470 NITRO EXPRESS

BUFFALO BORE 470 NITRO EXPRESS AMMUNITION

500 gr. TROPHY BONDED BEAR CLAW Soft
2,150 fps/ME 5,131 ft-lbs

5 Round Box

Item # 470 NE 500 TBB soft          (TBB - Trophy Bonded Bullets)

Item # 470 NE 500 TBB solid        (TBB – Trophy Bonded Bullets)
Item # 470 NE 500 TSX soft          ( Barnes Triple Shock X)
Item # 470 NE 500 CEB solid        (Cutting Edge Bullets)

12-20-23

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. In that regard, I have taken over where other ammo manufacturers left off technologically and improved all existing DG ammo. We do not expect to sell a lot of 600 NE, 577 NE, 500 NE, 500 Jeffery, 505 Gibbs, 470 NE, 404 Jeffery or 416 Rigby 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 put 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 and safari 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. Never mind that modern bullet designs kill much better than the designs of 100 years ago.

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 on 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.

As of this writing (12-20-23), it has been 15 years since I decided to bring a superior version of this cartridge to market, but things like ammo shortages, growing pains, covid, etc., kept getting in the way. Well, it’s finally here in several different flavors. These loads are the most effective 470 NE ammunition in the world.

For several reasons, this is the most used double rifle cartridge by PH’s in Africa. Those reasons being tolerable recoil and the size/weight of the rifle. This cartridge has been proving itself in Africa and India since 1907. It’s effective on all species of DG if proper ammunition is used and bullet placement is correct. Recoil generated by the 470 NE is very tolerable in a 10.5 lb. rifle, but keep in mind I do the bulk of my DG hunting these days with 600 NE and 577 NE, so what I think is “tolerable”, may not apply to everyone. I have seen a shit storm or two where African DG becomes bulletproof, is bearing down you at alarming speed, and suddenly, the bigger the cartridge, the better. Very strange things can happen in the real world of DG charges versus the hypothetical world that many folks live in.

We are making several effective versions of this cartridge in both solids and softs. These loads all feature a 500 gr. bullet of various makes, leaving the muzzle at around 2150 fps in 24-26 inch barrels. These loads regulate well in both of my 470’s.

15 years ago, when I planned on bringing out several 470 NE loads, I purchased thousands of Trophy Bonded Bullets in 500 gr. solid and soft configurations. These bullets were designed by Jack Carter who was a prolific African hunter in the 1960’s, 1970’s and 80’s and could easily see that better terminal-performing bullets were badly needed, so he designed them and went into business making them as Trophy Bonded Bullets. They were ground breaking in those days, in terms of terminal bullet performance. These days we have effective bullet designs coming out of our ears, but back then, Jack Carters designs were a huge improvement on everything that existed, excepting a couple of the then emerging, Barnes designs, which were yet to be field proven. Isn’t it interesting that it is the folks who “go and do” (like Jack Carter) who end up developing improvements in products, regardless of the field of endeavor? So, while supplies last, we will offer 470 NE ammunition in both softs and solids using Trophy Bonded Bullets. After the death of Jack Carter, his bullet company was sold a couple times.  Speer bought the rights to “Trophy Bonded Bullets” and was and perhaps still is making them. At one time Federal was loading these bullets in their safari line of ammo and may still be, I have not checked recently.

Our other solid design for this cartridge will feature a CEB solid brass flat nose bullet and for softs, we will feature the Barnes TSX. These are modern proven designs for softs and solids. They terminally out-perform the designs of 60-120 years ago, considerably.

Below are my two 470 NE test rifles and recorded velocities with item 470 NE 500 gr. TBB soft.

> 2,154 fps - Early 2000’s Merkel, 24-inch
> 2,161 fps - 1970’s Johan Outschar, 25-inch, two barrel set—577NE and 470NE

I know I am anal, but friends, please test any ammo you plan to use in the real world before using it in the real world in your particular rifle. Firearms are very individual and virtually all of them will show different tendencies and ammo preferences. So before you go into harm's way, please test. Doing so will boost your confidence and perhaps keep you from making fatal mistakes. From double rifles to magazine rifles, I am often amazed that folks will take their rifles afield without even sighting them in with the ammo they have chosen. I once had a friend named Doug. Doug booked an expensive guided elk hunt on an Arizona Indian reservation known for producing 370 class and up bull elk. Doug had a custom-made rifle chambered in 7MM Weatherby and was planning to use Weatherby factory ammo, but he failed to sight his new rifle in with that ammo because a gunsmith who mounted his scope “bore sighted” the rifle. I emphatically warned Doug to sight in his rifle with that ammo before going hunting. He refused because he had confidence in the hypothetical world of “bore sighting”. Opening morning, Doug was lucky enough to get a 370-class bull in his sights in an open meadow at around 100 yards. He fired and the bull just stood there, so as he went to chamber another cartridge, he experienced sticky extraction of the fired casing. This issue would have been exposed with testing. By the time he was able to chamber another cartridge, Mr. Bull, called BS on Doug and left the opening, never to be seen by Doug again. Doug’s Native American guide was so angry at Doug that he took him back to the lodge and insisted Doug sight in his rifle. It was only two feet (that’s 24 inches) off at 100 yards with that ammo. Doug left that hunt with a normal 5X5 bull that he could have shot in a general public hunt on public land. Good thing Doug was not hunting DG. Doug was one of the better humans I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing, but he did not understand much about rifles and ammo.

Three years ago, I bought five boxes of Norma PH 500 Jeffery ammo loaded with their 540 gr. flat nose solid. Norma generally makes some of the best ammo you can get anywhere and their brass is simply the best anywhere. I have two 500 Jeffery rifles that have never misfired, no matter the ammo make, but with this Norma ammo, I had numerous FTF’s in both rifles. When I have an FTF (Failure to Fire) I normally attribute it to the rifle as many more things can go wrong with a rifle, than with ammo, but then I test, to find out the facts. Both of my 500 Jeffery rifles are still firing all other ammo put in them, including my hand loads, with nary an FTF. GO FIGURE, or perhaps I should have said GO TEST. Never, ever trust any firearm/ammo combination without first confirming through testing. I use this example not to throw Norma under-the-bus, but to illustrate why testing is essential BEFORE going into harm's way. Norma makes the best factory ammo I know of for a big ammo company, and I have had similar failures with every big brand of ammo in existence, so it happens. Test, test, test and you won’t be disappointed at the moment of truth and have a better chance of staying alive.

Please use our DG ammo with confidence. Have fun and be safe. Good hunting to you all.

God Bless,

Tim Sundles

Attention!
You must be 18 or older to order ammunition. Ammunition must ship UPS ground. Due to Department of Transportation regulations, we cannot accept returns on Ammunition. Make sure to use the correct ammunition in your gun. Check local laws before ordering.