.475 No 2 Nitro Express

Last updated
.475 No 2 Nitro Express
TypeRifle
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In service1915-1916
Used by British Army
Wars World War I
Production history
Designer Eley Brothers
DesignedEarly 1900s
Specifications
Parent case .450 No 2 Nitro Express
Case typeRimmed, bottlenecked
Bullet diameter.483 in (12.3 mm)
Neck diameter.510 in (13.0 mm)
Shoulder diameter.547 in (13.9 mm)
Base diameter.576 in (14.6 mm)
Rim diameter.665 in (16.9 mm)
Case length3.49 in (89 mm)
Overall length4.26 in (108 mm)
Primer typeBerdan .254 in (6.5 mm)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/typeVelocityEnergy
480 gr (31 g) 2,200 ft/s (670 m/s)5,170 ft⋅lbf (7,010 J)
Source(s): Barnes [1] & Kynoch. [2]
.475 No 2 Jeffery
Production history
Designer W.J. Jeffery & Co
Produced1906
Specifications
Bullet diameter.489 in (12.4 mm)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/typeVelocityEnergy
500 gr (32 g) 2,120 ft/s (650 m/s)5,000 ft⋅lbf (6,800 J)
Source(s): Barnes [1] & Kynoch. [2]

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

Contents

Design

The .475 No 2 Nitro Express is a rimmed bottle necked cartridge designed for use in single-shot and double rifles. The .475 No 2 Nitro Express is a very large, impressive cartridge, the empty round is 3.5 in (89 mm) long with an overall length of 4.26 in (108 mm). [1]

The standard factory load fires a .483 in (12.3 mm) diameter 480 gr (31 g) bullet at 2,200 ft/s (670 m/s), although two powder charges were available with either 80 gr (5.2 g) or 85 gr (5.5 g) of cordite. [1] [2]

.475 No 2 Jeffery

W.J. Jeffery & Co offered an alternate loading, known as the .475 No 2 Jeffery which fired a slightly larger .489 in (12.4 mm) diameter 500 gr (32 g) projectile at 2,150 ft/s (660 m/s), although again multiple powder charges were available, with either 75 gr (4.9 g), 80 gr (5.2 g) or 85 gr (5.5 g) of cordite. Jefferys built a very fine handling double rifle for this round with a 24 in (610 mm) barrel that weighed only 11 lb (5.0 kg) but retaining moderate recoil. [1] [2] [3] [4]

History

The .475 No 2 Nitro Express is one of several rounds developed in response to 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 Nitro Express, and .476 Nitro Express. [4]

Eley created the .475 No 2 Nitro Express by necking up their earlier .450 No 2 Nitro Express. [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 sixty-two large bore sporting rifles from British rifle makers which were issued to Regiments, including a single .475 No 2 Nitro Express rifle. These large bore rifles proved very effective against the steel plates used by the Germans, in his book Sniping in France 1914-18, MAJ H. Hesketh-Prichard, DSO, MC stated they "pierced them like butter." [5] [6]

Use

The .475 No 2 Nitro Express is considered good general purpose round, suitable for all big game in Africa and India, its power is very similar to the .450 Nitro Express, with a larger diameter bullet; whether this is an advantage remains in dispute. [1]

In his African Rifles and Cartridges, John "Pondoro" Taylor stated the .475 No 2 Nitro Express is "an eminently satisfactory shell and a certain killer - but don't let yourself be hypnotised by that great fat gleaming shell into the belief that you have something comparable with the atomic bomb to play with!" [7]

Because of the larger diameter bullet, .475 No 2 Jeffery rounds cannot be fired through .475 No.2 Nitro Express rifles. [3] [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

The .416 Rigby is a rifle cartridge designed in 1911 by London based gunmaker John Rigby & Company, for hunting dangerous game. It is the first cartridge to use a bullet of .416 inch diameter. The rifles, as built by John Rigby & Co., were initially made up on the Magnum Mauser 98 action, although in later years, some were made on standard length actions, a perfect example being the rifle used by legendary professional hunter Harry Selby. Other famous users of the cartridge were Commander David Enderby Blunt, John Taylor, and Jack O'Connor.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.375 H&H Magnum</span> British 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.

.450 Nitro Express also known as the .450 Nitro Express 314-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">.505 Gibbs</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.404 Jeffery</span>

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 (10.72 mm) 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 its good performance with manageable recoil. By way of comparison, the .416 Rigby and .416 Remington Magnum cartridges fire .416 in (10.57 mm) bullets 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 .476 Nitro Express, also known as the .476 Westley Richards, is a British rifle cartridge introduced by Westley Richards around 1907.

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

<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">.450/400 Nitro Express</span>

The .450/400 Nitro Express is a Nitro Express rifle cartridge that is produced in three case lengths: 238-inches, 3 inches and 314-inches, and is intended for use in single shot and double rifles. The 3-inch and 314-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.

The .450 No 2 Nitro Express, also known as the .450 Nitro Express 312-inch, was developed by Eley Brothers in 1903.

The .450 Black Powder Express, also known as the .450 314-inch BPE, was a popular black powder cartridge in the late 19th and early 20th century.

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

The .450/400 Black Powder Express cartridges were black powder rifle cartridges introduced in the United Kingdom in the 1880s.

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 .360 No 2 Nitro Express is a centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Eley Brothers and introduced in 1905.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.500/450 No 1 Black Powder Express</span> Rifle cartridge

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Frank C. Barnes, Cartridges of the World, ed 13, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2012, ISBN   9781440230592.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kynoch Ammunition, ".475 No.2 Nitro Express", kynochammunition.co.uk, archived 1 January 2015.
  3. 1 2 Paul Roberts, "Nitro big game rifles", ezine.nitroexpress.info, archived 1 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Terry Wieland, Dangerous-game rifles, ed 2, Down East Books / Shooting Sportsman Press, 2009, ISBN   978-0-89272-807-7.
  5. MAJ H. Hesketh-Prichard, DSO, MC, Sniping in France 1914-18: With Notes on the Scientific Training of Scouts, Observers and Snipers, Helion & Company, Solihull, 2013, ISBN   1-874622-47-7.
  6. Douglas Tate, "Sporting guns that went to war", The Field Magazine, Vol 324 No 7321, August 2014, pp 100–103.
  7. John Taylor, African rifles and cartridges, Sportsman's Vintage Press, 2013, ISBN   978-1-940001-01-2.