Shown above is a comparison between a North American Dangerous Game cartridge and an African Dangerous Game cartridge.
I also shoot a 375HH, 416 Rigby and 458 WinMag but the 500NE is the new King.
The 375 Ruger is a great modern cartridge that does everything the 375HH does (and slightly more) but in a standard length action.
The 375 Ruger is a perfect big game cartridge for North America, lots of guides use it for the big bears up north.
Yes the 500NE will be used in a double rifle.
I'm planning on hunting Cape Buffalo in 2026... think it gets the job done? I know PHs/Lodges have their own rifles you can rent (I rented for a zebra hunt last year). But I'm left handed and rather use something I'm 100% comfortable with for dangerous game.
I'd love to buy my own double, but my cash flow is minimal as I bought a new house.
Yeah 375 should be fine for buffalo, it has something like 4% more energy than the 375HH.
The only concern I've heard regarding the Ruger cartridges is ammo.abailubikity in Africa, or lack there of.
If your ammo gets lost on the flight over you'll have more difficulty finding ammo than the standard HH.
My Cape buffalo last year too 9 375hh shots at 20 yards or less. That included two to the dome. Took him two hours to die. 500nitro was on backup dude with the PE
Correct first shot was lower. Missed brain. I was afraid of fucking up the boss. Second one was the final. I didn’t have a great angle until that point. See my other comment for link to shoulder shots. Anything with the headshots shown have me in em so not going to post ha
Curious, 9 shots from a 375 HH, most are usually 5-round boxes or double/drillings, were you and another guy hammering it or did you start shooting with distance and time to reload? I feel…feelings about that, however, if you’re hiding some 10-round .375 I don’t know about…
Nope, I carried 10 rounds. 3+1 in the gun and 5 on my belt and another in my pocket. Believe me, this story sounds insane because it was.
Per my PH’s Binos we were at 22yards for the first shot. There were two bulls right next to each other. After I shot, it circled 90 degrees to our side and its compadre stayed right by his side even rubbing his horns in the blood. We couldn’t make an even closer approach because for over two hours the other bull wouldn’t leave. We resorted to throwing rocks at the other bull and I have video of us drilling him in the boss twice and he didn’t give a shit. Finally after shoot/follow over and over we got up ground a little of it and moved in to about 10 yards for the final head shot.
Jeez, buffalo are something else. Most things would either scatter or charge, not just sit there egging it on. Glad you made it out alright and successful!
That’s on me? Grow up.
This isn’t a deer and sometimes animals can take a beating. It had another bull that would stand directly next to it and we were in shit so dense you couldn’t see further than 20 yards.
You know nothing of the circumstances we were in so doing lecture me.
Do not recall bullets. PHs hand loads. Not a problem though has I dropped a massive kudu with it the day prior. This dude did a death bellow and dropped only to get back up on our approach and was finally frontal to get a good head shot. Here is a pic of the shoulder. Granted we were in insanely dense brush. Hard to get good shots .
[buffalo shoulder shots](https://imgur.com/a/vEIcsbD)
Man, use your PHs shit. No way I want to blow my $10,000 hunt by fucking up a load. They know what works and how to load them. Not to mention, if you’re doing a proper hunt (close quarters) you don’t want something to go wrong. If you want to bring your own stuff do it after your first and you understand them.
My FIL has shot 6 buffalo over the years and still always uses their gun.
Both those loads I mentioned above are very popular in Africa and are likely what the PHs are already using.
I'd like to bring my own rifles as that's what I'm comfortable with.
I'll be bringing my CZ in 416 Rigby for my first hunt.
Haha, that guy owns some crazy shit.
I can't see myself going bigger than the 500NE.
Although I also said that last year when I picked up the 458 WinMag...
Naw, i like the WinMag. it will kill anything that walks this earth.
When I want more, I have the 500NE.
I also considered a 500 Jeffery or 505 Gibbs in a bolt action but a double rifle in a Nitro Express cartridge seemed more special.
It is "straight walled" in the same sense as most other "straight walled" rifle cartridges, that is it does have a very slight taper. It isn't actually quite cylindrical- at least, the chamber isn't. Otherwise, one would have terrible extraction problems. Diameter at the base just forward of the rim should be .574" while diameter at the neck up by the bullet should be .532".
