Lindcott Armory Revolver · SAAMI
.256 Winchester Magnum
Bottlenecked revolver/carbine cartridge sharing the same concept as the .22 Remington Jet — rifle velocity from a handgun.
- Caliber
- 0.2571″ · 6.53 mm
- Introduced
- 1961
- Case
- Rimmed
- Parent
- .357 Magnum
- Primary use
- Varmint, Hunting
- Status
- Discontinued
- Introduced
- 1961
- Type
- Revolver
- Origin
- United States
- Inventor
- Winchester
- Manufacturer
- Winchester
- Standard
- SAAMI
- Status
- Discontinued
- Availability
- Collector
- Case capacity
- 15.1 gr H₂O
- Twist (typical)
- 1:14
- Primer
- Small Pistol
- Case type
- Rimmed
- Max pressure
- 42,000 psi
- Eff. range
- 150 yd
- Max range
- 300 yd
- Recoil
- 8–12 ft·lb
Ballistics
- By real loads
- 2,760–2,800 fps · 17 loads
- Parent case
- .357 Magnum
Representative trajectory — modeled from a single velocity input (no published BC for this cartridge yet).
Performance
Buy links open .256 Winchester Magnum ammunition at Rivertown Munitions.
Dimensionscase measurements · scale drawing · size vs familiar rounds
Case dimensions — the scale drawing at the top of the page is built from these.
CIP TDCC · verified| Measure | mm | in | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet ⌀ | 6.53 | 0.257 | ✓ |
| Neck ⌀ | 7.24 | 0.285 | ✓ |
| Shoulder ⌀ | 9.35 | 0.368 | ✓ |
| Shoulder angle | 25° | — | ✓ |
| Base ⌀ | 9.68 | 0.381 | ✓ |
| Rim ⌀ | 11.18 | 0.440 | ✓ |
| Belt ⌀ | n/a | ||
| Rim thickness | 1.52 | 0.060 | ✓ |
| Neck length | 5.29 | 0.208 | ≈ |
| Case length | 32.54 | 1.281 | ✓ |
| Overall length | 40.39 | 1.590 | ✓ |
Size vs familiar rounds
Drawn at true 1:1 — every case is accurate relative to the others. Absolute size depends on your screen's pixel density, so measuring one against a real ruler may be off. .256 Winchester Magnum is highlighted below.
Factory loads
In production — 17 active loads across 16 brands. Top 15 shown · see all 21 →.
| Brand | Load | Grain | Bullet | FPS | ft·lb | BC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nosler | Varmageddon | 60 | Varmageddon | 2,800 | 1,044 | — |
| Hornady | Varmint Express | 60 | V-Max | 2,800 | 1,044 | — |
| Buffalo Bore | JHP | 60 | JHP | 2,760 | 1,015 | — |
| Fiocchi | Standard | 60 | PSP | 2,760 | 1,015 | — |
| Norma | Classic | 60 | Jacketed Hollow Point | 2,760 | 1,015 | — |
| PPU | Standard | 60 | Jacketed Hollow Point | 2,760 | 1,015 | — |
| Armscor | Standard | 60 | Jacketed Hollow Point | 2,760 | 1,015 | — |
| Cor-Bon | JHP | 60 | JHP | 2,760 | 1,015 | — |
| RWS | Classic | 60 | Jacketed Hollow Point | 2,760 | 1,015 | — |
| Sellier & Bellot | Sport | 60 | FMJ | 2,760 | 1,015 | — |
| Kynoch | Classic | 60 | Jacketed Hollow Point | 2,760 | 1,015 | — |
| Remington | Core-Lokt | 60 | HP | 2,760 | 1,015 | — |
| Winchester | Super-X | 60 | HP | 2,760 | 1,015 | — |
| Buffalo Arms | Custom | 60 | Jacketed Hollow Point | 2,760 | 1,015 | — |
| Federal | Power-Shok | 60 | HP | 2,760 | 1,015 | — |
Velocities are manufacturer-stated (test-barrel). Discontinued loads dimmed.
Reloading costestimate cost per round vs factory
Estimate your cost per round and how it compares to factory. Inputs are yours — nothing is stored.
Cost estimate only — not load data. Charge weight is your input; follow published manuals for safe charges.
Lineage
Connected reference
History
Introduced alongside the .22 Remington Jet in 1961 as competing entries in the high-velocity revolver concept. Winchester's version chambered in the Ruger Hawkeye single-shot pistol and the Marlin 62 carbine. Like the Jet, it suffered from the revolver case-setback problem and never achieved commercial success. Factory ammunition was discontinued in the 1970s. The Marlin 62 carbine is now a collector item.
FAQs
- What twist rate does .256 Winchester Magnum use?
- .256 Winchester Magnum typically uses a 1:14 twist rate.
- What bullet diameter is .256 Winchester Magnum?
- .256 Winchester Magnum uses a 0.2571″ (6.53 mm) diameter bullet.
- Is .256 Winchester Magnum still in production?
- .256 Winchester Magnum is discontinued; typical availability is collector.
- What is .256 Winchester Magnum used for?
- .256 Winchester Magnum is primarily used for varmint, hunting.
- What is .256 Winchester Magnum based on?
- .256 Winchester Magnum is derived from the .357 Magnum (necked down) case.
Sources & provenance
- StandardSAAMI — ANSI/SAAMI Z299 — Cartridge & Chamber Drawingsarchived
- StandardC.I.P. — C.I.P. TDCC — Tables of Dimensions of Cartridges and Chambers
Data & sources. Specs compiled from the Lindcott Armory reference; availability counted from 17 live factory loads; the trajectory is modeled (point-mass), not measured. See methodology. Spotted an error? Report it →