If you were asked, as I was today, what are the most powerful rifles and calibres, then what would be your basis.



1) Would you include wildcats. If you were to exclude wildcats then where would your cut off point be. For example, would you rate the Lazzeroni calibres as being factor calibres and also the Dakota calibres. My basis for something being a factory calibre and rifle was that there was a wide distrubution system that extended beyond America. So for me that would exclude calibres such as the Dakotas and Lazzeronis.



2) Would you use kinetic energy as the measuring stick?



3) In the case of calibres such as the 505 Gibbs would you rate such calibres on factory listed ballistics or would you rate calibrers such as the 505 on the full ballistics that could be achieved with hand loads.



As a by the way I gave two basic answers to the question. I rated the 460 Weatherby as the most powerful calibre in easily obtained rifles and ammunition. My second answer was the calibres such as the 585 Nyati and 600 OK that basically took the normally available bolt action rifle to the maximum power that could be achieved.



Lastly and in the context of the question would you rate the 378 by with 6000 ft pounds of KE as being more or less powerful than the 416 Remington and 416 Rigby and where would you place the 458 with its 5000 ft pounds.



Mike

Wildcat

.700BMG IMP:

50 BMG with .700 NE bullet



Standard:

.50 BMG or .700 NE





Cheers,



Andr�

1: 550 magnum (fits in a cz) 550 express, fits in a mauser. 585 and 577 trex jsut don't allow for a second shot in an unbraked gn

2: muzzle energy ONLY matters when comparing fairly liek bores.

3: factory loads.. as reved up versions are different round.. a 416 rigby, juiced up, is a 416 weatherBEAT

jeffe

Andr�

I should have clarified in my post that it was restricted to what was available in the normal sporting rifle actions such as CZs, Weatherbys, M70s etc.

Mike

Robert Garnick's 600 OverKill!!!

ASS_CLOWN