John Linebaugh (November 15, 1955 – March 19, 2023) was an American gunsmith from Cody, Wyoming, known for creating custom firearms. He was the inventor of the .500 Linebaugh (1986) and .475 Linebaugh (1988) cartridges. Gunwriter John Taffin, a big-bore enthusiast, describes Linebaugh as a "pioneer" in developing powerful sixguns.[1]
John Linebaugh | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 15, 1955 |
| Died | March 19, 2023 (aged 67) Clark, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Gunsmith |
| Known for | Inventing the .500 Linebaugh caliber cartridge |
Biography
Linebaugh's early efforts in the 1970s produced revolvers made to handle much more powerful loadings of .45 Colt than standard firearms, and later expanded into creating his own cartridge designs.[2] After inventing the .500 and .475 Linebaugh, he later created a variant of each cartridge, lengthened to 1.61 inches, and appended "Maximum" to their names.[3] Linebaugh focused on developing cartridges which were compatible with standard-size revolvers, keeping them "old school" or "packable" rather than oversize.[2]
Linebaugh died in Clark, Wyoming, on March 19, 2023, at the age of 67.[4] He was laid to rest on March 28, 2023, at the Bennett Butte Cemetery[4] in section 108–5.[5]
References
- "The sixguns of John Linebaugh". American Handgunner; 05/01/2006; Taffin, John
Further reading
- McCombie, Brian (12 April 2013). "Gun Digest Interview with John Linebaugh".
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