The Merkel features precision machining, automatic selective ejectors and a Greener cross bolt. 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. Last edited on 19 December 2022, at 06:43, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nitro_Express&oldid=1128257946, This page was last edited on 19 December 2022, at 06:43. Register your details here for invitations to events and special offers from The Vintage Gun Journal, Vintage Guns Ltd 2023. The main difference was the wider use made of the .470 by well-known makers, while the .475 remained the preserve of but a few; Watson Bros being one of them. All are for a .500 caliber rifle. A good indication of the improvement in performance that cordite offered is the .577 Magnum Express black-powder rifle, one of the most powerful BPE cartridges ever devised. plastic butt-plate, sling-eyes, the barrel, engraved Proved & Sighted for the Mark VII .303 High Velocity Cartridge , with 'Express' open-sights, sighted from 100 to 1000 yards, and block-mounted bead-foresight Weight 7lb. The Nickudu Files represents the biggest collection of online hunting and shooting books, articles and stories on the net. 44 Africa books The stippled effect continues onto the quarter rib, onto which one ramp and two folding leaf-sights are mounted. Second, the Breech-Loading Era, in which the ability to load the cartridge into a chamber, without having to negotiate two feet of rifled barrel to seat the bullet. It was a boxlock ejector in .475 (No.2) nitro express. Plus members articles inaddition to numerous articles in other parts of the forums. 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. Because the wings fitted neatly into the broad grooves and did not strip, even when propelled by heavy charges, the result was a long point blank range, flat trajectory and a high bullet speed for weight ratio. The sight picture is straight down the rib and the front sight shows clearly even with a dark background. (tinker) - 09/02/23 11:05 PM Hunt Swaps . Subscribe to Alrik on YouTube! 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 . How different are they? The Watson Bros rifle under discussion is a quality piece. Continental makers included Merkel and Francotte. Nowadays there is an elegant sufficiency of readily available ammunition for rifles that will prove effective on the likes of elephant, hippo, and buffalo, and so for the prospective double-rifle buyer the world is your oyster. 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. It does, however, come with its own drawbacks. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. Crown & King Auto-5 vs Nitro Express Rifle, Nitro Express Rifle vs Mosin-Nagant M1891 Avtomat, Winfield M1873C Vandal Deadeye vs Nitro Express Rifle. 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. There is no such thing as overkill, there is only underkill. Both these cartridges were good for boar, deer and antelope species but were not intended for dangerous game. 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. Hornady manufactures Dangerous Game Series ammunition with only the finest components, under strict quality control measures. Double rifles are extremely expensive, starting at about $10,000 and selling upwards of $260,000 USD in 2015, and have generally been replaced by repeater-rifles using rounds such as the . A Newly Manufactured Holland & Holland .500 NE bore 'Royal' Side by Side Double Rifle.Back-action and bolstered, hand-detachable sidelock design. The Nitro uses Special Nitro ammo with unique damage ratios: He considered the .475 a very effective round for elephant in all its variants. 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. These courses of fire serve as examples of the sort of training one needs to do with a double-rifle for dangerous game. Weight is 11lbs 1oz with a balance point an inch and a half ahead of the hinge pin. It can deal tremendous amounts of damage to bosses, a pair of Nitro equipped hunters being able to kill a bounty within moments. The .577 however, is quite an uncommon calibre and there are, to my knowledge, only a handful of gunmakers remaining who undertake to make this and other similar 'large' bore double rifles. So, by comparison with the Weatherby, the recoil of the .500 Nitro Express and the .458 Winchester Magnum should seem as gentle as a maidens caress! 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. Among the dangerous game cartridges which successfully made the transition to earn its place as the industry standard is the .450 3-inch Nitro Express. Bolting is by the conventional means of a Purdey double under-bolt. Nitro Express RiflesWhen smokeless powders, with their increased power to move a bullet at speed, became available, everything changed. 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. Woodleigh Bullets continues to be the most comprehensive supplier of bullets for the old British classic cartridges. 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 stock was too short for my 6-foot, 4-inch frame, which caused more punishment to my cheek than desired, and the trigger guard would bump my second finger when firing the right barrel (front trigger). The Sidelock Double Rifle The 'express' train of firearms, our Sidelock Double rifle is the high-speed heavy-weight with an aptitude for accuracy. It's definitely not a long-range cartridge; when zeroed for 100 yards, the 500 grain Woodleigh slugs will drop eight inches at 200 yards. Both are considered elephant-stopping rounds. Those after African big game exclusively may prefer a .470 or a .500 and those with a serious liking for horsepower may even opt for a .577, if buffalo and elephants are the quarry. He had ammunition hand-loaded according to Graeme Wrights data in Shooting the British Double Rifle and has about 20 rounds left. . Over the following two weeks, 20 to 30 rounds were fired each day without any real discomfort. This week, we talk about one of my new favorite guns in Hunt: Showdown, the Nitro Express Rifle. .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 . If you are interested in Double Rifles, Classic and Vintage Guns, Big Game Hunting, Safaris, 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. Boasting its own specialty ammo, it has the capability to kill a healthy hunter in a single shot within close to medium ranges. 