577 NITRO EXPRESS (3-Inch)

BUFFALO BORE’s 577 Nitro Express Cartridges (3-Inch)

750 gr. BARNES TSX
100 gr Cordite Equivalent 2,050 fps/ME 6,977 ft-lbs

5 Round Box

ITEM 577 N.E. - 100 TSX

5-20-23

Friends,

I believe that any product designed for use should be used in the real world as part of its design and function testing. Design engineers that design WORKING products from drawings and other specs alone do not understand how their products work (or don’t work) in real-world applications when the proverbial shit is hitting the proverbial fan. Real-world demands of any product do not care what drawings or written specs say. From refrigerators to drinking glasses to coffee pots to automobiles to door knobs and especially ammunition, the real world of use quickly defines what actually works and what does not under a variety of not-so-obvious difficulties and circumstances. So, I test the daylights out of our dangerous game ammo in Africa on dangerous game. As one example, I hunted and shot around 20 pissed-off, wild, mature Cape Buffalo bulls with our 500 NE and 500 Jeffery, 570 gr. TSX load (Both cartridges use the same bullet at the same velocity) in the chest and shoulders (no spinal or brain shots) to see how lethal that bullet at that velocity is on chest cavity hit Cape Buffalo, just so I can say with certainty, that load works well on aggressive, dangerous 2,000 lb. hooved critters. I’m in Africa for many months per year hunting dangerous game with our various loads designed for such use so I can produce the best and most effective dangerous game ammo in the world. Please know that all of our ammo, made for dangerous game hunting, is the result of tons of hunting and killing dangerous animals around the world. We do not expect to sell a lot of 600 NE, 577 NE, 500 NE, or 470 NE ammunition, but those who buy that and other ammunition from us can feel confident in knowing it works quite well on living mammals. No part of this process has been easy, quick or cheap, which is why this ammo is not cheap. In fact, this labor of love may never make a profit as buying multiple $100,000.00+ double rifles and equally expensive African safaris puts us deeply into the financial red from the start on these types of ammunition, but it is the only way to make the best purpose-designed ammo in the world. These new Nitro Express loads are designed to meet original cordite velocity specs. Due to newer propellants, we can do this at even lower pressures than the original cordite loads, but again, with no sacrifice to original velocity and bullet weight specs.

A word about getting double rifles to “regulate”: When it comes to internal ballistics (What is happening inside the gun when you fire it), there is no secret load that will work the very same in all double rifles or any type of rifle. To get double rifles to regulate (the left barrel should shoot 1.5 inches left of the right barrel at 50 yards) involves four main factors. 1) bullet weight 2) velocity 3) bullet seating depth, and 4) the type of gunpowder used) you must find the right combination of these four factors, and even then, no two double rifles will be identical in this regard. I have purchased many brands of ammunition to test in double rifles, and in all cases, I was able to develop ammo that regulated better and shot smaller groups with my individual rifles because, well, rifles are individuals. Even two rifles made the same day in the same plant by the same people will have differences in behavior. So when you purchase our ammo for double rifles, know that I tested and made the best ammo possible for accuracy and regulation with my rifles, but yours may vary, and this will apply to INDIVIDUAL rifles, especially double rifles, no matter what ammo you purchase. One thing is certain: if you hit any animal properly with any of our Dangerous Game loads, the ammo will do its job with aplomb.

We will also introduce several more (we already make several in other chamberings) magazine rifle cartridges for African-type dangerous game. 500 Jeffery, 505 Gibbs, 470 Capstick, and 416 Rigby are coming.

577 NITRO EXPRESS

These 577 NE loads are made to original 100 grs. of cordite velocity specs, which is 2050 FPS with a 750 gr. bullet in 26-28 inch barrels, but ours are made with modern propellants. Like the 600 NE, the 577 NE is effective because of bullet diameter (.585 inch, the 600NE is .620 inch). While muzzle energy does not take into account bullet diameter or bullet shape, it should, as bullet diameter and design is very telling on large, tough, living critters. 

BULLET “ENERGY” (ft-lbs) VERSUS “TKO” EFFECTIVENESS ON BIG GAME 

The 577 is probably a better balanced cartridge than the 600 as it shoots a hair flatter, recoils a hair less and the rifles are generally two pounds lighter, but the 600 definitely hits harder. If I could have only one double rifle for all African hunting, it would be a 577 because it is a tad more versatile than the 600. Below, you’ll find a photo of the two 577 doubles I used in developing this ammunition. The below velocities apply to both the TSX soft and the CEB solids in these rifles.

>  2,095 FPS - 1983 Holland & Holland Royal Deluxe, 26-inch
>  1,992 FPS - 1970’s Johan Outschar, 26-inch

You’ll note that the H&H rifle gives 100 FPS more velocity than the Outschar. This is not because the H&H is a better rifle, not at all. There are a number of internal features of a barrel, such as land and groove size and style or chamber dimensions that will affect muzzle velocity. If you average these two velocities, you’ll get roughly 2,050 FPS, which, again, is what the 100 grs. of cordite for the original 577’s is supposed to produce. Both these CEB and TSX loads regulate very well and are quite accurate in each of these rifles. As with all of our dangerous game cartridges, these are loads I have and am currently using in Africa. These cartridges have developed a reputation for effectiveness on African dangerous game for the last 100+ years, so we are using original cordite specs as they are proven performers and all double rifles thus chambered are regulated with these bullet weights at these velocities. We are, however, using modern bullets that perform terminally in ways not attainable or understood 100+ years ago.

Good Hunting,

Tim Sundles

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