# .475 Linebaugh

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/.475_Linebaugh
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/.475_Linebaugh.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.475_Linebaugh
> Source revision: 1299129511
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Revolver cartridge

This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: ".475 Linebaugh" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

.475 Linebaugh Type Handgun Place of origin United States Production history Designer John Linebaugh Designed 1988 Variants .475 Linebaugh Long or .475 Linebaugh Maximum Specifications Parent case .45-70 Case type Semi-rimmed, straight Bullet diameter .475 in (12.1 mm) Neck diameter .504 in (12.8 mm) Base diameter .504 in (12.8 mm) Rim diameter .540 in (13.7 mm) Rim thickness .065 in (1.7 mm) Case length 1.4 in (36 mm) Overall length 1.77 in (45 mm) Case capacity 50.3 gr H2O (3.26 cm3) Primer type Large pistol Maximum pressure 50,000 psi (340 MPa) Ballistic performance Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 400 gr (26 g) J.F.N. Buffalo Bore 1,400 ft/s (430 m/s) 1,741 ft⋅lbf (2,360 J) 440 gr (29 g) E.W.N. Buffalo Bore 1,325 ft/s (404 m/s) 1,714 ft⋅lbf (2,324 J) Test barrel length: 5.5" Source: "Cartridges of the World"[1]

The **.475 Linebaugh** (**12.1x36mmR**) is a rimmed revolver cartridge developed by [John Linebaugh](/source/John_Linebaugh) in 1986 in response to the scarcity of the [.348 Winchester](/source/.348_Winchester) brass required to form his [.500 Linebaugh](/source/.500_Linebaugh) cartridge.[2] The cartridge is based on the [.45-70 Government](/source/.45-70_Government) case trimmed to 1.4 in (36 mm) and loaded with .475-inch-diameter (12.1 mm) bullets. While dimensionally similar to the older .45 Silhouette cartridge, the .475 Linebaugh is loaded to considerably higher pressures, resulting in significantly different ballistic performance.

The .475 Linebaugh was first announced in the May 1988 issue of *[Guns & Ammo](/source/Guns_%26_Ammo)* in an article written by Ross Seyfried. In 1991, Linebaugh announced a 1.6 in (41 mm) variant of the .475 Linebaugh for use in converted Ruger [.357 Maximum](/source/.357_Maximum) revolvers. This cartridge is known as the .475 Linebaugh Long or .475 Linebaugh Maximum, and produces somewhat greater ballistic performance than the shorter round.[3]

## Usage

The .475 Linebaugh is intended primarily for hunting and defense against big game. The .475 is capable of propelling a 400-grain (26 g) bullet at a muzzle velocity of 1,400 feet per second (430 m/s), developing 1,741 foot-pounds (2,360 J) of muzzle energy from a 5.5 in (140 mm) barrel. These figures compare favorably to those of the popular [.44 Magnum](/source/.44_Magnum), which fires a 240-grain (16 g) bullet at 1,475 feet per second (450 m/s), producing 1,160 foot-pounds (1,570 J) of muzzle energy from a 7.5 in (190 mm) barrel. The .475 Linebaugh is ballistically comparable to the [.454 Casull](/source/.454_Casull), [.500 Linebaugh](/source/.500_Linebaugh), and "Trapdoor level" loadings of the .45-70 Government, though it is less powerful than the [.460 S&W Magnum](/source/.460_S%26W_Magnum), [.500 Wyoming Express](/source/.500_Wyoming_Express), [.500 S&W Magnum](/source/.500_S%26W_Magnum), and [.500 Bushwhacker](/source/.500_Bushwhacker) rounds, as well as Linebaugh's own .475 and [.500 Maximum](/source/.500_Maximum) cartridges. With the exception of the .500 Wyoming Express, however, the .475 Linebaugh is generally chambered in lighter and more compact revolvers than such "super magnum" cartridges, lending itself to easier carry and field use.[3] This results in a relatively high [power-to-weight ratio](/source/Power-to-weight_ratio) which, in the absence of a muzzle brake, often entails greater felt recoil than produced by heavier firearms chambered in more powerful cartridges.[4]

In 2003, Ruger introduced the [.480 Ruger](/source/.480_Ruger), which is essentially a .475 Linebaugh shortened to 1.285 in (32.6 mm) with a marginally lower pressure ceiling (48,000 psi (330 MPa) for the .480 Ruger vs. 50,000 psi (340 MPa) for the .475 Linebaugh). The performance and recoil generated by the .480 Ruger with standard loadings are comparatively less than those of the .475 Linebaugh. Furthermore, just as the [.38 Special](/source/.38_Special) cartridge will chamber and fire in revolvers chambered for the more powerful [.357 Magnum](/source/.357_Magnum), the [.480 Ruger](/source/.480_Ruger) will chamber and fire in revolvers chambered for the .475 Linebaugh. However, given their comparable operating pressures, the two rounds are far closer in performance than such a comparison would seem to suggest.[2]

