{"id":6905,"date":"2021-03-12T03:44:49","date_gmt":"2021-03-12T03:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wideners.com\/blog\/?p=6905"},"modified":"2021-05-07T00:37:02","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T00:37:02","slug":"what-is-magnum-ammo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wideners.com\/blog\/what-is-magnum-ammo\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Magnum Ammo?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ammunition can be confusing. It even confounds the experts on occasion. Take the term \u201cmagnum ammo,\u201d for instance. <\/span>Nothing clearly defines the parameters of a magnum cartridge, and no one, including the NSSF<\/a>, regulates the term.<\/span><\/p>\n

The word \u201cmagnum\u201d didn\u2019t apply to ammunition initially. It\u2019s an old Latin word that means \u201clarge, great, or important.\u201d That ancient definition is still applicable in describing modern magnum ammunition. Simply put, magnum ammo contains extra propellant compared to a standard cartridge of similar size.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, magnum ammo will provide higher gas pressure, high-velocity projectiles, more kinetic energy and will be more powerful when compared to other cartridges of the same diameter. But a slight controversy arises in determining how <\/span>much <\/span><\/i>more powerful a round of ammunition must be to have the term \u201cmagnum\u201d associated with it.<\/span><\/p>\n

For now, suffice it to say that magnum ammo will approach its target with more gusto and have more destructive intent than its standard caliber version. Bear in mind, this is a description of what the ammo does, without any rules set in stone to define the term.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Is Magnum Ammo?<\/b><\/h2>\n
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From left to right: .44 magnum, .357 magnum, and 10mm magnum handgun ammunition respectively.<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s often difficult to separate fact from fiction, and the Hollywood film industry doesn\u2019t make it any easier. For instance, in the <\/span>Dirty Harry<\/span><\/i><\/a> series of movies, Clint Eastwood plays the title character, a no-nonsense police detective who carries a Smith and Wesson Model 29, a six-shot, double-action revolver chambered for the .44 Magnum cartridge<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Harry probably did more to create magnum mythology than any other character on the big screen or television. By warning a bad guy that his weapon is \u201cthe most powerful handgun in the world\u201c that could \u201cblow your head clean off,\u201d Harry gave the Model 29 and its .44 magnum ammo some impressive capabilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the <\/span>Dirty Harry<\/span><\/i> films did wonders for gun retailers (they could hardly keep the Model 29 in stock), most gun enthusiasts disagree that any magnum ammo, including the .44, is powerful enough to remove a bad guy\u2019s head. But Clint Eastwood\u2019s character is tasked with entertaining moviegoers\u2014not educating them with accurate facts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Magnum Ammo: Fact VS Fiction<\/b><\/h3>\n

While we are exploding myths, here are a few other tall tales and exaggerations about magnum ammunition that needs to be corrected:<\/span><\/p>\n