John Linebaugh

John Linebaugh is an American gunsmith who has gained international renown for creating custom firearms. He is inventor of the .500 Linebaugh caliber &mdash; the first successful .50 caliber revolver (and cartridge) which he created in 1986. He is also credited with inventing the .475 Linebaugh cartridge, which he perfected in 1988.

Unusual performance
Linebaugh crafted handguns that defied convention by leaps and bounds. For instance, he made a .45 Colt capable of shooting 250 gr bullets at 1700 ft/s &mdash; an increase of about 350 ft/s over its peers.

When heavy loads were employed, the observed expansion was no greater 0.001 in in diameter above the base of the cartridge. This measurement indicates a dangerously overloaded cartridge - when significant - the above measure indicates that such performance was well within safe standards, and therefore all the more impressive for having been achieved. Compared to standard firearms, such results implied a 400% increase in performance.

Philosophy
Linebaugh has a philosophy on his craft:


 * "We are a custom sixgun shop dedicated to the old school sixgunner. We follow the theories of Elmer Keith and John (Pondora) Taylor. Theirs was one of big bullets, so is ours. Bullet weight and caliber are constants in external ballistics; velocity is a constantly diminishing variable. I believe high velocity to be a superb killer if placed with exact precision, and if it reaches the inside of the animal. But without exact placement, it lacks the penetrating qualities and thus it wastes its energy in flesh wounds. The big bullet does not have these shortcomings. It will penetrate fully from any angle, thus letting the hunter take shots with confidence that he would otherwise pass up with a 'little' gun. I for one do not like big guns, just big bullets. With this in mind we offer models and ideas to the old school sixgunner. Remember, old school to us is powerful, practical, and packable."