Anyone here hunted with a .700?

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Hey guys and gals,

As the title says - anyone here hunted with a .700 nitro, or know someone who has? I’d love to hear some fresh stories, rather than the old “lost an elephant over the border” one that’s repeated over and over.

Thanks, and cheers,
Troy :)
 
The 700 Nitro Express from L'Atelier Verney-Carron

An exceptional double rifle caliber. Trailer from an upcoming show on seasons. The hunt took place in Mozambique Coutada 14. The outfitter was Sebastian Wicker. We shot 14 Buffalos in one week. Such an incredible experience to be hunting with the 700NE. We shot Woodleigh bullets, 1,000gr bullets and 12,000 Joules of energy. As you can see in the video, the recoil is absolutely manageable because of the weigh and balance of the rifle which weighs 20 lbs or 9 kg.

 
Beautiful! And a most excellent practical try out - 14 buffalo! Wow!
 
I saw one in the Holland and Holland store in London in 2016. Talked to the staff for a good while about it. Apparently , an American client created it , because at the Time , H & H weren't doing .600 Nitro Express rifles anymore . So he was like " Okay , Make me a .700 ! ".
They then told him " Get us the cartridge and we'll build you a gun to handle it " . They thought he was not serious. Of course , next year , he returned with the .700 Nitro Express bullet. So they held up their end of the bargain. I actually got to hold it. Weighed 19 pounds or so ( probably close to 20 ) . I have ZERO intention of firing it ( I love my shoulder ;) ).
The makers themselves told me that the only people who buy .700 Nitro Expresses are collectors or people looking for an investment or a conversation piece. Serious hunters view them as novelty things. Reports of their use in the 1980s showed poor penetration for the frontal head shot on Elephant.
I myself consider , among double rifles , the .500 Nitro Express to be the sweet spot for Express rifles. The .577 , .600 and .700 lack penetration compared to a .500 Nitro Express. The .500 Nitro Express Firing a 570 grain Full metal jacket bullet at 2150 fps will penetrate deeper than a .577 Nitro Express full metal jacket bullet at 2050 Fps .
I have an old 1980s era Article about the performance of the .700 NE in the field :) If you like , l could inbox it to you
 
I’d appreciate it if you could, thanks :)

Cheers,
Troy.
 

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Is Bill still around?

Just finished that article. HOLY HECK HE HAD A LOT OF DOUBLES!
 
Is Bill still around?

Just finished that article. HOLY HECK HE HAD A LOT OF DOUBLES!

Not sure he will be getting on in years now...used to see him at sci in the 90s ..met him couple of times on the Rigby stand when Paul owned it...Paul knew him well. Built some doubles for him.
 
The .700 Nitro Express , the .577 T-Rex and the .585 Nyati are some pretty unique calibers which actually have little practical use. I have never read of anyone actually keep one in their battery for actual hunting. Now , that l think about it , l have never actually read of anyone shooting an elephant with a .577 T-Rex or a .585 Nyatti :( . Mostly collectors own them.
 
that 700 looks like it would be a blast to shoot! biggest NE cartridge ive had the pleasure of shooting was a 600 NE and while it was fun to play with, i found it to be too heavy to actually carry in the field. the rifle weighed in the ball park of 19 pounds and was too heavy for me to even accurately shoot off hand.

im a HUGE fan of the 577 NE (or anything else that will throw a 750gr .585" bullet at 2000fps) and have shot numerous .585" rifles over the years. sadly i admit ive never had the pleasure of hunting with one. my own rifle is a simple build on a 1910 action rechambered in 585 HE and at around 13 pounds its both light enough to carry but heavy enough to make a 750gr bullet at 2000fps manageable.

however my absolute dream gun would be a 8 bore double paradox gun!

-matt
 

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