Guys,
Last Friday I caught up with Aussiesteve from here, who likes the varmint's to be big. Here are some pictures of his recently completed No1 Ruger in the small 577NE chambering. I've posted pictures at AHN as well, hopefully Aussiesteve can chime in with more details.
Hi Con thanks mate for puttin up those pics for me. The rifle was built for me by Bob DeVries at Kudu services in Montrose Vic. The rifle weighs in at 12 lbs 7oz and fires its 750 grain bullet at 2100 fps, with a load of 120 grains of Re 15. This load generates 7,344 ft lbs of muzzle energy and around 100 ft lbs of recoil, although its not too bad to fire as Con will agree. Its also worth noting that the other cartridge in the pics with mine is a .458 acrel (spl?) based on a shortened RUM case.
Aussie steve wrote:... although its not too bad to fire as Con will agree.
That's a total understatement ... this thing is a big pussy cat!! If you can shoot a 458WinMag, this thing is nicer ... believe it or not!
Cheers...
Con
That pic from the barrel end, crickey thats a big bore. How do you clean it, just push your hanky down with a big stick. 750 grains at 2100, my that will seriously have a whack if it hit you. What was that calibre original made for, besides sparrows, starlings and rabbits.
Trev,
Believe it or not, the 577 was a medium/small bore when the largest game was being chased with 4-8-10 bore rifles. It was considered smallish for the largest most dangerous game, but this was during the days of black-powder. The 450 x 3 1/4" (450Rigby) revolutionised the big game world and hastened the demise of the bore guns. It also made use of jacketed projectiles and smokeless powder and killed beyond its small size. The 577NE was a specialists gun for elephant in the thickest cover during the smokless era as was the 600NE ... both were almost superfluous given the effectiveness of the smaller 500NE and the other NE rounds, most of which delivered around 5000fpe, a safe energy figure established by the 450 x 3 1/4". It's almost karmic that the bore cartridges were replaced by the 450Rigby, and the Nitro Express rounds were in turn replaced by another 45cal in the 458WinMag.
Now Steve's rifle looks like a beast, but the balance is perfection itself ... I would carry its 12lb easily in the bush as you can hold the rifle in one hand at the action ... its that well balanced. When thrown toi the shoulder you feel its mass but it holds steady enough, and placing a shot onto an A4 size taret at 100yards with its open sights is also easy enough. I'd LOVE to carry this rifle in after a large Sambar stag!! Now Steve likes his 750gr at 2100fps, where I'd regulate for 75 yards with a 650gr at 2200fps ... horses for courses.
Cheers...
Con
I havent worked out how much a shot costs, but the Bertram cases are $100 for 20 and Bruce's bullets run at close to a buck each. I like Bruce's bullets, even though they arnt bonded in the .416 Rigby shooting them into a solid wet sand bank at 2700 fps they wont break apart, and in the same bank both his 650's and 750's mushroom to over an inch dia and still hold together. If however I was chasing a big bad nasty critter, I'd pay the $2 bucks a bullet for the woodleighs, because they are bonded, they are avalible as solids, and they have a cannelure so I can crimp the bullets.
For all Australian game though I reallly cant see the Bertrams failing to do the job, seeing how far they drive into a wet sand bank and still hold together.
