The .600 Nitro Express: History, Reloading, Refinishing

This is a short article I wrote for Griffin and Howe's publication, The Gun, after my .600 Wilkes was refinished. I had become interested in the .600s after I saw my first one in the late 1980s when I was first developing an interest in double rifles. I nagged the owner for nearly 20 years until he sold it to me! As this is being written (May 2008) I am working on a book on the .600 nitro express and the vintage English rifles that chambered that massive cartridge. To date, I have 77 serial numbers and 30+ rifles to photograph. Expect an early 2009 release date.

By Cal Pappas

The .600 nitro express. Say it slowly. Nothing, and I mean nothing, brings gun aficionados to attention faster than mentioning this, the largest of the smokeless charged elephant rifles. Shoot any lesser double rifle caliber and a spectator is quick to say how he shot a .600 at one time. Have one at the local target range and a crowd quickly gathers. It is amazing how some calibers do this--and how many don’t.

My interest in double rifles dates to the late 1980s. A few years later Griffin and Howe refinished the first double I owned--a .500 Mortimer and Son black powder express--and, under Paul Chapman’s guidance, I have had G&H refinish several of my doubles from .400 to 7-bore. Please understand, refinishing an English  double rifle or shotgun is not the blasphemy associated with putting new color on a Winchester or Colt. The English refurbished their guns and rifles on a regular basis. And so,when a 20-year search ended with the purchase of a beloved vintage .600, it was off the Bernardsville in October of 2007 to chat with Paul. But first, a bit of history.

It seems the .600 idea dates to about January of 1899 with a case of 2.8 inches in length, an 800 grain bullet, and a diameter approximately the same as a 20 gauge shot shell. Shortly thereafter the length was increased to an even 3 inches and the bullet weight increased to 900 grains. As to powder charges, historical records agree the .600 never saw a loading with black powder--it was a nitro cartridge from the get go.

Three charges are listed as being produced in the .600: 120, 110, and 100 grains of cordite--all with a 900 grain bullet. In addition, one rifle, a Westley Richards, was regulated for 105 grains. The most common, by far, is the 100 grain loading at 1850 fps. The vast majority of Jeffery rifles were made for this load and regulation. Next in popularity was the 110 grain charge. My own rifle is the only rifle I have seen for this loading but I’m sure there are others. The 110 grain charge of cordite launched a 900 grain bullet at 1950 fps. Last of all, the 120 grain charge of cordite propelled a 900 grain bullet at 2050 fps. At least one Jeffery rifle was manufactured for this load. (Early records show a 130 grain charge was a possible development but never made it to the production stage).

As to the number produced, the .600 is one of the rarest of calibers in double rifles. Holland and Holland’s The Shooting Field (page143-145) reports 6 rifles made by H&H, the same number by Purdey, 3 by Westley Richards, 9 by John Wilkes, and 32 by Jeffery. All of these were double rifles with Jeffery producing 24 single shots. The above statistics are not complete as a friend has a .600 double by Wilkinson (12 1/2 pounds!), a recent contact has an Evens, I have seen an Osbourne top lever hammer .600 and a MacNaughton. Webley made at least one, and many were produced by Wilkes (and others?) for the trade such as the Army and Navy stores. In all probability the total number of rifles, both single and doubles, has been estimated at 100. In research for my upcoming book on the .600, I would expect the number to be between 120 and 130. 

Only a few .600s are documented by the original users. Carl Larsen used his Jeffery .600 to bag seven lion in two minutes and his photo is in an old copy of Jeffery’s catalog. Bill Pridham, a Uganda game warden used a .600 by Wilkes, John Taylor used a Jeffery and wrote of it in Pondoro, and Powell-Cotton also used a Jeffery. Elmer Keith owned a .600 by Wilkes. I have documented only ten users of the .600 in the vintage years. Where have all the other gone?

Owners of vintage .600s can shoot their rifles with a modern charge of powder to equate to the original ballistics. In my rifle, I use 160 grains of 4831 to launch the 900 grain bullet at nearly 1950 fps. Reloader 15 can be used with a ratio of 1.19:1. So, in a 100 grain cordite rifle the velocity can be approximated by loading the case with 119 grains of Reloader 15. The original ballistics were taken at the proof house in England with 28” barrels. Therefore your velocity may be at bit short of the published velocity--about 25fps per inch less than 28.

On a personal note about my Wilkes .600. I had seen the Wilkes for sale in Anchorage in the early 1990s when I was first developing a strong interest in double rifles. The price was a bit out of my reach then but it was good to see it sold to a good friend. He owned and shot the rifle for many years and I admired it whilst visiting his house. We discussed often selling  the rifle to me and the reply was,”someday”. At least I had the commitment of first refusal. This was important to me as many acquaintances would have loved the chance to purchase the Wilkes.

The time finally came in the spring of 2007. I brought my mother to John’s house to see a mammoth skull and tusks when she was on her annual Alaska vacation. I nearly fell over when John said he was ready to sell the Wilkes. It took a few months but by August the rifle was mine. There was no negotiation. No talk of partial trades for an SKS--the rifle is too rare to chance missing it. The price was quoted and my reply was, “Sold”!

The Wilkes .600 was in well used condition and overall brown in color. The barrel blue was faded as was the action color. The stock needed a de-oiling and new finish applied and the checkering recut. The silver was missing from the ‘safe’ inlay. The triggers needed adjusting and the action needed an inspection and a strip clean. The good news was the bores were very good and the rifle shot to the sights when I developed a load to equal the original velocity. A bullet mould was ordered from NEI, a sizer die form 4D-CH Tool, and a supply of jacketed Woodleigh bullets from Huntington's. I shot the rifle in the remaining warm days of summer and early fall. When cold weather came, the Wilkes was brought to Griffin and Howe for a refinishing. I flew to the east coast for a turkey hunt and drove to Bernardsville  with the .600. It was good to see Paul Chapman, Bill Supple, and others. After a pleasant visit and taking Paul’s recommendations as to refinishing I tearfully parted with the Wilkes for several months.

The .600 Wilkes is now returned. It looks wonderful! That is no surprise as Griffin and Howe always exceeds my expectations. Now, the Wilkes is patiently awaiting a hunt. Will be Africa for elephant or buffalo, or hippo? Perhaps Australia for water buffalo? Or, maybe, brown bear  in my home state of Alaska? Whatever the choice, it will be a pleasure to take this historic and rare cannon to the field. My thanks to Paul and the crew at Griffin and Howe for the excellent care and treatment they have given this treasure.