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I used the .600 Nitro some back in the '70's. I had boxer primed cases made before Bell came along and I had Paul Roberts arrange to have some steel jacketed solids made for me. For softs I used Barnes and wheelweight cast in a mold I had the old NEI make before reorganization. I never used the original factory solid, so I cannot speak to them, but my opinion is they were not good. It it is of interest I used a Holland and Holland built as I recall in '48. I thought my Churchill was too light and my Jeffrey with the underlever clumsy.

I shot both elephant and buffalo with the .600.

I think the interest of the question is how good is it when things don't go just right or as planned. So I will approach it from that manner "because dead on the spot" is dead whether it is a .600 or a .375.

Elephant:

Found the ele at a samll water hole made by a recent rain in an open grass valley. We were able to approach to about 75 yards by using a fringe a trees on an finger going out into the grass and ending at an anthill. After he finished the drink and whatever he started to move back to the forested area on a line with our trees and would pass us broadside at about 60 yds. He would have another 600 yds or so to go to get away from me I decided to try for the side brain shot even though it was far beyond the 25 yards I liked and use the second barrel for the heart shot if I missed the brain.

Well, between the elephant moving and/or my aim I missed the brain, but the elephant could not control his body. He was like they say, "drunken sailor". He was down on his knees, he didnot go completely down. It was an easy job to finish when I hit him into the heart from the front at a 45 degree angle.

The .577 will out penetrate and I used it as well, but the blunt shape and diameter of the .600 will carry the day in my opinion. After all, once the bullet passes through the
head or into the off shoulder of the ele, how much more penetration do you need?

Unknown to us some photo people came along and saw the ele and what was up and started filming. They were not the bunny huggers, so we invited them to dinner a couple of times and they later sent me a copy of the rolls of movie film showing the action.

Buffalo:

Got up to the buffs in a big open grass area of unburned grass 3-4 ft tall. PH left it to the trackers and I to go it alone. I left the trackers at about 65-70 yards from the bull standing and watch us with the cows behind him, I supose 40-50 altogether, and went and went on a little to the left to about 25 yds. The bull was now nearly straight
on to me. I had a solid in the right barrel and a wheelweight cast in the left. I gave him the solid in the chest, stood for a moment and went for the trackers. I waited until he came broadside come and gave him the cast in the shoulders. On impact it looked as if you picked that bull up and body slammed him to the ground!

On dressing out the bull we found the solid just under the skin of the back side of the right hind leg. It had penetrated the full length of the buff. I still have the bullet, undeformed except for the rifling marks.

Another buff was rather uneventfull but full length penetration from a Texas Heart shot (PH wanted to see the .600 effect and not on license, so good practice), buff went about 40 yds and dead.

In this case I think it did much better than the .475 #2 when shooting buffalo control in Kenya with similar shots.

Leroy

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