Handgun Data Information

Monday, October 23, 2006

Heckler & Koch P30

Latest Pistol from HK
Cal. 9mm x 19

(Source: HK Europe PR information)









The data provided below was obtained from H&K European website (hotlink above). The HK P30 (previously known as the P3000) pistol is the most recent creation of the Heckler and Koch. It was announced in 2006; prototypes, initially known as HK P3000, were demonstrated during previous year. The P30 is a further evolution of the HK P2000 pistol; it is positioned by the manufacturer as an ideal police pistol, but it also could make a very good self-defense weapon for civilians.


HK P30 is technically similar to the HK P2000 pistol; the differences are in exterior appearance and ergonomics. P30 is available in several (six) variants, which differ in the type of the trigger.

The HK P30 pistol is short recoil operated, locked breech pistol that uses modified Browning-type locking. Frame of the pistol is made from impact-resistant polymer. Trigger unit is a separate module. The front part of the frame, below the barrel, is shaped to form an integral Picatinny-type accessory rail. Other features of P30 include a double-stack magazine that holds 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition, with ambidextrous magazine release, ambidextrous slide release lever, and modular grip design.

For this purpose, Heckler & Koch developed a system unique on a worldwide basis, allowing the user a maximum of flexibility with respect to individual grip design via interchangeable lateral grip panels and backstrap inserts, each one of a different volume. The new system patented by Heckler & Koch consists of three different lateral grip panels and backstrap inserts, each, capable of being assembled completely at random, also asymmetrically, and thus allowing individual adaptation to any hand size and shape.


Design of the grip geometry itself was conducted in close cooperation with the company Karl Nill, Mössingen/Germany, which has decades of experience in this field and in addition to the grips of many target weapons has also designed the grip of the Heckler & Koch PSG 1 Police Sniper Rifle. In addition to the above, the grip was extended towards the bottom to prevent magazine blockage by the shooting hand during the exchange. This results in a better grip comfort and magazine capacity increased to 15 rounds.

The slide and magazine releases have been lengthened clearly to enable a faster and more convenient magazine change. The slide release is captive which means inseparably connected to the grip during disassembly.

Optionally a loading indicator is available in which indicates the presence of a chambered round by a red “flag” rising above the extractor claw. A loaded chamber is thus indicated and can both be seen and felt considerably more clearly.

The magazine follower is optionally available in a variety of colors in order to enable an empty magazine to be instantly recognized during a safety check. The standard magazine follower is black, the version for the Federal Customs Administration has a white color.

The P30 seem to be a big hit in Europe. The German Federal Customs Administration has decided to procure 13,000 of the P30. Additionally the Norwegian police has decided in favor of the new police pistol with a quantity of ~7,000 weapons. One month after start up of series production of the P30, more than 20,000 weapons have been sold.

Presently, it's still unclear whether the P30 will be imported for American consumption, but when/if it does make that trek across the pond, lets hope HK chambers the gun in a larger caliber. Also, I would assume HK would de-market the P2000.

HK P30 Specifications
Length: 6.99 in.
Height: 5.43 in
Width: 1.37 in.
Barrel Length: 3.86 in.
Sight Radius: 5.85 in.
Weight (empty): 26.1 oz.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

The Hand Cannon

When talking with some friends recently, the subject of the .44 magnum came up for discussion. We all felt it would be a great gun to own, handsdown powerful, fun to shoot, dare I say Dirty Harry! Then I started to think about the next step, I did a Tim Allen, I wanted more power. So my quest began to learn about these large calibers and who is making these hand cannons.

First off, the .44 Magnum is not the most powerful handgun in the world. In today's big bore environment, you have .45 Colt Long, .454 Casull, .460 S&W, Ruger .480, and the .500 S&W calibers to name a few! Once you hit the .500 caliber range, you have basically reached the outer limits of power combined with practicality and portability.

.45 Colt
The .45 Colt, sometimes called the .45 Long Colt to distinguish it from the short .45 cartridge, as well as the .45 ACP, is the oldest service cartridge still in use today. It was introduced in 1873 for the then new Colt Single Action Army (SAA) revolver, the famous Peacemaker. The .45 Colt and the SAA revolver quickly became legends in their own time, and the most popular handgun/cartridge combination on the Western frontier.

The most common factory loads for the .45 Colt give a 225-grain lead HP bullet a muzzle velocity of 960 fps and an energy of 460 ft. lbs. Or a 250-255 grain lead bullet a MV of 860 fps and a ME of 410 ft. lbs. The mid-range trajectory of this load shows a rise of 3.2" over 75 yards.

The .45 Colt is the basis for the more powerful .454 Casull cartridge, with the .454 Casull having a slightly longer and stronger case. A .454 Casull gun will also chamber and fire .45 Colt.

The .45 ACP round produces inferior game killing ability, as it cannot use heavyweight bullets. It uses a much shorter overall cartridge length, with faster burning powders and higher chamber pressures.

.480 Ruger
The Ruger .480 cartridge was developed by Hornady and Ruger came up with a revolver to fire it. The .480 is essentially the short version of the Linebaugh .475. Ruger changed the name from .475 Ruger to .480 Ruger to give the cartridge a unique identity, but the actual bullet diameter is .475 inches, and .480 Ruger cartridges can be chambered and fired in .475 Linebaugh revolvers. It's power lies between the .44 magnum and the .454 Casull so don't let the numbers fool you.


