Express rifle

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Express rifle is the somewhat outdated term used primarily to denote a large caliber sporting or hunting rifle intended for large and dangerous game like elephant, lion, leopard, Cape buffalo, rhino and brown bear. As in most forms of sport hunting, the concept of the rifle is to give the game as much advantage as possible while still maintaining the relative safety of the hunter. Generally preferring the term magnum rifle, few of the world's riflemakers have advertised new "express rifles" for sale since the 1940s, and one of the very last to do so was Holland and Holland of London, England, which continued the practice until the 1960s.

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[edit] History

The name originates with a rifle built by James Purdey in 1856 and named the Express Train, a marketing phrase intended to denote the the large, heavy bullet that it fired at considerable velocity. It was not the first rifle or cartridge of this type, but the name stuck. Since then, express has denoted a (usually) large bore rifle with high velocity, yielding a flat trajectory and long fixed-sight range. Typically the trajectory height would not be greater than 4.5 inches at 150 yards and the rifle would have a muzzle velocity of at least 1750 feet per second. While 1750 f.p.s. is not fast by modern standards, that was in the era of black powder cartridges, and modern express rifle cartridges fire large caliber, heavy bullets at velocities of well over 2000 feet per second. The modern equivalent of the Express designation is the Magnum cartridge. With the advent of smokeless powders, the smaller calibers were no longer generally considered Express rounds, and the Express designation came to mean a high velocity, large bore cartridge--generally around .375 inches (9.5 mm) or larger. (However, a notable exception to this occurred in the period 1979 - 1981, during which Remington temporarily renamed their .280 Remington cartridge the 7mm Express Remington.)

This form of rifle is always equipped with iron sights and may additionally have a low magnification rifle scope. High magnification optics are not suited for use on an express rifle, as they are not consistent with the goal of taking large, dangerous game at short ranges.

Game is to be taken with these rifles at very close range and from nearly contact distance to about 100 yards (about 90 m). The iron sights are designed to be used in low light or close range and the scope at distances from 50 to 100 yd. Some iron sights are simple blue steel and are composed of a square front post and a notched square rear sight. The sight picture for these sights is simply to line up the top of the front post with the top of the rear notch and center it left to right. Another iron sight combination more commonly found on African express rifles is the bead and shallow "V"--so well suited for this type of rifle, the type of sight is now called an "express sight". The large, usually white bead is easily seen in low light and the shallow "V" notch provides an unobstructed view of the surrounding area. The front sight bead is composed of natural or synthetic material of a light color, and the rear sight is a black steel notch shaped like a "V". Proper position for this sight is to place the white dot low enough in the "V" so that the edges of the circle just touch the edges of the "V". The bead is commonly made out of plastic, brass or aluminum but older rifles may have elephant or warthog ivory front sights. Warthog ivory was preferred because it will not yellow with age like elephant ivory.

Big game rifles are produced in low numbers and tend to be masterpieces of craftsmanship. Only the rich could afford to go and shoot large game for sport and they could afford the best gun-makers. The wooden stocks of these rifles are selected for highly figured and very beautiful grain structure and in many cases the wood selected may be double the value of rifle. The wood is treated with many coats of tung or linseed oil to preserve it and bring out its natural beauty. Blue steel components of the rifles may be hand engraved with figures of the animals or floral pattern or flourishes. The engraving process is very time consuming and costly. Some of the more modern rifle designs may have synthetic stocks and stainless steel components for better endurance under harsh environmental conditions.

[edit] Ammunition

Express round cartridges tend to be straight-sided designs, made from brass. Modern designs may use the belted magnum design; older ones may be rimmed or rimless (for bolt action rifles). The bullets are large 0.375 inch (9.53 mm) in diameter or greater and weigh more than 250 grains (16 g). The bullet shape is blunt like a pistol round rather than pointed which is necessary in a long range rifle. The early guns used black powder. Among the first smokeless rounds was the .450 Nitro Express - Nitro referring to the composition of the propellant; cordite. Rigby’s took a .450 Black Powder Express case, loaded it with 70 grains (4.5 g) of Cordite and a 480 grain (31 g) jacketed bullet. This was found to be equivalent to older blackpowder guns of 4 or 8-bore size. The velocities of these rounds are from 2200 to 3000 feet per second (670 to 910 m/s).

[edit] Examples

There are many different express rounds, especially around the .450 size. The proliferation stemmed from a blanket restriction on the importation of .450 ammunition into India intended to prevent arms reaching rebellious natives.

[edit] Rifle design

Express rifles historically came in two actions. The side by side was the earliest, and by the early 1900s the bolt action began to gain promenence. The side by side has two barrels mounted beside one another and may have a single or double triggers. As such it resembles a double -barrelled shotgun in appearance. This design allows the hunter to fire two shots in rapid succession - the second shot in case the animal is missed or not stopped with the first. If the hunter was using a bolt action rifle then they would have to work the bolt taking time and probably affecting the aim. Most parts of the mechanism that fire the gun are duplicated so in the unlikely event that a mechanical failure like a broken firing pin or spring should occur the hunter can still fire the second barrel. Bolt action rifles would have a small magazine of two or three rounds rather than 10 or more as might be found on a military rifle.

Modern express rifles are generally either single shot or bolt action designs, as double rifles are notoriously expensive -- getting both barrels to shoot to the same point of aim is an extremely long and labor intensive process. Single shot express rifles, such as the Sturm, Ruger No. 1 Tropical, have the advantage of being lighter and more compact than bolt actions, but at the expense of truly brutal recoil. Bolt action rifles tend to be quite a bit heavier, which helps to tame the recoil of the fast, heavy bullets.

The weight of an express rifle is a significant concern to the shooter. Since express rifles are used for hunting dangerous game, the hunter's life can depend on being able to quickly respond to a threat from the game. A lightweight gun is easier to carry, and thus is more likely to be with the shooter when needed than a heavier gun that is often left behind. On the other hand, a light rifle will generate a higher amount of recoil energy. Barrel length, barrel profile, action type, and stock style can all impact the weight of the gun and therefor the degree of recoil the shooter will experience with a given cartridge.

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