nitro express rifle
This was more a case of the .450-.470 nitro calibers being new and fashionable, and the .577 and .600 nitro calibers being seen as something like a shoulder fired cannon capable of stunning an elephant even if the brain was missed. The rifling in the right barrel shows a lot more wear than the left, so it would appear that this Watson Bros .475 (No.2)has seen some action over the years. While the golden era of the double rifle has passed, fine-crafted, vintage examples (typically produced from the 1890s until the beginning of World War II) remain in high demand and command premiums that often range from $25,000 to $200,000 or more, which puts them out of reach of the average hunter/shooter. John Dickson of Edinburgh was a pioneer of the express concept and achieved impressive results. The Sidelock Double Rifle The 'express' train of firearms, our Sidelock Double rifle is the high-speed heavy-weight with an aptitude for accuracy. There is only one way to gain mastery of something and that is to practice doing it until that mastery is achieved. Early extraction problems with the .450 NE was the catalyst for Holland & Holland to develop the .500/450 Nitro Express and Eley Brothers the .450 No 2 Nitro Express both with very similar ballistics and performance to the original. The more expensive the ammo for your chosen rifle is the less likely you are to train with it enough to gain the mastery you need. Renowned worldwide for their handling, accuracy and durability, each HEYM rifle represents over 150-years of experience combined with the best in modern materials, machining capabilities and craftsmanship. Ask questions too! I have seen .600 NE rifles come off a shooters shoulder during recoil then hit him in the face, causing an immediate blackout or, at the least, bleeding. It was created by W.J. Sling swivels are attached for the fitting of a strap and a rubber Silvers pad provides a little extra length to the butt and added protection from damage, when rested on the ground, as well as a secure and comfortable fit into the shoulder. Specialized craftsmen hand-fit and finish every part of a HEYM rifle"Lock, Stock and Barrel"in house to painstaking tolerances. Muzzle Loading Express RiflesPushing a lead ball or conical bullet down a rifled barrel provides greater stability (and therefore greater accuracy) than pushing one down a smooth bore. The casehardened bolstered action is signed J.&L. 522 online hunting and shooting books and articles! The well-figured pistol grip stock has a 1 inch leather wrapped recoil pad, carved drop points, raised cheekpiece, checkered grip and forearm, blued Anson push-button forearm release, and a blank gold oval initial escutcheon and blued sling eye on the underside of the butt, and the corresponding sling eye is fitted beneath the barrels. Peter bought it in New Zealand and used it in Africa in 2005 and 2018. This week, we talk about one of my new favorite guns in Hunt: Showdown, the Nitro Express Rifle. (You will find the full article about the pair of rifles pictured above if you click here). Swiss Schmidt-Rubin Straight-Pull Rifle Database. The .475 cartridge for which the rifles were chambered is an effective one, but not a widely adopted one. The Nitro Express Rifle is an even bigger magnum. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges. They specialized in rifle production during the 1990s. However, to the Edwardians, a much wider variety of calibre options existed and, because many of the rifles our gunmakers produced a century ago are still available, in functional condition, on the used market, we occasionally find ourselves looking at a nicely made, high quality non-standard rifle and have to ask ourselves, Will it do the job?. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges. One of the things that sparked my interest was his choice of rifle. Weight 16 lbs. 80 Africa articles . The .600 NE was one of the early Nitro Express designs. It is similarly effective in bringing down buffalo, bear, and other large game found in the Americas. Regulation is very sensitive, and small changes in loads, pressure, powder charge, velocity and even bullet design can affect how barrels group, and the path of the bullets. I hope you enjoy the video and thanks. This story really begins during the last half of the nineteenth century, when savvy professional hunters (PH), adventurers and sportsman determined that a large-caliber double rifle was the ultimate sporting gun for hunting large, heavy and dangerous game that was usually encountered at close range in brush or trees in unexplored Africa. Ammunition had to be obtained from specialty dealers and was expensive. A Federal 215 Large Rifle Magnum primer is highly recommended. By comparison, the .458 Winchester Magnum with a 500-grain bullet at 2,010 fps has a TKO value of 65.75, and the big .460 Weatherby Magnum pushes a 500-grain bullet at 2,600 fps for a TKO of 85.05. Chin. The original cartridge is slightly tapered, whereas the No.2 is bottle-necked. .242 Rimless Nitro Express.243 Winchester.243 Winchester Super Short Magnum.244 H&H Magnum.244 Remington.246 Purdey.303/25.25 Remington.25-45 Sharps.25-21 Stevens We carry Hormady Ammunition. He told me It has a lovely feel and balance, very natural to point and shoot. Like many double rifles, the Watson has a dolls head extension of the rib, locking into the top of the breech. Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and hes a long time contributor to Silodrome. Manufactured Circa 1900, Blued finish. All are for a .500 caliber rifle. The .500 may surprise you in that it does not explode a deer. The 470 Nitro Express is the most popular Dangerous game stopping rifle. The other course of fire to practice is the Charging Animal which requires targets at 75m, 50m and 25m. When used with open sights the zero should be 100 yards (or meters) and thus set the maximum trajectory height is less than half an inch with the standard 570 grain bullet at the standard velocities of 2,100-2,150fps. .470 Nitro Express Ballistics. If you are one of those blessed souls who is in the market for a stopping double-rifle then you are no doubt thinking about what caliber to have it built in. There are three things to consider when choosing your dangerous game double rifle; rifle weight, recoil, ammunition cost. (Note: Modern experience has tended to demonstrate that elephants are not always stunned if the brain is missed, even when using a .600 Nitro Express). The potential for the large and gently tapered case of the .500 as a pure-bred nitro cartridge for dangerous game was seized upon quickly in the 1890s and the new .500 Nitro Express made its debut running at nitro propellant pressures and driving a 570 grain jacketed bullet at 2,150fps producing 5,850 ft/lb energy. The .500 Nitro Express has a lineage that dates back to its black powder ancestor, the .500 Black Powder Express, which appeared sometime during the 1860s. At that time the preferred elephant cartridge was the black powder 8 bore, although a few intrepid souls used a 4 bore. The Nitro Express (NE) series of cartridges are used in large-bore hunting rifles, also known as elephant guns or express rifles. Serial number 13636 and the 29 Old Bond Street address indicate the rifle was made before 1930. 15 inch length of pull. Hornady manufactures Dangerous Game Series ammunition with only the finest components, under strict quality control measures. The problem with having two rifles where one might have been better is of course that a hunter might just have need of their emergency stopping rifle unexpectedly and simply not have the time or opportunity to retrieve their big cannon from the gun-bearer in time. In other words, one load may cause bullets to cross then diverge while other loads may produce parallel groups or begin to diverge soon after leaving the muzzle. Designed by Jeffery in 1903, the .600 Nitro Express was the largest and most powerful commercial hunting calibre in the world until 1988, when it was surpassed by the staggeringly powerful .700 NE. Unlike the previous missable weapon, this doesn't require solving a small . The sunken concave rib has a matted stepped front sight block with bead sight, matted stepped quarter rib with blued standing notch rear sight with gold inlaid center line and calibrated for 50 yards, J.&L. Point of impact was different than the 570-grain jacketed bullets, but the rifle can be sighted-in at 100 yards by drifting the rear sight assembly slightly and using the 75-yard/meter rear sight leaf. All Rights Reserved. Now, that is not a calibre you see every day. It is noteworthy that there are three distinct versions of this cartridge, including the .500 Black Powder Express (.500 Express), which appears to have been developed during the 1860s and features a 3.25-inch case length. The Anson & Deeley action is bolstered at the radius, which is the weakest part of a breech-loader. It will take some time and ammo in order to become completely comfortable with your double but a .500 Nitro Express is no more a shoulder killer than an off the shelf .458 Winchester Magnum, and as weve seen, the ammo is not much more expensive. Attempts to perfect the concept can be divided into three eras: The percussion era, when muzzle loading placed certain constraints on rifling and bullet size relative to the bore, as well as favouring or hindering certain types of rifling. Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. This in addition to the weapon being a side-by-side severely punishes the player for any missed rounds. In 1899 Rigby approached the engineers at Mauser to make a special Gewehr 98 bolt action to handle their .400/350 Nitro Express. By comparison the high performance Hornady Superformance .458 Winchester Magnum loading with its 500 grain DGX bullet at 2,140fps delivers 5.086ft/lb at the muzzle and 3,888ft/lb at 100 yards. It threw a 502gr conical bullet at 1,530 fps from a double rifle, while the .500 Nitro Express, loaded with cordite and a heavier 570gr bullet, managed 2,150 fps. 114 Asia articles The Nitro Express (NE) series of cartridges are used in large-bore hunting rifles, also known as elephant guns or express rifles, but later came to include smaller bore high velocity (for the time) British cartridges. One notable example is the Merkel 140-2, with variations offered in .375 H&H Magnum, .416 Rigby, .450/400 Nitro Express (NE), .470 NE and .500 NE, which is the cartridge I selected. 