.405 Winchester
Encyclopedia
The .405 Winchester is a centerfire rifle
cartridge
introduced in 1904 for the Winchester 1895 lever-action
rifle. It was the most powerful lever-action cartridge available until the .444 Marlin
was introduced in 1964, and was highly regarded by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt
during his safari in East Africa. The original Winchester factory load consisted of a 300gr. soft point or metal patch (Full Metal Jacket
) bullet at 2200 feet per second. When the Winchester M1895 was discontinued in 1936, the cartridge was considered obsolete. Catalog listings of the cartridge ceased in 1955. However, during the 100 year anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidential administration in 2001, Winchester reintroduced the M1895 in .405 Winchester, and revived the cartridge.
In addition to the Winchester Model 1895
, the .405 Winchester was also available in the Winchester Model 1885 Single Shot Rifle
, the Remington-Lee bolt action rifle (from 1904 to 1906), and a number of British and European double rifles. The cartridge is now also available in the Sturm Ruger No.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 the Winchester 1895 which chambered it. 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 book African Game Trails:
Although it is often said that Roosevelt called the .405 M1895 his “big medicine,” this phrase is never used in African Game Trails, and is possibly the erroneous combination of his “medicine gun” quote with his “big stick” speech of 1901.
Since its introduction, many hunters have used the .405 Winchester on African big game, to include Rhino and Buffalo; however it is generally considered best used against light skinned game, due to the bullet’s low sectional 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.
developed by O.H. Elliott & Company of South Haven, Michigan, based on the .405 Winchester cartridge. This custom gunsmith
manufactured his own rifle barrels.
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
introduced in 1904 for the Winchester 1895 lever-action
Lever-action
Lever-action is a type of firearm action which uses a lever located around the trigger guard area, to load fresh cartridges into the chamber of the barrel when the lever is worked. Most lever-action firearms are rifles, but lever-action shotguns and a few pistols have also been made...
rifle. It was the most powerful lever-action cartridge available until the .444 Marlin
.444 Marlin
The .444 Marlin is a rifle cartridge designed in 1964 by Marlin Firearms and Remington Arms. It was designed to fill in a gap for the older .45-70 at a time when that cartridge was not currently available in any lever action, making it the largest at the time available lever-action cartridge...
was introduced in 1964, and was highly regarded by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
during his safari in East Africa. The original Winchester factory load consisted of a 300gr. soft point or metal patch (Full Metal Jacket
Full metal jacket bullet
A full metal jacket is a bullet consisting of a soft core encased in a shell of harder metal, such as gilding metal, cupronickel or less commonly a steel alloy. This shell can extend around all of the bullet, or often just the front and sides with the rear left as exposed lead...
) bullet at 2200 feet per second. When the Winchester M1895 was discontinued in 1936, the cartridge was considered obsolete. Catalog listings of the cartridge ceased in 1955. However, during the 100 year anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidential administration in 2001, Winchester reintroduced the M1895 in .405 Winchester, and revived the cartridge.
In addition to the Winchester Model 1895
Winchester Model 1895
The Winchester Model 1895 is a lever-action repeating firearm developed and manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in the late 19th century, chambered for a number of full-size military and hunting cartridges such as 7.62×54mmR, .303 British, .30-03, .30 Army, .30-06, .35 Winchester,...
, the .405 Winchester was also available in the Winchester Model 1885 Single Shot Rifle
Winchester Model 1885 Single Shot Rifle
The Winchester Model 1885 is a single shot rifle with a falling block action. It was principally designed by John Browning. Two models were produced, the Low Wall and the High Wall....
, the Remington-Lee bolt action rifle (from 1904 to 1906), and a number of British and European double rifles. The cartridge is now also available in the Sturm Ruger No.1 Tropical
Ruger No. 1
The Ruger No. 1 is a single shot rifle, with Farquharson-style internal hammer falling block action, manufactured by Sturm, Ruger. It was introduced in 1967. An underlever lowers the block allowing loading and cocks the rifle. A falling block action is an inherently strong design, and the Ruger...
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 the Winchester 1895 which chambered it. 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 book African Game Trails:
- But as we stood, one of the porters behind called out “Simba”; and we caught a glimpse of a big lioness galloping down beside the trees, just beyond the donga…Tarlton took his big double-barrel and advised me to take mine, as the sun had just set and it was likely to be close work; but I shook my head, for the Winchester 405 is, at least for me personally, the “medicine gun” for lions.
Although it is often said that Roosevelt called the .405 M1895 his “big medicine,” this phrase is never used in African Game Trails, and is possibly the erroneous combination of his “medicine gun” quote with his “big stick” speech of 1901.
Since its introduction, many hunters have used the .405 Winchester on African big game, to include Rhino and Buffalo; however it is generally considered best used against light skinned game, due to the bullet’s low sectional density
Sectional density
Sectional density is the ratio of an object's mass to its cross-sectional area. It conveys how well an object's mass is distributed to overcome resistance. For illustration, a needle can penetrate a target medium with less force than a coin of the same mass...
. 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.
Wildcats
The .277 Elliott Express and .357 Elliott Express are two of a series of wildcatsWildcat cartridge
A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and firearms are not mass produced. These cartridges are often created in order to optimize a certain performance characteristic of an existing commercial cartridge.Developing and using wildcat cartridges does not...
developed by O.H. Elliott & Company of South Haven, Michigan, based on the .405 Winchester cartridge. This custom gunsmith
Gunsmith
A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds firearms. This occupation is different from an armorer. The armorer primarily maintains weapons and limited repairs involving parts replacement and possibly work involving accurization...
manufactured his own rifle barrels.