Cheap Hornady 450 Nitro Express 3 400 DGX Bonded Ammunition (20 Rounds)

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$137

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Description

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

The 450 Nitro Express was the first Nitro Express cartridge, developed around 1898 by John Rigby. This cartridge was based on the then popular .450 Black Powder Express case with 70 grains (5 g) of Cordite and a 480-grain (31 g) jacketed bullet. Muzzle velocity is listed at 2,150 feet per second (655 m/s) with 4,909 ft⋅lbf (6,656 J) of muzzle energy. This straight case has a length of 3.25 in (83 mm) with a .624 in (15.8 mm) rim.

Early cartridges used the black powder case that was designed for around 22,000 psi and not the 34,000 psi that the Cordite load generated. Case extraction was difficult, especially in warmer climates such as Africa and India where the cartridge was primarily used. To remedy this problem, a reinforced case was produced and Kynoch made a reduced load to lower the case pressure. Another problem lay in the sensitivity of Cordite, loads developed in the cool British climate performed differently in the tropical heat of Africa and India, resulting in excessive pressures. The manufacturers responded by developing “tropical loads” with reduced propellant.

Additional Information On 450 Nitro Express

These initial problems led to Holland & Holland developing the 450 Nitro Express and Eley Brothers developing the 450 Nitro Express, both of which offered very similar performance to the original 450 Nitro Express. By the time these two cartridges appeared, the early issues with the 450 Nitro Express had been resolved, and it quickly became the most popular and widely used dangerous game hunting round.

Following the British Army 1907 ban of .450 caliber ammunition into India and the Sudan, instead of developing their own replacement Rigby adopted Joseph Lang’s .470 Nitro Express as their standard double rifle cartridge By the time the ban was lifted the .470 NE had largely supplanted the 450 Nitro Express as the industry’s most popular elephant cartridge, and Mauser’s Gewehr 98 bolt actioned rifles offered cheaper alternatives to the expensive double rifles required by the Nitro Express cartridges.

450 nitro express

The 450 Nitro Express formula would go on to define what we now consider to be the proper specs for a stopping rifle cartridge, as it develops just under 5,000 ft.-lbs. and has a recoil level manageable by most hunters. The projectiles—while of cup-and-core construction—have a sectional density (SD) value of 0.327, and will give the necessary penetration for thick skinned animals; our premium bullets only make this vintage cartridge even better.

450 400 nitro express

The uprisings in India and Sudan led to a 1907 British ban on all .45-caliber ammunition in its colonies and territories—predominately to keep the .577/450 Martini-Henry ammo and any similar components out of the hands of the insurgents—and many different alternatives to the 450 Nitro Express formula were introduced, not the least popular of which is the .470 NE. The fact that the .450 was imitated in so many different ways, and I’ll point to the .500/465 NE, .475 NE, .475 No. 2 Jefferies and .476 NE, is a testament to the effectiveness of the cartridge.

450 400 nitro express

It seems a bit of a shame that the 450 Nitro Express has become such a limited product, as it truly is a great design. But it is clearly evident that the .470 NE won the popularity contest, even in my gun safe. Even John Rigby & Co. adopted Joseph Lang’s .470 after the 1907 ammo ban, and I feel that when Federal reintroduced .470 NE ammunition in 1989, that may have been the death knell for the 450 Nitro Express, though it hangs on by a thread. For the hunter, the field performance of the two cartridges is so close it is negligible. The .470 has a bit more frontal diameter, the 450 Nitro Express has a better SD; and the 20-grain difference in weight shouldn’t make a difference at all. However, the wider availability of the .470 ammunition has given those rifles a greater resale value.

Additional Information