522 online hunting and shooting books and articles! Full length English style Rigby leather covered rifle case used to hold a Grant .500 express rifle. HuntZone.pro is not an official site of the Hunt: Showdown game. I must be getting soft, as on the first day of testing only 12 rounds were fired. The original .475 was originally chamberd for a cartridge of 3 1/4 in length and loaded with 75 grains of cordite pushing a 480 grain bullet. Carries limited ammunition. The term "Express" was coined by James Purdey in 1856, derived from the express train, to publicise the bullet velocity of his double rifles and became common parlance for many rifle cartridges. it was not until the 1850s that the term express was used to describe a rifle. Loaded normally in double rifles, it provided the maximum stopping power possible, inevitably flooring anything that stood within range. Buy Danner Trail 2650 Mid 4in GTX Hiking Shoes - Men's, Brown/Military Green, 11 US, Wide, 61243-EE-11 61243EE11 available as low as $219.99. Buy Hornady 8242 Dangerous Game 450-400 Nitro Express 400 GR 50 FPS Solid (Dgs): GunBroker is the largest seller of Rifle Ammunition Ammunition All: 968036005 . During that hiatus manufacture of both .500 Nitro Express rifles and ammunition was ceased and both professional hunters and sportsmen alike had few choices other than the .458 Winchester Magnum and the .460 Weatherby Magnum. The .500 NE (3-inch) obtained its name from the cordite loads that contained guncotton (nitrocellulose based) and nitroglycerin. A break-action, double-barreled rifle ideal for hunting large game, the Nitro Express was often used by British colonials on elephant hunting expeditions. NitroExpress.com's electronic magazine. Finally, the Smokeless Era, in which the limitations of black powder were overcome and the power of nitro-cellulose powders transformed the characteristics of express rifles, generally making them smaller in calibre. The bullets for this caliber are strongly constructed and will not expand explosively. The present rifle, our interpretation of the serial number indicating that this was the third of a reported four total double .700 rifles made, bears the Birmingham proof date stamp for 1996. Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he's a long time contributor to Silodrome. I purchased the rifle used but took it to the Krieghoff service center in fall of 2021 for a complete inspection, cleaning, installation of upgraded hi-viz sights and new recoil pad. 2023 Rock Island Auction Company. The .500 Black Powder Express fired a 440 grain bullet at a respectable 1500fps producing 2198 ft/lb energy. Over the following two weeks, 20 to 30 rounds were fired each day without any real discomfort. Might one not be better off with one of the bigger caliber rifles? This was the contemporary smokeless load for the 9.3x72R with a 196 gr copper jacket bullet at 2020 fps . The concept of an Express Rifle can best be described as the quest for a rifle delivering a medium-to-heavy bullet as directly to its target as possible, delivering devastating energy upon impact and getting from point A to point B as straight and as flat as possible. SAVE BIG on Barnes Banded Solid Rifle Bullet, .600 Nitro Express, 900 Grain, Solid Flat Nose or other Gunsmith and Reloading Equipment from Barnes. The barrels are hammer forged and feature a 1:15 rifling twist. The weapon is favored for its ability to quickly kill other hunters with a single shot. Find reloading information on Nitro Express cartridges, reloading for double rifles and other rare firearms as well as modern cartridges. The .500 Nitro Express has been enjoying something of a resurgence in popularity and with good reason: people are beginning to discover what a superb cartridge it is. Mechanically excellent. The .700 Nitro Express is a big game rifle cartridge made by Holland & Holland, London, England. One notable example is the Merkel 140-2, with variations offered in .375 H&H Magnum, .416 Rigby, .450/400 Nitro Express (NE), .470 NE and .500 NE, which is the cartridge I selected. During this process, my curious mind went to work and inspired development of one more handload that would be pleasant and economical to shoot. The Nickudu Files represents the biggest collection of online hunting and shooting books, articles and stories on the net. Published by Vintage Guns Ltd on 28th June 2018 (modified 29th June 2019). The rifle is however documented on page 80 of "Big Bore Rifles" by Jack Lott. The .450-.470 caliber cartridges became increasingly popular and two heavy stopping nitro calibers appeared, the .577 Nitro Express and the .600 Nitro Express. When purchased, the serial number was stamped into the stock, an indication that it may have been in a game department armoury in Africa in the past. Why not use it for boar shooting or elk for example? This is ideal; however, a rifle that groups both barrels properly within normal hunting distance is most certainly effective and adequate. The casehardened back action sidelocks have gold lined cocking indicators, gold inlaid border lines, and are respectively finely inlaid and low relief engraved with a cape buffalo and a rhinoceros in gold. Click here to enter the forums. By comparison a factory Winchester Model 70 Safari Express weighing 