I SPENT MONTHS LOOKING FOR A 470 CAPSTICK - BUT COULDN'T RESIST THIS 550 EXPRESS ALSO

Hello all,

I spnet months looking for a 470 Capstick. And when I found one. http://forums.accuratereloadin...4711043/m/4151041072

There were a couple other Big Bores listed in the auction. I couldn't resist this one. A Custom 550 Express. Its a twin to the 470 and will make a big brother companion to it.

As always, your comments are welcome.

Nice.

Indeed a good looking rifle and one of the nicer M1917’s I’ve seen.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Nice.

Hello dpcd,
Thanks for the reply.

quote:

Originally posted by Cougarz:
Indeed a good looking rifle and one of the nicer M1917’s I’ve seen.

Hello Cougarz,
Thanks for the reply.

I will have the rifle in hand later today and will examine it closely in hopes of identifying the builder.

Yesterday I spoke with Neal Shirley, the man who invented the 550 Express and the 550 Magnum cartridges. He said he wanted a caliber in-be-tween 470 and 577. The 550 Express cartridge is based on a 460 Wby Mag case slightly shortened so it can be used in a 458 Win Mag length Mauser action. (the 550 Magnum is based on a full length 460 Wby Mag case and required a magnum length action)

Ballistics of the 500 Express cartridge:

600g bullet = 2400fps
650g bullet = 2250fps
700g bullet = 2200fps

I"ve posted many of loads on ammoguide
https://ammoguide.com/cgi-bin/...BuOwRgdYKs&catid=738

would be interesting to know the history of this rifle.

i prefer h335 in the express

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
I"ve posted many of loads on ammoguide
https://ammoguide.com/cgi-bin/...BuOwRgdYKs&catid=738

would be interesting to know the history of this rifle.

i prefer h335 in the express

Hello jeffeosso,
Thanks for the reply.

I'm not a subscriber to that site. Perhaps you could share a few starting loads.

Well, I have the rifle in hand. This is truly an amazing rifle. Far better than the auction description and pictures. Weight is 10 pounds 10 ounces w/ 13-1/2" LOP. I've found the rifle was test fired only (1 round) likely by the builder. It came with the fired empty case and 10 virgin brass cases. Not even the site leaves are cut. I'm still researching to see who built the rifle.

Hello All,

Here's an update. I ordered a custom bullet mold from Accurate Molds. Although this bullet was originally designed for the Burnside carbine, I was able to specify the diameter at .550 and the weight at 450 grains. I wanted a lighter bullet suitable for hunting North American game. Accurate molds is an awesome company. I've ordered a lot of Big Bore Molds from them and have never been disappointed. Mold cost was only $101 delivered, and arrived it in less than 2 weeks. It casts perfectly.

http://www.accuratemolds.com/b...l.php?bullet=56-450B

I also received (on loan) a box of 600g Hawk bullets from Neal Shirley. Neal is the creator of the 550 express and had bullets in his personal stock. I've got bullets on order from Hawk, and when I get them, I'll replace those loaded to me from Neal. I have ordered a lot of bullets from Hawk over the years and have had good results with all of them.

Tomorrow I'll go to the range for testing loads. I'm anxious to see if this rifle performs as good as it looks.

How did this rifle shoot, Buckstix?

quote:

Originally posted by Brandon.Gleason:
How did this rifle shoot, Buckstix?

Hello Bramdon Gleason,
Thanks for the reply.

I'm still working up a load. Then I'll file the standing site leaf accordingly and report the resuslts - like I did for the 470 Capstick.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...4711043/m/4151041072

sorry for the delay

standard disclaimer - this is for educational purposes only, etc
the site lists 100gr of h335 as the basic starting load -

every other powder is too slow

The pressure testing Neal had done on the 550 Magnum also showed this and TAC (about the same) were the best

Neal and I are friends and hunting buddies, frequently hunted with his 550 mag and my 550 express - I expect there's no other persons that have shot as many .550 bullets as us.

Hello jeffeosso,
Thanks for the reply.

This is one az-kicking caliber. I was a little surprised by the recoil for the first couple of shots until I settled in. I'll be doing more testing with the bullets I got from Neal as soon as I'm finished with the 470 Capstick.