This is a slight modification from original, with some precious metal inserted to provide a distinct visual bead. So the .500 Nitro Express delivers about 30% more 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. The Black Powder Express class of cartridges for rifles is legion and starts with fairly small bullets of around .360, moving through .400 to ,450, .500 and, finally, .577. 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. Much of the interest in the classic British big game rifles and cartridges was in the United States and as a consequence a number of American ammunition manufacturers put some of the more popular classic cartridges into production. Nitro Express RiflesWhen smokeless powders, with their increased power to move a bullet at speed, became available, everything changed. The Watson Bros is a good example of how some of the less widely understood calibres designed for sporting use, but rendered obsolete in the 1960s, as ammunition for them ceased to be listed in manufacturers catalogues, can quite easily be prepared for another lifetime of proper hunting. It threw a 502 grain conical bullet at 1,530 fps from a double rifle, while the .500 Nitro Express, loaded with Cordite and a heavier, .570 grain bullet managed 2,150 fps. Australian company Woodleigh Bullets had become a mainstay maker of British big game rifle bullets during the hiatus and, along with cases made by Bell Laboratories, were key to keeping these dangerous game rifles shooting in the period of the 1970s and 1980s. . The cartridge was released to the commercial market in 1907 for large and dangerous game hunting in warm climates. Thus we can see that a double-rifle in .500 Nitro Express is not a lot heavier than a typical heavy sporting rifle: it is of a weight that most people can manage to carry and wield comfortably. Might one not be better off with one of the bigger caliber rifles? the NitroExpress.com Forums are for you. What resulted was a rush by British rifle and ammunition makers to develop a substitute, Holland & Holland created the .500/465 Nitro Express, Joseph Lang the .470 Nitro Express, an unidentified firm the .475 Nitro Express, Eley Brothers the .475 No 2 Nitro Express and Westley Richards the .476 Nitro Express,[2] with the .470 NE becoming the most popular. All Rights Reserved. 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. Upon assembling the rifle for the first time, it was noted that the barrels fit the receiver with extreme precision and were tight to open and close. The Watson Bros rifle under discussion is a quality piece. The energy delivery difference between the two is huge. Enter the Forums - Join the Forums. . Cases were charged with 36.0 grains of Hodgdon Trail Boss, which filled the case 100 percent. To increase durability and strength, it features the famous Greener cross bolt and conventional double bottom bite locking system. Ballistics and Drop for the .470 Nitro Express. The steel barrels are twenty-four inches long and the proof stamps indicate a maximum cordite charge of 85 grains and a bullet weight of 480. If you are interested in Double Rifles, Classic and Vintage Guns, Big Game Hunting, Safaris, The .500 Nitro for Black Powder drove a 440 grain bullet at 1,900fps producing 3,258 ft/lb energy. that you must be at least 18 years old to purchase shotgun ammunition and 21 years or older to purchase handgun and rifle ammunition. Find reloading information on Nitro Express cartridges, reloading for double rifles and other rare firearms as well as modern cartridges. A shooter with experience dealing with heavy-recoiling rifles probably wont have any real difficulties in mastering it. These makers are the ones with a long and solid history of making double rifles, ones who bring years of experience to the bench and ultimately to the rifle. As an example the Holland & Holland double-rifle pictured above tips the scales at 10lb 13oz. Merkel uses a combination of modern manufacturing or tooling with hand fitting, polish and barrel regulation. It was a boxlock ejector in .475 (No.2) nitro express. However, the double eight weighed 13 1/2lbs, with the .500 weighing just 9lbs. Extremely easy to miss and found after a major required boss battle. You can make up your own practice courses of fire but the ones created for the SSAA Big Game rifle clubs in Australia are good. [1] Rigby soon solved the problems with the .450 NE which quickly became the standard big-game cartridge used throughout Britains African colonies and India. Ruger No.1-H Tropical .450/400 Nitro Express rifle review Manufacturer: Ruger A single-shot rifle may not be to everyone?s taste, but if you are a little more discerning, the Ruger No.1 is a beautifully crafted and great-looking rifle, especially in its Tropical