.45-60 Winchester (original) (raw)

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Rifle cartridge

.45-60 Winchester
Type Rifle
Place of origin United States
Production history
Designed 1879[1]
Manufacturer Winchester Repeating Arms Company[2]
Produced 1879–1935[1]
Specifications
Parent case .45-70[2]
Case type Rimmed, tapered[1]
Bullet diameter 0.458 inches (11.6 mm)[3]
Case length 1.89 inches (48 mm)[2]
Maximum pressure (CIP) 27,850 psi (192.0 MPa)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 300 gr (19 g) Lead 1,390 ft/s (420 m/s) 1,287 ft⋅lbf (1,745 J)
Test barrel length: 30 inches (76 cm)Source(s): Phil Sharpe[3]

The .45-60 Winchester / 11.6x48mmR is a centerfire rifle cartridge intended for 19th-century big-game hunting.[4] Nomenclature of the era indicated the .45-60 cartridge contained a 0.45-inch (11.43 mm) diameter bullet with 60 grains (3.89 g) of black powder. Winchester Repeating Arms Company shortened the .45-70 Government cartridge to operate through the Winchester Model 1876 rifle's lever-action.[2]

The Colt Lightning Carbine and the Whitney Arms Company's Kennedy lever-action rifle were also chambered for the .45-60.[1] These early rifles' advantage of faster loading for subsequent shots was soon eclipsed by the stronger and smoother Winchester Model 1886 action capable of handling longer cartridges including the popular full length .45-70.[4] The .45-60 and similarly short cartridges designed for the Model 1876 rifle faded into obsolescence as 20th-century hunters preferred more powerful smokeless powder loadings of cartridges designed for stronger rifles. Winchester production of .45-60 cartridges ended during the Great Depression.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e Barnes, Frank C. (2012). Cartridges of the World. Gun Digest Books. p. 153. ISBN 978-1440230592.
  2. ^ a b c d Venturino, Mike. "Winchester Lever Guns & Their Black Powder Cartridges". Guns Magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-11-13. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  3. ^ a b Sharpe, Philip B. (1953) Complete Guide to Handloading, New York, NY: Funk & Wagnalls pp.425&431
  4. ^ a b Hacker, Rick (2014). "Winchester Model 1876". American Rifleman. 162 (November). National Rifle Association of America: 120.