Super magnum

A super magnum is a longer and/or more powerful version of a "magnum" cartridge. Although the term "super magnum" typically a refers to a handgun cartridge, created by lengthening an existing straight-case design, it can also refer a rifle cartridge, such as the .17 Winchester Super Magnum (WSM). In this case, it simply denotes that is of greater power than existing "magnums" of similar caliber, similar to other designations such as "Remington Ultra Magnum". The most widespread of these cartridges are the "SuperMag" family of super-magnum handgun cartridges that were proposed and tested by Elgin Gates in the 1970s.

Calibers

Gates' SuperMags

Gates tested super magnum cartridges in .357, .375, .44, .45, .50, and .60 caliber. Gates' SuperMag cartridges are all 1.610 inches long—about ³⁄₁₀ of an inch longer than a "standard" handgun magnum (i.e. .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, and .44 Magnum, which are all the same length)—and use the same bullets as the original magnum cartridges. The extra powder capacity can increase muzzle velocity up to 30–40% over the original magnum rounds.