What are these people refering to? (Magnums)

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boredelmo

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I'm 19 and have plenty of firearms and i believe i have most of the basics down regarding firearms.

I frequent the shooting and range have taught plenty of new shooters.

So onto what im asking. I was taking a girl shooting and her boyfriend dropped her off at my place. When he found out i was taking her to the shooting range he proceeded to brag that his uncle had a gun. Not wanting to be disrespectful or anything i inquired as to what make and model it was.

Me: Who what kinda gun is it?
Him: It's a magnum.
Me: Oh like a .357? its a revolver?
Him: No, it's a Magnum.

We'll i just disregarded his comment and went about my business. I didn't think much of it.

Then a friend of mine told me that her brother took her to the shooting range that day and some guy had a really loud gun. She asked her brother what kind it was and he said it was a "magnum".

And i have a trade pending for a desert eagle right now, and i showed another girl what i was going to let her shoot this coming summer she says "Oh thats a magnum!".


So i mean, its Magnum now slang for a desert eagle? Is it short term for a .357? Is there some new video game out there that labels a gun just as Magnum that i dont know about?

I mean this is similiar to the bullet and clip problem but at least i know what a new shooter is refering to.

thanks in advance

-Elmer
 
Magnum Research makes Desert Eagles... and Baby Eagles and BFR and Mountain Eagles and MagnumLites. Maybe that's it.
 
I had a similar situation where my friend (who is an idiot when it comes to knowing anything about guns) said he was going to get a gun.

Him: Hey i think im getting a gun.
Me: What kind?
Him: A .308
Me: What kind of rifle?
Him: A .308
Me: Thats the caliber now what make of a rifle?
Him: A .308
 
"Magnum" in its classic firearms sense, was used to designate loadings that were more powerful than the usual. As firearms makers began labelling certain cartridges "magnum" they tweaked the cases so you couldn't fire them in guns that couldn't handle them (.357 magnum is a lengthened .38spl, ditto the .44 mag and special).

To one who is ignorant (not a perjorative, but honestly knows nothing) about firearms, I suppose it just means any large and intimidating gun.
 
There are several cartridges that are called magnum as part of their identification.

.32 H&R Magnum
.22 Magnum
.357 Magnum
.44 Magnum

Are some examples. Each has it's own distinct discription and characteristics, so using magnum as a generic term does nothing to discribe the specific nature of a gun or it's cartridge.
 
Years ago a very excited buddy calls me up and tells me, he just bought a MAGNUM. So I jumped in the truck and headed to his place. When I get there he whips out his MAGNUM...a Ruger Super Single Six .22 magnum. I called him a less than polite name as he was LHAO saying , DUDE you should of seen the look on your face. But, it was a magnum!

RH
 
That's something that has always confused me. when calibers are labeled as magnums with no non-magnum in the same caliber. for example the .375 h&h magnum is also just called a .375 and its the same load or gun,and then there are other large loads like a .444 or a .454 and they aren't called magnums.
 
The Original Magnum

magnumgroup.jpeg
 
Magnums were loosely defined as greater than 2800 fps in rifles. In handguns it's less specific. The negative press from morons is why few police agencies issue anything with that moniker.
 
Nice picture - "magnum" origin

As the picture shows, the term "magnum" originally referred to a larger than standard bottle of champagne.

When Holland & Holland introduced their .375 and .300 cartridges, they used the word "magnum" as a marketing tool, as their cases were larger than standard sizes. Larger cases holding more powder meant higher velocity, and the term became fixed in the language in 1935 when S&W introduced their .357 Magnum.

So, today, any case larger (longer/wider) than usual is called magnum, if the maker wants to. Usually they do, because it sells.

People who don't know guns seldom use gun terms correctly. Just look at what ignorant people call an "assault weapon".
 
quote by sadhvacman : magnum just means large caliber. your friends answer to your question was probably because he didn't know the caliber.

+1 :)
 
Most simply put, "Magnum" is a marketing term most often used when a maker introduces a caliber which is a more powerful version of some other caliber.

Examples:
38 Special ---> 357 Magnum
44 Special ---> 44 Magnum
45 ACP---> 45 Winchester Magnum
22 LR ---> 22 Magnum
etc....etc....

It can also be used to designate high pressure cartridges or whatever else some marketing department feels like. "Special" and "Express" used to get used the same way. It's all just marketing, and in 50 years it'll probably be some other term.
 
Magnum?

The term "magnum" originally meant a cartridge case that was larger than standard for the caliber and type. Over the years the ad copywriters mangled the term until today it is essentially meaningless.

Case in point: The 458 Winchester magnum

It has a case SMALLER than standard for the caliber and type. It's a miniaturized version of the type in order to get it through a standard length action.
 
There's a lot of ignorance out there.

A friend at work said his dad has "an M14, an M16, a Dragunov, and an AK47"

My reply was "Your dad must be rich, you could sell them all and buy a nice house!"

Naturally upon further questioning it became apparent that:
A.) He didn't know what he was talking about, and
B.) the guns in question were an M1A, an AR15, an SKS and a WASR respectively.
 
What cracks me up are the Dodge ads where they drool, "It's a Hemi!" The added power doesn't seem to me to be worth the hype.

By the way--Latin lesson--magnum comes from the latin magnus. I pulled the Dictionary.com definition below. Someone should tell them that Holland and Holland used the term before Smith and Wesson.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/magnum

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
mag·num /ˈmægnəm/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[mag-nuhm] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. a large wine bottle having a capacity of two ordinary bottles or 1.5 liters (1.6 quarts).
2. a magnum cartridge or firearm.
–adjective 3. (of a cartridge) equipped with a larger charge than other cartridges of the same size.
4. (of a firearm) using such a cartridge.
5. Informal. unusually great in power or size: a magnum spotlight; a magnum dosage.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Origin: 1780–90; < L, neut. of magnus large; in reference to firearms, orig. used as a trademark by the Smith and Wesson Co.]
Click to expand...
 
I had a theory that due to your age and the age of the people responding that it probably has a video game origin. Perhaps a game where they show a Desert Eagle model but refer to it as a "magnum" as though that is the name of the gun.

It appears at least one game does that:
http://www.capcom-central.com/ResidentEvil/reda.php?page=weapons

Unfortunately, many people base their knowledge of firearms entirely off video games. Even worse, they aren't shy about sharing said knowledge.
 
Magnum = .88 Uber-Magnum repeating full-auto revolver from Korth. The most powerful handgun in the world - capable of blowing the turret off a tank with FMJ.
 
From what the OP said, I think Jimmie hit it on the head. When the girl saw a picture of the Desert Eagle and said "that's a Magnum" she was probably referring to the fact that Magnum Research made it. Kind of like people referring to Kimbers instead of to 1911A1 in .45 caliber MADE by Kimber. Most non-gun people don't realize that many manufacturers make guns in different calibers, and so don't understand when we want to distinguish between caliber, model and manufacturer.

A good way to explain it to them is to tell them you have a V8 automobile, and then to ask them if that told them the make and model of your car. Just giving one piece of information is not adequate, you have to tell them it is a V8 Ford Mustang for them to really know what you drive. Guns are the same.
 
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