Anyone Ever Shoot a .600 Nitro Express

[Newton]

My current nightstand book is a compilation of soldier's letters sent from the front in WWI.

One from a British soldier tells the story of them using a .600NE to destroy sniping positions by caving in the metal plates that surround the "loopholes" used by German snipers, often into the face of the enemy sniper.

The gun and ammunition pre-dated the availability of AP ammunition, and was supplied by a big game hunter.

The squaddie tells the story of how the first person to fire the gun did so from a prone position and suffered a broken collar bone. After that, firing was only permitted from a standing or kneeling position, and no problems were encountered.

Suddenly I'm fascinated with this cartridge and would be interested to hear from anyone who has first hand experience with it.

Newton

 

[dfariswheel]

I've SEEN one fired on several occasions.
Actually firing one personally, is an experience I'd put up there with laying your tongue on a window sill, and slamming the window.

In other words, like a sniveling poltroon, I passed.

The ammo probably used would have been supplied by a British maker like Kynock or possibly by the maker of rifles like Wesley-Richards or one of the other famous makers.

The ammo was called "Solids", and was usually made of hard, solid brass.
These Solids were used for really big game like Cape buffalo and elephants where deep penetration was needed, and any deformation of the bullet would prevent the necessary penetration.

As for shooting the .600.....These were made in the days when Men were Men.......and Men were STUPID.

The recoil would spin the shooter I saw 1/2 to 3/4 around.
This is known as a gun that "kills on one end, and wounds on the other".

For a REAL gun, read up on the British 4-bore guns. These things fired 1/4 POUND round balls.
Built in the days before the British Express cartridges, these were used by a (very) few (large-beefy) early British hunter/explorers in Africa.

One monster Brit (Sir Stanley Baker??) bragged that the recoil spun him around 1 to 1 1/4 times when fired.

 

[Kalos]

Not a .600NE, but along those same lines, is the infamous .577 T-rex. Videos of various brave souls attempting to fire this mighty cartridge can be found here.

 

[Newton]

Thanks guys, I just discovered the Accurate site and their shooting videos.

There's one of a gentleman shooting a .700NE, which has a relative recoil of 9.00 compared to the 7.91 of the .600NE, for reference a .30-06 has a recoil number of 2.19. The recoil on the .700 doesn't look to be unbearable, I would imagine that gun fit and stance has a lot to do with it, you certainly wouldn't want to get it wrong.

The video of the Omani guy losing control of the .577 Tyrannosaurus is funny though, the gun pretty much does a complete 360 after he lets go.

Personally I have never shot anything heavier than a 7.62x54R which was not unpleasant, but the thoughts of shooting something that has roughly 4 times the kick is daunting.

These big calibers are interesting.


Newton

 

[Preacherman]

I've shot a .600 NE double rifle. It kicked hard, no question about it, but it wasn't unmanageable - I wasn't spun around or anything like that. I'd shot a .375 H&H regularly, and on one occasion a .470 NE double and a .577 NE double, so I was expecting the kick. It's simply a matter of leaning into the recoil and bracing yourself on your back leg, letting the upper torso act as a shock-absorber, and bringing the rifle back down for a rapid second shot.

I wouldn't want to shoot a .600 NE from the bench...

 

[HABU]

Accurates site portrays terrorists shooting big bores. Hmmmm, I hope they arent being investigated in a year or two.

 

[MLC]

I'm hoping that is sarcasm not ignorance.

 

[Gewehr98]

Me, too.

I'm hoping that is sarcasm not ignorance.

Because the guy that owns and runs that website is in the United Arab Emirates, and could hardly be thought of as a terrorist. Saeed is a stand-up guy, if you take the time to know him, or even spend time on that website.

 

[Kalos]

Jeez. I apologize for posting the acc. reloading vids, folks. In my ignorance, I found myself not giving a flyin' rat's behind about the politics of the people shooting the thing, and actually focused on the firearm itself, and the job it did tenderizing shooters' shoulders--which, incidentally, was relevant to the thread. While I'm not a mod, it seems like discussions of the personalities behind the site would better fit in Legal and Political... <shrugs>

 

[Newton]

Let's keep this about firearms, please.


