New vs vintage 450/400NE double rifle

gcbailey said:
I have a Jeffery 450/400 3" and have owned a Chapuis 450/400 as well. The Chapuis was a very nicely regulated rifle and I would not hesitate to take it to Africa. The gentleman I sold it to did just that and took a beautiful buffalo with it. Maybe I was just lucky, but I have not had regulation issues using modern powders. I kept my muzzle velocity the same as what it was originally regulated for and it performed perfectly on a Cape buffalo and lion. The new guns are nice but there's just something about taking a 126 year old rifle back to the hunting fields that satisfies the soul.
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+1. If you keep the muzzle velocity the same as the original regulation and use a similar bullet weight and shape, it’s funny how easily they often regulate. While it’s still a hand loaders proposition, many here would have you believe getting a vintage double to regulate is paramount to black magic. They usually have something to sell as well….
 
Pondoro said:
No..its a Lyon & Lyon .577BPE
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Thanks.
I'm in the mindset of getting a 1940(ish)(?) Rigby from a (sort of) local gun shop in 450/400(?), similar to your Lyon & Lyon.
 
Ridge Runner said:
Thanks.
I'm in the mindset of getting a 1940(ish)(?) Rigby from a (sort of) local gun shop in 450/400(?), similar to your Lyon & Lyon.
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Spend the money to get the ledger info on it from Rigby and make sure you send it off to someone like JJ to be inspected before committing 100%.
 
I know this thread is a little old, but when I saw vintage 450/400 3" being talked about I figured I would jump in. 1908 Hollis 450/400 3", going to the Caprivi for buffalo and hippo next year.
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It is an A. Hollis and also has been identified as a Leonard built gun. The previous owner provided me with much research on the rifle and even an original A. Hollis catalog from the period. He also connected me with a fellow in the U.K. that has been keeping a spreadsheet of the Leonard built guns still known to be in existence.
 
Rare Breed said:
Agree here especially if you are not a reloader. With vintage you are taking cordite and relating it to powder today. It happens but very little chance you can buy loaded ammo that will regulate versus the modern Chapuis which I owned in 450-400 should regulate under normal conditions
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My other concern would be “vintage” can also mean you should not shoot modern bullets out of them severely limiting you to softer bullets that may not be available. Given I have owned both that’s how I know
 
Cupro-nickle clad steel jackets date to at least 1920. To say that pre 1950 is a safety cut off is a painting them with a very broad brush.
 
KevinNC said:
Cupro-nickle clad steel jackets date to at least 1920. To say that pre 1950 is a safety cut off is a painting them with a very broad brush.
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Vintage British double rifles are invariably regulated for Kynoch ammunition. Kynoch introduced steel jackets on all their solids, beginning in 1950 at the recommendation of James Purdey & Sons on behalf of their American client Don Hopkins. Prior to that, the only Kynoch steel jacketed solids were produced for the .350 Rigby Magnum and the .416 Rigby.
 
I had a Chapuis 450/400 and it is a great rifle. I sold it to get a vintage Jeffery in the same caliber. I'm a bit of a romantic, so the history of the rifle (built in 1900) spoke more to me than the Chapuis, though the Chapuis was a fine rifle and I would have no qualms about taking it DG hunting. The gentleman I sold the Chapuis to, Doug, took a wonderful buffalo a week before I went on my own safari. Perhaps I was lucky. I reload because I enjoy it, but factory Hornady loads work great and I have not experienced loss of accuracy in my Jeffery. I took a beautiful buffalo and lion with it on my first (and so far only) safari. I plan to return and use it on hippo and hopefully elephant.
 

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Hunter-Habib said:
Vintage British double rifles are invariably regulated for Kynoch ammunition. Kynoch introduced steel jackets on all their solids, beginning in 1950 at the recommendation of James Purdey & Sons on behalf of their American client Don Hopkins. Prior to that, the only Kynoch steel jacketed solids were produced for the .350 Rigby Magnum and the .416 Rigby.
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Kynoch used their "Cupro nickelled" bullets in a variety of diameters back in the teens or a little earlier.
These were steel jacketed / nickel plated.
The Kynoch diagram for the 375s (flanged and belted) specify "Envelopes C.N.S. Cupro Nickelled Steel" and this is from 1912 or thereabouts.
Now, of course the jackets were pretty thin and even though steel, not all that hard - think of steel soup can type material.
 
Huvius said:
Kynoch used their "Cupro nickelled" bullets in a variety of diameters back in the teens or a little earlier.
These were steel jacketed / nickel plated.
The Kynoch diagram for the 375s (flanged and belted) specify "Envelopes C.N.S. Cupro Nickelled Steel" and this is from 1912 or thereabouts.
Now, of course the jackets were pretty thin and even though steel, not all that hard - think of steel soup can type material.
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But @Huvius
When John Pondoro Taylor wrote “African Rifles And Cartridges”, he mentioned that the Kynoch jackets on their .375 caliber solids were Nobeloy.
 
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