African Outfitter is an independent international bimonthly publication promoting
fair hunting and ethical business practices within the hunting industry.
From a hunting perspective, the preservation of biodiversity on the
African continent is the first and foremost priority. The emphasis
is however also on the sustainable utilisation of wildlife.

African Outfitter Back Issues: CONTENTS - October / November 2006 - (Vol 1/6)

Favourite rifles and terminal performance - by Mauritz Coetzee

Craig Boddington, well-known American big game hunter and author, considers the .470 Nitro Express as a first choice when it comes to double rifles. The following observations from this man says it all, "However, the ascending of the .470 is such that there's no reason to consider a new double in any other calibre. It has become a .470 world … and that's a perfectly fine world to live in." (Any shot you want, p.575.)

The association of this cartridge with authors like Robert Ruark has also contributed to the acceptance and success of this cartridge.

In Horn of the Hunter, Ruark first describes how he shot a hyaena with his Westley Richards .470 double after he wounded the animal with a .220 Swift. Whilst hunting with the famed Harry Selby, he also relates how he had a double discharge on his .470 double whilst hunting buffalo. The impact of the double discharge "floored" Ruark and it is only fitting that the exact words/conversation after this double discharge are shared with our readers.
"You all right?" Harry asked. "What happened?"
"Both barrels," I said. "At once. Dropped me. Did I hit him?"
"You knocked him tail over tip cup," Harry said. "He turned completely over. Then he got up and departed." (Horn of the Hunter, p.237.)

The buffalo died, but also because of a back-up shot from Selby.

Explicitly developed for double rifles, the original load for this cartridge consisted of a 500 grain bullet, propelled by 75 grains of cordite for a muzzle velocity of 2 125 feet per second. John (Pondoro) Taylor described .470 as a "real killer cartridge" although he felt that the full-patch (solid) bullet had too much taper at the nose of the bullet.

Taylor was also adamant that the solids used in the Rigby line of cartridges like the 350, 416 and .350 (400/.350) were superior to the solids used in the .470 Nitro Express. The difference was mainly in construction since the Rigby solids were steel-covered, and also because the Rigby solids were more parallel sided (African Rifles and Cartridges, p.267, 268). Irrespective of this criticism, Taylor admired the .470 Nitro Express.

Today cases for the .470 are freely available from Betram and Norma, whilst Woodleigh, Swift A-Frame, A-Square, Rhino and Dzombo produce soft and solid bullets in .475 diameter. All in all the loaded .470 Nitro Express cartridge, being 3.980 or 101 millimetres in length, generates confidence when engaging big game at close quarters.

Close friend and hunting partner, Hanke Hudson, has done his share of hunting in Africa. For the last 14 years he has hunted in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania. Initially Hanke used his Winchester Model 70 .375 H&H Magnum for all hunting, including dangerous game. Five years ago Ginger van Zyl and Jurie Majoor combined their talents to build Hanke a .416 Rigby rifle.

Hanke has acquired a Chapuis .470 double rifle in the meantime. The dimensions and balance of this boxlock double are superb. Above all this double rifle is extremely accurate and a joy to handle.

During the 2005 hunting season, Hanke has used this double rifle for elephant, buffalo and hippo. Because of a government contract with the Zambian government and wildlife authorities (ZAWA), this Chapuis double has seen constant use on a hippo culling project.

Load development for this rifle was initially based on results achieved with five Butch Searcy double rifles. This includes early doubles by Searcy up to the latest models, as used by Kobus Schoeman for example.

With all of those Searcy doubles 106 to 107 grains of S365 (± IMR 4350), with especially the Woodleigh softs and solids, produced an average velocity of 2 140 to 2 160 feet per second whilst regulating to perfection at a distance of 50 metres.

In all cases the load development Federal 215 primers were used with Betram and Norma Cases.

The Chapuis double of Hanke simply refused to regulate with all the S365 recommended loads. Based upon results obtained with Riaan Pretorius' Krieghoff .470 double, load development for Hanke's .470 Chapuis (boxlock) double centred around S385 (± IMR 4831).

In the end a load of 115 grains of S385 gave the results Hanke was looking for. The results with the Swift A-Frame 500 grain soft-nosed bullet, as well as the Woodleigh soft-nose and solid bullets, can be found in Table 1. Only Federal 215 primers were used in all the loads tested and Norma cases.

Table 1

	Case	Bullet	Propellant	Primer	Velocity
Load 1	Norma	Swift A-Frame500 grain soft	S385115 grains	Federal 215	2 155 feet per second
Load 2	Norma	Woodleigh 500 grain solid	S385115 grains	Federal 215	2 195 feet per second
Load 3	Norma	Woodleigh 500 grain soft	S385115 grams	Federal 215	2 160 feet per second

With all the loads as shown and the different bullets the propellant is slightly compressed. A slight roll crimp was also applied since all the bullets do have cannelures anyway. All in all the crimping of bullets, especially in double rifles and the big Nitro Express cartridges, can only enhance the paper proper ignition of large quantities of propellant.

The results achieved with the Woodleigh solids, from an accuracy point of view, were simply exceptional. On average group sizes with the right and left barrel, at 50 metres, proved to be a constant 30-35 mm on most test firing sessions.

In total Hanke retrieved 46 Woodleigh solids from hippo. Some of these shots were frontal brain shots whilst others were side-on shots on the shoulders of hippo. None of these recovered solids showed any deformation at the nose or sidewalls of the bullets.

The results obtained with this particular Chapuis double in comparison to the Searcy doubles with reference to propellant, are tangible proof that rifles can be highly individualistic as to the bullets and propellants that really work in these rifles. Mario Serradinho's Victor Sarasquetta .470 double rifle, for example, thrives on 117 grains of S385 with the Woodleigh 500 grain solids. The velocity obtained with this load is on average 2 150 feet per second.

Hanke Hudson is a seasoned professional hunter and a very friendly person. He always seems to smile, even in difficult times. His happiness with life in general is especially evident when he is firing his beloved Chapuis .470 double. As he opens the top lever and both cases fly out from the gun because of the ejectors, you will always detect a smile on his face. Such is life when a hunter and a particular rifle bond and become one entity.