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.405 Winchester
Historical Notes:
The .405 is another of the rimmed cartridges developed for the Winchester Model 1895 lever-action rifle. Introduced in 1904, the rifle became obsolete in 1936, but has been reproduced recently in limited runs; most were chambered for cartridges that are somewhat more modern, but one run was promised in .405. The Winchester single-shot also chambered the .405, and a number of double rifles were turned out in this chambering in England and Europe. The Remington-Lee bolt-action rifle was available in .405-caliber, between 1904 and 1906. The old Eley-Kynoch catalog lists the .405 Winchester with a 300-grain soft-point bullet at the standard factory load velocity.
General Comments:
The .405 Winchester is the most powerful rimmed cartridge ever developed for the lever-action rifle. It is adequate for any North American big game at short to medium ranges and has been used successfully in Africa on all species. In the old Model 1895 Winchester, with its curved buttplate and poorly-designed stock, it had a reputation for punishing recoil. Theodore Roosevelt used the .405 in Africa and thought very highly of it as a lion cartridge. However, John Taylor, in his excellent book, African Rifles and Cartridges, rates it as a poor choice compared to other available chamberings for African use. The short, fat, 300-grain round-nosed bullet loses velocity rapidly and lacks the sectional density necessary for deep penetration of heavy game. Nevertheless, it is quite adequate for any North American animals at ranges of 100 to 150 yards. Although longer, this case has the same basic body as the .30-40 Krag. However, because headspacing is on the rim, it is not possible to safely use that case to make .405 s, except for very low-pressure loads (which the original author of this book did). With modern jacketed pistol bullets, one can thus make perfectly adequate short-range deer loads. A-Square (www.a-square.com) has recently reintroduced .405 ammunition. Buffalo Arms (208-263-6953; www.buffaloarms.com) offers modified .30-40 cases that are the correct length and have a modified rim to give the correct headspace.
.405 Winchester Loading Data and Factory Ballistics
Bullet (grains/type) | Powder | Grains | Velocity | Energy | Source/Comments | ||||||
290 Cast | IMR-3031 | 40.0 | 1500 | 1449 | Lyman No. 412263 | ||||||
300 SP | IMR-4895 | 56.0 | 2230 | 3321 | NA | ||||||
300 SP | IMR-3031 | 57.0 | 2250 | 3380 | NA | ||||||
300 SP | FL | 2200 | 3220 | Winchester factory load | |||||||
Dimensional Data | |||||||||||
Cartridge | Case | Bullet Dia. | Neck Dia. | Shoulder Dia. | Base Dia. | Rim Dia. | Rim Thick. | Case Length | Ctge. Length | Primer | |
.405 Winchester | B | .412 | .436 | UNK/NA | .461 | .543 | .075 | 2.58 | 3.18 | L | |
Case Type: B = Rimmed, straight. Primer Type: L = Large rifle (.210”). DISCLAIMER: Any and all loading data found here is to be taken as reference material only. This site and it's entities bear no responsibility for the use by others of the data included here. WARNING: For any modern firearm, it is essential that you adhere to the loading recommendations put forth in the reloading manuals of today’s components manufacturers, as well as to the owners manual of the maker of your individual firearm. The potential for things to go wrong is exacerbated in guns long out of production, those chambering obsolete cartridges, and those using cartridges containing blackpowder or cordite. As a separate caution, you must never fire any cartridge in any gun just because it looks similar to, or has a similar designation to, the cartridge the gun is chambered for. This can be extremely dangerous. Almost is not good enough, so if you are at all uncertain about the proper cartridge, have a competent gunsmith check the bullet diameter and case dimensions and firearms chamber and headspace. | |||||||||||
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