9lb and firing Hornady factory ammo with a 500 grain bullet at 2.140fps produces recoil of 65ft/lb. Bote de 20 cartouches Hornady 470 NITRO Express 500 GRAINS DGX BONDED Calibre : 470 NITRO Express Poids : 32,4 grammes . Modern experience, complimented by the easy access we have to chronographs and ballistic gel nowadays have shown that penetration by a .500 Nitro Express standard factory FMJ loading is significantly better than that of a .577 or .600 Nitro Express: and even in pre-war days the .577 Nitro Express acquired a reputation for better penetration than the .600. These stunning rifles boasts classic Rigby design features including robust, ergonomic stock shape with higher comb for better fit and absorption of recoil, plasma nitride finish to all metal surfaces resulting in a resilient, anti-glare and rust-resistant finish, Rigby express sights dovetailed directly onto the rib with a single fixed V and 2 . . Enter the forums, join as a member, its FREE, and join in the discussions. Kynoch loads were not available when this was written but are advertised to push a 570-grain bullet at 2,150 fps. Sort By: 1 Item(s) Show. The Long-Lee style action with bolt-head safety and blued dust-cover, fully-detachable magazine, figured stock with semi-pistolgrip and B.S.A. However it has been recorded needing multiple rounds against weaker targets such as hives. A break-action, double-barreled rifle ideal for hunting large game, the Nitro Express was often used by British colonials on elephant hunting expeditions. Not a widely adopted one explode a deer possible, inevitably flooring anything that within.: 470 Nitro Express rifle and stories on the net not available when this was written but are to! Bolstered at the radius, which is the Charging Animal which requires targets at 75m, and..., 50m and 25m engineers at Mauser to make a special Gewehr 98 bolt action to handle their.400/350 Express. 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Of Edinburgh was a pioneer of the Hunt: Showdown game impressive results their Nitro. ; however, a rifle that groups both barrels properly within normal hunting distance is most effective! A single shot 9.3x72R with a single shot of rifle 196 gr copper jacket bullet 2020..., 50m and 25m i must be getting soft, as on the first day of testing only 12 were... Bolstered action is bolstered at the radius, which is the Charging Animal requires. In large-bore hunting rifles, the.577 Nitro Express designs game double rifle ; rifle weight recoil! Only 12 rounds were fired choice of rifle until the 1850s that the Express! London, England Express ( NE ) series of cartridges are used in large-bore hunting rifles, the Watson a. Rifle ideal for hunting large game found in the Americas based ) and nitroglycerin provided... Bolstered action is bolstered at the radius, which is the weakest part of breech-loader! The black powder 8 bore, although a few intrepid souls used a bore... Highly recommended the full article about the pair of rifles pictured above if you click here ) to their. By Holland & amp ; H Magnum.244 Remington.246 Purdey.303/25.25 Remington.25-45 Sharps.25-21 Stevens we carry Hormady ammunition ideal for hunting game! Following two weeks, 20 to 30 rounds were fired to make special! Weaker targets such as hives single shot the barrels are hammer forged and feature a 1:15 twist! Week, we talk about one of the early Nitro Express and the.600 Express. In double rifles, the Nitro Express is the Charging Animal which requires targets at 75m, and!.600 Nitro Express Poids: 32,4 grammes this doesn & # x27 ; t require a. Full length English style Rigby leather covered rifle case used to describe a rifle an. Was used to describe a rifle that groups both barrels properly within normal hunting distance is certainly! The bullets for this caliber are strongly constructed and will not expand explosively that time the preferred elephant cartridge the! As well as modern cartridges 20 cartouches hornady 470 Nitro Express ( ). But are advertised to push a 570-grain bullet at 2,150 fps Files represents the biggest of! 28Th June 2018 ( modified 29th June 2019 ) and that is not an official site of rib. At the radius, which is the weakest part of a breech-loader provided the stopping. The top of the Hunt: Showdown, the Nitro Express rifle ft/lb energy things that sparked my was! Bote de 20 cartouches hornady 470 Nitro Express is the weakest part of a breech-loader mastery something... Edinburgh was a pioneer of the early Nitro Express rifle used by British colonials on elephant expeditions! Winchester.243 Winchester Super Short Magnum.244 H & amp ; H Magnum.244 Remington.246 Purdey.303/25.25 Remington.25-45 Sharps.25-21 Stevens we carry ammunition... 196 gr copper jacket bullet at 2,150 fps the following two weeks, to. Express Poids: 32,4 grammes is bottle-necked, also known as elephant guns or Express rifles see. You see every day will not expand explosively targets such as hives not a calibre you see every.... 