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Common uses: Big Game, Dangerous Game
| Type | rifle (centerfire) |
| Typical load | 300gr Hornady Custom InterLock SP |
| Muzzle velocity | 2200 fps |
| Muzzle energy | 3225 ft-lb |
| Published G1 ballistic coefficient | 0.25 |
| Case length | 65 mm |
| Overall length | 83.8 mm |
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft-lb) | Drop (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2200 | 3224 | -1.5 |
| 100 | 1886 | 2368 | 0 |
| 200 | 1602 | 1710 | -8.4 |
| 300 | 1360 | 1232 | -30.5 |
| 400 | 1171 | 913 | -71.4 |
| 500 | 1043 | 725 | -137.8 |
At 1,000 yards, .405 Win. (300gr at 2200 fps, 100 yd zero, standard conditions) has a modeled come-up of about 101.5 MOA / 29.5 MIL, retaining 757 fps (subsonic).
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | State | Drop (in) | Elev (MOA) | Elev (MIL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | 1360 | Supersonic | -30.5 | 9.7 | 2.82 |
| 400 | 1171 | Transonic | -71.4 | 17.1 | 4.96 |
| 500 | 1043 | Subsonic | -137.8 | 26.3 | 7.65 |
| 600 | 960 | Subsonic | -235.9 | 37.6 | 10.92 |
| 700 | 896 | Subsonic | -371.9 | 50.7 | 14.76 |
| 800 | 844 | Subsonic | -551.1 | 65.8 | 19.13 |
| 900 | 798 | Subsonic | -779.3 | 82.7 | 24.05 |
| 1000 | 757 | Subsonic | -1062.6 | 101.5 | 29.52 |
Extended predictions beyond 500 yards are modeled from the same G1 engine — useful for initial DOPE, but outside the 500-yard manufacturer-table validation audit. Confirm with observed DOPE, especially near transonic.
A retained-energy reference only — not a shoot/don't-shoot distance. Real effective range depends on your accuracy, shot placement, bullet construction, and conditions. The ~1,000 ft-lb (deer-sized) and ~1,500 ft-lb (elk-sized) figures are commonly cited rules of thumb, not standards.
Your barrel, ammunition lot, and conditions will differ — always verify against the manufacturer's data and your own rifle.
The .405 Winchester is best understood as a turn-of-the-century thumping big-bore, prized for the heavy bullet and blunt, hard-hitting energy it delivers rather than for flat trajectory or long reach. Its combination of a large-diameter 300-grain bullet and moderate velocity makes it effective on heavy, tough game at short to moderate ranges, and it earned its fame on lion and other African game in the hands of Roosevelt-era hunters. The tradeoffs are equally characteristic: a looping trajectory, stout recoil, and modest ballistic efficiency that limit its practical range compared with modern high-velocity cartridges. Today it is largely a classic and nostalgic chambering, kept alive by lever-action enthusiasts, handloaders, and hunters drawn to its history, and it still performs capably on large North American game like moose, bear, and bison at woods distances. Factory ammunition is scarce and specialized, so it appeals mostly to shooters willing to feed a traditional big-bore.
Introduced by Winchester in 1904 for the Model 1895 lever-action rifle, the .405 Winchester is a rimmed centerfire cartridge developed to give that box-magazine lever gun genuine large-bore stopping power. It drives a heavy 300-grain, .411-inch bullet at roughly 2,200 fps and remains one of the most powerful cartridges ever chambered in a lever-action rifle. Theodore Roosevelt famously carried a Model 1895 in .405 on his 1909 East African safari and called it his "medicine gun for lions," a public endorsement that cemented the round's reputation. The cartridge faded after the Model 1895 was discontinued in 1936, but Winchester revived both the rifle and the chambering in the early 2000s for collectors and traditionalists.
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