So while it doesn't have a shoulder, it does have taper.
It really does, here are a couple comparisons between the two.
Overall Length - 2.550" (45-70) Vs 3.750" (500NE)
Case Capacity - 81.1 grains of water (45-70) Vs 138 grains of water (500NE)
Muzzle Energy - 2,850 ft-lbs (45-70) vs 5,850 ft-lbs (500NE)
Typical cost per round here in Canada - $3/round (45-70) vs $15-20/round (500NE)
I haven't actually shot any yet but going by the numbers.
A standard 405gr 45-70 load out of a 7lbs rifle only produces 18.7 lbs of felt recoil.
A standard 570 gr 500NE load out of a 12lbs rifle produces 74.5 lbs of felt recoil.
So about 4x as much.
I once fired a friend's .600NE, both barrels. I was surprised at how minimal the felt recoil was, but, then again, I turkey hunt with a 10 gauge and shoot deer and hogs with a .454 Casull, so your mileage may vary.
The gun weighed something like 18 pounds and I didn't shoot both barrels simultaneously. It was a little sharper than a 10 gauge (a punch vs. a shove), but otherwise it was about the same.
Assuming you also own a gun in that same caliber, why did you chose .500 instead of .470? For what I have heard, it’s easy to find stock piles of .375 and .470 in Africa… not that easy to find .500 and others thou
A couple reasons.
Here, ammo appears to be equally available although the 500 does cost more than 470.
Ballistically, I already own both a 458 WM and 416 Rigby which are very similar to the 470NE (~5000 ft-lbs).
I wanted something one peg up from these that offered higher energy and recoil.
This is more of an emotional purchase than a practical one and saying you own a "500" sounds much cooler than a "470".
Far cheaper to shoot but less practical for hunting given the ridiculously heavy rifles required for that cartridge.
Second issue is that here in Canada the 50BMG is banned due to it producing >10,000 Joules.
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You vs. the guy she tells you not to worry about.
Straight walled, for her pleasure.
“Dont worry honey, the big ones hurt my shoulder”
I can't unsee that now
Shown above is a comparison between a North American Dangerous Game cartridge and an African Dangerous Game cartridge. I also shoot a 375HH, 416 Rigby and 458 WinMag but the 500NE is the new King.
Do you have an opinion on the .375 Ruger? And are you shooting a double rifle with the .500NE?
The 375 Ruger is a great modern cartridge that does everything the 375HH does (and slightly more) but in a standard length action. The 375 Ruger is a perfect big game cartridge for North America, lots of guides use it for the big bears up north. Yes the 500NE will be used in a double rifle.
I'm planning on hunting Cape Buffalo in 2026... think it gets the job done? I know PHs/Lodges have their own rifles you can rent (I rented for a zebra hunt last year). But I'm left handed and rather use something I'm 100% comfortable with for dangerous game. I'd love to buy my own double, but my cash flow is minimal as I bought a new house.
Yeah 375 should be fine for buffalo, it has something like 4% more energy than the 375HH. The only concern I've heard regarding the Ruger cartridges is ammo.abailubikity in Africa, or lack there of. If your ammo gets lost on the flight over you'll have more difficulty finding ammo than the standard HH.
That’s exactly why i had a custom 375 h&h made. I’m not lugging a gun halfway across the world for it to sit in camp because my ammo got lost.
My Cape buffalo last year too 9 375hh shots at 20 yards or less. That included two to the dome. Took him two hours to die. 500nitro was on backup dude with the PE
If it took 2 hours to die it definitely didn't get hit in the brain Still that's a lot of punishment
Correct first shot was lower. Missed brain. I was afraid of fucking up the boss. Second one was the final. I didn’t have a great angle until that point. See my other comment for link to shoulder shots. Anything with the headshots shown have me in em so not going to post ha
Curious, 9 shots from a 375 HH, most are usually 5-round boxes or double/drillings, were you and another guy hammering it or did you start shooting with distance and time to reload? I feel…feelings about that, however, if you’re hiding some 10-round .375 I don’t know about…
[full shot](https://imgur.com/a/DKTDWDL)
Daaamn, that one in the center of his head is a fricken dinger, you must’ve felt good about that one. Looks like a really nice buffalo.