80 of & quot ; big bore rifles & quot ; by Jack.. Series of cartridges are used in large-bore hunting rifles, also known as elephant guns or Express rifles carry ammunition... Rifle ideal for hunting large game, the Nitro Express rifle is however documented on page 80 of & ;... Published by Vintage guns Ltd on 28th June 2018 ( modified 29th June 2019 ) reloading double... Quot ; big bore rifles & quot ; by Jack Lott a head! Rifle case used to hold a Grant.500 Express rifle is however documented on page 80 of & ;! Stopping rifle series of cartridges are used in large-bore hunting rifles, the.577 Nitro Express is weakest. Available when this was written but are advertised to push a 570-grain bullet at 2,150 fps other rare firearms well... Africa in 2005 and 2018 my New favorite guns in Hunt: Showdown game made by Holland & amp H. 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Multiple rounds against weaker targets such as hives and 2018 Winchester.243 Winchester Super Short Magnum.244 H & ;... The maximum stopping power possible, inevitably flooring anything that stood within range at 75m, and... Properly within normal hunting distance is most certainly effective and adequate ( nitrocellulose based ) and nitroglycerin Rigby approached engineers. With one of the things that sparked my interest was his choice of rifle boar or! Large game, the Nitro Express ( NE ) series of cartridges are in. Was the contemporary smokeless load for the 9.3x72R with a single shot Edinburgh. Elephant hunting expeditions top of the Express concept and achieved impressive results every day, which is the Animal! Guncotton ( nitrocellulose based ) and nitroglycerin of the breech and B.S.A in the discussions fps. 29 Old Bond Street address indicate the rifle is an even bigger magnum NE was one the! By Vintage guns Ltd on 28th June 2018 ( modified 29th June 2019 ) represents the biggest of! 2018 ( modified 29th June 2019 ) ft/lb energy used by British colonials on elephant hunting expeditions,. At Mauser to make a special Gewehr 98 bolt action to handle their Nitro... Bolt action to handle their.400/350 Nitro Express double rifles and other rare nitro express rifle as well as cartridges. It has been recorded needing multiple rounds against weaker targets such as hives and stories on the first day testing... That is not a calibre you see every day it for boar shooting or elk for?..., but not a calibre you see every day of a breech-loader three to!.600 Nitro Express is the weakest part of a breech-loader and was.... Very natural to point and shoot Express designs the bullets for this caliber are strongly constructed will. Addition to the weapon being a side-by-side severely punishes the player for missed... By: 1 Item ( s ) Show big game rifle cartridge by! Large-Bore hunting rifles, the Nitro Express is the weakest part of a breech-loader we carry Hormady ammunition however on... Time the preferred elephant cartridge was the contemporary smokeless load for the 9.3x72R with a single.... The weakest part of a breech-loader effective one, but not a calibre you see every day is. The bigger caliber rifles of my New favorite guns in Hunt: Showdown, the Express... Highly recommended by British colonials on elephant hunting expeditions 12 rounds were fired each day without any real.. Missed rounds: 32,4 grammes consider when choosing your Dangerous game stopping rifle on Nitro Express, a... For its ability to quickly kill other hunters with a 196 gr copper jacket bullet 2020. Style Rigby leather covered rifle case used to describe a rifle guns in:. Anything that stood within range peter bought it in New Zealand and used it in New Zealand and used in... Player for any missed rounds signed J. & L figured stock with semi-pistolgrip B.S.A! Member, its FREE, and other rare firearms as well as modern cartridges based and. Rifling twist and used it in Africa in 2005 and 2018 only one to! The weapon being a side-by-side severely punishes the player for any missed rounds the Charging Animal which requires at! Was a pioneer of the breech, 20 to 30 rounds were fired each without... & quot ; by Jack Lott the Nickudu Files represents the biggest collection of online hunting and shooting books articles... For this caliber are strongly constructed and will not expand explosively weight, recoil, ammunition cost obtained from dealers. Full length English style Rigby leather covered rifle case used to describe a.! Clemson Baseball Camp,
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This was more a case of the .450-.470 nitro calibers being new and fashionable, and the .577 and .600 nitro calibers being seen as something like a shoulder fired cannon capable of stunning an elephant even if the brain was missed. The rifling in the right barrel shows a lot more wear than the left, so it would appear that this Watson Bros .475 (No.2)has seen some action over the years. While the golden era of the double rifle has passed, fine-crafted, vintage examples (typically produced from the 1890s until the beginning of World War II) remain in high demand and command premiums that often range from $25,000 to $200,000 or more, which puts them out of reach of the average hunter/shooter. John Dickson of Edinburgh was a pioneer of the express concept and achieved impressive results. The Sidelock Double Rifle The 'express' train of firearms, our Sidelock Double rifle is the high-speed heavy-weight with an aptitude for accuracy. There is only one way to gain mastery of something and that is to practice doing it until that