I have always shot the 450-400 and probably killed 30 or 40, maybe more buffalo with it..I have shot a dozen or two with my .470 Searcy...

My .470 Searcy is the most accurate double on the face of this earth, cuts one 50 caliber hole sometimes...Butch won the Nationals with it,

It shoots all loads to the same POI, lead, solids or Softs, beer cans and buckshot!!..Its a one of a kind double.

Guess what? I am going to sell it or trade it to Butch for a 450-400 on a smaller frame and a lighter gun...I must like the 450-400....

Sorry Ray, didnt mean to turn your world upside down.......lol
Sounds like a plan to me!!!

As much as I love the bigger bores, I'd much rather carry and shoot a lesser one.

degoins
Sorry I do not know of a source for cast bullets for the 400. But some of the companies that furnish cast bullets for Black Powder Sillhoute shooters can probably fix hyou up. Maybe beartooth bullets.

Really consider having QD scope mounts on your 400 double. With 300 grain .025jkt bullets and a scope your 400 double would be a leopard rifle without peer.
I have shot quite a few pigs with my 400, some as big as 275lbs. The Hawk bullets knock them down, they do not even take a step.
I have also killed 2 caribou [Alaska] and a black bear [spot and stalk hunt in Montana],
and took it back to Alaska for my brown bear hunt [no shots fired].
I really like the 450/400.

N E 450 No 2,
Thanks again for the suggestions. I really respect your opinions. I'd already considered the BPCR bullet makers as most of them make 400 grain bullets for the 40-70 and such. I've bought cast bullets for use w/smokeless powder from Montana Precicion Swaging in the past for my 45-70's and they were real good people to work with, so I may contact them too. Scope mounts would make the rifle about perfect for everything and my eyes aint what they used to be.

I keep seeing references to the lighter framed 450/400 that Searcy is planning on producing. Any info on when it'll be coming out?

I'm ready to make the move to another double and the lighter, slimmer action has a great deal of interest to me.

I'll be at SCI in Reno (Wish I could go to Dallas) and probably will place an order there if it is available.

quote:

Originally posted by ChopperGuy:
I keep seeing references to the lighter framed 450/400 that Searcy is planning on producing. Any info on when it'll be coming out?

I'm ready to make the move to another double and the lighter, slimmer action has a great deal of interest to me.

I'll be at SCI in Reno (Wish I could go to Dallas) and probably will place an order there if it is available.

Basically, butch is building the 450/400 on his 375 frame, which is smaller than his 470 frame.

quote:

Originally posted by FourTails:
If I'm reading the ballistic tables correctly the .416 Rigby versus the .458 Winchester Magnum or .470 Nitro there just ain't "that" much difference. Questions: (1) Why aren't more opting for the .416 Rigby double? (2) Am I missing something in wanting to go that way for my "stopper" gun? The last part of the equation in my case is I don't plan to hunt elephant unless I win the lottery. Good shooting! Mike

Question (1) there are two reasons why these type cartridges are not popular with double rifle owners. One is, these are high pressure cartridges, and the break top double rifle is, even if made yesterday, 18th century technology, and not well suited to high pressure. And the other reason is these are rimless, or belted rimless cartridges, and can be problematic with extraction, and ejection, when you need it most. The tiny little palls used for rimless cartridges, are fragile, and very suseptable to breaking, or sticking. This isn't a real good feature on a rifle used to defend your life!

Question (2) You are missing the things listed above in the answer to question (1), and the second thing you are missing is, the same needs are necessary in a double rifle used for lion, or Buffalo, that are required of a double used for Elephant. If you are not going to use the rifle for dangerous game, then the rimless feature is not a real problem, neither would the .416 Rigby, or the 458 Win Mag be needed for non-dangerous game. If you are intending useing the double to hunt North America, then excluding the large bears, then a rimless cartridge like the 30-06 would be fine. If the rifle fails, all you loose is a shot at a deer. OTOH, if you are going to face a mad lion, or Buffalo, the loss is likely to be far greater!

One idea that I had when I had my .450-400 was to make chamber inserts so that I could use .41 Magnum handgun ammo for cheap, low recoil practice. Anyone know if this has been tried, or if there is some reason that it would not work. I know that one would need to manually extract fired rounds from the inserts, but for practicing fast reloads, you could have two or three sets.

Maybe Butch could offer a comment on this one.

Dave

loud-n-boomer
I would be afraid that 41 mag ammo would be too high pressure for a double.
Much better would be to use 300 grain bullets with 450/400 black powder Nitro for Black loads.
Shooting 300 grain Hawk .025 jkted bullets at @ 1700 fps.
Try starting with 44 grains of IMR 4198, 12 grains of poly with the 300 grain bullet. Velocity @ 1700fps.
I shoot 46 grains of IMR 4198 with a foam filler in my 450/400 3 1/4".
These loads will work with cast bullets too.

My rifle shoots .408 diameter bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by loud-n-boomer:
One idea that I had when I had my .450-400 was to make chamber inserts so that I could use .41 Magnum handgun ammo for cheap, low recoil practice. Anyone know if this has been tried, or if there is some reason that it would not work. I know that one would need to manually extract fired rounds from the inserts, but for practicing fast reloads, you could have two or three sets.

Maybe Butch could offer a comment on this one.

Dave

Lothar-Walther makes a lot of sub-caliber inserts like you're describing.

I doubt 450/400 to 41 Mag is one of them.

But the concept is sound.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
loud-n-boomer
I would be afraid that 41 mag ammo would be too high pressure for a double.

Tony, i don't think the 41 mag would be too high pressure for the double rifle the size of a 450/400 3", but I fear it would not only be too high for a chamber insert, but with the very long neck on the 450/400 the bullet would have a long way to jump from the mouth of the cartridge, to the rifleing. I had a double rifle I built on a 20 ga Lurona action,with 18 1/4" barrels, chambered for 41 mag, and it was fine with full house loads used in my Ruger Blackhawk pistol! Cases simply dropped out of the chambers! I used it for following bear/lion dogs in New Mexico, and I wish I still had it.

I like your reduced load in the origenal brass, better, than the insert idea!