The .440 Cor-Bon is a large-caliber handgun cartridge, first produced by Cor-Bon in 1998. Although it looks similar to a .357 SIG, this cartridge was designed after being necked down from an existing cartridge, the .50 AE to accept a .44-caliber (.429 in) (10.89 mm) bullet. This is fairly typical in the wildcat cartridge industry.

.440 Cor-Bon
.50 AE, .440 Cor-Bon and .44 Magnum
TypePistol and rifle
Place of originUnited States
Production history
Designed1997
ManufacturerCor-Bon
Produced1998–present
Specifications
Parent case.50 AE
Case typeRebated, bottleneck
Bullet diameter.429 in (10.9 mm)
Neck diameter.461 in (11.7 mm)
Shoulder diameter.529 in (13.4 mm)
Base diameter.538 in (13.7 mm)
Rim diameter.510 in (13.0 mm)
Rim thickness0.055 in (1.4 mm)
Case length1.280 in (32.5 mm)
Overall length1.590 in (40.4 mm)
Case capacity50.5 gr H2O (3.27 cm3)
Rifling twist1 in 18
Primer type0.210
Maximum pressure (SAAMI)36,000 (250 MPa)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
240 gr (15.55 g) JHP Cor-Bon 1,800 ft/s (550 m/s) 1,727 ft⋅lbf (2,341 J)
260 gr (17 g) BCHP Cor-Bon 1,700 ft/s (520 m/s) 1,669 ft⋅lbf (2,263 J)
305 gr (20 g) RNPN Cor-Bon 1,600 ft/s (490 m/s) 1,734 ft⋅lbf (2,351 J)

History

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The .50 AE was introduced in the Desert Eagle from Magnum Research in 1991. Shortly thereafter, shooters began requesting an alternative to the relatively small selection of factory ammunition, and, for sensitive shooters, the recoil of the .50 AE cartridge, but still with substantially more stopping power than the .44 Magnum.

In designing the .440, Cor-Bon created a lighter recoiling round than the .50 AE with greater penetrating power than the .50 AE and .44 Magnum. The round has a flatter trajectory, and leaves the barrel considerably faster than either the .50 AE or the .44 Mag. However, the cartridge has never been popular, and has remained fairly expensive. Consequentially, Magnum Research no longer produces a Desert Eagle in .440 Cor-Bon, but has introduced a similar cartridge, the .429 DE.[1] The .440 Cor-Bon cartridge will not chamber in a 429 DE barrel, but a 429 DE will chamber in a .440 Cor-Bon barrel.

Uses

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The round is generally considered to be for hunting big game, rather than for defensive purposes, for a number of reasons. Its excessive penetration and recoil make it unsuitable for self-defense, it is a physically larger cartridge, commonly chambered in a large pistols such as the Desert Eagle, and it is not particularly practical to carry it concealed.

It is effective at disabling and killing large animals, able to penetrate large bones, such as the shoulder, in deer. Some gunsmiths are chambering lever-action rifles to take full advantage of this cartridge on large game.[2] Tromix also produced AR-15 rifles and uppers chambered in .440 Cor-Bon from 1999–2004. Only about 20 were manufactured before being discontinued.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Monica Arnold (October 31, 2018). "Magnum Research Introduces New 429 DE Pistol Cartridge". Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  2. ^ "What is Possible with the Marlin? Archived 2019-06-16 at the Wayback Machine" by M.L. "Mic" McPherson at Levergun.com