Clear Ballistics gel.[7]

Cartridge history

Brothers James Tow and Keith Tow of Halsey, Oregon developed the .500 Bushwhacker in 2021 to produce a repeating handgun capable of ethically harvesting dangerous game. They initially used the .375 Ruger for a parent case, fireforming the brass cylindrical and threading the bases for rims. The result was a cartridge that is essentially a lengthened .500 S&W Magnum. New manufactured brass is now produced by the Bertram Bullet Company.[8]

Design, specifications, and use

The .500 Bushwhacker is designed to operate at comparable chamber pressures to the .500 S&W Magnum. Since the case is simply a lengthened version of the .500 S&W, the cylinder wall thickness remains the same on a firearm converted to the larger cartridge. Accordingly, the same pressure level can safely be maintained in firearms capable of accommodating the additional cartridge length. Firearms converted to the .500 Bushwhacker are also capable of firing .500 S&W, .500 JRH, and .500 S&W Special ammunition.[9]

To ensure manageable recoil in converted revolvers, all .500 Bushwhacker conversions produced by TII Armory include the installation of a rifle-style muzzle brake.[6]

Since the .500 Bushwhacker is capable of firing equivalent weight bullets at nearly twice the velocity of other large bore handgun cartridges, such as the .480 Ruger and .500 Linebaugh, it is advisable that monometal bullets be used for dangerous game hunting, so as to guard against bullet failures.[9] Commercial loadings of the .500 Bushwhacker outperform all rifle loadings of .45-70 Government, making the cartridge not only the most powerful revolver round but also very powerful by rifle standards.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ ".500 Bushwhacker – 275 Grain Barnes XPB-500BW275". TII Machine.
  2. ↑ ".500 Bushwhacker – 310 Grain WFNGC-500BW310". TII Machine.
  3. ↑ ".500 Bushwhacker – 340 Grain CEB Handgun Raptor-500BW340". TII Machine.
  4. ↑ ".500 Bushwhacker – 400 Grain WLFNGC-500BW400". TII Machine.
  5. ↑ "Making Harry's Day: The .500 Bushwhacker Story". TII Machine.
  6. 1 2 Lawson, William (October 12, 2022). "The .500 Bushwhacker: Do You Feel Lucky?". GunMag Warehouse. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  7. ↑ 500 Bushwhacker vs 500 S&W and Elephant Rifles: Ballistic Gel Comparison (High Speed), retrieved 2023-10-05
  8. ↑ Hayrapetyan, Hrachya (October 5, 2022). "Wheelgun Wednesday: New .500 Bushwhacker Cartridge for BFR Revolvers by TII Armory". The Firearm Blog. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Tow, James (September 10, 2022). "Making Harry's Day: The .500 Bushwhacker Story". TII Armory. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.

References

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