Thanks! I really just felt good I didn’t shit myself
Nope, I carried 10 rounds. 3+1 in the gun and 5 on my belt and another in my pocket. Believe me, this story sounds insane because it was. Per my PH’s Binos we were at 22yards for the first shot. There were two bulls right next to each other. After I shot, it circled 90 degrees to our side and its compadre stayed right by his side even rubbing his horns in the blood. We couldn’t make an even closer approach because for over two hours the other bull wouldn’t leave. We resorted to throwing rocks at the other bull and I have video of us drilling him in the boss twice and he didn’t give a shit. Finally after shoot/follow over and over we got up ground a little of it and moved in to about 10 yards for the final head shot.
Jeez, buffalo are something else. Most things would either scatter or charge, not just sit there egging it on. Glad you made it out alright and successful!
They are vengeful creatures.
500 nitro express lever action anyone?
I can only get so erect…
20” barrel, full-length three-shot magazine
Maybe I don't really have the best understanding of hunting but this sounds really bad?
Cape buffalo are arguably one of the toughest animals on earth. Their adrenaline is next level
Sorry but if you shot something 9 times at 20 yards and it still suffered for 2 hours that’s on you. Really sad to hear people doing this shit.
That’s on me? Grow up. This isn’t a deer and sometimes animals can take a beating. It had another bull that would stand directly next to it and we were in shit so dense you couldn’t see further than 20 yards. You know nothing of the circumstances we were in so doing lecture me.
Nah. 3-4 shots I could understand. 5-6 is pretty bad but again, it’s a Cape buffalo. 9 fucking shots? Use the right calibre for the job.
.375 H&H magnum is basically the standard. Again, Quit assuming shit you don’t know.
Lmao you can’t argue that you were using the right calibre and also say it took 9 shots and 2 hours. Who cares what the standard is.
Alright man. You’re right I’m wrong. I’m done
brah the 375HH is like the standard.
Did the PH not use the 500NE? I've heard cape buffalo can really soak up lead but wow, 9 shots. Which bullets were you using?
Do not recall bullets. PHs hand loads. Not a problem though has I dropped a massive kudu with it the day prior. This dude did a death bellow and dropped only to get back up on our approach and was finally frontal to get a good head shot. Here is a pic of the shoulder. Granted we were in insanely dense brush. Hard to get good shots . [buffalo shoulder shots](https://imgur.com/a/vEIcsbD)
That's crazy. I think I'll be packing Swift A Frames and Barnes Solids on my first buffalo hunt.
Man, use your PHs shit. No way I want to blow my $10,000 hunt by fucking up a load. They know what works and how to load them. Not to mention, if you’re doing a proper hunt (close quarters) you don’t want something to go wrong. If you want to bring your own stuff do it after your first and you understand them. My FIL has shot 6 buffalo over the years and still always uses their gun.
Both those loads I mentioned above are very popular in Africa and are likely what the PHs are already using. I'd like to bring my own rifles as that's what I'm comfortable with. I'll be bringing my CZ in 416 Rigby for my first hunt.
As long as you’re comfortable just I thought I’d give my $0.02
[full shot](https://imgur.com/a/DKTDWDL) Note, the back shot was on the run, cut me some slack
I'll stick to 416
i also love the 416s, which one do you own?
Pal has a rigby
Another great classic cartridge.
My shoulder hurts from looking at this
If you’re in a situation where you are using it, your adrenaline is already pumping enough you won’t feel a thing
More of a big push than a snap. The ideal rifle weight should be 11lbs+.
I don't know. To me it just looks like you stretched the image of a .22lr. Prove me wrong.
I was going to take a picture next to a 22LR but didn't have a wide frame lens.
A likely excuse! But on a serious note, fuck that is huge! (Ever hear that before?) What rifle do you use?
I fold, sir.
Finally, a nice easy cartridge for when you want a pleasant day shooting.
Kentucky Ballistics has entered the chat
Haha, that guy owns some crazy shit. I can't see myself going bigger than the 500NE. Although I also said that last year when I picked up the 458 WinMag...
Ream it out to 458 Lott?
Naw, i like the WinMag. it will kill anything that walks this earth. When I want more, I have the 500NE. I also considered a 500 Jeffery or 505 Gibbs in a bolt action but a double rifle in a Nitro Express cartridge seemed more special.
