Someone told me that the .44 magnum (think it’s called a cobra revolver) is the most powerful handgun in the world.
I was wondering why that was, as there is a larger cartridge in the shape of the .50 action express.
What qualities define the power of a bullet? Why do most police use a 9mm or .40 bullet, if there is a more powerful alternative available, and why do police favor the semi-automatic over the revolver?
Power is often defined in terms of muzzle energy, rather than bullet size. While the .480 Ruger and the .50AE are larger than a .454 Casull, neither come close in sheer power. I think the .454 is still considered the most powerful commercially available handgun cartridge. The .44 is not even in the running, anymore.
The line between handgun and rifle cartridge has been blurred lately by large bolt action handguns that can fire rifle cartridges, or any number of wildcat (not commercially available) cartridges. A handgun can even be made to fire something like a .460 Weatherby or .375 H&H, but I wouldn’t consider those rounds to be handgun ammo.
Most police use the 9mm or .40 because they are a compromise between capacity, controllability, and power. The more powerful the cartridge, the less ammo you can hold and comfortably fire. You also don’t want a bullet that will overpenetrate and hit an innocent bystander.
Police have been leaning towards semi-autos because they hold more ammo, most have manual safeties, and are quick to reload while still being powerful enough to do the job.h
You’re friends with Dirty Harry? 
There is a .50 Linebaugh. Would I shoot it? Sure, after a few drinks* and a handful of ibuprofen.
*No, I don’t shoot drunk. Just making a point about felt recoil.
If you wanna get really ridiculous, there’s a German gunsmith making a limited run of revolvers in .600 Nitro Express. It does come with a spare cylinder and barrel in something a bit more practical… .458 WinMag!
This
is the most powerful handgun around.
I used to run a pawnshop, and I saw a lot of various handguns…the most intimidating one I ever saw was a custom made, .557 Magnum. It was called the Raging Bull, had a cylinder that could hold five of these monster rounds, and the owner, a former “great white hunter” used it for hunting buffalo and tigers(!). I never fired it, but the thing was massive, and anything that is made to take down a full grown tiger or a massive male buffalo with one shot has to be pretty heavy duty.
I should note that this handgun was NOT a Taurus, which also makes a large bore handgun called a Raging Bull. Since I had never in my life seen a .557, it was very unusual.
I suppose it depends on how big your hands are.
That’s just sick. I cannot believe that anyone would advertise a .50 BMG round as a good close range manstopper. I bet 9 of 10 neighbors surveyed would disagree. But, hats off, it will be tough to find anything with more frightening downrange energy than that one. Hell, last time I checked the range on that round is “as far as the eye can see.” (and then some)
It would make one hell of a WHOOSHING noise too, Beagle.
However, it’s not nearly as powerful as this one.
As others have said, there are more powerful handguns. These, however, are typically handguns designed to fire rifle cartridges, so the line is kinda blurry. Especially when one begins to consider such handguns as the Thompson Contender—a single-shot handgun available in a huge variety of calibers which may be changed by simply swapping the barrel.
And it’s not called a “cobra revolver,” at least as far as I know. Perhaps you are thinking of the Colt Anaconda.
Whoops, my mistake. Apparently there is a “cobra”. Colt also makes (or made) a King Cobra, however it is “only” of .357 Magnum caliber.
I believe the .475 Linebaugh edges the .454 Casull in raw power, but I am pretty sure the former is still a wildcat round.
Unless we count the revolver made by Magnum Works in .45-70, I’d say the .454 Casull meets the most common criteria: i.e., it must be commercially manufactured ammo, chambered in a pistol that can fired one handed multiple times without reloading. This excludes the XP-100, the Thompson Contender, etc., and clarifies the issue.
Thanks to UncleBeer and Lizard, interesting reading.