Most powerful handgun!

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andym79

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Does anyone know of any handgun with more power than the .700 Nitro Express Pistol?

It has a power of 14374 ft/lbs, unleashing a 1000 gr bullet at 2600 fps! :evil:

The .45-70 Government 3964 ft/lbs! (rifle)?

A big difference here! :confused:

The .458 Lott is 6133 ft/lbs! (rifle)?

A big difference between the the lott and bmg given the difference in calibre! :confused:

The .50 BMG is 13934 fl/lbs!
The .577 T-Rex is 10976 ft/lbs!
The .600 NE is 10504 ft/lbs!

Who wants a .700 NE, I would like one! :D

No I doubt, I could handle one my air pistol is 4 ft/lbs, still a man can dream! :mad:

I am not expert, and I am sure that there is more to it than ft/lbs. :confused:

Can someone argue the case from another angle please; Educate me.
 
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Huh? You doubt thing what?

Also, units for "power" are watts and horsepower and things, not ft-lbs or joules.

Anyway, read this.
 
Handguns are tools, made in different configurations to do various jobs. The world's most powerful hammer may weigh a hundred kilos and have a two-meter handle; but there would be few people who could wield it effectively, and it would be of very limited use. So, whichever esoteric handgun is the most powerful in the world: Is it something you could actually use effectively? And, what would you use it for?
 
After seeing the .700 Nitro being fired in a rifle, doing so in a pistol would seem to be boil down to suicide.... :evil:
 
imbed the front sight so deep in your forehead it comes out the back of your skull...
 
Assuming that a .700 NE handgun weighs more than a .500 S&W (5 pounds),
you are still talking in the neighborhood of 500 ft/lbs of recoil at over 80 MPH. A Ruger Super Redhawk .454 with the heaviest of loads produces about 32 ft/lbs of recoil at ~23 MPH, and that can beat your hand up in a hurry.

There is not a human wrist on the planet that could handle 500 ft/lbs of recoil. That would be akin to holding your hand out perpendicular to the wrist while someone swings an 8 lb. sledge as hard as he can and hits you squarely in the palm. No thanks.
 
Ha! I remember that conversation!

Tuna, I remember you posting that a while back and everyone getting a chuckle put of it.
As for "biggest, fastest, most powerful..." I agree with ChristopherG in that it would likely serve no real purpose and be a waste of my money and insurance deductable for the inevitable wear and tear on my wrists and possibly forehead! Amazing how we all got along with nothing but "marginal" calibers before the supersize craze came along, isn't it?
 
700 Nitro

The figures quoted above for the 700 Nitro are for the rifle and strike me as a tad optomistic at that. The velocity would be much less from a handgun.

I have a 445 SuperMag and a 454 Casull. I might be tempted by a 460 S&W, but that's the limit. They can keep the 500 S&W. Reality has to creep in at some point.

In the old days they had howdah pistols, up 8 gauge at least. They were used to repel boarders while tiger hunting from elephant back. Now I imagine that if you were shooting at an angry tiger at a range of four feet (Long range for a howdah, where the ranges are measured in inches.) the recoil might not be all that much of a problem.
 
Erratra, unspellable is right. The figure I gave for the .700 NE was fired from a 18.4" Barrel. The figure for a 7 1/2" Barrel is 3673 ft/lbs (Vs' 2580 ft/lbs for a 0.50 S&W), but then the .50 BMG, .577 T-rex and .600 NE figures are for rifles too.

When I put the rifle in () I meant as far as I am aware (I might well be wrong) they only produce rifles capable of firing those rounds!

Still the recoil would be too much! But then is a .50 practical?
 
Now I imagine that if you were shooting at an angry tiger at a range of four feet (Long range for a howdah, where the ranges are measured in inches.) the recoil might not be all that much of a problem.
Click to expand...

I'd count is as a positive benefit, sort of a jet powered assist to my getaway. :D
 
The most powerful true handgun I have ever seen was a single shot bolt action pistol (think xp100 on steroids) that used a 460 weatherby case necked up to 50.calBMG and fired 750 gr bullets. gun was made by SSK industries. The same guy has a rifle made by them that shoots a shortened 20mm case necked to .95 caliber. Called the 950 J.D.J. The case holds 200 grs of xmp5744 powder and the bullet weighs 3500 grs. The guy loves recoil. No Thanks to either of those. I'll stay with my 45/70 contender. thats enough.
 
ft/lbs is just a bunch of numbers. Strictly a byproduct of weight and velocity.

They actually have almost no corelation with what a bullet will actually do in real life interactions.

Dead is dead and there is no magic bullet.
 
if you do a search on the forums here there was a couple of video clips of someone shooting a 700 nitro handgun... they are both pretty damm funny. the first guys falls on his ass as the gun almost clocks him in the head... the second one shows the gun ripped from another guys hands and flung across the range, also missing his head by a millimeter... :rolleyes:
 
yeah, that was a .600 nitro pistol in the video, not .700. To me, .454 casull is where I max out on handguns - anymore than than, then the gun begins to get as dangerous to the shooter as the shootee (and I have small somewhat weak wrists). As for shoulder-fired longguns, I'd max out at .50 bmg with a GOOD muzzle brake. If it's heavy enough and mounted, I'd shoot about anything, with proper ears on. Yes, someone made a .50 bmg handgun as well, and although it probably wouldn't injure the user due to the good brake, no it is still not practical:

http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/0600/601.htm
 
attachment.php


:what: :uhoh: :eek:​
 
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