Among firearms, where brawn frequently comes as a package deal, the .950 JDJ rifle cartridge is a giant among giants. Conceived by J. D. Jones of SSK Industries, this enormous cartridge is as impressive dimensionally as it is when firing, with ballistics that are an awesomely close approximation of World War I tank rounds.
Made from a 20×102mm Vulcan cannon case, necked up and shortened to accommodate a .950 inch (24.1 mm) bullet, the .950 JDJ is a cartridge that redefines large caliber. The bullets for this monstrosity have a weight of an amazing 3,600 grains, or 8.2 ounces well over half a pound of unadulterated stopping power. The product is a muzzle energy of 38,685 foot-pounds force (ft·lbf), propelling these gigantic rounds at speeds of around 2,200 feet per second (ft/s).
This phenomenal cartridge kicks its bullets so hard that it approaches the power of a 2,800-pound car moving at 20 miles per hour. For comparison’s sake, the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge a workhorse in military service rifles generates between 1,200 and 1,300 ft·lbf, while the .308 Winchester a hunter’s and sniper’s favorite gets between 2,000 and 3,000 ft·lbf, depending on load.
With great power, though, comes great recoil. The .950 JDJ produces more than 200 ft·lbf of free recoil energy, far more than the ability of nearly any shooter to sustain at shoulder shooting. This requires use of heavy “lead sled” or equivalent shooting rest to hold the recoil and prevent injury. Rifles that come in .950 JDJ form are themselves giants, with the weights ranging from 85 to 110 pounds, depending on the set-up, and sport amazingly thick Krieger barrels with huge 18-pound muzzle brakes.
The rifles’ large size and expense the rifles themselves are worth about $8,000, and it costs $40 to load each cartridge. They are sometimes called “range queens,” which means rifles that are really only taken out to the shooting range for fun and not used for hunting or anything else useful.
In the United States, such a rifle would typically qualify as a Destructive Device. Nonetheless, SSK Industries received a “Sporting Use Exception,” and these rifles could be bought and owned as any other Title I rifle, given that the purchaser is above 18 and not a felon. The scarcity of the .950 JDJ is also prominent. SSK Industries only manufactured three of this rifle, and as of 2014, no longer produces ammunition for it.
