that 500 Jeffery is no slouch of a cartridge! if one sticks to factory loads then the 500 Jeffery is much more powerful then the 505 Gibbs (570gr .510" bullet at 2300fps).
i picked the 505 Gibbs for similar reasons you picked the 500 Jeffery. i didnt like the idea of a rebated rim and was concerned it would have regular feed issues. it also helped that the 505 Gibbs cartridge just looks impressive!
-matt
Gentlemens,
Both cartridges appeal to me so much that I waited a long time to finally decide which one of the two I should buy.
At the end of the day, my only reason for finally settling on the Jeffery over the Gibbs was bullet diameter.
Where I live, .505 diameter bullets are few and far between but, various weights and styles of .510 and .511 bullets are not that unusual to find on gun shop shelves.
This is due to the fact that many enthusiasts here shoot various black powder single shots, such as the .50-70 Gov't and .50 / 120 Sharps or similar ones, making hard cast, lead alloy, gas check bullets, from about 380 grains to 600 grains almost always available.
These can work for light practice loads to shoot, as opposed to not shooting at all when you otherwise cannot get odd diameter bullets for awhile (shipping is slow and expensive here).
The best part is that, the .500 Nitro Express double is getting a little more popular here every day and it's 570 gr bullet is actually superior IMO for the Jeffery, than the traditional 535 grainers are, due to higher sectional density, at least regarding solids for use on elephant or hippo on land.
For softs on buffaloes and such, it probably is not such a pressing matter because the Jeffery's 535 grainers likely would let the air out of any buffalo or giraffe, eland etc., just fine, I will presume.
I think now (mostly due to Dr. Robertson's research and recommendations), there are 600 gr bullets available from Woodleigh in soft and solid, for both these quite powerful cartridges.
However, I will never need them, even if I ever take my .500 for elephant because it shoots so well with the 570 grainers at around 2050 to around 2125 / 2150 fps and shows no pressure sign plus, recoil is manageable, even for a geezer like me.
If I was hunting Africa back when reloading was hardly even spoken of, and both the Jeffery and Gibbs rifles were a new thing, I probably would've leaned toward the Gibbs because of no rebated rim and the lower chamber pressure.
Today, I hand load most of my ammunition and so, the Jeffery is the best one for me.
Cheers,
Velo Dog.
