.476 Nitro Express

Last updated
.476 Nitro Express
TypeRifle
Place of origin United Kingdom
Production history
Designer Westley Richards
Designed1907
Produced1907
Specifications
Parent case .500 Nitro Express 3"
Case type Rimmed, bottleneck
Bullet diameter.476 in (12.1 mm)
Neck diameter.508 in (12.9 mm)
Shoulder diameter.530 in (13.5 mm)
Base diameter.570 in (14.5 mm)
Rim diameter.643 in (16.3 mm)
Case length3.00 in (76 mm)
Overall length3.77 in (96 mm)
Primer typeBerdan 0.254 inch
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/typeVelocityEnergy
520 gr (34 g) 2,100 ft/s (640 m/s)5,085 ft⋅lbf (6,894 J)
Test barrel length: 28 inches
Source(s): Barnes & Amber

The .476 Nitro Express, also known as the .476 Westley Richards, [1] is a British rifle cartridge introduced by Westley Richards around 1907.

Contents

Development

The .476 Nitro Express is one of several rounds (including the .500/465 Nitro Express, .470 Nitro Express, .475 Nitro Express, and .475 No. 2 Nitro Express) developed as a replacement for the .450 Nitro Express following the British Army 1907 ban of .450 caliber ammunition into India and the Sudan, all with comparable performance. [2]

Westley Richards created the .476 Nitro Express by necking down the .500 Nitro Express 3". [3]

Use

Available in single-shot and double rifles, it was less popular than the above-mentioned rounds. It is nearly identical in performance to a number of others in the same class.

The .476 is considered adequate for all African and Indian big game, [2] including elephant and rhinoceros. Its ballistics resemble the .458 Winchester Magnum, with a larger diameter bullet; whether this is an advantage remains in dispute. [2]

Commercial rifles are no longer available in .476 Nitro Express except by special order, ammunition is no longer commercially available, and handloading data are scant, the factory load used 75 gr (4.86 g) of cordite under a 520 gr (33.7 g) slug. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

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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.

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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">9.5×57mm Mannlicher–Schönauer</span>

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.

The .500/450 Magnum Nitro Express is a large bore centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Holland & Holland.

.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.

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.

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

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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>

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: 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.

<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 312-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 .375 Nitro Express 212 inch Velopex , was a nitrocellulose (smokeless) powder cartridge introduced in 1899.

The .400/375 Belted Nitro Express, also known as the .400/375 Holland & Holland and the .375 Velopex is a rifle cartridge designed by Holland & Holland and introduced in 1905.

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

Footnotes

  1. "Kynoch Ammunition, .476 Westley Richards". Archived from the original on 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Barnes & Amber, p 229.
  3. Wieland.

Bibliography