S&H 2 Bore Blackpowder Express

There is ‘big bore’ and then there is the 2 bore. Schroeder & Hetzendorfer make a cartridge called the S&H 2 Bore Blackpowder Express.

These photos are amazing

600 Img 0070
.700 nitro express next to 2 bore and 3500 grain bronze solid

600 Img 0068
.500 S&W, .45-70, .700 Nitro Express, 2 bore

The caliber equivalent of 2 bore (’bore’ is generally interchangeable with ‘gauge’ in regard to caliber) is 1.326″ or 33.68mm! The bronze solid bullet weights 3500 grain / 1/2 pound / 226.80 grams!

While technically fired from a rifle these are more like massive shotgun slugs: a heavy projectile at a low velocity. The 2500 grain bronze solid leaves the barrel at 1500 ft/s and with 17487 ft·lb of energy.

Apart from the nerve destroying recoil, heavy rifle, heavy ammo and expense these big bullets slow down dramatically after entering the game and hitting bone. A problem when hunting elephant.

They even come bigger than this. The 1 bore has a caliber of 1.67″. The A Guage/Bore, about 2″, was used for punt guns.

More info at Schroeder & Hetzendorfer.

ACE has an interesting article on the 4 bore.

UPDATE

Jay Schroeder emailed me the pricing for for the brass and bullets:

Cartridge Cases are $495.00 per 10 pack shipped.

Copper FN Solids are $295.00 per 10 pack shipped.

All components are USA made by Americans from American material.

Although it may seem expensive, you are probably not going to purchase more than one set of brass.

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Steve Feb 18th 2008 ammunition, big bore, blackpowder, rifles, shotguns Tags: , , , , , 7 Comments Trackback URI Comments RSS

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7 Responses to “S&H 2 Bore Blackpowder Express”

  1. Jay.Macon 18 Feb 2008 at 10:46 pm link comment

    Awesome pictures. Do you happen to know if anyone manufactures a 2-bore rifle?

    I found a photo of a 2-bore, luckily along with normal scale rifles-

    http://crypticsubterranean.blogspot.com/2008/02/2-bore.html

    Forget the videos of the guys shooting the .577 Tyrannosaur, I want to see the 2-bore in action!

  2. Steveon 18 Feb 2008 at 10:57 pm link comment

    Jay, great find! Wow, that is one big rifle! I did not find any information on people making the 2 bore. I guess that any made now are fully custom jobs.

    The english explorer Sir Samuel Baker was keen on the 2 bore:

    “but as I rushed toward him with a shout, he turned toward the jungle, and I immediately fired a steady shot at the shoulder with the “Baby.” As usual, the fearful recoil of the rifle, with a half-pound shell and twelve drams of powder, nearly threw me backward; but I saw the mark upon the elephant’s shoulder, in an excellent line, although rather high.”

    “My second rifle was beautifully handed, and I made a quick right and left at the temples of two fine elephants, dropping them both stone dead. At this moment the “Baby” was pushed into my hand by Hadji Ali just in time to take the shoulder of the last of the herd, who had already charged headlong after his comrades and was disappearing in the jungle. Bang! went the “Baby;” round I spun like a weathercock, with the blood pouring from my nose, as the recoil had driven the sharp top of the hammer deep into the bridge. My “Baby” not only screamed, but kicked viciously. However, I knew that the elephant must be bagged, as the half-pound shell had been aimed directly behind the shoulder.”

    “I was within fifteen paces of them, and so compactly were they packed that with all their immense strength they could not at once force so extensive a front through the tough and powerful branches of the dense kittar. For about half a minute they were absolutely checked, and they bored forward with all their might in their determination to open a road through the matted thorns. The elastic boughs, bent from their position, sprang back with dangerous force, and would have fractured the skull of any one who came within their sweep. A very large elephant was on the left flank, and for an instant he turned obliquely to the left. I quickly seized the opportunity and fired the “Baby,” with an explosive shell, aimed far back in the flank, trusting that it would penetrate beneath the opposite shoulder. The recoil of the “Baby,” loaded with ten drams of the strongest powder and a half-pound shell, spun me round like a top. It was difficult to say which was staggered the more severely, the elephant or myself.”

    I love that last line “It was difficult to say which was staggered the more severely, the elephant or myself.” :D

    (h/t sam)

  3. Jay.Macon 19 Feb 2008 at 3:06 am link comment

    Great stuff. That guy obviously viewed shooting as a contact sport!

  4. Macifejon 24 Feb 2008 at 6:10 pm link comment

    Sir Samuel Baker’s rifle “Baby” was technically closer to a 3 bore. It was rifle #1526 made at Holland & Holland, London in 1869 London.

  5. Cost of big bore ammunition | The Firearm Blogon 27 Feb 2008 at 10:05 pm link comment

    [...] The Firearm Blog Kynoch [...]

  6. Giles Whittomeon 19 Jun 2008 at 9:36 pm link comment

    Yes, there is a currently-made 2-bore rifle, which I have made for the Royal Armouries as an exhibition piece. It fires 3,500-grain slugs with twenty or twenty-four drams of powder, and can be seen in action on the website of the Shooting Times magazine in England. Cartridges are one hundred dollars each, and the price of the rifle will be governed mainly by the features desired, but will be measured in the tens of thousands of dollars. Using the famous Taylor Knockout values, which give a much better indication of killing power than just kinetic energy, the.600 gives 161, but the 2-bore gives over 700, so it is effectively like firing four .600s simultaneously.

  7. Steveon 20 Jun 2008 at 12:19 am link comment

    @ Giles Whittome:

    Hi Giles, any chance you can email me some photos of the 2-bore to post on the blog. My email address is on the top of the left sidebar.

    Best Regards,

    Steve

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