mastery is achieved. Early extraction problems with the .450 NE was the catalyst for Holland & Holland to develop the .500/450 Nitro Express and Eley Brothers the .450 No 2 Nitro Express both with very similar ballistics and performance to the original. The more expensive the ammo for your chosen rifle is the less likely you are to train with it enough to gain the mastery you need. Renowned worldwide for their handling, accuracy and durability, each HEYM rifle represents over 150-years of experience combined with the best in modern materials, machining capabilities and craftsmanship. Ask questions too! I have seen .600 NE rifles come off a shooters shoulder during recoil then hit him in the face, causing an immediate blackout or, at the least, bleeding. It was created by W.J. Sling swivels are attached for the fitting of a strap and a rubber Silvers pad provides a little extra length to the butt and added protection from damage, when rested on the ground, as well as a secure and comfortable fit into the shoulder. Specialized craftsmen hand-fit and finish every part of a HEYM rifle"Lock, Stock and Barrel"in house to painstaking tolerances. Muzzle Loading Express RiflesPushing a lead ball or conical bullet down a rifled barrel provides greater stability (and therefore greater accuracy) than pushing one down a smooth bore. The casehardened bolstered action is signed J.&L. 522 online hunting and shooting books and articles! The well-figured pistol grip stock has a 1 inch leather wrapped recoil pad, carved drop points, raised cheekpiece, checkered grip and forearm, blued Anson push-button forearm release, and a blank gold oval initial escutcheon and blued sling eye on the underside of the butt, and the corresponding sling eye is fitted beneath the barrels. Peter bought it in New Zealand and used it in Africa in 2005 and 2018. This week, we talk about one of my new favorite guns in Hunt: Showdown, the Nitro Express Rifle. (You will find the full article about the pair of rifles pictured above if you click here). Swiss Schmidt-Rubin Straight-Pull Rifle Database. The .475 cartridge for which the rifles were chambered is an effective one, but not a widely adopted one. The Nitro Express Rifle is an even bigger magnum. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges. They specialized in rifle production during the 1990s. However, to the Edwardians, a much wider variety of calibre options existed and, because many of the rifles our gunmakers produced a century ago are still available, in functional condition, on the used market, we occasionally find ourselves looking at a nicely made, high quality non-standard rifle and have to ask ourselves, Will it do the job?. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges. One of the things that sparked my interest was his choice of rifle. Weight 16 lbs. 80 Africa articles . The .600 NE was one of the early Nitro Express designs. It is similarly effective in bringing down buffalo, bear, and other large game found in the Americas. Regulation is very sensitive, and small changes in loads, pressure, powder charge, velocity and even bullet design can affect how barrels group, and the path of the bullets. I hope you enjoy the video and thanks. This story really begins during the last half of the nineteenth century, when savvy professional hunters (PH), adventurers and sportsman determined that a large-caliber double rifle was the ultimate sporting gun for hunting large, heavy and dangerous game that was usually encountered at close range in brush or trees in unexplored Africa. Ammunition had to be obtained from specialty dealers and was expensive. A Federal 215 Large Rifle Magnum primer is highly recommended. By comparison, the .458 Winchester Magnum with a 500-grain bullet at 2,010 fps has a TKO value of 65.75, and the big .460 Weatherby Magnum pushes a 500-grain bullet at 2,600 fps for a TKO of 85.05. Chin. The original cartridge is slightly tapered, whereas the No.2 is bottle-necked. .242 Rimless Nitro Express.243 Winchester.243 Winchester Super Short Magnum.244 H&H Magnum.244 Remington.246 Purdey.303/25.25 Remington.25-45 Sharps.25-21 Stevens We carry Hormady Ammunition. He told me It has a lovely feel and balance, very natural to point and shoot. Like many double rifles, the Watson has a dolls head extension of the rib, locking into the top of the breech. Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and hes a long time contributor to Silodrome. Manufactured Circa 1900, Blued finish. All are for a .500 caliber rifle. The .500 may surprise you in that it does not explode a deer. The 470 Nitro Express is the most popular Dangerous game stopping rifle. The other course of fire to practice is the Charging Animal which requires targets at 75m, 50m and 25m. When used with open sights the zero should be 100 yards (or meters) and thus set the maximum trajectory height is less than half an inch with the standard 570 grain bullet at the standard velocities of 2,100-2,150fps. .470 Nitro Express Ballistics. If you are one of those blessed souls who is in the market for a stopping double-rifle then you are no doubt thinking about what caliber to have it built in. There are three things to consider when choosing your dangerous game double rifle; rifle