You’d better buy the ammo. People wouldn’t believe it’s a real gun – I would think it was some weird prop in a screwball comedy show, or a clown gun that unfurls a flag when you fire.
Yes, you’ll need to put holes in things just to prove it’s real.
An appropos little video.
True, but it seems obvious, to me at least, that this doesn’t fit into that category. It’s not a replica of a historic firearm.
I grew up with a gun dealer father, 3 shooting ranges at our house, about 50 personal firearms among the family, and access to basically anything else we wanted. We had 3 fully automatic machine guns with silencers including an Uzi, a Mach 10, and a Bull Pup. I shot them all at will and my friends loved it. My pair of 30.06 rifles were great. My .357 Magnum pistol was great. My father’s .44 Magnum tended to piss me off and the Mach 10 shooting nineteen .44 rounds a second was the only one that we wouldn’t let anyone that wasn’t completely skilled and competent shoot.
That said, there is no way I would pull the trigger on a .600 Nitro Express pistol. That is just an irresponsible and painful stunt and I don’t play that game. There is no point to it and you really could get hurt. Best case is that you swing around instinctively as you pull the trigger and the bullet flies away in some unpredictable direction. If anyone in the world feels the need to have something bigger than a .44 Magnum pistol, they need to get out of the handgun realm and into rifles for that purpose. I think a .600 Nitro Express rifle instead of a pistol is more than enough for novelty purposes and still likely to piss you off when you pull the trigger.
http://www.kbptula.ru/eng/str/grenades/6g30.htm
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/94/40gl.jpg
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=13092&d=1157737302
Technically, they’re pistols. And can be fired one handed.
A fifty caliber BMG handgun?!?!? :eek: :eek: :eek:
Blackpowder firearms are not firearms according to the US government. That’s why you can buy muzzleloading rifles through the mail.
Only firearms using a cartridge and manufactured after 1898 are firearms according to the federal government, and any firearms with a bore over 0.5 inches, except shotguns, are “destructive devices” per the National Firearms Act of 1934.
I have a book called Hunter written by a guy who was a “white hunter” (safari guide) in Kenya in the 1920s and 30s. In his chapter on guns, he says that if you hit a charging elephant with a .600NE it will knock him over backward. So any decently aimed shot should deal with a bear.
Which, of course, is complete bullshit. A cursory knowledge of Newton shows us why.
Rule #576 - Tellers of tales often tell tall ones.
As I said, I could use it as a club if I couldn’t get to the softball bat or the cricket bat.
You are absolutely correct on that. Any mention of “knockdown power” of any firearm needs to be banished from these boards or at least hopelessly ridiculed right away. It is one of the extremely stupid things people tend to let stand not only here but also people acquainted with guns and everyone should know better.
I decided to dig out my copy of the book to see whether my memory was accurate. Here’s the paragraph:
Note that “hunkers” = “haunches” = hindquarters - he’s saying the elephant will be knocked back into a seated position. So my memory of “knocked over backwards” was a exaggerated.
This book is something of a classic in hunting lore, and I think it has a good reputation for accuracy. There are other references to the impact of a large-caliber bullet, such as the author’s advice that although big animals (elephant, rhino, buffalo) can be killed with well-placed shot from smaller caliber guns, hunters will eventually find themselves in a situation where the stopping power of a large caliber (which he defines as .450 and up) is needed.
I’ll buy that a .600ne could knock down an elephant, but not a *charging * elephant. This link gives an average adult weight of 13,000lbs with a top speed of 25mph. You’d need a shitload more than 4 tons of force from your rifle to not only stop that but to send it backwards.
Nah, there is no practical use for this beast. No way would you carry something that heavy with you when a .454 would be plenty of gun for bear protection. The guy that had this thing made owns the company. It is a total novelty act. Even a .600 NE rifle is a novelty act these days. Plenty of elephants are killed with smaller cartriges.
I’m not a physist, but an elephant can’t keep charging if its dead. It’s not a boulder rolling down a hill. I’ve seen a few videos and read many more accounts of a charging elephant being stopped with a smaller rifle.
.600NE were never common in Africa. I believe the cartridge was developed as part of a pissing match between old school London gunmakers. An expensive gimmick from day one.
Don’t tell that to a 1911 fan. The .45 ACP v. 9mm v. whatever your favorite caliber is wars are legendary.
Are you saying it doesn’t exist, that it’s secondary to shot placement or that there’s a better way to quantify it?
I firmly believe that the examples I presented have knockdown power.
My hand hurts if I shoot a pistol grip shotgun. That thing would merely tear my thumb off.
Provided you actually hit your target.