.450/400 Black Powder Express

The .450/400 Black Powder Express cartridges were black powder rifle cartridges introduced in the United Kingdom in the 1880s.

.450/400 3¼ inch Black Powder Express
Drawing of .360, .450/400 & .450 Black Powder Express cartridges
TypeRifle
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Production history
Designed1880s
Specifications
Parent case.450 Black Powder Express
Case typeRimmed, bottlenecked
Bullet diameter.405 in (10.3 mm)
Neck diameter.432 in (11.0 mm)
Shoulder diameter.502 in (12.8 mm)
Base diameter.544 in (13.8 mm)
Rim diameter.615 in (15.6 mm)
Rim thickness.040 in (1.0 mm)
Case length3.25 in (83 mm)
Overall length3.85 in (98 mm)
Primer typeKynoch # 40
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
270 gr (17 g) Lead 1,850 ft/s (560 m/s) 2,050 ft⋅lbf (2,780 J)
Test barrel length: 26”
Source(s): Barnes[1] & Kynoch.[2]
.450/400 2⅜ inch Black Powder Express
Specifications
Case length2.375 in (60.3 mm)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
270 gr (17 g) Lead 1,650 ft/s (500 m/s) 1,630 ft⋅lbf (2,210 J)
Source(s): Barnes.[1]

Design

The .450/400 Black Powder Express cartridges are bottlenecked centerfire black powder express rifle cartridges produced in two case lengths, 2⅜ inches (60.3 mm) and 3¼ inches (83 mm). Both cartridges were later loaded as "Nitro for Black" cartridges, the same cartridges loaded with mild loadings of cordite carefully balanced through trial to replicate the ballistics of the black powder versions.[1]

.450/400 2⅜ inch Black Powder Express

The .450/400 2⅜ inch Black Powder Express was loaded with a bullets from 210 to 270 grains (14 to 17 g) driven by 79 to 84 grains (5.1 to 5.4 g) of black powder. The .450/400 2⅜ inch Nitro for Black was loaded with a jacketed 270 grain round nose bullet driven by 38 grains (2.5 g) of cordite.[1]

.450/400 3¼ inch Black Powder Express

The .450/400 3¼ inch Black Powder Express was loaded with a bullets from 230 to 300 grains (15 to 19 g) driven by 110 grains (7.1 g) of black powder. The .450/400 3¼ inch Nitro for Black was loaded with bullets of 270 to 316 grains (17.5 to 20.5 g) driven by 45 to 48 grains (2.9 to 3.1 g) of cordite.[1]

Nitro Express loadings

The .450/400 Black Powder Express cartridges served as the parent cases for the .450/400 Nitro Express cartridges, the same cartridge cases loaded with greater loads of cordite and heavier bullets to produce far more powerful rounds.[1][2]

History

The .450/400 Black Powder Express in both cartridge lengths were developed in the 1880s by necking down the .450 Black Powder Express, the .450/400 2⅜ inch Black Powder Express simply a shortened version. The .450/400 3¼ inch Black Powder Express was listed in the Kynoch catalogue of 1884 as the .450 reduced to . 400.[1]

Whilst obsolete, .450/400 3¼ inch Black Powder Express ammunition can still be purchased from ammunition manufacturers such as Kynoch.[2]

Use

The .450/400 Black Powder Express in both case lengths were considered good deerstalking cartridges and was usually chambered in a lightweight stalking rifle.[1]

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See also

References
  1. Frank C. Barnes, Cartridges of the World, ed 13, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2012, ISBN 9781440230592.
  2. Kynoch Ammunition, "Big Game Cartridges", kynochammunition.co.uk, archived 8 September 2016.
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