.333 Jeffery

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.333 Jeffery
Image from page 388 of "Rod and gun" (1898) (14783340512).jpg
TypeRifle
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In serviceUK
Used byBritish Army
WarsWorld War I
Production history
Designer W.J. Jeffery & Co
Designed1908
Manufacturer W.J. Jeffery & Co
Specifications
Parent case .404 Jeffery
Case typeRimless, bottlenecked
Bullet diameter.333 in (8.5 mm)
Neck diameter.359 in (9.1 mm)
Shoulder diameter.496 in (12.6 mm)
Base diameter.540 in (13.7 mm)
Rim diameter.538 in (13.7 mm)
Rim thickness.050 in (1.3 mm)
Case length2.48 in (63 mm)
Overall length3.48 in (88 mm)
Case capacity84.0  gr H2O (5.44 cm3)
Primer typeKynoch # 59
Maximum pressure46,000 psi (320 MPa)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/typeVelocityEnergy
250 gr (16 g) SP2,500 ft/s (760 m/s)3,480 ft⋅lbf (4,720 J)
300 gr (19 g) SP2,200 ft/s (670 m/s)3,230 ft⋅lbf (4,380 J)
Test barrel length: 28 inches
Source(s): Kynoch [1] & Barnes [2]
.333 Jeffery Flanged
Specifications
Case typeRimmed, bottlenecked
Bullet diameter.333 in (8.5 mm)
Neck diameter.356 in (9.0 mm)
Shoulder diameter.484 in (12.3 mm)
Base diameter.544 in (13.8 mm)
Rim diameter.625 in (15.9 mm)
Case length2.50 in (64 mm)
Overall length3.49 in (89 mm)
Primer typelarge rifle
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/typeVelocityEnergy
250 gr (16 g) SP2,400 ft/s (730 m/s)3,200 ft⋅lbf (4,300 J)
300 gr (19 g) SP2,150 ft/s (660 m/s)3,090 ft⋅lbf (4,190 J)
Test barrel length: 28 inches
Source(s): Kynoch [1] & Barnes. [2]

The .333 Jeffery and .333 Jeffery Flanged are medium-bore rifle cartridges developed by W.J. Jeffery & Co and introduced in 1908.

Contents

Design

The .333 Jeffery and the .333 Jeffery Flanged are both bottlenecked centerfire rifle cartridges. Originally both cartridges were released with two factory loads, one with a bullet of 250 grains (16 g) and the other with a bullet of 300 grains (19 g). [2] [3]

.333 Jeffery

The .333 Jeffery, also known as the .333 Jeffery Rimless Nitro Express or as the .333 Rimless Nitro Express, is a rimless cartridge intended for use in magazine rifles. It is derived from the .404 Jeffery and can be used in both standard and magnum-length Mauser 98 actions. It fires the 250-grain bullet at 2,500 feet per second (760 m/s) and the 300-grain bullet at 2,200 feet per second (670 m/s). [2] [3] [4]

.333 Jeffery Flanged

The .333 Jeffery Flanged or .333 Flanged Nitro Express is the rimmed version of the .333 Jeffery, intended for use in single-shot and double rifles. It is loaded to slightly lower velocities than the rimless .333 Jeffery, firing the 250-grain bullet at 2,400 feet per second (730 m/s) and the 300-grain bullet at 2,150 feet per second (660 m/s). [2] [3]

History

Upon its introduction in 1908, the .333 Jeffery firing the 300 grain bullet quickly developed an excellent reputation due to the very high sectional density and exceptional penetration of the round. Unfortunately the original 250 grain bullet was a copper-capped hollowpoint that was too fragile to be fired at 2,500 feet per second, making it unpopular and marring the .333 Jeffery's reputation for some time. The .333 Jeffery Flanged never enjoyed the popularity of its rimless counterpart, this has been attributed to Jeffery's initial reluctance to regulate double rifles in this round for the 300 grain loading. [5] [3] [6]

The .333 Jeffery was somewhat overshadowed by the arrival of the .375 Holland & Holland in 1912. As with many British proprietary cartridges, the .333 Jeffery was forced into obsolescence when Kynoch suspended ammunition manufacturing in the 1960s, Kynamco resumed manufacture of the Kynoch range of cartridges in the 1990s meaning the ammunition is again commercially available, although no firearms manufacturers make factory rifles in .333 Jeffery today. [4] [5]

