What makes a Magnum Handgun Cartridge a Magnum Cartridge?

Recently, I've taken an interest in Magnum Handguns, namely Semiautomatic Pistols which are far less common than Revolvers because Magnum Cartridges being what they are by definition a powerful cartridge, are often more difficult to build an autoloader around, especially in a size/weight which makes them convenient to carry.

Anyway, while reading a series of articles on the subject, I was somewhat surprised to discover that when it comes to the subject many firearms/cartridges which I consider to be Magnum Handgun Cartridges/Pistols are notably absence.
For example, I've always considered the 10mm Auto cartridge to fall under the umbrella of Magnum Cartridges due to the fact that full-power loads are roughly equivalent to .357 Magnum, but whenever the subject of Magnum Pistols comes up, 10mm Auto is mentioned as a footnote at best. Granted that the commercial market is awash with underpowered 10mm Auto FBI Loads which launch a 180 Grain bullet at 1000 Feet Per Second, thus making them roughly equivalent to .40 S&W, but to count out a cartridge just because ammo manufacturers choose not to load it to full specifications is hardly fair, and that doesn't seem to be the reason for its exclusion, ergo I can only conclude that for whatever reason, 10mm Auto is excluded because it just isn't powerful enough even in full-power loads to be considered a Magnum Cartridge by whatever arbitrary definition or specifications the authors of these articles are going by.

So that has left me wondering; "What makes a Magnum Cartridge a Magnum Cartridge?" or more specifically; "What is the threshold for a Magnum Cartridge in terms of Ballistics Performance?"

Personally, in terms of simple energy Foot-Pounds, I would consider the bare minimum for a cartridge to be considered a Magnum Handgun Cartridge to be a modest 600+ft-lbs of energy or higher, delivered by a .30cal+ bullet weighing 124 Grains or more, simply because that's roughly the lower end of the sort of energy that one would expect from the .357 Magnum cartridge, which is essentially the premier Magnum Handgun Cartridge.
Granted that's just one method of measurement and not a particularly meaningful one in the greater scheme of things, but all things considered, I think it's a better grouping of statistic with far less variables than say Energy, Operating Pressure, Velocity, Bullet Weight or Caliber alone. Besides, this discussion isn't for the sake of reaching any definitive conclusion or establishing an official standard for Magnum Handguns to be measured by, I'm just curious what others opinions are on the matter.

What are your thoughts on the matter? What makes a Magnum Handgun Cartridge, what stats do you measure them by, (Pressure? Velocity? Energy? Caliber?) and what's your threshold for a Magnum Handgun Cartridge?

A magnum is a cartridge that is significantly more power than other common cartridges in the same caliber. I consider the 22 magnum and 327 Federal magnums even if they do not meet a 600 ft-lb standard for energy.

Forte,

I don't see the "Magnum" moniker as having a fixed performance standard. I see it as an evolutionary label, where the parent round was "hot-rodded" and stoked to a velocity/pressure level that was dangerous to arms originally chambered for the parent round. The sole exception to this description being the 41 Magnum, which happened to fall within the performance spectrum of the 357 and 44 Magnums.

Ever since the .357 Magnum of 1935, to me it is something that manufacturers have used to indicate more power than standard (even though there was no ".357 Special" ).

Now it seems to be primarily a marketing term; sometimes it makes a difference in sales and sometimes not (the RUMs and WSSMs didn't make much of a splash, but the the 6.5 mm non-Magnum Creedmoor did, eventually).

A Magnum Cartridge is the cartridge Magnum used. That would be 45ACP.

Very arbitrary. I have no fixed threshold, apparently manufacturers don't either. If a manufacturer wants to call a cartridge a Magnum, fine with me. The .32 H&R Magnum is labeled a Magnum, but published performance doesn't seem very Magnum like to me. The .327 Federal yes, the .32 H&R no. After having shot and reloaded for my share of .357, .41 and .44 Magnums, the .454 Casull seems pretty Magnum to me, but isn't labeled as such. Go figure....

BTW, My chronograph and I both agree with you that 10MM ballistics are roughly equivalent to the .357 Magnum....

