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OK, well done, the rifle we have here is of course the one in the middle of the catalog page. cost 300 reichsmark before the great europaen civil war starts. you may notice that this system cost less than the guns with other actions, maybe because it wasnt made from Collath but other makers or the Collath action was simpler to make(what I also believe). Its impressive in any case that an action starting as a blackpowder shotgun action around 1860 was strong enough to deal with nitro express cartridges.
We are happy to have an illustration of the 500x86 in the same catalog, showing here, maybe the only one existing.
RWS bullet catalog shows the whole family of tesco Kupfernickelmantelgeschoße, its was knowing from army tests for the new 8x57IS spitzer bullet that nickel plated copper jackets give the lowest pressure of all jacket variations.
Teschner-Collath use this for develop a softpoint bullet for old blackpowder guns, the modern 9,3x72R loadt is it allways in fact.
the 500 bullet is the last one:22,5mm long, 27,gramm/423 grains weigth, dia. 12,8mm/.503, driving bands dia.506.
this does not meaning that this Collath double rifle here have a .506 dia. barrel, but maybe. This bullet was make for all 500 express guns from any maker and you know how the barrels can differ.
I dont know if RWS was the maker of the tesco bullets in this time, it can be that RWS was only a distributor.
The DWM catalog shows the case next to the 500BPE 3"case. This case have the DWM case number 72 and the 500x86 get the case number 72A, meaning it was developt from the orignal number 72.
the most used 500 express cartridge in germany and austria back in good old days was the 12,7x60R 500, follow by the 12,7x65R 500. original 500BPE 3" was seeing as unnessesary heavy for continental hunting. the DWM catalog here have the 12,7x60R 500 with number97 and a very rare 12,7x52R 500 with number196 but not the 12,7x65R.
German designation for express cartridges are clear: caliberxcase length : R for rimmed case : caliber of the british mother cartridge.
Example: 8x57 R 360 - not confuse with 8x57 IR or 8x57 IRS, this is also a 8mm x57mm rimmed but basic case was the 360BPE 2 1/4"
btw, bullet section in the 1904 DWM catalog shows 570 grain full metall jacket and 477 grain softpoint with a .5118 diameter for case number 72 , 72 A and 97, that seems heavy and thick. the 570 FMJ in the12,7x60R 500 ? seems to be 500BPE from hell, dont belive it.

Edited by pwm (01/10/06 03:15 PM)