Use

The .333 Jeffery was not intended for dangerous game; however, due to the excellent penetration of the 300-grain round, it has been used successfully on all African game species up to and including elephant. In his African Rifles and Cartridges, John "Pondoro" Taylor wrote of the .333 Jeffery, "Time and again have I driven it the length of an animal’s body, and cut the perfectly mushroomed bullet out of his hindquarters. I have never had one break up." [2] [3]

Sir Alfred Sharpe used a bolt-actioned .333 Jeffery rifle extensively for hunting in Africa, using it to hunt elephant and other game. [7]

The cartridge was very similar in performance to the .318 Westley Richards. The .280 Jeffery was created by W.J. Jeffery & Co by necking down the .333 Jeffery to .288 inches (7.3 mm). [4]

WWI service

In 1914 and early 1915, German snipers were engaging British Army positions with impunity from behind steel plates that were impervious to .303 British ball ammunition. In an attempt to counter this threat, the British War Office purchased a number of larger calibre sporting rifles from British rifle makers, including .333 Jeffery rifles. [8]

In his Sniping in France 1914-18, MAJ H. Hesketh-Prichard, DSO, MC, stated "I proceeded to try on these plates all kinds of rifles, from Jeffery’s high velocity .333 to heavy elephant guns of various bores, and was delighted to find the bullets from the .333, as well as the elephant guns, pierced them like butter." [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

Express (weaponry) term applicable to rifles and ammunition

The term express was first applied to hunting rifles and ammunition beginning in the middle 19th century, to indicate a rifle or ammunition capable of higher than typical velocities. The early express cartridges used a heavy charge of black powder to propel a lightweight, often hollow point bullet, at high velocities to maximize point blank range. Later the express cartridges were loaded with nitrocellulose based gunpowder, leading to the Nitro Express cartridges, the first of which was the .450 Nitro Express.

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 British cartridges.

The .600 Nitro Express is a large bore Nitro Express rifle cartridge developed by W.J. Jeffery & Co for the purpose of hunting large game such as elephant.

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.

.375 H&H Magnum Rifle cartridge

The .375 H&H Magnum also known as .375 Holland & Holland Magnum is a medium-bore rifle cartridge introduced in 1912 by London based gunmaker Holland & Holland. The .375 H&H cartridge featured a belt to ensure the correct headspace, which otherwise might be unreliable, given the narrow shoulder of the cartridge case. The cartridge was designed to use cordite which was made in long strands – hence the tapered shape of the case, which, as a beneficial side effect also helped in smooth chambering and extraction from a rifle's breech.

The 9.5×57mm Mannlicher–Schönauer (MS) cartridge was adopted for the M-1910 MS rifle and carbine in 1910.. The 9.5×57mm MS is also known as the 9.5×56mm MS, the 9.5×56.7mm MS, and the .375 Rimless Nitro Express (RNE) × 2¼. The cartridge may have been created by Westley-Richards and Eley in 1908, but no production rifles in this caliber have been found prior to the M-1910. This development by or on behalf of Steyr was probably an answer to the development by the noted British gunmaking firm of Holland & Holland in 1905 of their .400/375 Belted Nitro Express, designed for their specially modified Mannlicher–Schoenauer rifle. Whether the development of the 9.5×57mm Mannlicher–Schoenauer cartridge originated with OWS or with Holland's British competitor, Westley Richards certainly was the principal promoter of the new 1910 Model Mannlicher–Schoenauer rifle as evidenced by catalogs of the time. The 9.5×57mm MS is the last pre-war proprietary cartridge by Steyr and their most powerful until the recent advent of the .376 Steyr, which has its antecedents in the 9.5×57mm.

.450 Nitro Express also known as the .450 Nitro Express 3¼-inch is a rifle cartridge designed for hunting dangerous game such as elephant, rhino, cape buffalo, lion, and leopard. This cartridge is used almost exclusively in double rifles for hunting in the Tropics or hot climates in general and is associated with the Golden Age of African safaris and Indian shikars.

