Seasoned hunter and author Dr. Mike Arnold continues his thrilling exploration of powerful rifles, this time focusing on the formidable 450/400 3" and the colossal 700 Nitro Express.

“Just because a [450/400 or 404 Jeffery] looks small when compared with an 8-bore, or even a 577 is no argument [against its effectiveness] …practical experience has shown that it’s a simply splendid weapon for all heavy and dangerous game anywhere…” — John Taylor, African Rifles and Cartridges.

“There are few guns that leave me speechless, and this is certainly one of them…the 700 NE bullet’s ballistics are simply awesome! It fires a 1,000gr bullet at 2,000 fps and produces 8,900 foot-pounds of muzzle energy. The recoil force is 160 foot-pounds… For perspective, the recoil would feel ten times the kick of a 308.” — Charlie Young, The 700 Nitro Express.

The only reason I’m able to write part two of ‘Crazy for powerful rifles’ is because of Ken Buch owner/operator of Kebco and Jérôme Lanoue, formerly of Verney-Carron, and now with Rigby, and of course great friends and products from Hornady. In Hornady’s case, Seth Swerczek provided amazingly accurate — actually, not really ‘amazing’ when their ammunition is always so frickin’ accurate, but I digress — Dangerous Game Series 400 grain DGS (Dangerous Game Solid) cartridges for the 450/400 3”. Ken, Jérôme and Seth are all great people and were especially kind to an embryonic, big-bore, rifle reviewer.

The first double rifle I ever fired belonged to Ken and the second to Jérôme, both handmade and both beautiful works of art created by French craftsmen working in L’ Atelier Verney-Carron. In fact, captivation with the lovely 450/400 3” sent to me by Ken, resulted in a visit by my wife, Frances, and me to St. Etienne, France, home of L’ Atelier. During that visit, I had one of those “Heck yeah, I’d love to do that!”, testosterone-fueled moments, when asked by my buddy, Jérôme if I wanted to fire his 700 NE. Luckily for me, it was prior to reading Charlie Young’s article, or anyone else’s statistics on expected recoil from this behemoth. All I knew was that Jérôme was giving me a chance to fire the largest double rifle caliber ever made. C’mon! I’m a redneck from West Texas, of course I’m that ____; fill in the blank with whatever descriptor you think appropriate.

First things first. When the 450/400 arrived at my local gun shop, and I opened the custom case in which it rested, I wished I had more homeowner’s insurance. When later I opened the separately shipped ammunition and held one of the Hornady cartridges, I wished I’d asked for a rifle chambered in 308. But with the die cast, and the safe locked each night, with the rifle tucked carefully inside, I headed to the range on my first free day. Cutting to the chase, the 450/400 shot like a dream, with the accuracy of the rifle and Hornady DGS cartridges phenomenal. And the recoil? Well, not as light as a 30–06, but definitely nothing like the 458 Lott discussed in part one, nor anything approaching the ‘push’ of the 700 NE. In fact, I was very sad when I’d run through the 20 cartridges sent from Seth’s stores. One of these days I’ll need to purchase my own 450/400 3”, and a truckload of Hornady ammunition.

With apologies to my friends there, the 700 NE ammunition fired from my buddy Jérôme’s rifle did not come from Hornady; they do not manufacture this round. Very few folks currently produce ammunition for this beast. The cartridge fired in the basement of the Verney-Carron factory in St. Etienne, was of French manufacturing, and tipped with a 1,000-grain Woodleigh bullet. I realize that the question could be, “What possessed you to try firing something from your shoulder that Holland & Holland engineers (the first to build the 700 NE) originally worried might seriously damage a shooter’s body?” To me, the question instead is, “Why would I want to pass up the chance to fire the most powerful double rifle in the world?” Yep, crazy for powerful rifles indeed.

In case you’re thinking that Jérôme’s rifle is merely a novelty piece for show, it has accompanied him on multiple African safaris, taking Cape buffalo and elephant along the way. His test for me involved a paper buffalo, with the adjoining half-bull targets representing the bosses. Working the powered, pulley system from which the target hung, Jérôme moved the bull towards me at a rapid rate. He instructed me that I was to fire when the target hesitated. A rapid series of photos shot by my photographer wife tell the story, with the rifle barrels level just after ignition, but quickly rising to maximum recoil, and me disappearing from the frame. All I knew was that I needed a giant step back to keep from toppling over.

I was very pleased with the result from my first attempt with a 700 NE Jérôme’s conclusion was given in his simple statement, “With your impact point, and that bullet, you have a dead buffalo.” I hope so, but regardless, I can state unequivocally that handling and firing Ken’s 450/400 3” and Jérôme’s 700 NE were highlights of this shooter’s life.

“Vive la powerful rifles!”

___

Author profile

Mike Arnold is professor and Head of the Department of Genetics at the University of Georgia and author of the 2022 book, BRINGING BACK THE LIONS: International Hunters, Local Tribespeople, and the Miraculous Rescue of a Doomed Ecosystem in Mozambique. Mike’s book is available for purchase now at bringingbackthelions.com. You can find a description of Mike’s travels, talks, and articles at mikearnoldoutdoors.com.