Hi all,
I am new to this forum and so far it has been informative and interesting reading. I am interested in hearing from anyone concerning the .450 Barnes, or any of his other rifles. I would also like to find any literature concerning the sale of his rifles during the early sixties, such as price and options offered. If you have any of his brochures, or anything related to his rifle making days I would certainly appreciate a copy. I have 2 of his rifles and enjoy loading and shooting both. I have often wondered why the .450 Barnes never caught on as a big bore favorite being able to use the .458 WM interchangeably with the larger case of the .375 blown out to fit the .458 round giving it a case capacity of 113.01 vs the .458's 93.39? Any thoughts or info on any of his cartridges would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance and God bless. Cordell

Hi cordell.

Nice to have you here



Are you coming over from The Gun Network Forum ...

RIP,
Thanks again for the information regarding the Barnes article. If you need a copy of my cataloge just let me know. cordell

I picked up a barrel for the .424 dia on the full length case in the early '60's. I think he called it the .404 Barnes Supreme. Screwed in into a Mauser action and had my first big bore as I don't count the .375s as big bore. Used it for several huntys as a back up for moose and grizzly, but never needed it. Nothing wrong with his line of cartridges.

Hi AfricanHunterFortner,
Thanks for the input, but I think your barrel may have started out life as a Jeffery. The .404 Barnes Supreme had a .411 bore dia, the .404 Jeffery had a .423. There was also a .423 Van Horn (which was based on the Jeffery case) that would have also fallen into the .424 range. It sounds like a beauty which Mauser action did you put it on?
God bless. cordell

Well, I should have checked my notes before making a statement as a lot of "water has gone under the bridge".

Mine was actually the .424 OKH version and I bought bullets for it from Fred. Also, used his loading data as a base line.

I don't recall what Mauser action we put in in, but the guy that put the barrel in it made me a neck size die and a seater of sorts and that's all I had for dies. I had a Lyman mold that I later used for a .425 Westley Richards, #439---, I think. We made a sizer to pull them all the way down to .426 in my "H" press and they shot very well.

I got a 10.75x68 German proofed barrel at the same time. I think I paid 2$ apiece for them! Never used it. Which I would have known then what I know now or learned later about loading berdan primers and I would have done something with it. (Granted it's not relivant to the subject!)

Hi AfricanHunterFortner,
If I had gone to my notes as well I would have realized that the 10.75X57 Mannlicher, 10.75X63 Mauser, 10.75X65R Collath and 10.75X68 Mauser were all in .424 dia, sorry about the bad data , why in the world I mentioned the Jeffrey and Van Horn is beyond me (senile). I am unfamiliar with the .424OKH, but I have seen some in the .300's such as the .333OKH & .334OKH was yours based on the .300HH case necked up to accept the .424? Again not relevant, is the fact that I also had some beautiful buys during the 60's, and spend a healthy amount of time wishing I still had them! I like so many others have "The Sickness", and hopefully they will never find a cure. Take care and God bless you and yours. cordell

Yes, the .424 OKH was the full length .300 or .375 Mag. case. Very straight and as I recall rather sharp on the shoulder.

You .450 will so anything the Ackley will do and more than the Lott.

All the best to you.

Hi AfricanHunterFortner,
It has been a pleasure corresponding with you. I look forward to chatting in the future. Take care and God bless you and yours. cordell

Well, thank you Cordell, for supplying that brochure that I got a copy of. That is the best souvenir of the bygone Barnes Supreme era.

Why did I have Willis Fowler build two Barnes Supreme rifles? Just because he had the reamers in .416 and .450 and he was itching to use them. I am a GunNut and it is nice to have rifles for the relic cartridges from the 1940's, for posterity's sake.

George Hoffman may have revived the .416 Caliber, but others were trying to before him. It is all in the timing and publicizing, and the Corporate whims.

The new Hornady H&H belted basic brass would be great for headstamping with "450 BS."

Maybe it is just you and I that are keeping the 450 BS alive?

I used to load it to 2200 fps from a 21.5" barrel (500 grainers) using IMR 4064.

Hi RIP,
I hope after all this that we are talking about the same brochure. The one I sent AccuLoad had a picture of Fred on the cover examining a .404 BJ, with a picture of a 7mm .06 in the insert above his head. If this is not the one you have, send me your address in a PM and I will send you a copy. As far as the brass is concerned have you tried Rocky Mountain Cartridges? They made up some beautiful brass for a .475 rifle I bought with an unknown chamber (long story). Take a look at RockyMountainCartridge.com and see what you think. As far as being a "Gun Nut", I have been afflicted with "THE SICKNESS" for many years.Take care and God bless. cordell

Hi Martin,
No I just joined the Gun Network today, I am a left over from the old Shooters Forum. Thanks for the welcome, you have a mighty nice site here. cordell