60 Cal Nitro Express Pistol

[mingo]

60 CALIBER PISTOLRead below first......"This video is basically a "show and
>tell" custom built on a Thompson Encore (fancy version of the Thompson
>Contender). The Caliber: ..600 Nitro Express. That's right... An
>elephant gun round in a handgun.
>
>The story goes that the guy that built it is some kind of custom gun maker.
> He built this as an exhibition piece. He takes it to the range with him
>just to show it off, and the big guy that shot it (in the video) had been
>bugging the builder to let him shoot it.Now think about this... Only until
>fairly recently (early-mid '80's) the 600 Nitro Express was hands down the
>biggest, nastiest, hardest hitting and heaviest recoiling weapon you could
>buy. It was designed for one simple purpose... to knock an elephant flat
>on his butt. It was really built as an exhibition piece! This cartridge
>is known for breaking collarbones, arms, and shoulders of the shooter!
>
>Think about this; in the gun world they use what is termed as a "recoil
>index" to kind of give prospective buyers an idea of what a gun kicks like.
>
>A 30-06 gets a rating of a 1.0, which for many people is about the limit of
>what they can shoot multiple rounds thru comfortably. A 243 is rated at
>like a ..4, a .270 was like a 8, etc.
>
>The 600 Nitro Express is rated at a 9.4... 9.4 times more punishing power
>than a 30-06.
>
>Now watch the video.

http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c314/James__Bryan/?action=view&current=60CaliberNitroExpressPistol.flv

[spudly]

Would've been funny to see him try and fire it one handed. Slo-mo of his arm torn off at the shoulder flipping behind him.

[MudDawg]

Holy Smokes Batman!!!!

[WVUwheeler]

What did the guy really think was going to happen? theres no way he honestly thought he could handle that.

[kdailey4315]

That funny as hell.
I like this T-Rex gun vid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EVqT3XEzss

[Russ Pottenger]

Wow!

[5-90]

.600 Nitro Express used to be the largest calibre with ammunition still in production. Holland & Holland were asked to resurrect rifle production, but they suddenly had headaches from the owners of the "last of the .600's."

Their response? The .700 Nitro Express. Nice... I believe they're still made as double rifles, just like the old African NE calibres (from .450NE up) used to be for the big game hunters...

Biggest conventional rifle I've shot? Toss-up between the .375H&H Mag, or the .458 Lott (the .50 Beowulf is nowhere near as heavy as the .458 Lott or the H&H Mag, and I don't count the .50BMG as "conventional".) Both were fun, and I can imagine what the .600NE is like. No, I wouldn't want to shoot it as a pistol regularly (pistols that big were made - I recall reading about a howdah pistol - double-barrelled - in .577NE once upon a time...)

Freedom Arms used to do a five-shot wheelgun in .45-70 Government (ouch!) and I've thought about doing a derringer or a revolver (probably a four- or five-shot) in 12ga - but that's about as far as it's gotten. It's possible to shoot a 12ga shotgun like a pistol (one-handed, at arm's length,) but it's not comfortable, and the weight of the thing does help somewhat...

An excellent book on the old African "big game hunter" cartridges - and quite a few others - would be African Rifles and Cartridges by John Taylor. It's a fun read on what would normally be a rather dry subject - ballistics. Considering Taylor was a big game hunter in Africa for 30 or 40 years, he does make it read well (by throwing in a lot of his experiences and observations to leaven the "dry facts" of the subject.)

[RichP]

I had an H&H 500 nitro express double barrel rifle, , the first time I fired it I made the mistake of cocking both hammers and second barrel went off, it literally knocked me flat on my azz and I had a bruise that ran from collarbone to rib cage. With a pistol like that I'd use a loose weaver stance, no locked joints and I'd want a good simpson helmet with a face guard to protect my noggin and my kisser when it headed for my face.

[Lowrange2]

That funny as hell.
I like this T-Rex gun vid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EVqT3XEzss

It's amazing that sucker still fires after being dropped so many times.

[5-90]

I had an H&H 500 nitro express double barrel rifle, , the first time I fired it I made the mistake of cocking both hammers and second barrel went off, it literally knocked me flat on my azz and I had a bruise that ran from collarbone to rib cage. With a pistol like that I'd use a loose weaver stance, no locked joints and I'd want a good simpson helmet with a face guard to protect my noggin and my kisser when it headed for my face.

Yah. Just because I can fire a 12ga at arm's length, one-handed, doesn't mean I want to. Besides, I don't really have a use for a pistol in any NE calibre - except for "Wow" factor (how about an 8" T/C in .460 Weatherby? Ouch...)