Current African Cartridges the .505 Gibbs Current ... - HuntNetwork
Current African Cartridges the .505 Gibbs Current ... - HuntNetwork
Current African Cartridges the .505 Gibbs Current ... - HuntNetwork
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Feature<br />
Feature<br />
Introduced<br />
I<br />
in 1910 by George <strong>Gibbs</strong>,<br />
in rifles based on <strong>the</strong> Magnum<br />
Mauser action, it was always <strong>the</strong> more<br />
popular of <strong>the</strong> two .500 bore cartridges<br />
for magazine rifles, despite being less<br />
powerful than <strong>the</strong> .500 Jeffery. The big<br />
round worked, phenomenally well on<br />
buffalo and more than adequately on<br />
elephant. It was designed for <strong>African</strong><br />
Hunting, with a big bullet, good velocity,<br />
and very low breech pressures (around<br />
37 to 40,000 psi). No great numbers of<br />
this rifle were made, a few hundred were<br />
exported to America and perhaps as<br />
many as a thousand for <strong>the</strong> <strong>African</strong> and<br />
Indian markets, but it was enough to<br />
ensure that Kynoch continued to load<br />
ammunition up until <strong>the</strong> late ’60’s when<br />
<strong>the</strong>y ceased all ammo manufacture.<br />
Owners of <strong>the</strong> rifles made a plan and<br />
custom bullets and reloads became <strong>the</strong><br />
order of <strong>the</strong> day. You don’t stop using a<br />
favourite rifle simply because of a few<br />
technical difficulties.<br />
What made <strong>the</strong> <strong>.505</strong> so great? Simply<br />
that it duplicated <strong>the</strong> knock down effect<br />
of <strong>the</strong> .500NE on elephant, and was<br />
possibly even superior to <strong>the</strong> .500NE<br />
on buffalo and lion, for although it<br />
threw a lighter bullet (525grn as<br />
opposed to <strong>the</strong> .500NE’s 570grn) it did<br />
so at a significantly higher velocity of<br />
2300fps (<strong>the</strong> old Kynoch cartridges<br />
I’ve chronographed actually deliver<br />
Page 6<br />
<strong>Current</strong> <strong>African</strong> <strong>Cartridges</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>.505</strong> <strong>Gibbs</strong><br />
By - Ganyana<br />
This is one of those “classic” British cartridges that has stuck around and always<br />
seemed to hang in <strong>the</strong>re, with a small following in America and a steady group of <strong>African</strong><br />
professionals who swore by it. ‘Pondoro’ Taylor praises it as a “magnificent weapon, if<br />
you prefer a magazine rifle”, and too many o<strong>the</strong>r good hunters have used it with too<br />
much success for it to fade away.<br />
this advertised performance from a 24"<br />
barrel). For <strong>the</strong> professional hunter<br />
working in areas dominated by jesse<br />
vegetation or jungle, <strong>the</strong> .450-.470 class<br />
of cartridges represent a realistic<br />
minimum safe choice, and many men<br />
preferred something more than <strong>the</strong><br />
minimum. The well built <strong>Gibbs</strong> rifles<br />
were noted for <strong>the</strong>ir extremely moderate<br />
recoil relative to <strong>the</strong> power of <strong>the</strong><br />
cartridge, and I for one, found firing an<br />
original <strong>.505</strong> <strong>Gibbs</strong> considerably less<br />
earth shattering than firing a .458 Lott<br />
(an extra 2½lbs weight combined with<br />
exceptional fit and balance made a<br />
world of difference). For your game<br />
control officers or farmer who often had<br />
to shoot elephant and lion at night, <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>.505</strong> provided that extra bit of<br />
reinsurance toge<strong>the</strong>r with four rounds<br />
in <strong>the</strong> magazine. Simply put, it was a far<br />
Simply put, it was a far safer<br />
rifle to carry than most, and a<br />
much more practical choice<br />
for many than an expensive<br />
double.<br />
safer rifle to carry than most, and a<br />
much more practical choice for many<br />
than an expensive double.<br />
Today <strong>the</strong> <strong>.505</strong> is seeing quite a<br />
renaissance. I have seen more <strong>.505</strong>’s in<br />
<strong>the</strong> field in <strong>the</strong> last two years than I’ve<br />
seen .460 Wea<strong>the</strong>rby’s. The reason is<br />
simple. Like <strong>the</strong> English worked out a<br />
century ago, provided that <strong>the</strong> bullet<br />
gives adequate penetration, if you want<br />
to increase stopping power, you have<br />
to increase bullet diameter. End of story.<br />
As regular users of <strong>the</strong> .460 Wea<strong>the</strong>rby<br />
will tell you, it makes no difference to<br />
<strong>the</strong> knock down effect whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong><br />
bullet is launched at 2700fps or at<br />
2400fps, and a 600 grain .458 bullet at<br />
2400fps is no better than <strong>the</strong> standard<br />
500 grain one at <strong>the</strong> same velocity. The<br />
reason is plain. The hydrostatic shock<br />
effect of <strong>the</strong> bullet on heart/lung shots<br />
comes into play at impact velocities<br />
above 2250fps and does not increase<br />
in effect until bullet impact velocities<br />
exceed 3300fps. The 500 grain bullets<br />
give more than adequate penetration,<br />
inevitably right through an elephant,<br />
so increasing <strong>the</strong> bullet weight merely<br />
increases <strong>the</strong> already ample<br />
penetration. If you want to move up in<br />
stopping power over <strong>the</strong> .460, you have<br />
to go to a bigger diameter bullet. Very<br />
few men today get to shoot enough big<br />
game to become as proficient as <strong>the</strong><br />
pro’s of old, and if a big tusker or a<br />
tuskless cow are on quota, you’re<br />
going to be hunting in <strong>the</strong> jesse. Rifles<br />