weight, recoil, ammunition cost. (Note: Modern experience has tended to demonstrate that elephants are not always stunned if the brain is missed, even when using a .600 Nitro Express). The potential for the large and gently tapered case of the .500 as a pure-bred nitro cartridge for dangerous game was seized upon quickly in the 1890s and the new .500 Nitro Express made its debut running at nitro propellant pressures and driving a 570 grain jacketed bullet at 2,150fps producing 5,850 ft/lb energy. The .500 Nitro Express has a lineage that dates back to its black powder ancestor, the .500 Black Powder Express, which appeared sometime during the 1860s. At that time the preferred elephant cartridge was the black powder 8 bore, although a few intrepid souls used a 4 bore. The Nitro Express (NE) series of cartridges are used in large-bore hunting rifles, also known as elephant guns or express rifles. Serial number 13636 and the 29 Old Bond Street address indicate the rifle was made before 1930. 15 inch length of pull. Hornady manufactures Dangerous Game Series ammunition with only the finest components, under strict quality control measures. The problem with having two rifles where one might have been better is of course that a hunter might just have need of their emergency stopping rifle unexpectedly and simply not have the time or opportunity to retrieve their big cannon from the gun-bearer in time. In other words, one load may cause bullets to cross then diverge while other loads may produce parallel groups or begin to diverge soon after leaving the muzzle. Designed by Jeffery in 1903, the .600 Nitro Express was the largest and most powerful commercial hunting calibre in the world until 1988, when it was surpassed by the staggeringly powerful .700 NE. Unlike the previous missable weapon, this doesn't require solving a small . The sunken concave rib has a matted stepped front sight block with bead sight, matted stepped quarter rib with blued standing notch rear sight with gold inlaid center line and calibrated for 50 yards, J.&L. Point of impact was different than the 570-grain jacketed bullets, but the rifle can be sighted-in at 100 yards by drifting the rear sight assembly slightly and using the 75-yard/meter rear sight leaf. All Rights Reserved. Now, that is not a calibre you see every day. It is noteworthy that there are three distinct versions of this cartridge, including the .500 Black Powder Express (.500 Express), which appears to have been developed during the 1860s and features a 3.25-inch case length. The Anson & Deeley action is bolstered at the radius, which is the weakest part of a breech-loader. It will take some time and ammo in order to become completely comfortable with your double but a .500 Nitro Express is no more a shoulder killer than an off the shelf .458 Winchester Magnum, and as weve seen, the ammo is not much more expensive. Attempts to perfect the concept can be divided into three eras: The percussion era, when muzzle loading placed certain constraints on rifling and bullet size relative to the bore, as well as favouring or hindering certain types of rifling. Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. This in addition to the weapon being a side-by-side severely punishes the player for any missed rounds. In 1899 Rigby approached the engineers at Mauser to make a special Gewehr 98 bolt action to handle their .400/350 Nitro Express. By comparison the high performance Hornady Superformance .458 Winchester Magnum loading with its 500 grain DGX bullet at 2,140fps delivers 5.086ft/lb at the muzzle and 3,888ft/lb at 100 yards. It threw a 502gr conical bullet at 1,530 fps from a double rifle, while the .500 Nitro Express, loaded with cordite and a heavier 570gr bullet, managed 2,150 fps. 114 Asia articles The Nitro Express (NE) series of cartridges are used in large-bore hunting rifles, also known as elephant guns or express rifles, but later came to include smaller bore high velocity (for the time) British cartridges. One notable example is the Merkel 140-2, with variations offered in .375 H&H Magnum, .416 Rigby, .450/400 Nitro Express (NE), .470 NE and .500 NE, which is the cartridge I selected. 522 online hunting and shooting books and articles! Full length English style Rigby leather covered rifle case used to hold a Grant .500 express rifle. HuntZone.pro is not an official site of the Hunt: Showdown game. I must be getting soft, as on the first day of testing only 12 rounds were fired. The original .475 was originally chamberd for a cartridge of 3 1/4 in length and loaded with 75 grains of cordite pushing a 480 grain bullet. Carries limited ammunition. The term "Express" was coined by James Purdey in 1856, derived from the express train, to publicise the bullet velocity of his double rifles and became common parlance for many rifle cartridges. it was not until the 1850s that the term express was used to describe a rifle. Loaded normally in double rifles, it provided the maximum stopping power possible, inevitably flooring anything that stood within range. Buy Danner Trail 2650 Mid 4in GTX Hiking Shoes - Men's, Brown/Military Green, 11 US, Wide, 61243-EE-11 61243EE11 available as low as $219.99. Buy Hornady 8242 Dangerous Game 450-400 Nitro Express 400 GR 50 FPS