format. However, if the bullet is pushed too hard by a large powder charge, the soft lead is simply stripped by the rifling and the benefit lost. Enjoy discussions and gunsmithing topics on building double rifles. Traditional ballistics list a .510-inch, 570-grain bullet with a muzzle velocity around 2,150 fps (as listed by Kynoch), which generates 5,860 foot-pounds. It is similarly effective in bringing down buffalo, bear, and other large game found in the Americas. These modified bullets expand and shred on impact, causing severe bleeding. Experiments with bullets included varying the hardness of the lead (or alloy), altering the shape and length bullets and even casting them to fit the grooves in the rifling. Very fine "factory fresh" condition with only the slightest handling and storage marks. Cartridge Type: Rifle Height: 3.25" Width: 0.655" Average FPS: 2134 Average . Purdey likened it to an express train because it went straight and fast to its destination. .577 Nitro Express 650 Grain Cutting Edge Solids- The .577 Nitro Express is a large bore centerfire rifle cartridge designed for the purpose of hunting large game such as elephant.This cartridge is used almost exclusively in single shot and double express rifles for hunting in the Tropics or hot climates in general and is a cartridge associated with the Golden Age of African safaris and Indian . Carries limited ammunition. We are the first and best forum for Double Rifles. Energy levels are typically around 5,850ft/lb at the muzzle and about 4,535ft/lb at 100 yards. Suddenly, instead of muzzle velocities of between 1,400 and 1,600 fps, new .500 and .450 rifles could now achieve between 1,900 and 2,150 fps with bullets from 350 grains to 570 grains in weight. Black powder express rifles were most effective at ranges of up to about 250 yards. German-based Merkel has been building fine sporting guns since about 1898. endearin. There are three pictures of the rifle and the caption describes the custom, return to zero scope mounts. So the .500 Nitro Express could be used on non-dangerous plains game out to about 250 yards, especially if fitted with a telescopic sight in quick detachable mounts. 66 Asia books The big .500 Nitro offers the large-caliber, bone-breaking and deep-penetration qualities that are required to reach the vitals of Africas heaviest game under all conditions and is generally considered a stopping cartridge, but it is also fun to shoot! Both problems were remedied by adding a 1.5-inch custom lace-on leather pad, and the extra length of pull made a huge difference. If you enjoy big game hunting around the world and safaris, enjoy the stories and photos and share your own. Shown for comparison is the (left to right): .30-06, .458 Winchester Magnum and the .500 Nitro Express (3-inch). NitroExpress.com's electronic magazine. 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. If you are interested in Double Rifles, Classic and Vintage Guns, Big Game Hunting, Safaris, The stippled effect continues onto the quarter rib, onto which one ramp and two folding leaf-sights are mounted. Development work on the .600 NE most probably took place in the late 1890's . Rigby .450 Nito Express double rifle, 1906, Class C, engraved, ejectors, express, superb accuracy, l. Rigby .450 Nitro Express. (You will find the full article about the pair of rifles pictured above if you click here). Some useful phrases for the Modern Teacher; Stuff you NEVER do in Class! The real game changer was Cordite, which arrived in the late 1880s and revolutionised the nature of sporting rifles; express rifles included. If you enjoy big game hunting around the world and safaris, enjoy the stories and photos and share your own. In 1907 the British Army banned all .450 calibre (as well as .303 and .577, two other military calibres) sporting rifles and ammunition from importation into India and East Africa, the two major destinations for .450 NE rifles and ammunition. The Nickudu Files represents the biggest collection of online hunting and shooting books, articles and stories on the net. They claimed they would never make another, so the price burst higher. We encounter the term in its abbreviated form today, when perusing ammunition lists or auction catalogues. Shop By. He acquired the rifle from a N.Z gun shop and had it restored by an ex-Purdey gunmaker resident there at the time. The front sight is a standard gold bead. The barrels are hammer forged and feature a 1:15 rifling twist. (You will find the sale page for the double-rifle pictured above if you click here). Whilst more powerful, the .500, .577 and .600 NE rifles were all too heavy for everyday use and remained specialist tools for the professional hunter, the .450s remained the most popular, but political events were to soon change this. Editor's Note: The original price of $115,000 for a .700 H&H back in 1990 now looks like quite a deal. The bullet diameter is 0.411 inches. 