.577/500 No 2 Black Powder Express
The .577/500 No 2 Black Powder Express, also known as the 12.7mm British No 2, is a British centerfire fire rifle cartridge.
| .577/500 No 2 Black Powder Express | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Illustration of the 2+3⁄4-inch and 3+1⁄8-inch .577/500 No 2 Black Powder Express cartridges | ||||||||||||
| Type | Rifle | |||||||||||
| Place of origin | United Kingdom | |||||||||||
| Production history | ||||||||||||
| Designed | Before 1879 | |||||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||||
| Case type | Rimmed, bottleneck | |||||||||||
| Bullet diameter | .507 in (12.9 mm) | |||||||||||
| Neck diameter | .538 in (13.7 mm) | |||||||||||
| Shoulder diameter | .560 in (14.2 mm) | |||||||||||
| Base diameter | .641 in (16.3 mm) | |||||||||||
| Rim diameter | .726 in (18.4 mm) | |||||||||||
| Case length | 2.83 in (72 mm) | |||||||||||
| Overall length | 3.40 in (86 mm) | |||||||||||
| Primer type | Kynoch #31A | |||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||
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| Source(s): "Cartridges of the World" [1] | ||||||||||||
Development
The .577/500 No 2 BPE was developed as a black powder round some time before 1879 by necking down the .577 Black Powder Express to .507-inches (12.9 mm)[2] for use in single or double rifles, as well as a variety of Martini-based lever rifles.
Like the .450 Black Powder Express, the .577/500 BPE came in several case lengths, the most common having a 3-inch case. A 3+1⁄8-inch variant would later be loaded with cordite to become the .577/500 Nitro Express.[1]
For some time the .577/500 No 2 BPE was loaded with cordite to become the .577/500 No 2 Nitro for Black, the same cartridge loaded with mild loadings of cordite, carefully balanced through trial to replicate the ballistics of the Black powder version.[1]
Use
The .577/500 No 2 BPE was a popular cartridge in India for hunting all thin-skinned game up to tiger.[1] It didn't face competition from comparable .450 rounds there in the decades following 1907 due to the ban on British military calibres. Like the .500 Black Powder Express, the .577/500 No 2 BPE was never popular in Africa, not being powerful enough for thick-skinned game such as elephant.[1]
Moderately popular in its day, the round has long since ceased to be offered commercially.
References
Footnotes
- Barnes.
- Wieland.
Bibliography
- Barnes, Frank C, Cartridges of the World, ed 13, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2012, ISBN 9781440230592.
- Wieland, Terry, Nitro Express: The Big Bang of the Big Bang, retrieved 20 Jun 16.