Thanks, NE450No2.

pwm: The chambering is indeed .577/.500 No.2, the thread for previous discussions on my load development is linked from my first post, again here. The 440gr Woodleighs are only doing about 1600 fps at this stage, but I plan to settle on 1675 fps if it still regulates, after I make a crimp-die and get my act together.

Bertram is about the only choice for brass in Oz, but I'm not complaining. I realize many posters here were burned by the fairly ordinary stuff Bruce was turning out 15 years ago, but his current line seems quite OK for these low-pressure express cartridges. I also shoot Bertram in both the .400 3-inch and .470 NE since BELL disappeared, with no problems whatsoever.

The .500 No.2 pressure at 'factory' velocity (1675 fps) should only be about 8 tons with the 74gr AR2208 (Varget) loads I have settled on. This cartridge probably generates slightly lower pressure than the .500 3-inch 'nitro-for-black' load going by case volume, but there's not much practical difference. There's very little published info on pressure for this class of cartridge: as long as it was below the 10 or 11 tons generated by the original BP load, no-one cared!

That double express 'in-the-white' sounds interesting, however I agree about the value of such guns to 'common folk' like us. Nevertheless, he's right about the 'one-of-a-kind' aspect, and that might make it priceless to someone.