The .475 Linebaugh remains a relatively obscure cartridge, owing in part to the commercial success of Smith & Wesson's more powerful [.460 S&W Magnum](/source/.460_S%26W_Magnum) and [.500 S&W Magnum](/source/.500_S%26W_Magnum) cartridges. However, while the .475 Linebaugh was once an exclusively custom proposition, both the [Freedom Arms](/source/Freedom_Arms) Model 83 and the [Magnum Research BFR](/source/Magnum_Research_BFR) are currently available in the cartridge.

## See also

- [.500 Linebaugh](/source/.500_Linebaugh)

- [12 mm caliber](/source/12_mm_caliber)

- [List of rimmed cartridges](/source/List_of_rimmed_cartridges)

- [List of handgun cartridges](/source/List_of_handgun_cartridges)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-cotw_1-0)** Barnes, Frank C. (2003) [1965]. Skinner, Stan (ed.). *Cartridges of the World* (10th ed.). Iola, WI, USA: Gun Digest Books. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-87349-605-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-87349-605-6).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_2-1) Taffin, John (2017-10-04). ["Reloading The .480 Ruger"](https://gunsmagazine.com/discover/reloading-the-480-ruger/). *GUNS Magazine*. Retrieved 2022-11-17.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_3-1) Prasac, Max (2017-03-10). ["Big-Game Medicine: The .475 Revolver Cartridges"](https://gundigest.com/gear-ammo/ammunition/big-game-medicine-475s-revolvers). *Gun Digest*. Retrieved 2022-11-17.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["The .500 Linebaugh"](https://www.gunblast.com/500Linebaugh.htm). *www.gunblast.com*. Retrieved 2022-11-18.

v t e Rimmed cartridges Handgun and Carbine .22 Hornet .22 Remington Jet .32 S&W Long .38 S&W .38 Special .38-40 Winchester .41 Short Colt .41 Long Colt .41 Magnum .44 Remington Centerfire .44 Russian .44 S&W American .44 Special .44-40 Winchester .442 Webley .45 Colt .45 Auto Rim .45 Schofield .454 Casull .455 Webley .475 Linebaugh .500 Linebaugh .500 Special .500 S&W Magnum 7.62×38mmR 8mm Gasser 9mm Japanese revolver 10.4mm Swiss Centerfire 10.6×25mmR 11.3×36mmR Shotgun 2 bore 4 bore 6 bore 8 bore .410 bore 12 gauge shotgun Intermediate .22 Winchester Centerfire .222 Rimmed .25-20 Winchester .32-20 Winchester .45-60 Winchester .45-75 Winchester .50-70 Government 10.4×47mmR 11×42mmR Albini-Comblain 11×50mmR Comblain 12×46mmR Musket Spain XPL 14×33mmR Wänzl Fully powered 5.6×57mmR 6.5×53mmR 7-30 Waters 7.62×53mmR 7.62×54mmR 8×50mmR Lebel 8×50mmR Mannlicher 8×52mmR Mannlicher 8×56mmR 8×58mmR Danish Krag 9.3×74mmR 9×53mmR 10.15×61mmR 11×59mmR Gras 11×58mmR .22 Savage Hi-Power .30-30 Winchester .30-40 Krag .30 R Blaser .32 Winchester Special .32-40 Ballard .38-40 Winchester .38-55 Winchester .38-72 Winchester .40-72 Winchester .45-70 .50-110 Winchester .219 Zipper .222 Rimmed .303 British .303 Savage .307 Winchester .348 Winchester .375 Winchester .405 Winchester .600 Nitro Express Autocannon 20×99mmR 20.3×95mmR 20×145mmR 20×180mmR 25×193.5mmR 25×205mmR 25×187mmR 37×57mmR 37×94mmR 37×145mmR 37×190R 37×223mm. R 37×249mmR 37×250mmR 37×254mm. R 37×258mmR 37×268mmR 37×380mmR 40×158mmR Artillery 40×304mmR 40×311mmR 47x351R 57×441mmR 57×464mmR 75×272mmR 75×350mmR 76.2×420mmR 76.2×583mmR 84×295mmR 88×292mmR 94×92mmR 94×206R 94×675mmR 94×857mmR 113 640–645mmR 114×73-86mmR 114×695mmR 133×782mmR Flare and Riot 37 mm flare 37 mm riot gun Blank .50-120 Federal FireStick 5-in-1 blank cartridge 9mm × 17 / .380 R

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [.475 Linebaugh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.475_Linebaugh) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.475_Linebaugh?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.