Can #1 handle .505 Gibbs??

30 August 2001, 12:08

<Harald>

You would probably better served by going with the .50-140 Sharps (3.25 inch case) and loading hot. The .505 Gibbs runs on pretty low pressure and has more case capacity than necessary to get its modest 2350 fps with a 515 gr bullet (no better really than a .450 Ackley, worse considering the bore difference). You should be able to get close to that (or better) with max loads using 570 to 600 grain bullets in the .50-140 case. I suspect that the same holds for a hot loaded .500 Nitro but the Sharps case has a stronger rim and is 1/4 inch longer (case capacities may be nearly equal though, not sure). Obviously, all of the above only applies to a falling block, not a double!

31 August 2001, 04:25

MacD37

quote:
Originally posted by 500grains:
YES, but why?
1. The 505 is rimless and a No. 1 is a candidate for a rimmed cartridge.
2. There are fewer .505 bullets available than .510 bullets.

500, when did you ever see a Ruger No1 fail to eject a rimless case? I have owned Ruger No1s in almost every chambering they came in, and have several that are converted to NE, and wild cat rounds, and I have never experienced a failure to eject, with ANY rimless case!
I do agree with you, however, on the 505. The 505 is a very low pressure round, and I see no problem with it as far as ejection is concerened. The problem I have with it is the same as some of yours, the availability, of bullets, not to mention the cost of a barrel blank in that dia.
It is not an economical round to own,and feed. But then, what wildcat is? Personally I think the 500 NE 3" is the best of the rounds in this class for use in the Ruger No1, and though the rim is thinner on the 500NE, than on the 50-140, but the brass is of much better quality on the 500 NE. The brass for the 50-140 is designed for black powder use, and is usually "TURNED" instead of being drawn. Turned brass is not of the quality of drawn brass, IMO!

The cheapest, and most effieient round to convert the Ruger to, is a 458 LOTT, a simple re-chambering job from a 458 win mag. It is just as well suited to the game the 505 is, but is a lot more user friendly. It is my opinion, that factory ammo will be available for 458 LOTT in the near future. That alone is a plus in it's favor. I have a 458 RCBS Ruger No1,but that is a rimmed case made form 45 basic cases, cut back to 2.75" but that is a rimmed cartridge,and though very effeient, it isn't up to the 458 LOTT, but close enough that I don't need both. My next No1 will be a 500 NE 3". But, "I AIN'T AFRAID OF NO RIMLESS"

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..Mac >>>===(x)===>
DUGABOY DESIGNS
Collector/trader of fine double rifles, and African wildlife art

31 August 2001, 10:51

<Sooner>

30, Yeah it will take a 505 Gibbs, it will cost more to shoot but I wanted a big stomper too and built a 500 Jeffrey on a Ruger 1, it costed me $400 to convert it. Compare that to the thousands it costs to convert a bolt action, you can buy alot of 505 brass and bullets and still come out ahead. Just be careful where you put those big bullets 'cause nothin's gonna stop 'em and one shot sent my chronograph to the promised land.

Mac, You mentioned a 458 RCBS and I have a friend wanting to convert a 45/70 to that. Is that a good place to start? Is it a simple rechambering job? Also what kind of velocity does it get compared to the 458WM?

Sooner

31 August 2001, 18:42

Intel6

I had my #1H rechambered from .458 WM out to .460 Weatherby for $85. I thought it was a cheap way to get into a big boomer. The .460 is rimless and has a belt and the #1 handles it fine.

01 September 2001, 09:42

MacD37

Sooner, go to the topic on this forum titaled ".500 NITRO LOADS" my post of 08,30,01 deals with the 458 RCBS! I think it would bebetter to go there than to re-write it here takeing up space already limited!

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..Mac >>>===(x)===>
DUGABOY DESIGNS
Collector/trader of fine double rifles, and African wildlife art

01 September 2001, 10:08

500grains

Mac,

I am not a No. 1 expert, but it seems to me that rimmed cartridges are the best candidate for a single shot, though I defer to your experience on this point.

01 September 2001, 12:09

Atkinson

500 Grs.

You are correct with any single shot but the Ruger No. 1 and it will handle any cartridge short of the 50 MG.....rimmed or rimless...

That said, I can't even fathom the recoil with the 505 Gibbs unless you use a 15 pound barrel...

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

01 September 2001, 12:38

<Harald>

My suggestion of using .50-140 brass (or .500 Nitro if you like) was not predicated on the rimmed vs rimless argument but really on the fact that the case capacity would be sufficient to get .505 Gibbs velocities with a slightly hotter load in the long rimless cases while preserving more meat in the chamber area. The .505 case is considerably fatter (and more expensive) than the other two:

.505 Gibbs.........0.660 in
.50-140 Sharps.....0.565 in
.500 NE............0.580 in

Basically the Gibbs has a base diameter equal to the rim diameter of the others. Is this a significant difference? I dunno. But the cost alone would dissuade me.