Opinions on the real big boys? 500J, 505 Gibbs, .500 NE, 577NE, 600NE, 700NE etc.

[Alistair]

I was curious to know what the prices are like on these larger calibers so I looked up local prices (Canada) for comparison. These are the lowest prices that I could find.

505 Gibbs - $320/box (10 rounds, $32/round) - Yikes.
500 NE - $210/box (20 rounds, ($10.5/round) - Not bad.

And...that's it. Not seeing any 500J, 577's, 600'sm 700's etc. I'm guessing many of the owners of these cartridges are invested in handloading as retail options appear to be limited.

Basically anything above 375H&H is a hand loading proposition really. Even if you're willing to take the financial pain of factory ammo, your supply will be patchy.

As a general rule, anything above the .308 range of cartridges is better value when hand loading, but with the big bores, when your standard range time is probably only 10-20 rounds a session, you can make up 50 in a couple hours and doing so saves nearly $500... it starts to become really compelling...

With my .375 in the UK I could buy the rounds for roughly $6 a shot, or I could load them for about $2.75. That sort of saving pays off reloading kit real fast.

Moving up even further, you can probably load a 500NE for around $6 a round, maybe even less for practice rounds. Save 4 bucks on every trigger pull. $50/hr of your time spend loading 'em probably isn't awful.

The Gibbs might be $10 a round and you save 22 bucks a round, or $550/hr of your time spent at the bench. Many would take that.

At the top of the totem pole, anyone who has something really niche like a 700NE who isn't handloading, is either extremely wealthy (and has a personal assistant to scour the internet for ammo), or simply doesn't shoot it much. Probably both, honestly!

 

[Northern Shooter]

Basically anything above 375H&H is a hand loading proposition really. Even if you're willing to take the financial pain of factory ammo, your supply will be patchy.

As a general rule, anything above the .308 range of cartridges is better value when hand loading, but with the big bores, when your standard range time is probably only 10-20 rounds a session, you can make up 50 in a couple hours and doing so saves nearly $500... it starts to become really compelling...

With my .375 in the UK I could buy the rounds for roughly $6 a shot, or I could load them for about $2.75. That sort of saving pays off reloading kit real fast.

Moving up even further, you can probably load a 500NE for around $6 a round, maybe even less for practice rounds. Save 4 bucks on every trigger pull. $50/hr of your time spend loading 'em probably isn't awful.

The Gibbs might be $10 a round and you save 22 bucks a round, or $550/hr of your time spent at the bench. Many would take that.

At the top of the totem pole, anyone who has something really niche like a 700NE who isn't handloading, is either extremely wealthy (and has a personal assistant to scour the internet for ammo), or simply doesn't shoot it much. Probably both, honestly!

Noted, reloading is on my plans for 2023. The value proposition on reloading the big big bores seems far greater than the likes of 223/9mm etc.

I'm currently paying $4.50/round for my 375H&H but looking at .416 prices they're closer to $15/round.

 

[Jack Stevens]

The only cartridge above my .404 Jeff I’d even consider would be the 505 Gibbs, due to the nostalgia of “old Africa” that Hemingway imbued it with in fiction, similar to what Ruark did with Selby’s 416 Rigby.

That said, it would also have to be had in the right rifle … and with my reloading time already spent on my .404 I doubt I’d have time for a .505.

So many toys, … so little time.

 

[steve white]

Hawk Bullets offers jacketed bullets of various jacket thickness for everything up to 700 Nitro.

Can you imagine what expansion/wound channel a really big bore would achieve with Hawke soft points?!!

 

[SAFARIKIDD]

Here is a few STOPPERS of my past...L-R
500Jeff & 600 Overkill
700AHR #1
600 Overkill (Gorgeous)
505 Gibbs by Wells
600NE by Osborne (1920)
585 Nyati by Wells
700NE by Searcy
458 Browning Custom
577NE Wesley Richards
8 Bore Tolley & 7 Bore Greener
4 Bore by K.Owen "Mastodon"
458 Lott 5.5pds & 600 Overkill 8.5pds both by Bijou
600 Overkill by AHR (All Black)
50/110 by Clay (525cast @ 2300!)
458 Lott Fluted 20" by Bijou
458 Win by Oregon Gunsmithing
458 Win by Oregon Gunsmithing
600 Overkill 16" THOR (just completed and in load development now..9.5 pds w/rear peep)
*Last photo isn't African Battery but a 6.4 pd Benelli Auto w/18" Rifled Slug Barrel...8 Rapid shots with 800Gr Hard Cast Slugs would topple even Godzilla (or Brown Bear!)

Hard to pick a favoriteas they all have a Sweet Spot in my memory)

 

[Green Chile]

Has anyone built a really great one? Is this an ok place or do we need a new thread but how about some pics and dimensions. I'd love to build one

Are you talking about a standing rest for shooting big bores? I think we should start another topic for that one. Cal had one and it worked well. I don't have any designs for it or one like it.

 

[steve white]

Hello Kevin;

Here is the breakdown as measured on my postal scale :

View attachment 526754

Conversely:

View attachment 526755

Note: in both cases for naked rifles weight, subtract the scope and mount. As for scoped rifles, there are scopes lighter than the Leica Magnus 1-6.3x24, but it is the one premium glass with the longest eye relief since Swarovski discontinued the 1-6x24 EE, and it is therefore the best in my view...