I read somewhere that the term was used to describe extra large wine or champagne bottles. A magnum of champagne was bigger than a standard bottle so, to me, a magnum is a cartridge whose case is larger (longer) than the standard on which it's based. Of course, by that standard a .32 S&W Long is a magnum. Maybe once you get beyond long you're a magnum?

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Dang, I just bough my first 32 S&W Long a few weeks ago and it has been to the range only once. Now, fhsjrm is proposing I have a magnum. Ha Ha, little I frame thinks he is a "big dog".

I concur that the idea came from the wine industry and should be applied to any chambering that is increase in lenght and pressure to "hot rod" an older chambering. We are at the mercy of the bean counters working in the firearms industry trying to decide what will sell like hot cakes next year, so they decide in the big board meeting, " call it a magnum" so we can sell many next year.
what about the super killer, the "5 mm rimfire magnum" that was introduced by Remington in 1969, I think that was the first 5mm chambering ever introduced. Bean counters at work at the board table, folks.

FYI, there exists a 10mm Magnum caliber.

Forte Smitten Wesson said:

I've always considered the 10mm Auto cartridge to fall under the umbrella of Magnum Cartridges due to the fact that full-power loads are roughly equivalent to .357 Magnum, but whenever the subject of Magnum Pistols comes up, 10mm Auto is mentioned as a footnote at best.

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my guess as to why the 10mm is not a magnum...
the 10mm existed THEN the 40 s&w evolved.. if it had been the other way round the 10mm could have been the 40s&w magnum... but magnum is not usually first... it comes from people taking something to the limit and the industry responding with a physically larger cartridge to help save the weapons from over stress... but just a guess

The correct answer has already been given (bigger case capacity than other cartridges of the same caliber) but puzzle me this:


if a porsche 911 has a 6 cylinder turbo engine, and a porsche 911 s has a slightly more powerful 6 cylinder turbo engine, then what engine does a 911 turbo have? an even more powerful 6 cylinder turbo, of course.

What makes a magnum a magnum? Mostly some guy with a good PR man.

And how does the 357 Max fit into this?

Seems relevant - the other day at the dollar store I was amused to buy a package of "Most Stuff" Oreos. Not Extra Stuff or Double Stuff, but MOST Stuff. And indeed, they were...

I think the OP brings up an interesting point. With a focus on automatic pistols, Forte Smitten Wesson is suggesting an identifier for hard-hitting automatic pistol cartridges. Automatic pistols are popular and classification for the bigger faster rounds would be useful. Automatics have a narrower performance band for proper function than a revolver, you cannot "hotload" or "light load" a self loader without expecting performance issues. Since the "magnum" term has already been used vaguely for apparently a bigger cartridge capacity, FSW should invent the term for the useful hard hitting auto cartridge class proposed.

"Magnum" is more of a marketing designation than anything else. A cartridge earns that designation from the marketing department not the engineering department. There is no SAMMI definition.

The ".41 Magnum" has no corresponding standard velocity counterpart, and no I don't count the .41 Colt as it was long obsolete when the .41 Magnum came along and it wasn't even a .40 let alone a .41.

Don't forget the .401 Power Mag. Is the "Mag" for "Magnum"?

It's a magnum if the manufacturer labels it a magnum . . .

A Micromagnum

What about .22 TCM (.22 Tuason Craig Micromagnum)

peh_7 said:

What about .22 TCM (.22 Tuason Craig Micromagnum)

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Have you ever shot one of those? I had one that made me laugh out loud every time. It has the muzzle blast and noise of a .357 and the kick of a .22 magnum. Such a blast to shoot!

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Simple difference. Two projectiles, same caliber, but the magnum is in a case that holds more powder and can be loaded to higher velocities. Why over complicate it?

You're way over thinking it .


It was dreamed up by the S&W Marketing Department when the 38 Special was enlarged to the 357 Magnum . At that time a Magnum refered to a large bottle of champagne ...larger 38 special = magnum with 357 change to elimanate confusion and it just sounds cool ... 357 Magnum .
There is no fps, bullet weight or pressure level that makes a magnum a magnum ... marketing and development calls those shots ...(excuse the bad pun)
Gary