.470 Nitro Express

The .470 Nitro Express is a cartridge developed in England for very large or dangerous game hunting. This cartridge is used almost exclusively in single shot and double express rifles for hunting in the tropics or hot climate. It is in wide use in the Southern and Central-East African region, favoured by hunting guides, primarily while out for Cape buffalo and elephant.

Overview
The .470 NE was originally designed as a replacement for the .450 Nitro Express. This was because the .450 NE had been banned in several countries such as India. Because of the heavy bullet and powder charge, the gun has significant recoil but this is mitigated by the low velocity, resulting in recoil being delivered as a strong push rather than a violent blow. Rifles chambered for this cartridge tend to be heavy double-gun style, and are typically quite expensive.

The .470 NE continues to be popular and is the most popular of all the Nitro Express cartridges. Ammunition and components are readily available.

Handloading
Like other dangerous game cartridges, ammunition is expensive compared to standard hunting cartridges, often costing up to 10 times more per shell than typical cartridges such as the .30-06. Because of this many shooters choose to handload the .470 NE. Brass can be obtained from a variety of sources, and like most reloading components varies in quality. Lighter loads for practice can be created that are more enjoyable and cheaper to shoot.

Nitro Express in Popular Culture

 * Author and adventurer James S. Gardner provides a realistic, detailed account of the capabilities of a Nitro Express during an ill-fated Safari, and again in a graphical account of a desperate firefight against men and a helicopter in his book, The Lion Killer. Seen here:
 * "The Lion Killer" from James Gardner