I really love the 450 3 1/4” Nitro…for so many reasons.

It’s a cool vintage cartridge that I think Rigby nailed perfectly, and would have prevented so many other cartridge introductions had the Crown not feared 45 cal sporting bullets getting flung during wartime. Not likely an unreasonable concern. It’s also the section density, when using 500gr bullets, a whopping .341, so if you can hit it, should be able to penetrate it. It’s also so damn sexy sleek looking. It’s also so darned eager to please and appears totally non-particular as to what you feed it.

So my 450NE is a Heym 89b which some folks around here know, since I’ve gushed about it before…but I don’t think it’s just a Heym thing, although it doesn’t hurt. In the last 8 months, I’ve worked up loads for a Heym 450/400, 470, 450, 500, and another 450/400. And while a couple seemed picker than others, this 450NE just seems to want to shoot everything well and try to do so to the same POA.

So I’m presently trying to settle in on a couple options for 500gr solids, and went to the gun club today to enjoy a brisk 10-degree morning. Now this wasn’t initial load work, I had narrowed in some on charge weights, but trying to decide which the gun might prefer. So was trying out 4-primary heavier solids (three 500gr and one 480gr), and tweaking a semispitzer 500gr load, and while at it, see what 420gr CEB Raptors and 450gr CEB solids print like in comparison. So really, all over the place on bullet brand, material, design, bullet weight and charge weight. Sounds like something that should pattern more like a shotgun than any kind of group, right?

So setting up to try several bullets and loading, I did a larger repurposed flat rate box, map out ahead of time which spot is which and take a photograph so as I work through the loads I recall which damn spot I’m supposed to aim at. The upper 4 black diamonds are all 4-shot groups of same bullets and charge weights. Rest are 2-shot pairings. All at about 53 yards, and a cool little domino snow pattern at 65 yards.

And since I was having fun, decided to fling a few with the 450/400 while at it. And it try’s to please, but seems a little picky at the same time…doesn’t seem to love one of my favorites, the Northfork Semi-spitzers….but does seem to like the CEBs.

Nice shooting!

I don’t really miss my way sub-freezing range days, although the barrels sure stay cooler on those range trips.

Nice! Looks like you can feed that 450NE anything you want. That's a good "problem" to have in a double. Beautiful rifles.

This is a variant on the .450 theme.. a 475 3.25 NE ca. 1914.. Basically a .450NE necked up to take a .483 480 grain bullet. 23" barrels make it short and handy in the bush..

The cartridge was probably a Cogswell & Harrison developement.

Always love seeing what you're up to @Wildwillalaska.

What an utterly delightful brace of rifles, producing some impeccable accuracy at one of the most aptly named ranges I've seen!

Beautiful rifles and they are performing !! With these groups at 10 degrees, what/how do you compensate your charges for what might be a 90 + degree day, if you were in Africa ?

Great groups and shooting. That 475 is easy to please. You could hunt with any of those groups

Great shooting and beautiful guns.

I’d like to see the penetration channel through that snowbank!

Super shooting and love your club set up

Pondoro said:

This is a variant on the .450 theme.. a 475 3.25 NE ca. 1914.. Basically a .450NE necked up to take a .483 480 grain bullet. 23" barrels make it short and handy in the bush..

The cartridge was probably a Cogswell & Harrison developement.

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My favorite is my Rigby 450 NE built in 1906. Love the caliber!!!

That’s great…love those Soft cases you had made…what leather is the one on the right?
It has that “pebble” finish and look on that leather.
Very nice

my favoruite of all the NE's

something about the straight walls, but first time I ever held a 577 cartridge felt magical

Nice shooting. The 450 seems to not be picky on what you feed it.

So what is first for it Ele-Buff-or ???

thoma018 said:

Beautiful rifles and they are performing !! With these groups at 10 degrees, what/how do you compensate your charges for what might be a 90 + degree day, if you were in Africa ?

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So several of our club’s pistol bays have wood stoves to heat them, and stocked with wood. Two of the houses are smaller and heat up much faster than the two newer, nicer ones that are much larger.

So I do my best to keep the ammo warm. Truck warmed up ready to go. Seat heater on, range bag with ammo at the bottom into the heated seat. When I get to the club, hopefully find one of the small houses empty and get a fire roaring. Get my two tripods set up as a standing rest, get first target drawn out and set up. Do a work call or emails for 15-20min, and by that time the table in the area in front of the wood stove is pretty nice and warm, so transfer rifles and range bag with ammo into the shooting house.

And then rotate the rounds I’m shooting next through my pockets so they are kept warm, since the air in front of the open shooting window can chill off quickly, especially when it’s sub-zero. New Year’s Eve morning was -21, decided that was too cold to mess with again. I didn’t shoot as well as normal, but also could have been extreme temp changes or shivering, hell who knows, but decided it was too cold. Week before at -15 was fine though.

So short answer…it’s a total PIA, but not really hard, just several steps. When developing loads I put pairs into labeled sandwich bags I can easily slip into my pants pockets and hoodie pockets under my vest even. But I would not want to develop a load that shot great with the ammo at 10 degrees and take to Zimbabwe in October where it well exceeded 110 almost every day.

Russ16 said:

Great shooting and beautiful guns.

I’d like to see the penetration channel through that snowbank!

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My daughter said they were like Double Rifle Snow Angels.

kpoynter said:

That’s great…love those Soft cases you had made…what leather is the one on the right?
It has that “pebble” finish and look on that leather.
Very nice

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So the elephant case I bought off a fellow forum brother. So not sure who made it.

The pebble one I took a chance and ordered off some ad that popped up in my instagram from Mission Mercantile. They looked nice and had a 40% thing back around thanksgiving. Hell, for all I know they could have it all the time like other internet retailers. But decided I’d give it a whirl. It’s actually super, super nice and the lining is some of the densest stuff I’ve seen. I’m sure it’s some kind of faux lambs wool type stuff, but feels like real short shorn sheep skin. It’s thick and very protective, but also thick leather, not something you’d fold up to take to Africa.

AZDAVE said:

Nice shooting. The 450 seems to not be picky on what you feed it.

So what is first for it Ele-Buff-or ???

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It already smacked an old white faced buffalo in Zimbabwe, two hippos, warthog and a bushbuck back in October. I may have to aim it at an ele or another buff sometime soon though.

That's right I remember reading your hunt report.