Editing .475 Linebaugh

{{Short description|Revolver cartridge}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox Firearm Cartridge
|name= .475 Linebaugh
|image=<!-- Deleted image removed:  [[File:475 Linebaugh and 480 Ruger cartridges.jpg|200px]] -->
|caption=A .480 Ruger and a .475 Linebaugh cartridge 
|origin= United States
|type= Handgun
<!-- Production history -->
|designer= John Linebaugh
|design_date=1988
|manufacturer=
|production_date=
|number= 
|variants=.475 Linebaugh Long or .475 Linebaugh Maximum 
<!-- Specifications -->
|is_SI_specs=
|parent=[[.45-70]]
|case_type=Semi-rimmed, straight
|bullet=.475
|neck=.504
|shoulder=
|base=.504
|rim_dia=.540
|rim_thick=.065
|case_length=1.4
|length=1.77
|case_capacity=50.3
|rifling=
|primer=Large pistol
|max_pressure=50000
|max_cup=
<!-- Ballistic performance -->
|is_SI_ballistics=
|bw1=400
|btype1= J.F.N. Buffalo Bore
|vel1=1400
|en1=1741
|bw2=440
|btype2= E.W.N. Buffalo Bore
|vel2=1325
|en2=1714
|bw3=
|btype3=
|vel3=
|en3=
|test_barrel_length=5.5"
|balsrc= "Cartridges of the World"<ref name="cotw">{{cite book  | last = Barnes  | first = Frank C.  | editor = Skinner, Stan  | title = Cartridges of the World  | edition = 10th  | origyear = 1965  | year = 2003  | publisher = Gun Digest Books  | location = Iola, WI, USA | isbn = 978-0-87349-605-6 }}</ref>
}}

The '''.475 Linebaugh''' ('''12.1x36mmR''') is a rimmed revolver cartridge developed by [[John Linebaugh]] in 1986 in response to the scarcity of the [[.348 Winchester]] brass required to form his [[.500 Linebaugh]] cartridge.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Taffin |first=John |date=2017-10-04 |title=Reloading The .480 Ruger |url=https://gunsmagazine.com/discover/reloading-the-480-ruger/ |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=GUNS Magazine}}</ref> The cartridge is based on the [[.45-70 Government]] case trimmed to {{convert|1.4|in|mm|abbr=on}} and loaded with {{convert|.475|in|mm|adj=mid|-diameter}} 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]]'' in an article written by Ross Seyfried. In 1991, Linebaugh announced a {{convert|1.6|in|mm|abbr=on}} variant of the .475 Linebaugh for use in converted Ruger [[.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.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Prasac |first=Max |date=2017-03-10 |title=Big-Game Medicine: The .475 Revolver Cartridges |url=https://gundigest.com/gear-ammo/ammunition/big-game-medicine-475s-revolvers |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Gun Digest |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Usage==
The .475 Linebaugh is intended primarily for hunting and defense against big game. The .475 is capable of propelling a {{convert|400|gr|adj=on}} bullet at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|1400|ft/s}}, developing {{convert|1741|ftlb}} of muzzle energy from a {{convert|5.5|in|mm|abbr=on}} barrel. These figures compare favorably to those of the popular [[.44 Magnum]], which fires a {{convert|240|gr|adj=on}} bullet at {{convert|1475|ft/s}}, producing {{convert|1160|ftlb}} of muzzle energy from a {{convert|7.5|in|mm|abbr=on}} barrel. The .475 Linebaugh is ballistically comparable to the [[.454 Casull]], [[.500 Linebaugh]], and "Trapdoor level" loadings of the .45-70 Government, though it is less powerful than the [[.460 S&W Magnum]], [[.500 Wyoming Express]], [[.500 S&W Magnum]], and [[.500 Bushwhacker]] rounds, as well as Linebaugh's own .475 and [[.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.<ref name=":1" /> This results in a relatively high [[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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The .500 Linebaugh |url=https://www.gunblast.com/500Linebaugh.htm |access-date=2022-11-18 |website=www.gunblast.com}}</ref>

In 2003, Ruger introduced the [[.480 Ruger]], which is essentially a .475 Linebaugh shortened to {{convert|1.285|in|mm|abbr=on}} with a marginally lower pressure ceiling ({{convert|48,000|psi|MPa|abbr=on}} for the .480 Ruger vs. {{convert|50,000|psi|MPa|abbr=on}} 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]] cartridge will chamber and fire in revolvers chambered for the more powerful [[.357 Magnum]], the [[.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.<ref name=":0" />

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]] and [[.500 S&W Magnum]] cartridges. However, while the .475 Linebaugh was once an exclusively custom proposition, both the [[Freedom Arms]] Model 83 and the [[Magnum Research BFR]] are currently available in the cartridge.

==See also==
*[[.500 Linebaugh]]
*[[12 mm caliber]]
*[[List of rimmed cartridges]]
*[[List of handgun cartridges]]

==References==
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{{Rimmed cartridges}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:.475 Linebaugh}}
[[Category:Rimmed cartridges]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1988]]
[[Category:Pistol and rifle cartridges|475 Linebaugh]]
[[Category:Wildcat cartridges]]