| .405 Winchester Center Fire | ||||||||||||
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| Type | Rifle | |||||||||||
| Place of origin | United States | |||||||||||
| Production history | ||||||||||||
| Designer | Winchester Repeating Arms Company | |||||||||||
| Designed | 1904[1] | |||||||||||
| Produced | 1904–present | |||||||||||
| Variants | .277 Elliott Express .357 Elliott Express | |||||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||||
| Case type | Rimmed, straight | |||||||||||
| Bullet diameter | 0.4115 in (10.45 mm) | |||||||||||
| Neck diameter | 0.436 in (11.1 mm) | |||||||||||
| Base diameter | 0.461 in (11.7 mm) | |||||||||||
| Rim diameter | 0.543 in (13.8 mm) | |||||||||||
| Case length | 2.583 in (65.6 mm) | |||||||||||
| Overall length | 3.175 in (80.6 mm) | |||||||||||
| Rifling twist | 1 turn in 14" | |||||||||||
| Primer type | large rifle | |||||||||||
| Maximum pressure (CIP) | 35,500 psi (245 MPa) | |||||||||||
| Maximum pressure (SAAMI) | 46,000 psi (320 MPa) | |||||||||||
| Maximum CUP | 36,000 CUP | |||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||
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| Source:The American Rifle[2]Woodleigh Bullets Loading Manual[3] | ||||||||||||
The.405 Winchester /10.45x65mmR (.405 WCF) is a rimmedcenterfireriflecartridge introduced in 1904 for theWinchester 1895lever-action rifle.[4] It remains to this day one of the most powerful rimmed cartridges designed specifically for lever-action rifles; the only modern lever action cartridges that exceed its performance are the.50 Alaskan, .450 Alaskan, .475 Turnbull, .348 Turnbull, and the.450 Marlin. The .405 was highly regarded by U.S. PresidentTheodore Roosevelt during his safari in East Africa.[5]
The original Winchester factory load consisted of a 300gr. soft point or metal patch (Full Metal Jacket) bullet at 2200 feet per second. When theWinchester M1895 was discontinued in 1936, the cartridge was considered obsolete.[5] Catalog listings of the cartridge ceased in 1955.[6] However, during the 100-year anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt's presidential administration in 2001, Winchester reintroduced the M1895 built with modern steels, materials, and technology in .405 Winchester, and thereby revived the cartridge.[7]
In addition to theWinchester Model 1895, the .405 Winchester was also available in theWinchester Model 1885 Single Shot Rifle, theRemington-Lee bolt-action rifle (from 1904 to 1906), and a number of British and Europeandouble rifles.[4] The cartridge was also available in theRugerNo.1 Tropical single-shot rifle.
Winchester's advertising campaigns during the first decade of the twentieth century took full advantage of Theodore Roosevelt's frequent praise of the .405 Winchester, as well as theWinchester 1895 which chambered it.[6] Roosevelt famously referred to this rifle as his "'medicine gun' for lions." This quote comes from Roosevelt's account of a lion hunt in the seventh chapter of his bookAfrican Game Trails (Scribner's Sons, 1910, page 167):
Since the .405 Winchester's introduction, many hunters have used it on African big game, including rhino and buffalo; however it is generally considered best used against light skinned game, due to the bullet's lowsectional density. The velocity of the cartridge is also low by contemporary standards, which makes shooting at long range challenging due to the allowance the shooter must make for bullet drop.[4] As theWinchester M1895 was dropped in 1936, so was the cartridge.[8] Loads developing 36,000 CUP might be better avoided in some of these nearly 100 year oldWinchester M1895 lever guns.[9] In those cases it may be better to remain within CIP specifications regarding pressure as "Bolt Thrust" could be a concern in some older rifles, possibly leading to parts breakage. Judicious loading with modern powders must stay below, and certainly not exceed each specific rifle model's pressure limitations.
The .277 Elliott Express and .357 Elliott Express[citation needed] are two of a series ofwildcats developed by O.H. Elliott & Company of South Haven, Michigan, based on the .405 Winchester cartridge.[10] This customgunsmith manufactured his own rifle barrels.
