.500 Wyoming Express

The .500 Wyoming Express or .500 WE is a "big bore" handgun cartridge. Freedom Arms introduced the cartridge in 2005 for their Model 83 .500 WE revolver.[1]

.500 Wyoming Express
TypeRevolver
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerFreedom Arms
Designed2005
ManufacturerFreedom Arms
Produced2005–present
Specifications
Case typeBelted straight
Bullet diameter.500 in (12.7 mm)
Base diameter.525 in (13.3 mm)
Rim diameter.543 in (13.8 mm)
Case length1.37 in (35 mm)
Overall length1.765 in (44.8 mm)
Rifling twist1:20
Primer typeLarge rifle
Maximum pressure50,000 psi
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
325 gr (21 g) X-Treme 1,250 ft/s (380 m/s) 1,127 ft⋅lbf (1,528 J)
410 gr (27 g) Bengal WFNGC 1,500 ft/s (460 m/s) 2,048 ft⋅lbf (2,777 J)
520 gr (34 g) Bengal WFNGC 1,200 ft/s (370 m/s) 1,663 ft⋅lbf (2,255 J)
Test barrel length: 7.5
Source(s): https://tiiarmory.com/ammunition

Like most handgun cartridges of this size, it is used almost exclusively in revolvers. It is designed mainly for hunting and wilderness defense against medium to heavy North American game.

Overview

The .500 Wyoming Express is dimensionally similar to the .50 Action Express but can be loaded to a higher power level and utilize heavier bullets, due to its greater maximum chamber pressure and longer cartridge overall length.[2] Unique among handgun cartridges, it is a belted round, which allows for a heavy roll crimp to be employed without compromising headspace, as with the .50 AE. Though not as powerful as the .500 S&W Magnum, the .500 Wyoming Express is available in more compact revolvers, and for those capable of mastering its heavy recoil, it is adequate for harvesting any North American game animal at short to moderate range.[3] Conceptually similar cartridges include the .500 Linebaugh, .500 JRH, .475 Linebaugh, and .454 Casull. However, the .500 Wyoming Express is somewhat more powerful than these rounds. It is ballistically comparable to the .500 Maximum, 50-70 Government, and .50 Beowulf cartridges, which are usually chambered in substantially larger firearms.

While .500 Wyoming Express brass was out of production for several years, it can be formed from .50 AE through a multi-step swaging process. Brass formed in this manner is currently available from TII Armory, as well as loaded ammunition.[4]

See also

References
  1. The .500 Wyoming Express from Freedom Arms by Jeff Quinn, November 7, 2005
  2. Taffin, John (April 2006). "Freedom Arms' Biggest Big Bore". Guns. FMG Publications: 46–51.
  3. The .500 Wyoming Express by Brian Pearce in Guns & Ammo Handguns
  4. "Reformed Starline Brass .500 Wyoming Express (SHIPS FREE)-SL". TII Machine. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
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