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CLASSIC AFRICAN CARTRIDGES Barrels for the .550 Magnum are available from Dan Pederson of Cutrifle Barrels (www.cutrifle.com) in Prescott, Arizona. Gunsmith Michael Scherz at Gila River Gunworks, Yuma, Arizona is building barreled actions and complete rifles for the .550 Magnum and .550 Express for all interested customers. For the reloader who wants a practical big bore bolt gun of maximum possible bullet diameter, the .550 Magnum is the natural choice. If you were thinking of a .500 A-Square, .505 Gibbs or .500 Jeffery but wanted a little more bullet, the .550 Magnum provides it. Even Mauser and Model 70 fans can have a low cost big bore by rebarreling to the .550 Express. However, at this time the .550 Magnum and .550 Express are only suitable for the reloader. Example ballistics: Cartridge Bullet Velocity Notes 550 Magnum 700 grain 2300 f.p.s. Long version for CZ550 and Ruger RSM actions. 550 Magnum 650 grain 2400 f.p.s. 550 Magnum 600 grain 2500 f.p.s. Low sectional density – not preferred. 550 Express 600 grain 2400 f.p.s. Short version to fit in .458 Win. Mag. sized actions. 550 Express 650 grain 2200 f.p.s. 550 Express 700 grain 2100 f.p.s. The .577 Nitro Express The .577 NE chambered in modern rifles today is the 3 inch smokeless powder version that pushes a 750 grain bullet at 2050 feet per second. It is an extremely good killer while still offering adequate penetration. The cartridge has a few downsides, however. The first is that the recoil is rather fierce. The second is that rifles built for this calibre (other than unsuitable single shot conversions) are as expensive as a new car. The third is that .577 Nitro Express rifles typically weigh 13-16 pounds, and are quite difficult to carry day after day on safari. However, for the person who must have a stopper, this is definitely one of them. There is also a .577 Nitro Express 2 ¾ inch version. It pushes a 650 grain bullet at 1850 feet per second. Coming up short in both sectional density and velocity, penetration with this calibre will not be satisfactory on the more difficult head shots on elephant or quartering away shots on buffalo. There was also a .577 Black Powder Express which pushed a 520 grain lead bullet at 1700 feet per second. Those rifles, while fun novelties and great for pigs and cats, should not be considered an appropriate choice for thick skinned dangerous game. Various double makers, including Searcy, Westley Richards, Holland & Holland and Heym make double barreled rifles in 577 Nitro Express. In addition, Hamrusch (www.ferlachguns.com) and Heym make bolt action rifles in this caliber. Sample load data for the 577 Nitro Express 3 inch is as follows: Cartridge Powder Primer Bullet Velocity 577 Nitro Express 3” 145.0 grains IMR4831 F215 750 Woodleigh 577 Nitro Express 3” Notes 135.0 grains Reloader 15* 750 Woodleigh 2050 f.p.s. *Filler may be needed to avoid hangfires. The .585 Nyati The .585 Nyati was designed by writer and professional hunter Ross Seyfried in order to offer the power of the .577 NE cartridge in an affordable bolt action rifle. At the time when Mr. Seyfried designed the cartridge, double rifles were out of the financial reach of most professional hunters and client hunters alike, so the concept of bringing the tremendous stopping power of the .577 NE to a bolt action rifle had great allure. Today one of the most affordable double rifle makers is B. Searcy & Co.of Boron, California, but even there a .577 NE double will cost US$15,000 at the time of this writing. In contrast, a well-planned low grade .585 Nyati bolt gun can be put together for only US$3000. VII The biggest in a small package. A .458 Win. Mag. (left) compared to a .550 Express cartridge (right). The .550 Express will fit into a standard magnum action (3.30” overall length), making it a suitable conversion for a rifle in .338 Win. Mag. or .300 Win. Mag. But it will push a 700 grain bullet at 2100 f.p.s., giving the shooter a lot of bang for his buck. From left to right, .500 A-Square, .550 Express and .600 Overkill. The .500 A-Square and 550 Express are very easy and economical conversions to perform on a CZ550 in .416 Rigby. Little more than a new barrel and bedding are needed, with very minor rail and ramp adjustments. A CZ550 is also very easy to convert to .600 Overkill if it is sent to American <strong>Hunting</strong> Rifles where a single stack magazine box is installed that feeds fast and slick. For shooters looking for something big and easy, these three are the way to go. The author had such a rifle constructed on a Winchester model 70 action built by gunsmith Franz Bryner of Ogden, Utah. The disadvantage of the .585 Nyati is its use of a rebated rim so that rifles with a 0.700" bolt body diameter can be fitted for the cartridge. It can be difficult to get a rifle using a cartridge with a rebated rim to feed reliably (see discussion of .500 Jeffery above), so a project for this cartridge should only be undertaken by a master big bore specialist, or by someone who is willing to experiment and throw away the action if unsuccessful. The standard .585 Nyati uses a 0.640" rim and has a case length of 2.800”. Another variation uses the same rim but a 3.00 inch length case. With its greater powder capacity, the 3 inch version can push a 750 grain bullet even faster than the 2500 feet per second achievable by the 2.8 inch version, but to what useful end the author cannot imagine. A third variation uses a 0.590" rim (same as the 416 Rigby) to avoid the use of an expensive action with a bolt body diameter of greater than 0.700” which would be desirable