.454 Casull
Developed in 1957, the .454 Casull can deliver a 250 grain (16 g) bullet with a muzzle velocity of over 1900 feet per second (580 m/s), developing more than 2000 ft lbs (2,700 J) of energy, although energy levels from common .454 revolvers with 7-8 inch barrels are typically somewhat lower (1,600-1,700 ft/lb). The round is primarily intended for hunting medium or large game and metallic silhouette shooting.

.460 S&W
Introduced in 2005, the .460 Smith and Wesson cartridge has the same diameter as a .45 Colt or .454 Casull, and therefore revolvers chambered for it will also chamber the .454 Casull and .45 Colt.




(left to right) .45 Colt, .454 Casull, and .460 S&W Magnum ammunition.





The .460 is the highest velocity revolver cartridge in the world, firing bullets at 2330 ft/s (710 m/s) and muzzle energy at ~2400 lbs.. While the .460 is not quite as powerful as its big brother the .500, the .460 is said to be more accurate at long distances due to the bullet's straighter trajectory, thereby making the round more suitable for hunting slightly smaller game at longer ranges.

.475 Linebaugh
John Linebaugh brought forth his big .475 revolver cartridge in 1988. Today, the .475 Linebaugh has been legitimized as a factory load, and Freedom Arms, who chambers their deluxe single action Model 83 5-shot revolver for the cartridge.

The .475 Linebaugh is, for now at least, probably the best chambering available for the most power in such a compact package. It is an excellent compromise between the velocity of the .454 Casull and the bullet weight and diameter of the .500 Linebaugh. The .475 Linebaugh also seems to be an inherently accurate cartridge. Unfortunately, the guns that fire this round are limited to a few makers and the costs to obtain these are very high.

The factory load uses a 400-grain bullet at a MV of 1300 fps and ME of 1501 ft. lbs.

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Now we enter the .50 caliber range. The are quite a few different makes of the .50 such as S&W, Beowulf, Linebaugh, Wyoming Express, and the Action Express. Who knew there were so many choices!















Cartridge comparison (left to right): .44 Magnum, .50 Beowulf, .500 Linebaugh, .500 S&W.

.50 Action Express
Was developed in 1988 by Evan Whilden of Action Arms. Among the few commercial handgun cartridges designed that exceed its ballistic performance are the .454 Casull, 460 XVR and the .500 S&W.

.500 Wyoming Express
Developed in 2005, the cartridge is comparable in size to the .50 Action Express, but has higher powder loads and normally a lower velocity. Though not as powerful as the .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum, the .500 Wyoming Express is one of the most powerful handgun calibers available.


.50 Beowulf
It was originally designed to be used in a modified AR-15 .223 semiautomatic rifle, but is now offered for other guns, including Magnum Research's BFR revolver. The .50 Beowulf is approximately the same size as the .500 Smith and Wesson Magnum, though not as powerful.

.500 Linebaugh
The 500 Linebaugh has proved to be a very successful round pushing 500 grain bullets over 1200 fps. Accuracy is outstanding, but recoil can only be described as severe. This cartridge could prove to be an excellent heavy game handgun cartridge and possibly the revolver cartridge suitable for taking African game. These bullets have been found to be excellent performers both in terms of accuracy and penetration.

Like the .475 Linebaugh, the guns that fire this round are limited to a few makers and the costs to obtain these are very high.

.500 S&W Magnum
Introduced in 2003, currently only a handful of models have been introduced that fire this massive caliber, including the X-Frame Model 500 revolver from Smith & Wesson, researchesearch's "BFR" (Biggest, finest revolver), the Taurus Raging Bull and German Janz JTL-E 500. Each holds only five rounds to allow for thicker cylinder walls to accommodate the pressure generated by such a large and powerful cartridge.

The .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum can develop over 2,600 foot-pounds (3.5 kJ) of muzzle energy, nearly three times as much as the 900 ft·lb (1.2 kJ) generated by the .44 Magnum. This is a difference of over 600 foot-pounds (0.8 kJ) of energy more than the .454 Casull, the previous commercial record holder.

Despite initial concerns about recoil, professionals who have tested the caliber have stated its recoil to be less than the Ruger Redhawk chamber in .454 Casull. This is achieved through design features of the Smith & Wesson Model 500, including a muzzle brake, recoil reducing rubber grips, and considerable weight.

Other pistol rounds include: .50 Remington 12.90 (.508), .50 Alaskan. There are larger modern rounds as well, including .577 Tyrannosaur, .600 Nitro Express, .700 Nitro Express.

Conclusion
Overall, I was a little overwhelmed by the firepower that can be generated from a handgun. When taking all the numbers into account, I would select the S&W .460 magnum for performance and that fact that it can fire .45 Colt or .454 Casull rounds. So far, only S&W makes a handgun that can fire this round, but I would expect others to follow suit.











The S&W 460 comes in nine variations. The one shown the Model 460 XVR Revolver - 8 3/8" .

The Linebaugh cartridges (.475 and the .500), Action Express and Wyoming Express - along with the specialty handguns made for these rounds are excellent choices, if you have a deep pocket. The S&W .500 fills in this gap of big bore firepower, with a good selection of firearms like S&W, Taurus, and Magnum Research.

Below are some hand cannon reviews that I was able to locate on the web, enjoy!

Reviews

S&W XVR 460
Guns & Ammo
GunBlast
Louisianasportsman
American Handgunner

S&W 500
Guns & Ammo
GunBlast
Shooting Times

Taurus Raging Bull (S&W .500)
GunBlast

Freedom Arms Model 83 (.475 Linebaugh)
GunBlast

Custom Ruger Bisley revolver (.500 Linbaugh)
GunBlast

Freedom Arms' Model 83 (.500 Wyoming Express)
GunBlast
GunBlast (second article)