Since reliability and guaranteed successive shots is pretty much the most important factor in a dangerous game rifle, why wouldn't someone make revolver rifles in African calibers and dominate hunting on that continent? Theoretically they can hold more rounds than a bolt action, pulling back the hammer between shots will always be much quicker than cycling the bolt or you can keep pulling the trigger for rapid fire with a heavier pull, it can take different lengths of rimmed rounds for different purposes and power levels, and the reliability will be virtually 100% without a chance of a jam or feeding issues

Smith and Wesson could build a 500 Magnum in a revolver rifle and it would be elephant ready with the right bullets.

Over the years many different revolver rifles were manufactured. The gap between cylinder and barrel does not provide a seal. They all expel hot gas and even particles around the front of the cylinder. Various methods have been used to try to direct those gases away from the shooter's hands and face. Imagine how much gas would be expelled from a big fat nitro cartridge stuffed with gobs of powder.

Then there is also the problem of size and weight. Each section of the cylinder must provide a chamber sufficiently strong for the cartridge. A cylinder fat enough and long enough to hold something like a 470NE would be very large and heavy and would require an extra large and heavy frame from which to operate.



The 5-shot Smith & Wesson 460XVR in 460 S&W Magnum weighs 5.5 pounds with a 14" barrel. It's capable of killing anything on the planet as is. To build one in 470NE would require another 8-10 inches of barrel, a forearm with metal to support it, a much fatter and more massive cylinder (460S&W base .478" vs 470NE base .572"), and a frame and cylinder both 1.7" longer (ctg OAL 2.3" vs 4.0"). Assuming you were strong enough to operate the giant action without effort and that the remarkable weight wouldn't bother you, just how are you going to keep the flaming hot jets at the front of the cylinder from cutting your arm like an acetylene torch?

Just adding a 16" barrel and a shoulder stock to the .460 Magnum pistol would be more practicable. But isn't that the sort of thing you already have in .45 Colt?

Thanks. I knew there must be good reasons for not doing this but couldn't guess them