.500 Bushwhacker
{{Short description|Revolver cartridge designed by James and Keith Tow}}
{{Infobox firearm cartridge
| name = .500 Bushwhacker
| image = 500bw-swcomp.jpg | image_size = 320px
| caption = Comparison of the .500 Bushwhacker (L) to the .500 S&W cartridge (R)
| origin = United States
| type = Handgun
| service =
| used_by =
| wars =
| designer = James Tow and Keith Tow
| design_date = 2021
| manufacturer = TII Armory
| production_date = 2022–present
| number =
| variants =
| is_SI_specs =
| parent = .375 Ruger
|case_type= Semi-rimmed, straight
| bullet = .500
| neck = .525
| shoulder =
| base = .530
| rim_dia = .560
| rim_thick = .059
| case_length = 2.45
| length = 2.95
| max_pressure =
| rifling = 1 in {{convert|15|in|mm|abbr=on}}
| primer = Large rifle
| is_SI_ballistics =
| bw2 = 310
| btype2 = TII Bengal WFNGC
| vel2 = 2550 ft/s - 10in
2700 ft/s - 14in
| en2 = 4476 ft⋅lbf - 10in
5018 ft⋅lbf - 14in
| bw3 = 340
| btype3 = TII CEB Handgun Raptor
| vel3 = 2350 ft/s - 10in
2450 ft/s - 14in
| en3 = 4169 ft⋅lbf - 10in
4531 ft⋅lbf - 14in
| bw1 = 275
| btype1 = TII Barnes XPB
| vel1 = 2550 ft/s - 10in
2700 ft/s -14in
| en1 = 3970 ft⋅lbf - 10in
4451 ft⋅lbf - 14in
| test_barrel_length = 10 in to 14 in
| balsrc = TII Armory (275 gr),{{Cite web|url=https://tiiarmory.com/500bushwhacker275|title=.500 Bushwhacker – 275 Grain Barnes XPB-500BW275|website=TII Machine}} (310 gr),{{Cite web|url=https://tiiarmory.com/500bushwhacker310|title=.500 Bushwhacker – 310 Grain WFNGC-500BW310|website=TII Machine}} (340 gr){{Cite web|url=https://tiiarmory.com/500bushwhacker340|title=.500 Bushwhacker – 340 Grain CEB Handgun Raptor-500BW340|website=TII Machine}} (400 gr),{{Cite web|url=https://tiiarmory.com/500bushwhacker400b |title=.500 Bushwhacker – 400 Grain WLFNGC-500BW400|website=TII Machine}} (510 gr),{{Cite web|url=https://tiiarmory.com/Making-Harrys-Day-The-500-Bushwhacker-Story_b_2.html|title=Making Harry's Day: The .500 Bushwhacker Story|website=TII Machine}}|bw4=400|bw5=|btype4=TII Bengal WLFNGC|vel4=2250 ft/s - 10in
2350 ft/s - 14in|en4=4496 ft⋅lbf - 10in
4905 ft⋅lbf - 14in|btype5=|vel5=|en5=}}
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.{{Cite web |last=Lawson |first=William |date=October 12, 2022 |title=The .500 Bushwhacker: Do You Feel Lucky? |url=https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/the-500-bushwhacker-do-you-feel-lucky/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101093828/https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/the-500-bushwhacker-do-you-feel-lucky/ |archive-date=November 1, 2022 |access-date=November 12, 2022 |website=GunMag Warehouse}} A 10-inch barrel revolver chambered for the cartridge is capable of penetrating 103 inches of 10% Clear Ballistics gel. A 24-inch barrel rifle chambered for the round can penetrate 127 inches of the same medium.{{Citation |title=Testing the World's Most Powerful Pistol Caliber Carbine |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=325nyC-gj2o |access-date=2024-11-23 |language=en}} A 14-inch .500 Bushwhacker revolver can exceed 3,000 ft/s (914.4 m/s) with select loads.
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.{{Cite web |last=Hayrapetyan |first=Hrachya |date=October 5, 2022 |title=Wheelgun Wednesday: New .500 Bushwhacker Cartridge for BFR Revolvers by TII Armory |url=https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2022/10/05/wheelgun-wednesday-tii-armory-500-bushwhacker-cartridge-bfr-conversion/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101094208/https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2022/10/05/wheelgun-wednesday-tii-armory-500-bushwhacker-cartridge-bfr-conversion/ |archive-date=November 1, 2022 |access-date=November 12, 2022 |website=The Firearm Blog}}
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 Magnum, 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 Magnum, .500 S&W Special, and .500 JRH ammunition.{{Cite web |last=Tow |first=James |date=September 10, 2022 |title=Making Harry's Day: The .500 Bushwhacker Story |url=https://tiiarmory.com/Making-Harrys-Day-The-500-Bushwhacker-Story_b_2.html/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101094803/https://tiiarmory.com/Making-Harrys-Day-The-500-Bushwhacker-Story_b_2.html |archive-date=November 1, 2022 |access-date=November 12, 2022 |website=TII Armory}}
To ensure manageable recoil in converted revolvers, all .500 Bushwhacker conversions produced by TII Armory include the installation of a rifle-style muzzle brake.
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. 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
{{Reflist}}
References
{{Refbegin}}
- “[https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/the-500-bushwhacker-do-you-feel-lucky The .500 Bushwhacker: Do You Feel Lucky?]” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101093828/https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/the-500-bushwhacker-do-you-feel-lucky/ |date=November 1, 2022 }}" by William Lawson
- "[https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2022/10/05/wheelgun-wednesday-tii-armory-500-bushwhacker-cartridge-bfr-conversion/ Wheelgun Wednesday: New .500 Bushwhacker Cartridge for BFR Revolvers by TII Armory] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101094208/https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2022/10/05/wheelgun-wednesday-tii-armory-500-bushwhacker-cartridge-bfr-conversion/ |date=November 1, 2022 }}" by Hrachya Hayrapetyan
- "[https://tiiarmory.com/Making-Harrys-Day-The-500-Bushwhacker-Story_b_2.html Making Harry’s Day: The .500 Bushwhacker Story]" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101094803/https://tiiarmory.com/Making-Harrys-Day-The-500-Bushwhacker-Story_b_2.html |date=November 1, 2022 }}" by James Tow
{{refend}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:500 Bushwhacker}}
Category:Pistol and rifle cartridges