.500 Nitro Express whats your opinion

[Harrison E]

i was wondering what people think of the cartridge also recommendations on rifles to purchase in the caliber .500 Nitro Express
thanks

 

[matt85]

im a big fan of this cartridge! in a quality double rifle chambered in this cartridge you will never be under gunned.

-matt

 

[peras]

The best of them all, because I use one LOL

 

[PaulT]

Harrison,
the .500 N.E is only relatively new to me in as much as I have only just had my double for two years now and have only just taken a handful of buffalo with it but am EXTREMELY impressed with the "knock-down" effect at short range (I have also taken two buffalo at 120yds and 140yds with it !).

I got my .500 specifically for early season hunts where the bush is thick and contact with buff is usually at very close range therefore the double punch of a heavy caliber double ensures the animal goes down before it disappears from sight.
I find the recoil a step up from the 45's and the other important consideration is the increased gun weight you will need to deal with as most .500's come in at 10.5lbs+.

I have managed to lighten my own .500 down to under 10lbs making it much more portable then before but others that have shot it DO NOT like the recoil it produces

The way I see it is if you are going to get a double as a "stopper" or a big bone cruncher then you may as well make it a big one.
It is a definite and noticeable step up in effect on buffalo from the .470 or any of the .45's but it is costly to load and get components for, will be heavy to carry, expensive to buy and take some time to get accustomed to.

I see all the other threads you have started regarding the various big bores you list.

Remember that the cartridge is simply the vessel that projects the bullet, it is the bullet that does the damage and kills the animal !

I guarantee you that a .375 loaded with a 300gn T.S.X delivered to the scapula on a buffalo will knock that buffalo down on the spot quicker than any other of the cartridges you list if loaded with a generic cup and core bullet that is delivered to the paunch.

What-ever you decide on we have some spectacular bullets available to us hunters these days that were not available 10 years ago.
Any of the calibers you have listed when loaded with an appropriate big game projectile that is delivered to the vitals will be effective.

Good luck with deciding ,

Paul.

 

[Royal27]

The best of them all, because I use one LOL

Go ahead Pieter, tell him what color it is!

 

[peras]

Go ahead Pieter, tell him what color it is!

Royal just for you!

 

[Velo Dog]

Hi again Harrison E,

Being a sissy and all, the .500 NE is about as much fun as I can stand.
Once I fired two rounds from a .600 NE and although the recoil was not as bad as I had expected, it was more than I am willing to put up with (plus the rifle itself was too heavy for me to carry all day long and still be quick with it).
But the .500 in a double of minimum 11 pounds to maximum 12 pounds, is tolerable in recoil (provided it fits you well of course).

Once I fired a custom made .500 made on a Chapuis or Verney Carron action, by Evo-Rifle in Bird Idaho, as I recall.
It had 20 inch barrels and seemed about 2 or 3, (perhaps more) pounds too light for that caliber.
Firing it felt like what I would imagine it's like to be hit by a car.
Also, I have fired a proper weight, Pre-War English .500 NE double and it felt close to the same as a similar quality .470 I have fired felt, IMO - within my recoil tolerance level in other words.

Regarding what rifle I would recommend for this caliber, if money is no object, I feel the best of the best is the Westley Richards Droplock Model, but there are other makers in the high price range that build some likewise staggeringly wonderful doubles to order.
If you wish to keep the price below $20,000.US, then have a look at the Meym PH Model, or the slightly more fancy 88B Model.

Last time I looked at: www.champlinarms.com , they had an 88B in .500 with ejectors (I prefer ejectors), among their used rifle section.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[PaulT]

"But the .500 in a double of minimum 11 pounds to maximum 12 pounds, is tolerable in recoil (provided it fits you well of course" (quote by Velo Dog).

So Velo,
i'm picking you wont be lining up for an extended range session with my 9lb 10 oz .500

No but seriously, if you know what to have built into your custom stock, having the correct measurements applied mitigates recoil much more effectively than adding weight (by proportion).

I would not go so far as to say my V.C is mild to shoot, for sure it boots and it boots good .
You are in little doubt that you have squeezed one off, believe me !

BUT, and yes that is a big BUT, it (the recoil) does not hamper, nor impede, performance.

I am at very best only just an average field shot and yet I managed to stop two buffalo this year both in excess of 100yds, one at about 120 and one at around 140, and both were well hit (and anchored) with both barrels .

I'm a firm believer that most experienced big bore rifle hunters/shooters can, with proper technique and in a rifle that fits properly, become perfectly effective with a good double chambered in .500 N.E
It is not a lot more than say a properly loaded .458 Lott, so if your comfortable with a Lott you'll be good to go with the .500

And Lord does it hit hard

 

[matt85]

if I had money to burn, id pick up a Heym in 500 NE.

-matt

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Double rifle in .500, tis is my dream.

 

[bpcr]

i was wondering what people think of the cartridge also recommendations on rifles to purchase in the caliber .500 Nitro Express
thanks

I have recently purchased a Merkel 140 in .500 NE. All I can say right now is that it blows way bigger holes in the ground behind my targets than the .458 WM and Lott does. It's a keeper.

 

[matt85]

this thread is 4 years old!

 

[BenKK]

.500NE is an excellent cartridge with lots of stopping power for big buffalo bulls. We sure stopped loads and loads along the Maiwok, Wilton and Waterhouse with this tremendous double rifle cartridge.

 

[Lukas Viljoen]

Hi to all . Recently got a Merkel 140 AE in 500 NE. Experienced a dubble discharge !!! Back trigger 1st.Question. Anybody have a similar experience. Its a brand new gun

 

[Tommen]

I have one and bougth one more, in same caliber.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Too much for me. I will stop at 450/400 and hope the buff does too.

 

[Tanks]

Hi to all . Recently got a Merkel 140 AE in 500 NE. Experienced a dubble discharge !!! Back trigger 1st.Question. Anybody have a similar experience. Its a brand new gun

Most likely have to do with technique than the gun. Are you gently pressing the trigger or jerking it back so your finger is continuing on to the back trigger?

 

[Quaticman]

I certainly like mine, the buffalo not so much.

 

[Probono]

I got the opportunity to shoot a .500 NE double rifle that belongs to a friend of my Dad's 3 or 4 years ago. I hit a pie tin at 25 yards with it on both shots and didn't fall over or otherwise make a fool of myself. Recoil was horrendous. I was asked if I wanted to shoot it again and I declined. Not only did I fear for my health, I already felt obligated to buy him dinner in exchange for the $16 dollars it cost him for me to fire those two shots. Why did he own such a rifle you ask? He got it from his father in law's estate who used in Africa back in the 50s. The rifle is worth better than $10,000 and he has shot it twice since he got it in the late 80s. Why he hasn't sold it and bought something useful is beyond me.

I wouldn't touch a pistol chambered for that round with a 10 foot pole.

 

[Frederik]

Hi to all . Recently got a Merkel 140 AE in 500 NE. Experienced a dubble discharge !!! Back trigger 1st.Question. Anybody have a similar experience. Its a brand new gun

Lukas, you are not far from Pretoria why not join us for a shoot at BASA - Big Bore associattion, plenty of guys with doubles that will help and make recommedations.

BTW what are you guys loading and velocities you are getting in teh 500 NE?