Cal: I’m a new reader to the African Hunter and bought some back issues and a subscription at the Dallas Safari Club show. I’m also new to double rifles and want one very badly. May I ask you some questions? You are the only source I know to ask.
- What is meant by a .450 no2?
- Is it the same as a .450 Rigby?
- Then, what is a .470 Rigby?
- What is a .375 flanged?
- What is flanged?
- Makers: Osborne, Army and Navy, John Wilkes--is one better than the other? Merkel--is as good as an English rifle?
- Why the low price?
- What kind of ammo for a .450 or .470 nitro do you recommend?
- How can I learn about reloading for the double rifles?
Sincerely Ajit. R. Arkansas
Ajit:
Glad to assist. Welcome to the wonderful of double rifles and the African Hunter magazine. You could not have chosen a better firearm than a double nor a finer magazine than the AH.
To reply: First in the .450 caliber in nitro express was the .450 3 1/4” Rigby. A second cartridge by a competitive maker was 3 1/2” long with a greater internal capacity to lessen chamber pressures. It was (is) a bottleneck cartridge, also of .450 caliber, but designated a no2 to separate it from the first round. When England banned the .450 caliber in the Sudan and India (about 1903-4) the makers rushed to come out with calibers of the same power but with a larger diameter bullet. They were the .465 Holland, .470, .475, .475 no2 (with two diameters bullets--.483” and .488”), and the .476 By Westley Richards. The Rigby designation is the make of rifle the cartridge is chambered in.A flange is a rim. Always use a flanged, or rimmed, cartridge in a double rifle to be sure extraction or ejection is sure. A rimless cartridge requires small pawls to reach into the extractor groove remove the case. They will work fine most of the time but are prone to failures--especially so in an ejector rifle.
The makers you mentioned are superb English makers and all are of excellent reputation. Merkel is a European rifle, a good utility rifle, and will serve you well. It is priced lower due to fewer man hours of labor intensive hand work. A non English rifle does not have the balance, fit, feel, and lines of a fine English gun or rifle. But, that is my opinion only. Hornady, Federal, Superior and others make excellent ammo of you don’t reload.
As to reloading, I will write a separate reply as this will take some time. Also, contact me via email