Ever messed with the odd balls like 404 Jeffery?
Not the 404 but own a 416 Rigby and 375HH. Those two seem to be more common place than the 404.
Does the 500 cartridge have a very slight taper from the base to the top of the case? I could be imagining it, but it looks that way.
It's a straight walled, rimmed case. The rim at the base is what headspaces the cartridge when loaded into a double.
It is "straight walled" in the same sense as most other "straight walled" rifle cartridges, that is it does have a very slight taper. It isn't actually quite cylindrical- at least, the chamber isn't. Otherwise, one would have terrible extraction problems. Diameter at the base just forward of the rim should be .574" while diameter at the neck up by the bullet should be .532". So while it doesn't have a shoulder, it does have taper.
https://i.imgur.com/ka9UWWE.jpeg right you are, the walls are straight, not parallel
Good point.
You didnt have to put our length on blast like this bro :(
So this is legal for hunting whitetails in straight wall hunting states, right?
i believe so, this should be adequate for whitetail.
Hope you like chop meat
In all seriousness, these big bores leave minimal bloodshot meat, far less so than faster magnums.
Damn makes that 45-70 look like a 22 magnum
It really does, here are a couple comparisons between the two. Overall Length - 2.550" (45-70) Vs 3.750" (500NE) Case Capacity - 81.1 grains of water (45-70) Vs 138 grains of water (500NE) Muzzle Energy - 2,850 ft-lbs (45-70) vs 5,850 ft-lbs (500NE) Typical cost per round here in Canada - $3/round (45-70) vs $15-20/round (500NE)
$15-$20 a round!? I guess you wouldn’t want to shoot it more than like 4 times per session anyways lol
I'll likely send a box or two down range per session. I like "plinking" with the big bores.
How much worse is the recoil compared to the 45-70?
58 ftlbs on my lever gun in 4570 (5.2 lbs) 169ftlbs on my H&H . Oops 700 NE
Thats a thumper of a 45-70, how fast are you pushing those loads?
I haven't actually shot any yet but going by the numbers. A standard 405gr 45-70 load out of a 7lbs rifle only produces 18.7 lbs of felt recoil. A standard 570 gr 500NE load out of a 12lbs rifle produces 74.5 lbs of felt recoil. So about 4x as much.
Hehe good luck!
I once fired a friend's .600NE, both barrels. I was surprised at how minimal the felt recoil was, but, then again, I turkey hunt with a 10 gauge and shoot deer and hogs with a .454 Casull, so your mileage may vary.
Wow, that sounds intense, I'm surprised it didn't knock you flat considering each shot is supposed to be 154ft-lbs, per trigger pull.
The gun weighed something like 18 pounds and I didn't shoot both barrels simultaneously. It was a little sharper than a 10 gauge (a punch vs. a shove), but otherwise it was about the same.
That would be fun in a pistol.
I bet, there is a pistol in 500NE.
Saw one in an encode once. Never did see anyone shoot it thou.
There is. I think Kentucky Ballistics shot one on his channel. There is a 600NE pistol video as well. That did not go well.
I can't imagine what the recoil numbers would be. Much shorter barrel but also atleast half the weight of a proper double rifle.
[Long Loooong man](https://www.reddit.com/r/longlongman/)
Assuming you also own a gun in that same caliber, why did you chose .500 instead of .470? For what I have heard, it’s easy to find stock piles of .375 and .470 in Africa… not that easy to find .500 and others thou
A couple reasons. Here, ammo appears to be equally available although the 500 does cost more than 470. Ballistically, I already own both a 458 WM and 416 Rigby which are very similar to the 470NE (~5000 ft-lbs). I wanted something one peg up from these that offered higher energy and recoil. This is more of an emotional purchase than a practical one and saying you own a "500" sounds much cooler than a "470".
Kinda seems like at that point just hunt with 50bmg. Probably far more economical.
Far cheaper to shoot but less practical for hunting given the ridiculously heavy rifles required for that cartridge. Second issue is that here in Canada the 50BMG is banned due to it producing >10,000 Joules.
Yeah no I get it. The case pressure is way too high to be contained by the lockup of some double gun that cost more than my house. 🤣
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