Firearms Stack Exchange Archive

What is meant by “magnum” when describing a cartridge?

I researched on the Internet and some sources say it is purely a marketing term that indicates that the round is a high-performance “powerful” round, while other sources say that a “magnum” round is slightly longer with more powder to make the round more powerful.

So when exactly does a round become a “magnum” round? Is it purely marketing or is there a measurable limit before a round can be called a “magnum”?

Answer 877

Magnum has been used as an adjective describing things a “big”, for example a magnum of wine is a larger then normal bottle of wine.

For ammo the British were the first to use it in the 1800’s for the 450 and 500 magnum express.

Today it is mainly a marketing term meaning a larger version or a round, like a 22 magnum which is larger then a 22 long rifle.


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