Newton

 

[H&Hhunter]

The recoil would spin the shooter I saw 1/2 to 3/4 around

Well....................................Not really.

Any of the big nitros in a well fitted heavy rifle are surprisingly manageable to shoot. They are low pressure rounds and the rifles are heavy making them more manageable than you'd think.

I can promiss you the recoil on a .600NE will not spin you 1/2 to 3/4 around.

Just a good healthy smack and push and it's over kinda like a minor traffic accident.

As far as "beefy" guys and four bores. One of the most prolific 4 bore users of the era was Fredrick Selous and typical of many Englishmen of the time he was far from "beefy" rather one the other end of the scale actually. About 5'9" and 160lbs or so. You just have to learn to roll with the recoil on the heavies.

The solids of the time around WWI would have been a solid patch bullet which is in fact a lead core bullet encased in copper and coated with a guilding metal.

the .600NE has made a come back in recent times and if you have the money you can purchase a new one in the double rifle of your chice from H&H or Searcy and I'm sure others as well.

the round fires a 900gr .600 cal bullet at 1900FPS and usually uses the double rifle platform in a rifle that weighs in around 14-18lbs. You can also get a repaeter bolt action .600 NE from Hyem in a 12lb rifle. I have a friend who owns one and reports the bolt action rifle to be to light and the recoil to be somwhat uncomfortable.

If you are interested in watching the .600NE in action buy the video Death on the Run from Mark Sullivan. While I won't comment on the character or sporting value of the video there are quite a few animals shot with his .600 in the film and quite a few scenes of him shooting it, you'll clearly see that it just isn't that big of a deal to shoot. In fact very little muzzle rise considering.....

Mark is probably 6' and maybe 200lbs. Not a big guy by any stretch.

 

[Unlucky]

I'm hoping that is sarcasm not ignorance.

Sure seems like the former and not the latter.

Arabic guys shooting big-bore plane-destroyin' and baby-killin' SNIPER rifles of death? THAT sounds like something for Ashcroft to investigate and, perhaps, send them to Gitmo as enemy combatants and stick underwear over their head and make the wear leashes and... you get the idea. It would make the evening news and we could go to threatcon fuschia and get the Uberpatriot Act passed to prevent this sort of thing.

 

[one-shot-one]

to funny

that vidio site:
good laugh
very funny
newton, do you happen to have the figure for bufflo bore .45-70's out of a marlin guide gun that would give me perfect perspective.
i'm 6' 230lbs. it hurts but not so bad i wont shoot it.
did ten rounds at my last siting.

 

[HABU]

I'm hoping that is sarcasm not ignorance.

It was meant sarcastically. Can rednecks be sarcastic AND ignant? It was a poor attempt to parody Arab pilotgate.

I didnt see the entire video because it would jump from the front of the clip to the middle, but I did see a fine upstanding Arab man not leaning into the rifle.

 

[Lone Star]

I think that Newton needs to read, "African Rifles and Cartridges", by John Taylor.

Amazon.com has some, from time to time, or the classic hunting book dealers who advertise in the back of, "Sporting Classics" should have it. My guess is that Amazon would be a lot cheaper...

Lone Star

 

[Newton]

Some relative recoil numbers for comparison as requested, gun type not specified:

.45-70 2.43
.308 Win 1.95
7.62x39 1.29
.338 Win Mag 2.93
.44 Mag (rifle) 1.90
416 Rigby 4.27
458 Win Mag 4.36
577 Tyrannosaur 8.31
700 Nitro Express 9.00


Newton

 

[Jim K]

I have fired the .600 NE and pretty much agree with the others who have done so. The recoil sure as heck will wake you up, but it is not going to knock you down or spin you around. The rifles were never intended to be fired from a prone or sitting position; you don't lie down in the presence of dangerous game.

I don't doubt the report of use in combat, but I would think a double rifle would make a poor weapon for use at any distance. The reason is that a double rifle is targeted so that the bullets from both barrels strike the same point at some fixed distance, say 40 yards. On either side of that, the sights will not be to point of impact and, since the bullet paths cross, the longer the range the further off the aiming point is from the impact point.

Jim