15 inch length of pull. Typ 56 SKS; SIG Assault Rifle 522 (KK) SIG Assault Rifle . During the late 1970s when I first began shooting and experimenting with big-bore double rifles, ammunition was very difficult to find in the U.S. and was generally considered obsolete. The Rhino Express Double Rifle chambered in .416 Rigby .470 Nitro and .500 Nitro is one of Rizzini's finest products to come out of their shop. The sight picture is straight down the rib and the front sight shows clearly even with a dark background. This was to quickly prove itself on the game fields of Africa and Asia where its advantages over such behemoths as the 8 bore black powder elephant rifles became apparent. Assuming a 4 vital zone the Maximum Point Blank Range calculation comes up at 180yards, and if zeroed at 200 yards the trajectory height at 100-150 yards only slightly exceeds 4 with the Barnes Triple Shock X bullet which has a spitzer point and a ballistic coefficient of .369. The sight picture is straight down the rib and the front sight shows clearly even with a dark background. To complicate matters further, the No.2 Eley and No.2 Jeffery differ enough to not be interchangeable, the Jeffery using a slightly larger diameter bullet. This led to the .500 Nitro Express being somewhat less popular yet this was not a case of its being in any way inadequate. The hunter wanted to be able to look at his target, engage it and kill it without the necessity for adjusting sights or allowing for range and bullet drop. They are named after the propellant they use, cordite, which is composed of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine. Weight 16 lbs. If you are able to send your used brass, we may be able to produce this product for you. Continental makers included Merkel and Francotte. This was especially advantageous for users of double rifles, which were often used in cover, where a rapid, shotgun-like mount brought the rifle to the shoulder for a quickly-taken shot at a moving, or fleetingly seen, quarry; one which was often dangerous. If you enjoy big game hunting around the world and safaris, enjoy the stories and photos and share your own. Over the following two weeks, 20 to 30 rounds were fired each day without any real discomfort. The weapon is also mounted with a bulky peep sight, greatly restricting the players vision when they use the weapons irons. Why not use it for boar shooting or elk for example? Commentaries on various calibres, nitro express cartridges and firearms. The stock is strong and dark, with some figure and a pistol-grip. (Black Powder Express). Nitro propellants gave rise to a number of dangerous game cartridges in the years around the turn of the century prior to the First World War which created significant competition for the .500 Nitro Express. [1], With the success of the .450 NE, various people (it is not clear who) decided to follow Rigbys example and load the old .450/400 Black Powder Express, .500 Black Powder Express and .577 Black Powder Express cartridges with cordite, creating the .450/400 Nitro Express, .500 Nitro Express and .577 Nitro Express, the latter two offering greater power than the .450s at the expense of greater rifle weight and recoil. The other issue is the need to practice with two rifles to be equally competent with both. They were loaded to higher pressures and not intended to be fired in rifles designed for black powder, which by comparison were not as strong. The .600 NE was one of the early Nitro Express designs. Because when push comes to shove, real-world knock down power comes from precise shot placement with a bullet that reliably penetrates as it delivers its dose of hydrostatic shock. 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. As we have seen, the .500 Nitro Express delivers about 30% more power (as measured in energy) by comparison with a .458 Winchester Magnum, and does it with almost the same recoil, in a rifle that is only 1lb heavier. Wonderful find . The .475s origins stem from the same root as the more popular .470 Nitro Express, created by Lang, in 1907, to work around the British ban on .450 ammunition for civilian use in much of the Empire; a move which saw the demise of the, then commonly used, .450 Nitro Express. They are straight and beautifully machined. The .500 NE (3-inch) obtained its name from the cordite loads that contained guncotton (nitrocellulose based) and nitroglycerin. ! 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. The Nitro uses Special Nitro ammo with unique damage ratios: 9 solvent, No. 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. 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