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.300 Sherwood | ||||||||
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Type | Rifle | |||||||
Place of origin | United Kingdom | |||||||
Production history | ||||||||
Designer | Westley Richards | |||||||
Designed | 1901 | |||||||
Produced | 1901 | |||||||
Specifications | ||||||||
Case type | Rimmed, straight | |||||||
Bullet diameter | .300 in (7.6 mm) | |||||||
Neck diameter | .318 in (8.1 mm) | |||||||
Base diameter | .320 in (8.1 mm) | |||||||
Rim diameter | .370 in (9.4 mm) | |||||||
Case length | 1.54 in (39 mm) | |||||||
Overall length | 2.02 in (51 mm) | |||||||
Ballistic performance | ||||||||
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Source(s): Cartridges of the World. [1] |
The .300 Sherwood, also known as the .300 Extra Long and the .300 Westley, is an obsolete centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Westley Richards.
The .300 Sherwood is a straight, rimmed cartridge that fires a 140 gr (9.1 g) bullet, driven by 8.5 gr (0.55 g) of cordite, at a listed speed of 1,400 ft/s (430 m/s). The bullet calibre is .300 in (7.6 mm) as opposed to the more common .308 in (7.8 mm).
The cartridge was available in both solid lead and the then revolutionary LT-capped [note 1] bullets were available. [1]
The .300 Sherwood was introduced by Westley Richards in 1901 in response to W.W. Greener's .310 Cadet cartridge. [1] The cartridge was created by lengthening the much milder .300 Rook. [3]
As expected, the first rifles chambered for it were made by Westley Richards both in a miniature Martini actioned single-shot rifle and the "Sherwood" target rifle, [4] a modified takedown Martini actioned rifle with an easily removable barrel and a detachable lock mechanism held in place by a thumb screw. [3]
Later other manufacturers produced rifles in the caliber including BSA, Vickers and Francotte, whilst high end double rifles were produced by Holland & Holland and Westley Richards. As recently as 2002, Westley Richards produced a double rifle in the .300 Sherwood. [4]
The .300 Sherwood was a notably accurate target round, but arrived at the point when miniature rifle shooting was moving towards the .22 Long Rifle, shorter ranges and more indoor competition. [5]
Whilst a noted target round, the .300 Sherwood was also used for hunting, it was considered more suited for small deer than for small game. [5]
Henry Sharp, in his 1906 book Modern Sporting Gunnery, quotes hunters in British Columbia who used the .300 Sherwood to kill bears, bighorn sheep, and one verified caribou at 220 yd (200 m). [3]
The .303 British or 7.7×56mmR, is a .303-inch (7.7 mm) calibre rimmed rifle cartridge. The .303 inch bore diameter is measured between rifling lands as is the common practice in Europe which follows the traditional black powder convention.
The double rifle, also known as a double-barreled rifle, is a rifle with two barrels mounted parallel to each other. Synonymous with big game hunting found primarily in Africa and Asia, the double rifle is a sporting weapon with very little military heritage.
The .577/450 Martini–Henry is a black powder, centrefire rifle cartridge. It was the standard British service cartridge from the early 1870s that went through two changes from the original brass foil wrapped case to the drawn brass of two parts, the case and the primer. The .577/450 Martini–Henry was introduced with the Martini–Henry, in service it succeeded the .577 Snider cartridge and was used by all arms of the British armed forces as well British colonial forces throughout the British Empire until it was itself succeeded by the .303 British cartridge after an unsuccessful trial of a .402 calibre.
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 shikars.
The .310 Cadet, also known as the .310 Greener, or the .310 Martini, is a centerfire rifle cartridge, introduced in 1900 by W.W. Greener as a target round for the Martini Cadet rifle. Firing a 120 grain heeled lead projectile at 1350 ft/s the round is similar in performance to the .32-20 Winchester and some rifles may chamber both rounds with some accuracy. The full metal jacketed round was used in cadet rifles in Australia and New Zealand after early 20th-century Defence Acts. In New Zealand, after the start of the Boer War, a cadet corps had been started; by 1901 it was recommended that membership be compulsory. 500 Westley-Richards miniature Martini–Henry rifles were available by October 1902, and 5000 by April 1903 (Star). Such rifles gained popularity in Australia, New Zealand and the United States when thousands of Martini Cadet rifles were sold by the Australian government after World War II. A shorter version used as a humane killer was used in pistols. Known as the .310 cattle killer, invented by WW Greener, it was shorter in that a .310 cadet could not be accidentally chambered into the humane killer pistol.
The rook rifle, originally called the rook and rabbit rifle, is an obsolete English single-shot small calibre rifle intended for shooting small game, particularly rook shooting.
The .333 Jeffery and .333 Jeffery Flanged are medium-bore rifle cartridges developed by W.J. Jeffery & Co and introduced in 1908.
The .318 Westley Richards, also known as the .318 Rimless Nitro Express and the .318 Accelerated Express, is a proprietary medium bore centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Westley Richards.
The .255 Jeffery Rook, also known as the .255 Jeffery Rook Rifle, is an obsolete small bore firearm cartridge.
The .400 Purdey, also known as the .400 3-inch Straight and .400 Purdey Light Express 3-inch, is an obsolete rifle cartridge developed by James Purdey & Sons.
The .300 Rook, also known as the .295 Rook, is an obsolete centerfire rifle cartridge.
The .297/250 Rook is an obsolete centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Holland & Holland.
The .360 No 5 Rook is an obsolete centerfire rifle cartridge.
The .380 Long [9.8 x 24mmR], also known as the .380 Rook rifle, is an obsolete centerfire rifle cartridge.
The .400/360 Nitro Express cartridges are a number of very similar, but not interchangeable, centerfire rifle cartridges developed by James Purdey & Sons, William Evans, Westley Richards and Fraser of Edinburgh, all at the beginning of the 20th century.
The .360 No 2 Nitro Express is a centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Eley Brothers and introduced in 1905.
The ball and shot gun, often also known by the marketing name paradox gun, is a shotgun capable of firing both shot and solid projectiles. First built by Holland and Holland, the term paradox is a proprietary name applied to these guns by Holland and Holland.
The .500/450 No 1 Black Powder Express, known in its day as the .500/450 No 1 Express, was a centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Westley Richards and introduced in the late 1870s.
The .297/230 Morris Short and .297/230 Morris Long are two obsolete centerfire firearm cartridges developed as sub-caliber training rounds for the British Martini–Henry rifle.
The .375/303 Westley Richards Accelerated Express, also known as the .375/303 Axite, is an obsolete medium bore rifle cartridge.