.505 Gibbs rifle cartridge

The .505 Gibbs cartridge was designed by George Gibbs in 1911. The cartridge was originally known as the .505 Rimless Nitro Express. The C.I.P. refers to the cartridge as the 505 Mag. Gibbs in their publications. It is a .50 caliber (12.8 mm) rimless bottlenecked cartridge intended for magazine-fed rifles.

.404 Jeffery Rifle cartridge

The .404 Jeffery is a rifle cartridge designed for hunting large, dangerous game animals, such as the "Big Five" of Africa. The cartridge is standardized by the C.I.P. and is also known as .404 Rimless Nitro Express. It was designed in 1905 by London based gunmaker W.J. Jeffery & Co to duplicate the performance of the .450/400 Nitro Express 3-inch in bolt-action rifles. The .404 Jeffery fired a bullet of .422 in diameter of either 300 gr (19 g) with a muzzle velocity of 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) and muzzle energy of 4,500 foot-pounds force (6,100 N⋅m) or 400 gr (26 g) with a muzzle velocity of 2,150 ft/s (660 m/s) and 4,100 foot-pounds force (5,600 N⋅m) of energy. It is very effective on large game and is favored by many hunters of dangerous game. The .404 Jeffery was popular with hunters and game wardens in Africa because of good performance with a manageable recoil. By way of comparison, the .416 Rigby and .416 Remington Magnum cartridges fire a .416 in bullet of 400 gr at 2,400 feet per second (730 m/s) with a muzzle energy of approximately 5,000 foot-pounds force (6,800 N⋅m). These cartridges exceed the ballistic performance of the .404 Jeffery but at the price of greater recoil and in the case of the .416 Rigby, rifles that are more expensive.

The .475 Nitro Express is a British rifle cartridge developed in the early 20th century.

The .475 No 2 Nitro Express is a British rifle cartridge developed by Eley Brothers in the early 20th century.

The .500 Jeffery is a big-game rifle cartridge that first appeared around 1920, and was originally introduced by the August Schuler Company, a German firm, under the European designation "12.7×70mm Schuler" or ".500 Schuler". When offered by the famed British outfitter W.J. Jeffery & Co, it was renamed the .500 Jeffery so as to be more palatable to British hunters and sportsmen following World War One.

The .400 Jeffery Nitro Express or .450/400 Nitro Express 3-inch is a medium bore, bottlenecked, Nitro Express cartridge designed by W.J. Jeffery & Co in 1902, intended for use in single shot and double rifles.

.318 Westley Richards centerfire rifle cartridge

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 .350 Rigby and .350 Rigby No 2 are proprietary medium bore rifle cartridges developed by developed by John Rigby & Company.

The .450 No 2 Nitro Express also known as the .450 Nitro Express 3½-inch was developed by Eley Brothers in 1903.

The .400/350 Nitro Express, also known at the .400/350 Nitro Rigby, is a medium bore rifle cartridge developed by John Rigby & Company.

The .450 Black Powder Express also known as the .450 3​1⁄4-inch BPE was a popular black powder cartridge in the late 19th and early 20th century.

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 .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.

References

  1. 1 2 Kynoch Ammunition, "Big Game Cartridges", www.kynochammunition.co.uk, archived, 15 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Frank C. Barnes, Cartridges of the World, ed 13, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2012, ISBN   9781440230592.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 John Taylor, African rifles and cartridges, Sportsman’s Vintage Press, 2013, ISBN   978-1-940001-01-2.
  4. 1 2 3 Paul Roberts, "Nitro big game rifles", ezine.nitroexpress.info, retrieved 13 November 2015.
  5. 1 2 Koos Barnard, "The .333 Jeffery", ezine.nitroexpress.info, retrieved 20 November 2016.
  6. ↑ Gregor Woods, "Think Thirty-Three Calibre", ezine.nitroexpress.info, retrieved 21 November 2016.
  7. ↑ Sir Alfred Sharpe, The backbone of Africa: a record of travel during the Great War with some suggestions for administrative reform , H.F. & G. Witherby, London, 1921.
  8. ↑ Douglas Tate, "Sporting guns that went to war", The Field Magazine, Vol 324 No 7321, August 2014, pp 100–103.
  9. ↑ MAJ H. Hesketh-Prichard, DSO MC , Sniping in France 1914-18: With Notes on the Scientific Training of Scouts, Observers and Snipers, Hutchinson & Co, London, 1920.
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