From Wikipedia on .450ne... True or not.. Regardless good fun!


In 1914 and early 1915, German snipers were engaging British Army positions with impunity from behind steel plates that were impervious to .303 British ball ammunition. In an attempt to counter this threat, the British War Office purchased 62 large bore sporting rifles from British rifle makers, including 47 .450 caliber rifles, which were issued to Regiments, some British officers also supplied their own.[4]

On one notable occasion, Richard "Dickie" Cooper brought down three Albatros D.III fighters from Ernst Udet's squadron, Jagdstaffel 15, with his Holland and Holland .450 Nitro Express big-game double rifle. Cooper is recorded as saying: "I aimed well ahead of the leader. He came down like a pheasant, as did the one that followed, and I had time to reload and fire again at the third before he passed over - he also crashed."[4]

True, I'm sure.
I've personally seen a .600 single shot used to detonate sea mines in WWI and I have one of the cartridges (unfired) in my junk box.
There is probably a lot of WWI history out there regarding double and single sporting rifles.
Cal

Like Cal, I have no doubt that it is true! Not because it is from Wikipedia because much of their information is incorrect, but because there is mention of these doubles and big bore singles being used in both WWI and WWII in many books on those wars!

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Here is a .600 cartridge with a military headstamp and rifling cuts in the side of the bullet to stabilize the bullet when fired from a smooth bore single shot, built on a four bore frame, with sights to 700 yards, used to detonate sea mines.
Interesting history here.
Cal

I believe that story on Cooper is in Bror Blixen's book too. I will have to look it up, but if I remember right, Cooper was relating the story while in the company of one of the shot pilot's comrades. Made for a rather uncomfortable situation.

Holland made a very plain box lock shotgun during WWI with a special patent choke that shot a ball and chain load for shooting at balloons...
Had my hands on one that was picked up in China by a missionary family between the wars

The germans made use of scoped mauser hunting rifles for sniping early in WW1, not so dashing as their british counterparts doubles perhaps, but deadly effective..

There is a post on Nitro Express with some excerpts from a book detailing some of the uses of doubles in WW1, Interesting read

http://forums.nitroexpress.com...age=0&fpart=all&vc=1

That was good reading, thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by Norsk:

Cooper is recorded as saying: "I aimed well ahead of the leader. He came down like a pheasant, ....."[4]

You've got to love the Brits . Jolly good , what ?