.475 Nitro Express

Last updated
.475 Nitro Express
TypeRifle
Place of originBritain
Specifications
Case typerimmed straight
Bullet diameter.483 in (12.3 mm)
Neck diameter.507 in (12.9 mm)
Base diameter.545 in (13.8 mm)
Rim diameter.625 in (15.9 mm)
Rim thickness.045 in (1.1 mm)
Case length3.25 in (83 mm)
Overall length3.98 in (101 mm)
Primer typeBoxer
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/typeVelocityEnergy
480 gr (31 g) 2,175 ft/s (663 m/s)5,040 ft⋅lbf (6,830 J)
500 gr (32 g) 2,125 ft/s (648 m/s)5,030 ft⋅lbf (6,820 J)
Source(s): Barnes. [1]

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

Contents

Design

The .475 Nitro Express is a slightly tapered, non-bottlenecked rimmed cartridge very similar in appearance to the .450 Nitro Express, that is designed for use in single-shot and double rifles. [2]

Original loadings fired a 480 gr (31 g) projectile at a listed speed of 2,175 ft/s (663 m/s), these loadings are still available, additionally Westley Richards have a 500 gr (32 g) loading with a listed speed of 2,125 ft/s (648 m/s). [3]

History

It is believed the .475 Nitro Express was introduced around 1900, well before the British Army 1907 ban of .450 caliber ammunition into India and the Sudan which saw the development of the ballistically very similar .500/465 Nitro Express, .470 Nitro Express, .475 No 2 Nitro Express, and .476 Nitro Express. [3]

Firearms historians remain unclear who developed the .475 Nitro Express, [2] it is likely that a combination of companies going out of business and merging, along with records being lost or destroyed during the London blitz will mean the origins of this cartridge will never be known. [3]

The .475 Nitro Express has never enjoyed the success of any of the cartridges listed above, largely because it was never adopted by any of the major rifle manufacturers. Due to this, rifles in this calibre have always been rare, generally from lesser known makers such as W.W. Greener, Army & Navy and Manton of Calcutta. [3]

Use

The .475 Nitro Express is considered a good large-bore round, suitable for all big game, its power is very similar to the .470 Nitro Express. Ballistically it is almost identical to the .450 Nitro Express, with a larger diameter bullet; whether this is an advantage remains in dispute. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.458 Winchester Magnum</span> Rifle cartridge

The .458 Winchester Magnum is a belted, straight-taper cased, Big Five game rifle cartridge. It was introduced commercially in 1956 by Winchester and first chambered in the Winchester Model 70 African rifle. It was designed to compete against the .450 Nitro Express and the .470 Nitro Express cartridges used in big bore British double rifles. The .458 Winchester Magnum remains one of the most popular large game cartridges, and most major ammunition manufacturers offer a selection of .458 ammunition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nitro Express</span> British cartridge family

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.

.450 Nitro Express also known as the .450 Nitro Express 31⁄4-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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.470 Nitro Express</span> Rifle cartridge

The .470 Nitro Express is a rifle cartridge developed by Joseph Lang in England for dangerous game hunting in Africa and India. This cartridge is used almost exclusively in double rifles. It is in wide use in the Southern and Central-East African region, favoured by hunting guides, primarily while out for hunting Cape buffalo and elephant.

The .476 Nitro Express, also known as the .476 Westley Richards, is a British rifle cartridge introduced by Westley Richards around 1907.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.458 Lott</span> Cartridge

The .458 Lott is a .458 caliber rifle cartridge designed for the purpose of hunting large, thick-skinned dangerous game animals in Africa. It is based on the full length .375 H&H Magnum case blown out and shortened to 2.800 inches (71.1 mm).

The .577/500 3+1⁄8-inch Nitro Express is a British centerfire fire rifle cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.577/500 No 2 Black Powder Express</span> Rifle cartridge

The .577/500 No 2 Black Powder Express, also known as the 12.7mm British No 2, is a British centerfire fire rifle cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.500 Nitro Express</span> UK large hunting rifle cartridge

The .500 Nitro Express is a rifle cartridge designed for hunting large and dangerous game animals in Africa and India. This cartridge was primarily designed for use in double rifles though various single shots were produced on the Farquarson action and at least one major company (Heym) produced it in bolt-action configuration. It was commonly available in two lengths: a 3.00 in (76 mm) and a 3.25 in (83 mm) version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.500 Black Powder Express</span> Rifle cartridge

The .500 Black Powder Express was a series of Black powder cases of varying lengths that emerged in the 1860s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.450/400 Nitro Express</span>

The .450/400 Nitro Express is a Nitro Express rifle cartridge that is produced in three case lengths: 23⁄8-inches, 3 inches and 31⁄4-inches, and is intended for use in single shot and double rifles. The 3-inch and 31⁄4-inch versions are considered classic Nitro Express cartridges.

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.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.318 Westley Richards</span> UK 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 .450 No 2 Nitro Express, also known as the .450 Nitro Express 31⁄2-inch, was developed by Eley Brothers in 1903.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.500/465 Nitro Express</span> Rifle cartridge

The .500/465 Nitro Express is a large bore centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Holland & Holland and introduced in 1907.

The .500/450 3+1⁄4-inch Magnum Black Powder Express, is a centerfire rifle cartridge developed in Britain.

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Barnes.
  2. 1 2 Wieland, "Nitro Express".
  3. 1 2 3 4 Wieland, ".475 Nitro Express".

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.