what makes a magnum a magnum?? noob question

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N1SH1E

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Hey I'm totally new to the firearms scene, been shooting a few times. No pal yet (working on it). Just wondering what are the unique characteristics of a magnum type cartridge that make it a magnum? As well is a magnum action unique, are they fundamentally different in the way that they operate from a "standard" action? I realize that each type of feed mechanism (bolt, lever, break, self feeding) is unique, and there are variations in the mechanics of each core action type so for simplicity I will narrow my questions to differences between magnum and non-magnum bolt action rifles.
Thanks for your help.
 
I regard the term as a marketing gimmick, to make a round sound more awesome.

But basically, a larger case that a "standard" loading, whatever that is.
 
tootall said:
I regard the term as a marketing gimmick, to make a round sound more awesome.

But basically, a larger case that a "standard" loading, whatever that is.
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Bingo.

There's precious little that modern 'magnum' rounds can do that old-timers like the .30-06 cannot; most of it is incremental improvements which the average shooter cannot use to any real advantage (like shooting deer at 500 yards, good luck with that). But that doesn't sell new rifles. For the manufacturers, the trick is thus one of convincing people that their present cartridges are obsolete. Invent a new round, slap a ###y label on it and sell more rifles. You can see it all the time in the auto industry, too.
 
ATOM said:
Bingo.

There's precious little that modern 'magnum' rounds can do that old-timers like the .30-06 cannot; most of it is incremental improvements which the average shooter cannot use to any real advantage (like shooting deer at 500 yards, good luck with that). But that doesn't sell new rifles. For the manufacturers, the trick is thus one of convincing people that their present cartridges are obsolete. Invent a new round, slap a ###y label on it and sell more rifles. You can see it all the time in the auto industry, too.
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Works the same for pistols and revolvers, sometimes.

And then sometimes the advertizing and marketing geniuses take a good idea and screw it right up.

The .41 Magnum is a case in point.

The origional idea was to design a cartridge better suited to policing needs than the .38 Special. The .357 Magnum was viewed by some as just a faster icepick, while the .44 Magnum was viewed as to heavy in recoil.

The .41 Police would have had a 215gr swc at 1100 fps. Stout, but in the N frame S&W it would have been relatively easy for most cops to master. (note the .40 S&W they use today;))

Instead, the marketing geniouses had to call it the .41 Magnum and push a jacketed round that was like a 7/8 scale .44 Magnum. The recoil was brutal considering it's intended use. Instead of capturing the core police market, and then building on that market with hotter ammo, they pooped the bed.
 
it USED to be the "belt" in most cases- that swelling just above the head/web that the round headspaces on- however, since using a belt is of questionable advantage, and there are some that don't etc
 
mag·num



noun /ˈmagnəm/ 
magnums, plural


1.A thing of a type that is larger than normal, in particular


2.A wine bottle of twice the standard size, normally 1-1/2 liters


3.A gun designed to fire cartridges that are more powerful than its caliber would suggest
 
What makes a magnum?

I was going to say a mustache, a 308 ferrari , and a friend with a chopper... But that wouldn't be helpful.
 
Captain Paul said:
The word "magnum" makes me think of a wine bottle.
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Well, you're not wrong. So far as I know...

The Brits (arguably the world leader in big-game cartridges at the time) used to label their extra-super-high-power rounds with words like 'Express'. (That term was taken from the then novel and high-tech train system. 'Express' trains skipped small stops and were thus faster than normal.)

Holland and Holland brought in a new round just before WW1, the .375 H&H Magnum (which did have a belted case). The term 'magnum' had been used until then for an oversize wine (generally champagne) bottle. The target audience, of course, were the wealthy - the only ones who could afford to go on safari - men who would be familiar with magnum bottles and would thus get the idea that the new round was bigger and better. It was a brilliant bit of marketing. The term stuck and now has been diluted to mean any round alleged to be faster and more powerful.
 
H&H coined the term due to cartridge shape being similar to a "Magnum" champagne bottle. The fact that only the wealthy could afford a "magnum" of champagne didn't hurt in the marketing of their new rifle
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