mbogo
.224 member
Reged: 21/05/04
Posts: 15
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Of the calibers 470 NE, 500 NE, 577 NE, 600 NE, etc; which would be the best load for the big five considering all pros and cons. I will be in the process of ordering my new double and want to get a few last minute opinions of these calibers.
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Ingwe
.275 member
Reged: 08/07/04
Posts: 70
Loc: Texas
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If I were restricted to only those cartridges listed, I suppose I would take the .470, but my vote for the best big 5 cartridge is the 450/400. I agree with John Pondoro Taylor as referenced in the following article:
"...The slim case meant that double rifles in this calibre could be made light (under 10lbs) and handy...
...gentlemen/sportsmen chose the hugely successful (and very effective) .450 NE, whilst the professional hunter chose the 450/400. Even Karamojo Bell started his elephant hunting career with a Jeffery-built double in 450/400. John Pondoro Taylor is ecstatic in his praise of the 450/400 and rates it as “one of the grandest weapons imaginable for all big game hunting”. He also noted “I derived greater pleasure from using the .400 than any other calibre; and no weapon behaved more successfully in my hands. I would happily finish the remainder of my career with a pair of them and nothing else-unless it was a third!”
...The old 450/400 NE may produce a little too much recoil to fit my bill for a great ‘one gun battery/ all round rifle’, but for dangerous game, I’d pick one over a .458 Winchester any day!"
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Learn from other people's mistakes - you can't live long enough to make them all yourself.
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NE450No2
.375 member
Reged: 10/01/03
Posts: 942
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mbogo
You did not say which double rifle you are buying.
If you are buying a new made double I would get a 470.
However if you are considering an original British Double then Ingwe has given you good advise. Either of the 450/400's are most excellent, especially in a rifle under 10 lbs. I have a 450/400 3 1/4" that weighs 9 1/4 lbs and I like it very much. I have had excellent results on deer and pigs with 300 grain Hawk bullets, and I have taken 2 caribou
and a black bear with 400grain Woodleigh Softs.
It has quite a bit less recoil than a 470 or my 450 No2. My 450 No2 weighs 11 3/4 lbs and can get heavy in rough country, like hunting Zimbabwe mountain elephants. I have carried the 450/400 on backpacking hunts in Montana and for 45 days of hunting in Alaska.
Before you buy, take a look at some British 450/400's.
If I could have only ONE hunting rifle I would scope my 450/400. With 300grain bullets at @ 2335 fps and 400grain Woodleigh Softs and Solids at @2150 fps, I could hunt anything on the planet.
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500NE
.224 member
Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 14
Loc: Vienna, Austria
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Hi Mbongo,
470NE or 500NE.
Everthing above gets to heavy (rifle weight) and - for most of us - has just to much recoil to handle properly.
The 600NE also seems to have a "not-so-good" repuation for penetration, especially on old tembo.
In terms of ammo availability, the .470 is *very* hard to beat in comparison, for all others you basically have to reload or be very rich. 
This also applies - imho - to the various 450's:
Great bullet availability, yes, but don't expect to find a pack of those at the local gun shop in Jo'burg or Dar-es-Salaam. (You might just get lucky on a pack of 470's  )
Cheers,
500NE
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NitroX
.700 member
Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 40649
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
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If it was me I would try the new.500/.416 NE. On a new rifle I too would get it scoped and ensure the rifle is regulated with open sights for th 400 gr loads and use the scope with a much lighter bullet - say 300 grs - even if only as a single shot. Hopefully both.
In a larger calibre I would go for the .500 (because I have a .450) or a .577 as long as the rifle wasn't too heavy and swung well. I don't see the need to go beyond .577 unless I went for a bore calibre and that would only be for fun.
If i didn't have a .450 I would choose the .470 (if I didn't want a .416) for all the obvious reasons.
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John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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DUGABOY1
.400 member
Reged: 02/02/03
Posts: 1340
Loc: TEXAS USA
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In reply to:
470 NE, 500 NE, 577 NE, 600 NE
If restricted to the chamberings listed above, I would go for the 470, without a doubt!
However, if allowed to expand on that list a little, I, like Igwe, and NE450No2, I would go for the 450/400 3" or 3 1/4" NE over any of them! Though I love the 500NE, it is too specialized,and the 470NE isn't much better suited to multi use! The 450/400 is very well balanced to many types of hunting, and can be made light enough to handle like part of one's body,is capable of handleing anything that comes your way, and you can carry it all day without tireing!
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..........Mac >>>===(x)===>
DUGABOY1, and MacD37 founding member of DRSS www.doublerifleshooterssociety.com
"If I die today, I have had a life well spent, for I've been to see the Elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!"
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atkinson6
.375 member
Reged: 26/01/04
Posts: 678
Loc: Idaho
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As much as I love the 450-400, it is really in the 375 class of killing power IMO...It works, but for the big 5, and that includes Elephant and lets toss in the Hippo, I would much prefer the 470....
f\For shooting fun, enjoyable shooting, and a good enough gun in a pinch, I sure like a 450-400, but with my butt on the line in a charge, I really want a bigger gun, that is the reason my last purchase was a 470 as opposed to another 450-400...
The 500/416 was a considered and capable option at the time I got my .470 but recoil is about the same, so I went with the larger bore...
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