The Most Powerful Handgun In the World

[Aaryq]

Howdy folks. We all know the .44 Magnum isn't and was never the most powerful handgun (cartridge) in the world. When it comes to factory loads of bullets intended for use in a handgun, what would you consider the most powerful handgun (cartridge) in the world?

 

[tasco 74]

i'm not sure what the most powerful handgun in the world is but i know at least one of them has to be my best friend's contender chambered in .444 marlin........ he had it custom chambered to shoot ihmsa with........full house handloads with heavy cast bullets are a real handful!!

 

[AJ Dual]

Define "most powerful" please.

Total foot-pounds for an average loading at the muzzle? At 100 yards? Largest caliber? Highest FPS at muzzle or some set distance? Heaviest bullet?

Do we include obsolete handguns, antiques? Just limit it to common commercial production within the 20th and 21st centuries? Can we include custom one of a kind pistols?

I guess the most fair answer would be total foot-pounds at the muzzle, open to any make or era. By that criteria, I'd guess it would be one of the .50 BMG pistols that have been produced, or that custom Thompson Contender chambered in .600 Nitro Express, where it flips over the fat guy's head in that now infamous Internet video.

The largest projectiles by weight and diameter are probably from custom "Howdah" guns from the late 1800's to early 1900's. Some of them were measured in "bore" like a shotgun, rather than caliber. Some custom ones were .68, even .70 caliber. They are called Howdah pistols because they were meant as last-ditch Tiger defense for English big-game hunters hunting Tigers in India from a Howdah, the little saddle/cubicle atop an elephant. However, I would suspect that the .600NE, and .50 BMG while firing lighter weight projectiles would probably still have higher velocity so more foot-pounds at the muzzle.

 

[brentn]

If its a revolver, one of the most powerfull ones that I know of in terms of recoil and caliber would be of course, the .500 smith and wesson.
For an autoloader most likely the 50action express.
For those single shot hunting pistols, like the guy said above, most likely the .50bmg

I have seen a video of a guy using a .600 nitro express handgun and it flew out of his hand and almost killed him. I personally could never see a 50bmg or nitro express being practical but they are out there.

 

[MikePGS]

I'd say that most powerfull would be amount of energy produced at the muzzle.

 

[briansp82593]

most powerful production gun is a 500?

 

[Geronimo45]

*Channels Gunkid*

.22 LR, of course!

 

[sfhogman]

Geronimo, you owe me a keyboard!

 

[chris in va]

I would venture to say the 600 Nitro Express, just from watching that silly video that makes it's way on here every 6 months.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

If you are using bullet velocity as the test for "most powerful" then the S&W .500 Magnum isn't the most powerful, the S&W .460 Magnum is.

 

[M92FS]

.500 S&W Winchester 400 grs PT(Platinum Tip), muzzle energy 2877 Ft-Lbs, muzzle velocity 1800 fps. barrel length 10"

.500 S&W Hornady 350 grs XTP(JHP Hornady) , muzzle energy 2805 Ft-Lbs,
muzzle velocity 1900 fps. barrel length Vented Test barrel 7.5"

 

[kellyj00]

I shot a pistol grip 12 gauge mossberg with a 1oz slug at 1600 fps when I was younger...does that count?

 

[Skpotamus]

Ah, but the rub is that many of the cartridges listed aren't handgun cartridges, they started life as rifle cartridges and were later shoved into pistols for various reasons.

I do believe that at the time of it's creation, the .44 Rem Mag was the most powerful (muzzle energy wise) round created for handguns. Today, it's the .500 S&W mag.