on the 0.640" rim version. However, with the severely rebated 0.590" rim, reliable feeding is an almost unobtainable goal so the reader is encouraged to avoid this variation. A ballistically identical cartridge called the .585 African Express (Ralston) has been designed by Brad Ralston of South Africa. It uses a full sized rim instead of a rebated rim for use in the Granite Mountain Arms magnum Mauser action. The .585 Van Horn also offers similar ballistics with some variations in case dimensions. Another issue with the .585 Nyati is that many barrels are being produced with excessively tight chamber necks. The author believes this may be due to an error in original drawings for the cartridge. If your barrel maker sends you a barrel with a tight neck, just ream it out to 0.614" with a neck reamer and tight necks (and dangerous pressures) will not be a problem. Rifles for the .585 Nyati cartridge should weigh a minimum of 11 pounds and preferably 13 pounds in order to make
CLASSIC AFRICAN CARTRIDGES them controllable. For hunting purposes, the owner of a .585 Nyati should consider keeping his velocities below 2300 feet per second or follow up shots will be slow. The author has used the .585 Nyati on elephant and buffalo with satisfactory results. Both were heart/lung shots at under 25 yards, and in each case the game traveled less than 20 yards before collapsing. The buffalo was spooked before being shot, but his adrenaline was no match for a 750 grain solid moving at 2250 feet per second. The recoil is violent and always surprising. I can shoot 10-14 shots of .585 Nyati in a day, but only if I take Tylenol before going to the shooting range. At present I know of no factory rifles in .585 Nyati nor are there likely to ever be any. Rifles in this cartridge are strictly a custom affair, and ammunition should only be loaded by the advanced reloader. Although the .585 Nyati is a very effective and fun cartridge, it is not very practical. Brass can be of inconsistent quality and/or in short supply. Only big bore experts are likely to get a rifle in this cartridge to feed properly, and the labour cost of doing so will be significant. Example loads: Cartridge Powder Primer Bullet Velocity 1 585 Nyati 2.8” 130.0 grains Reloader 15 F215 750 grain TCCI solid 2250 f.p.s. 2 585 Nyati 2.8” 120.0 grains IMR4350 F215 750 Woodleigh 2050 f.p.s. 3 585 Nyati 2.8” Notes 90.0 grains H4831 F215 1200 grain cast 1300 f.p.s. 1 This is the author’s recoil limit. 2 Approximates .577 Nitro Express factory load. 3 Low recoil practice load. .577 Nitro Express double rifle by B. Searcy & Co. Searcy rifles combine traditional design, state of the art manufacturing technology, and attention to fine detail to provide the customer with excellent dangerous game rifles at reasonable prices. .585 Van Horn built on a Granite Mountain Arms action by Ryan Breeding. VIII The .577 Tyrannosaur In the days that the British ruled most of huntable Africa, the magic velocity for dangerous game hunting was considered to be 2150 feet per second. During the past 30 years the game has changed, however, and sportsmen demand ever more from their rifles. Now in order to assure adequate penetration from every angle, the conventional wisdom is that a cartridge should generate 2400 feet per second. The .577 Tyrannosaur is a modern day attempt to blend the giant .585 diameter 750 grain bullets of the .577 Nitro Express with the magic velocity of 2400 feet per second. The result is a brutish rifle that is nearly uncontrollable. Another consideration is that monolithic solids should be used in this cartridge because bullets of a convention design meant for .577 Nitro Express velocities will likely rivet or break apart at .577 Tyrannosaur velocities. One Norwegian hunter shot an elephant in the spine using a .577 Tyrannosaur loaded with Woodleigh 750 grain solids. The Woodleigh riveted and fishtailed, as it had been pushed beyond its design criteria. For the sportsman interested in building a custom rifle for the .577 Tyrannosaur, only a magnum length (3.800") magazine box will suffice, thus ruling out model 70’s and Mauser 98’s. Further, the enormous diameter of the case rim (0.688") requires either a P14 Enfield bolt, or at least a 0.750" bolt body diameter. Magazine box and follower construction as well as rail and ramp modifications to the action will all be completely custom and should only be attempted by the most skilled big bore specialist. Brass and ammo for the .577 Tyrannosaur are even more expensive and harder to find than for the .577 NE. Although the .577 Tyrannosaur can be loaded down to reduce its horrendous recoil, the .585 Nyati would be a better choice for lower velocity loads since it burns less powder and therefore will produce less recoil. Factory rifles in .577 Tyrannosaur are available from the A-Square Company of Kentucky. Custom gunsmith Joe Smithson of Provo, Utah offers fine custom rifles in .577 Tyrannosaur based on the Granite Mountain action. Example loads: Cartridge Powder Primer Bullet Velocity 577 Tyrannosaur 170.0 grains IMR4350 F215 750 solid 2480 f.p.s. In the Third and final part we will consider the .600 and up. WARNING - Hand loading is potentially dangerous - The loading data and methods contained in this article are offered as a reference only, and relates to an individual's weapon and experience. While it may be safe in that weapon, it may not be in others. Neither the author, nor Mag-set Publications (Pvt) Ltd. or their agents and/or representitives are responsible for the use or abuse of this data, or the consequences thereof.
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