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. It . 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. The debate around the best calibre for Africa has raged since the nitro express rifles we recognise today first burst onto the scene, as the nineteenth century turned into the twentieth. Crafted over a 15-year period by N.J. Makinson & Son, this spectacular .600 Nitro Express is the only rifle of this caliber Makinson ever produced and one of approximately 30 firearms which comprise their total output. 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. Jeffrey, a man who would go on to design some of the best cartridges and the rifles to fire them in, such as the .404 Jeffrey and the .500 Jeffrey, both of which are back in production. 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. Going off the German-sounding manufacturer name, it is most likely based off of a specific rifle manufactured by either Heym or Hartmann & Weiss. As an example the Holland & Holland double-rifle pictured above tips the scales at 10lb 13oz. Also member's We encounter the term in its abbreviated form today, when perusing ammunition lists or auction catalogues. The .500 may surprise you in that it does not explode a deer. They also feature Boxer-primed cases, and U.S.-produced bullets are readily available, which make it easy for handloaders to assemble loads. 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. One of the more popular cartridges is the .500 NE (3-inch) that was developed by UK-based Westley Richards around 1890. 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. [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. However, it was not until the 1850s that the term express was used to describe a rifle and the coiner of the phrase was not John Dickson, but James Purdey, the second of his name, (to borrow a Game of Thrones line). 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. The Full-Length Sizer Die brings the case to SAAMI minimum cartridge dimensions. We carry Hormady Ammunition. 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. The other issue is the need to practice with two rifles to be equally competent with both. I first encountered one of these in Tanzania in 2014. Peter bought it in New Zealand and used it in Africa in 2005 and 2018. Using the Federal factory ammo driving the Barnes Triple Shock X bullet at 2,100fps and a 200 yard zero the drop at 225 yards is 2.81, and at 250 yards it is 6.42. The front sight features a traditional gold bead. The rifle is however documented on page 80 of "Big Bore Rifles" by Jack Lott. The blued chopperlump barrels are engraved with a band of stylized scrollwork at the breech end. Anderson Wheeler Mark VII .357 Magnum Revolver, .458 Winchester Magnum ammo on Midway USA is listed around USD$100-$180 per box of 20, .375 Holland & Holland Magnum ammo sells for USD$60-$96 per box of 20, Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading, 9th Edition. There are three things to consider when choosing your dangerous game double rifle; rifle weight, recoil, ammunition cost. Although still a challenge, more hunters can master the recoil of the .500 NE than the heavy stopping cartridges such as the .577 and .600 NE, making it a practical choice. If you enjoy big game hunting around the world and safaris, enjoy the stories and photos and share your own. If you are looking for a stopping double-rifle cartridge, one with a track-record that stretches back to the nineteenth century, then the .500 Nitro Express may be for you. 450 Nitro Express 3 1/4" 480 gr DGS. 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. Enjoy discussions and gunsmithing topics on building double rifles. Commentaries on various calibres, nitro express cartridges and firearms. List of rifle cartridges, by primer type, calibre and name. The .470 and the .475 are both necked-up versions of the .450 case and are very similar in performance. The whole has fine classic English scroll engraving. The real game changer was Cordite, which arrived in the late 1880s and revolutionised the nature of sporting rifles; express rifles included. Enjoy extensive archives of Double Rifle pictures, Mausers, Mannlichers, Lee Speeds, Combination guns, single shots, fine shotguns and other vintage firearms as well as modern ones.. In a good double rifle, the .450 Nitro makes a great choice for elephant, hippo and buffalo, effectively taking all three for well over a century. About 1900 W.J. The 480 grain bullet with which the .475 was generally loaded, was pushed at 2,175 feet per second. per page . A .500 Nitro Express double rifle is typically built to weigh 10.5lb-11lb. Machining is well executed, and the firing pins are bushed. GET YOUR CLOTHING HERE! The rifle handles like a shotgun, being instinctive to put to the shoulder and fire quickly. Enter the forums, join as a member, its FREE, and join in the discussions. It was being used by professional hunter Danny McCallum, for whom it had done trusty service for decades. 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. The next version is the .500 Nitro for Black Powder that was loaded with cordite and first appeared in the 1890s. The casehardened bolstered action is signed J.&L. Purdey used a conical bullet with protruding wings, which fitted the two broad grooves which formed the rifling. Published by Vintage Guns Ltd on 28th June 2018 (modified 29th June 2019). Moderator: CptCurl : 3510 . These modified bullets expand and shred on impact, causing severe bleeding. The Nickudu Files on the NitroExpress.com eMagazine. When fired from each barrel, the load grouped well at 100 yards and was good enough to hunt any big game at that distance. 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. Sort By: 1 Item(s) Show. The introduction of this rifle in 1900 was the birth of the magnum length bolt action, paving the way for such cartridges as the .375 H&H and .416 Rigby[3]. 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. The foresight is a blade with a flat face, showing as a bead when mounted. 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 Nitro Express Rifle is an even bigger magnum. 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