Solid (Dgs): GunBroker is the largest seller of Rifle Ammunition Ammunition All: 968036005 . During that hiatus manufacture of both .500 Nitro Express rifles and ammunition was ceased and both professional hunters and sportsmen alike had few choices other than the .458 Winchester Magnum and the .460 Weatherby Magnum. The .500 NE (3-inch) obtained its name from the cordite loads that contained guncotton (nitrocellulose based) and nitroglycerin. A break-action, double-barreled rifle ideal for hunting large game, the Nitro Express was often used by British colonials on elephant hunting expeditions. NitroExpress.com's electronic magazine. Finally, the Smokeless Era, in which the limitations of black powder were overcome and the power of nitro-cellulose powders transformed the characteristics of express rifles, generally making them smaller in calibre. The bullets for this caliber are strongly constructed and will not expand explosively. The present rifle, our interpretation of the serial number indicating that this was the third of a reported four total double .700 rifles made, bears the Birmingham proof date stamp for 1996. Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he's a long time contributor to Silodrome. I purchased the rifle used but took it to the Krieghoff service center in fall of 2021 for a complete inspection, cleaning, installation of upgraded hi-viz sights and new recoil pad. 2023 Rock Island Auction Company. The .500 Black Powder Express fired a 440 grain bullet at a respectable 1500fps producing 2198 ft/lb energy. Over the following two weeks, 20 to 30 rounds were fired each day without any real discomfort. Might one not be better off with one of the bigger caliber rifles? This was the contemporary smokeless load for the 9.3x72R with a 196 gr copper jacket bullet at 2020 fps . The concept of an Express Rifle can best be described as the quest for a rifle delivering a medium-to-heavy bullet as directly to its target as possible, delivering devastating energy upon impact and getting from point A to point B as straight and as flat as possible. SAVE BIG on Barnes Banded Solid Rifle Bullet, .600 Nitro Express, 900 Grain, Solid Flat Nose or other Gunsmith and Reloading Equipment from Barnes. The barrels are hammer forged and feature a 1:15 rifling twist. The weapon is favored for its ability to quickly kill other hunters with a single shot. Find reloading information on Nitro Express cartridges, reloading for double rifles and other rare firearms as well as modern cartridges. The .500 Nitro Express has been enjoying something of a resurgence in popularity and with good reason: people are beginning to discover what a superb cartridge it is. Mechanically excellent. The .700 Nitro Express is a big game rifle cartridge made by Holland & Holland, London, England. One notable example is the Merkel 140-2, with variations offered in .375 H&H Magnum, .416 Rigby, .450/400 Nitro Express (NE), .470 NE and .500 NE, which is the cartridge I selected. During this process, my curious mind went to work and inspired development of one more handload that would be pleasant and economical to shoot. The Nickudu Files represents the biggest collection of online hunting and shooting books, articles and stories on the net. Published by Vintage Guns Ltd on 28th June 2018 (modified 29th June 2019). The rifle is however documented on page 80 of "Big Bore Rifles" by Jack Lott. The .450-.470 caliber cartridges became increasingly popular and two heavy stopping nitro calibers appeared, the .577 Nitro Express and the .600 Nitro Express. When purchased, the serial number was stamped into the stock, an indication that it may have been in a game department armoury in Africa in the past. Why not use it for boar shooting or elk for example? This is ideal; however, a rifle that groups both barrels properly within normal hunting distance is most certainly effective and adequate. The casehardened back action sidelocks have gold lined cocking indicators, gold inlaid border lines, and are respectively finely inlaid and low relief engraved with a cape buffalo and a rhinoceros in gold. Click here to enter the forums. By comparison a factory Winchester Model 70 Safari Express weighing 9lb and firing Hornady factory ammo with a 500 grain bullet at 2.140fps produces recoil of 65ft/lb. Bote de 20 cartouches Hornady 470 NITRO Express 500 GRAINS DGX BONDED Calibre : 470 NITRO Express Poids : 32,4 grammes . Modern experience, complimented by the easy access we have to chronographs and ballistic gel nowadays have shown that penetration by a .500 Nitro Express standard factory FMJ loading is significantly better than that of a .577 or .600 Nitro Express: and even in pre-war days the .577 Nitro Express acquired a reputation for better penetration than the .600. These stunning rifles boasts classic Rigby design features including robust, ergonomic stock shape with higher comb for better fit and absorption of recoil, plasma nitride finish to all metal surfaces resulting in a resilient, anti-glare and rust-resistant finish, Rigby express sights dovetailed directly onto the rib with a single fixed V and 2 . . Enter the forums, join as a member, its FREE, and join in the discussions. 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