.450 Marlin

The .450 Marlin is a firearms cartridge designed as a modernized equivalent to the .45-70 cartridge. It was designed by a joint team of Marlin and Hornady engineers headed by Hornady's Mitch Mittelstaedt,[4] and was released in 2000, with cartridges manufactured by Hornady and rifles manufactured by Marlin, mainly the Model 1895M levergun. The Browning BLR is also now available in .450 Marlin chambering, as is the Ruger No. 1. Marlin ceased manufacture of the 1895M rifle in 2009. In October 2022 it was rumored that Ruger Firearms, the new owner of Marlin Firearms, may be reintroducing the 450 Marlin in their Model 1895 guide gun, but this has not been confirmed by Marlin or Ruger.

.450 Marlin
.450 Marlin, left and .458 Winchester Magnum, right
TypeRifle
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerHornady and Marlin Firearms
Designed2000
ManufacturerHornady
Produced2000–present
Specifications
Parent case.458×2-inch American[1]
Case typeBelted, straight
Bullet diameter.458 in (11.6 mm)
Base diameter.5121 in (13.01 mm)
Rim diameter.528 in (13.4 mm)
Case length2.10 in (53 mm)
Overall length2.55 in (65 mm)
Rifling twist1:20 in (508 mm)
Primer typeLarge rifle
Maximum pressure43,500 psi (300 MPa)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
430 gr (28 g) LBT-LFN (Lead Long Flat Nose) 1,900 ft/s (580 m/s) 3,446 ft⋅lbf (4,672 J)
405 gr (26 g) JFN (Copper Jacketed Flat Nose) 1,975 ft/s (602 m/s) 3,507 ft⋅lbf (4,755 J)
350 gr (23 g) JFN 2,100 ft/s (640 m/s) 3,427 ft⋅lbf (4,646 J)
325 gr (21 g) FTX (Hornady Flex Tip Expanding LEVERevolution) 2,225 ft/s (678 m/s) 3,572 ft⋅lbf (4,843 J)
Test barrel length: (SAAMI) 24 inches (610 mm)
Source(s): Buffalo Bore Ammunition,[2] Hornady Ammunition,[3]

Design

While ballistically similar to the .45-70, the .450 Marlin was not developed from the .45-70. Rather, the .450 Marlin was developed from the wildcat .458×2-inch American, which was based on the .458 Winchester Magnum.[5] This places the .450 Marlin in the .458 Winchester family of cartridges, though it is more easily understood as a "modernized" .45-70. It is possible to handload the .45-70 to levels that can destroy older firearms such as the Trapdoor Springfield. The .450 Marlin offers the ballistics of such "hot" .45-70 loads without the risk of chambering in firearms that cannot handle its higher pressure.

The belt has been modified to prevent it from chambering in smaller-bore 7 mm Magnum or .338 Magnum rifles.[6] The .45-70 and .450 Marlin cannot be cross-chambered, but rifles chambered for the American can be modified to fire the .450 Marlin.[7]

Visually, the case resembles that of the .458 Winchester Magnum with a wider belt.[8] The cartridge is most useful for hunting big game at short ranges, being accurate at ranges of 150 to 175 yards (137 to 160 m).[5] The cartridge is capable of taking any large game animal in North America including large elk, brown bear, and moose.

One potential advantage of the .450 Marlin was its ability to chamber easily in bolt-action rifles, essentially becoming a ".45-70 bolt action" cartridge. This idea, however, was only utilized by one company: Steyr-Mannlicher. However, many companies such as E.R. Shaw Inc.[9] and EABCO[10] have helped numerous owners convert their existing bolt-action rifles to .450 Marlin, fulfilling the cartridge's inspired purpose.

Dimensions

The dimensions are subject to change. The most current dimensions are available from the SAAMI website, standard Z299.4 – 2015, at pages 148 and 344.

See also

References
  1. Association, N. R. (n.d.). Tested: Winchester M94 te lever-action in .450 Marlin. An Official Journal Of The NRA. https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/tested-winchester-m94-te-lever-action-in-450-marlin/
  2. "Heavy 450 Marlin Rifle & Gun Ammunition". Buffalo Bore. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  3. "450 Marlin 325 gr FTX LEVERevolution ballistics". Hornady.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-10. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  4. "450 Marlin". Gregory J. Mushial. 2002. Archived from the original on 26 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  5. Taffin, John (June 2001). "The .450 Marlin: A Magnum In Disguise". Guns Magazine. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  6. "The .450 Marlin cartridge". Airborne Combat Engineer. 2007-10-09. Archived from the original on 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  7. Simpson, Layne (2005). Layne Simpson's Shooter's Handbook. Krause Publications. p. 285. ISBN 978-0-87349-939-2.
  8. ".450 Marlin". ChuckHawkes.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  9. "Caliber and Twist Rates". Archived from the original on 2017-07-08. Retrieved 2017-06-29.
  10. "EABCO Accuracy Barrels". Eabdo.net. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
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