What cartridge have you thought about the most, but never owned a rifle in it?

[Panther Shooter]

I have alway had a lifelong fascination with either of these two :

- .500 Nitro Express
- .500 Jeffery

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I’ve always wanted a 9.3x 64 brenneke. It seems like the perfect big game rifle. Also a 500 Jeff for a stopper.

 

[40inarow]

I would like to have a Zoli over under double rifle in 450/400 and a controlled feed bolt action in 9.3x62.

What is hard is I have guns now that I like that overlaps these cartridges now. Since I handload these cartridges are quite versitile. The 260 can go from 85 to 100 gr bullets like a 243 to 120 like a 25-06 to 140 which gives performance like a 270. The 338 can go with a 185 gr which shoots like a 7mm Mag, 200 gr like a 300 Mag, a 225 gr like itself a 338 mag only, or a 250 gr which is pushing a 375 H&H. I have guns now in -
223
260 Remington
7x57 Mauser
30-06
338 Win Mag
416 Rigby
45-70
So at this point, with the bases covered as it is, do I want to buy more guns or shoot the ones I have more?
I still want to buy more guns, but at this point I'm buying more reloading components.

 

[Graham Hunter]

470NE in a good quality SxS.

 

[WAB]

A classic British bolt gun in .404 Jeffery.

 

[Newboomer]

Win 70 Safari Express 404 Jeffery.

 

[JimP]

Many years ago when it first came out I purchased a Thompson Center Contender barrel in .357 Herrett. And while I enjoyed that round in that pistol I always wondered how it would be out of a rifle. For those that don't know it is a .30-30 case that is shortened with the mouth expanded out to .357 from .30 and then fire formed in the firearms chamber. It is a total wildcat.

I purchased a Marlin .30-30 lever action rifle that I was going to rebarrel for this round but lost interest in it. Now that I am retired I just may take it up again.

 

[Dr Ray]

I think my choice would be the Weatherby 257.
Only used one sparingly way,way back.
Even though I’ve had a number of 22/250s I always liked the 220 Swift but ... never got around to acquiring one as they are far from common and I expect not many gun stores keep brass on hand.
Dream on - dream on!

 

[mark-hunter]

Dont laught at me guys! I long for vanilla calibers, and you cant have it all at once. So at this point for me it is .45 ACP for pistols (in 1911 guise), and 375 h&h in rifle calibers (in 98 shape).
All the rest I ever needed or wanted i already have (well, maybe).

 

[ldmay375]

For me, 8x57 and 340 Weatherby.

What cartridge have you thought about the most, but never owned a rifle chambered in it?

For me it all comes down to the .257 Roberts, .250 Savage, .300 Savage, .303 Savage, .260 Remington, .280 Remington, .308 Win., and 7X57 Mauser. I know a looooooong list. I am not truly sure which one I have thought about the most... Probably the .257 Roberts. Seems like the perfect deer cartridge.

 

[shark_za]

Definitely the 9.3x62 ; its time to sort that out.

 

[IvW]

If I could i would honestly want:

9.3x74R/7x57mm Bergstutzen with 26" barrels fitted with QD scope and extra set of barrels in 12ga/12ga 3' with 5 interchangeable chokes by Verney Carron and then a 450 # 2 NE, S x S also by VC.

That would be all I need....

 

[kiwihunter 260]

In bolt action 416 Rigby
In SxS 470NE

 

[greyfox]

17 Remington - this is not varmint country absolutely no "need for one here"
220 swift - same as above
250 Savage - I have a 243 that's a deer killing machine, just always wanted a 250 Savage or 257 Roberts
416 Taylor - Just because,,,

 

[Major Khan]

If I could i would honestly want:

9.3x74R/7x57mm Bergstutzen with 26" barrels fitted with QD scope and extra set of barrels in 12ga/12ga 3' with 5 interchangeable chokes by Verney Carron and then a 450 # 2 NE, S x S also by VC.

That would be all I need....

Didn't you also desire a .500 Nitro Express calibre double barreled side by side rifle once , IvW ?

 

[CBH Australia]

@Von Gruff interesting choice
@Dr Ray .220 swift brass is available, somewhere. My mate has one and settled on many years go based on his reading Of Nick Harvey articles. He won’t part with that one, I shot some foxes with it
@Badboymelvin do you have any smaller rifles or is this where you start? Like a go big or go home thing.
@greyfox .17rem was popular in Australia once when Fox pelts made money for shooters, a few good ones come home occasionally but many would just get rebarrelled for .222 or .223 for roo shooting or just people shooting varmints, pests

 

[IvW]

Didn't you also desire a .500 Nitro Express calibre double barreled side by side rifle once , IvW ?

Absolutely but I would prefer 3 1/4 inch loaded to 3" pressure. .500 is very effective but overkill for most except elephant.

450 # 2 NE is the longest of the lot, has the least pressure, has the strongest and best case design, and can easily be loaded with 500gr bullets to 2175 fps. The favorite double used by the best elephant hunter in my opinion in the thickest bush imaginable, Ian Nyschens. Such a chambered double would be the ultimate combination, with history to boot....

So did Percival(who used a matched pair of these), although many think Taylor used smaller bores(which he did and shot about 800 with the 7x57 MM), the bulk where shot with doubles. Taylor owned four rifles chambered in .450 No 2 Nitro Express, with them he killed several hundred elephant, scores of rhinoceros and several hundred buffalo. So did, Maharaja Nripendra Narayan 4 October 1862 – 18 September 1911.

 

[Major Khan]

Absolutely but I would prefer 3 1/4 inch loaded to 3" pressure. .500 is very effective but overkill for most except elephant.

450 # 2 NE is the longest of the lot, has the least pressure, has the strongest and best case design, and can easily be loaded with 500gr bullets to 2175 fps. The favorite double used by the best elephant hunter in my opinion in the thickest bush imaginable, Ian Nyschens. Such a chambered double would be the ultimate combination, with history to boot....

So did Percival(who used a matched pair of these), although many think Taylor used smaller bores(which he did and shot about 800 with the 7x57 MM), the bulk where shot with doubles. Taylor owned four rifles chambered in .450 No 2 Nitro Express, with them he killed several hundred elephant, scores of rhinoceros and several hundred buffalo. So did, Maharaja Nripendra Narayan 4 October 1862 – 18 September 1911.

There used to be a rifle calibre called the .476 Westley Richards . I had 1 client bring a Westley Richards double barreled side by side rifle ... which was chambered in this calibre . The rifle was regulated for ICI Kynoch 520 grain solid metal covered bullets . He brought it for the purposes of a gaur shikar .
In my 10 year career, that was the ONLY rifle which I have ever seen... that managed to break BOTH the shoulders of a 2000 pound male gaur with 1 shot .
The brute was anchored on the spot . His heart had a been ruptured .
The .476 Westley Richards calibre was a most devastatingly efficient 1 . Sadly , it has lost favor in recent years.

Maharaja Nripendra Narayan was an extremely avid shikaree in India . I am impressed that you have read of him .
He also owned a gold engraved Martini Henry single shot rifle , chambered in .577/450 Martini Henry and 43 other fire arms ( including a gold engraved .400/350 Nitro Express calibre bolt rifle built by John Rigby & Co. ) .

 

[IvW]

The other advantage of the 450 NE # 2 is that it uses standard .458 Bullets, which is a big advantage...

 

[postoak]

Any of the .22 centerfires. Never had a need for one, and so will probably never buy one. In the middle, the .300 Weatherby, and at the high end, any or all of the .500s, .500 NE, .500 Jeffery, and .505 Gibbs.