Will the R8 feed 458 WM in the Lott barrel setup?

 

[ActionBob]

Are you talking about a standing rest for shooting big bores? I think we should start another topic for that one. Cal had one and it worked well. I don't have any designs for it or one like it.

Yup

 

[steve white]

Anyone ever worry about a detached retina, lol?

Is the hydro solid a step up in wound channel effectiveness for the 375? Or is frontal area king?

 

[Red Leg]

Anyone ever worry about a detached retina, lol?

Is the hydro solid a step up in wound channel effectiveness for the 375? Or is frontal area king?

I use the 300 gr .375 Hydro on Suni - ten pounds of brown death on the hoof - leaves perfect .375 holes for the taxidermist going and coming. For anything serious through buffalo, it is a 300 gr A Frame.

 

[steve white]

I was thinking of wound channel while shooting elephant, as HunterHabib described. It was his opinion that the wound channel was too narrow, allowing his bull to cross a river. Would the concave head of the hydro create a better wound channel than a regular solid thus elevating the effectiveness of the 375 on elephant?

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Hello Kevin;

Here is the breakdown as measured on my postal scale :

View attachment 526754

Conversely:

View attachment 526755
Thank you One Day, very significant differences. So am O right that there are two Blaser frame sizes really? So you either choose the small one and apply it's range of barrels, or the larger one and there is a choice for that too?
I agree the Leica 1-6 is the best scope I have ever seen.
Note: in both cases for naked rifles weight, subtract the scope and mount. As for scoped rifles, there are scopes lighter than the Leica Magnus 1-6.3x24, but it is the one premium glass with the longest eye relief since Swarovski discontinued the 1-6x24 EE, and it is therefore the best in my view...

 

[colorado]

Anyone ever worry about a detached retina, lol?

Is the hydro solid a step up in wound channel effectiveness for the 375? Or is frontal area king?

I worry about it. But so far so good. Probably my boxing Golden Gloves at age 16 in NYC was more of a risk.

 

[Green Chile]

I worry about it. But so far so good. Probably my boxing Golden Gloves at age 16 in NYC was more of a risk.

That's recoil for sure! Tough sport.

 

[Red Leg]

I was thinking of wound channel while shooting elephant, as HunterHabib described. It was his opinion that the wound channel was too narrow, allowing his bull to cross a river. Would the concave head of the hydro create a better wound channel than a regular solid thus elevating the effectiveness of the 375 on elephant?

Some claim so - I think I imagined so on the first animal I killed with one - a black bear. All my subsequent experience with them indicates they act just like any other quality solid. The head does seem to facilitate straight line penetration. But if they really caused a more destructive wound, the results would have been be very apparent on Suni, Oribi, or Duiker. But they were not - very clean taxidermist friendly .375 holes going and coming. And as I said, double lunged animals in the Nyala, sable, and waterbuck class take a long time for the lights to go out. Neither it nor any other solid, would be my choice for a first shot at a cape buffalo. I absolutely would choose the hydro to brain an elephant. In that case you either hit the brain or you don't - a solid's wound channel won't matter.

 

[Bonk]

Hello Kevin;

Here is the breakdown as measured on my postal scale :

View attachment 526754

Conversely:

View attachment 526755

Note: in both cases for naked rifles weight, subtract the scope and mount. As for scoped rifles, there are scopes lighter than the Leica Magnus 1-6.3x24, but it is the one premium glass with the longest eye relief since Swarovski discontinued the 1-6x24 EE, and it is therefore the best in my view...

I didn't realize R8s were that heavy. I always assumed they were a lot lighter. Good to know.

 

[Tommy_Fontaine]

When I got to thinking about the 700NE, it made me think of the one time I shot a 3.5" mag slug out of my 12ga (72cal) @ 2000fps. Can't remember the weight 600 or 700 grains. I think I'd rather get punched in the face really hard before I do that again.

 

[Green Chile]

3.5“ slugs are nasty and most shotguns are field guns and lightweight.

 

[spike.t]

When I got to thinking about the 700NE, it made me think of the one time I shot a 3.5" mag slug out of my 12ga (72cal) @ 2000fps. Can't remember the weight 600 or 700 grains. I think I'd rather get punched in the face really hard before I do that again.

I will have to remember not to try them when my benelli hopefully eventually arrives...I have a short barrelled akkar semi auto 12 bore and got some 3 inch slugs.....think its similar to my 500j ...or not far off.....but think my 500j actually nicer of the two to shoot

 

[Sideshow]

Talking about shotgun slugs. As a teen we used to load a few up.
We tried one out on a possum up a tree one night down the back of the farm. Looked like someone had blown up a pillow, was raining down fur for ages. I was laughing so hard I nearly pee me pants.
When we got home Dad was very concerned wanted to know if we were oaky? We where like yeah we’re good why you asking? Have a look in the mirror. We were covered in a fine mist of blood. Must have shot him into the wind who knows but Mum was not happy. Thats when I started doing all my own clothes washing