<strong>African</strong> Hunter Vol. 6 No. 5
L - R: Against a backdrop of <strong>the</strong> honey combed Elephant skull and<br />
Taylor's classic book, .458 Win, .458 Lott, .450 Ackley, .500 Jeffery,<br />
<strong>.505</strong> <strong>Gibbs</strong>.<br />
with real stopping power are making a<br />
comeback simply because its healthy,<br />
and with <strong>the</strong> price of a good .500 or 577<br />
double out of most people’s reach, <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>.505</strong> is off to a head start.<br />
There has also been renewed<br />
interest in <strong>the</strong> magnum Mauser action<br />
and several firms from South Africa to<br />
Belgium are making ei<strong>the</strong>r faithful<br />
copies or slightly improved versions of<br />
Rifles with real stopping<br />
power are making a<br />
comeback simply because its<br />
healthy, and with <strong>the</strong> price of<br />
a good .500 or 577 double<br />
out of most people’s reach,<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>.505</strong> is off to a head start.<br />
<strong>the</strong> big action. Vector in South Africa<br />
even offer <strong>the</strong>ir version of <strong>the</strong> magnum<br />
Mauser action with a bolt of increased<br />
diameter specifically to cater for <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>.505</strong> and <strong>the</strong> odd fellow who wants a<br />
.585 Nyati (a Ross Seyfried creation<br />
when he discovered that .450 calibre<br />
didn’t make <strong>the</strong> grade as <strong>the</strong> ultimate in<br />
dangerous game stopping power) since<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>.505</strong> rim is at <strong>the</strong> upper limit of what<br />
a standard Mauser bolt<br />
can handle. The<br />
excellent CZ actions<br />
from <strong>the</strong> Czech. republic<br />
can also be built into a<br />
<strong>.505</strong> with little effort. I<br />
haven’t heard of<br />
anyone offering <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>.505</strong> as a standard<br />
production item, but if<br />
Vector have tooled up<br />
specifically to make<br />
actions for <strong>the</strong> <strong>.505</strong>, .585<br />
and Harald Wolfs full<br />
rim version of <strong>the</strong> .500<br />
Jeffery’ <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong>re is<br />
obviously reasonable<br />
demand from <strong>the</strong><br />
custom or semi custom<br />
rifle makers.<br />
As for bullets,<br />
Woodleigh make <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
incomparable solid in<br />
<strong>.505</strong>" and <strong>the</strong>re are<br />
enough custom bullet<br />
makers out <strong>the</strong>re to<br />
satisfy any o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
demand. Bertram and<br />
Stewart’s make brass<br />
and loaded factory<br />
ammo is available even<br />
in Zimbabwe. There<br />
have been a few<br />
<strong>the</strong>oretical comments<br />
that <strong>the</strong> <strong>.505</strong>’s 525 grain<br />
bullet lacks sectional density (.294) and<br />
<strong>the</strong>refor penetration. This is pure<br />
<strong>the</strong>ory. Bullets from <strong>the</strong> <strong>.505</strong> have<br />
sufficient penetration to reach <strong>the</strong> brain<br />
on an elephant from any angle and<br />
while <strong>the</strong>y may not boil out <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
side of <strong>the</strong> elephant’s head like a 500<br />
grain bullet from a 460 Wea<strong>the</strong>rby or a<br />
.375 it offers penetration at least<br />
comparable to a properly loaded .458<br />
Win (500grn bullet at 2150fps). If you<br />
are used to a .458 Win <strong>the</strong> increase in<br />
stopping power on elephant and knock<br />
down power on lion or buffalo is quite<br />
dramatic.<br />
The <strong>.505</strong> <strong>Gibbs</strong> is a large case, about<br />
as big as can be possibly fitted into a<br />
bolt action rifle. The case is a .10" longer<br />
than <strong>the</strong> .460 Wea<strong>the</strong>rby and a .10"<br />
fatter. One could <strong>the</strong>refore load <strong>the</strong> <strong>.505</strong><br />
right up with modern powders, but one<br />
of its primary attractions is its low<br />
pressure. Even on <strong>the</strong> hottest day, after<br />
you’ve fired a couple of rounds and<br />
<strong>the</strong> third is left cooking in <strong>the</strong> chamber<br />
for a while, <strong>the</strong>re will be no problems<br />
(The .460 Wea<strong>the</strong>rby is notorious for<br />
sticky extraction under such conditions<br />
with full power loads). A generous<br />
dollop of S365 gives 2400fps without<br />
enough pressure to even square <strong>the</strong><br />
edges off <strong>the</strong> primer: who could want<br />
more?<br />
The <strong>.505</strong> is a great cartridge, and its<br />
rapid return to <strong>the</strong> hunting fields is only<br />
to be welcomed. There is nothing in <strong>the</strong><br />
.450 class that can compare with its<br />
effectiveness and for <strong>the</strong> pro, needing<br />
to back up clients in sticky situations,<br />
<strong>the</strong> professional guide with<br />
photographic clients who never shoots<br />
until <strong>the</strong> situation is critical, or <strong>the</strong> local<br />
citizen hunter or farmer who<br />
occasionally shoots a buffalo or<br />
elephant, <strong>the</strong> <strong>.505</strong> provides that bit of<br />
extra security that makes <strong>the</strong> difference<br />
when things go wrong between<br />
success and failure and occasionally,<br />
life and death.<br />
<strong>.505</strong> <strong>Gibbs</strong> cartridges with <strong>the</strong>ir original sealed tin packing boxes, each holding 10 rounds. These<br />
sealed tin boxes ensured that <strong>the</strong> ammo within remained fresh for years.<br />
<strong>African</strong> Hunter Vol. 6 No. 5<br />
Page 7