![Express bullets 1870](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Express_bullets_1870.gif)
The term ''express'' was first applied to
hunting rifles and ammunition beginning in the mid-19th century, to indicate a rifle or ammunition capable of higher than typical velocities. The early express cartridges used a heavy charge of
black powder to propel a lightweight, often
hollow point bullet
Hollow may refer to:
Natural phenomena
*Hollow, a low, wooded area, such as a copse
*Hollow (landform), a small vee-shaped, riverine type of valley
*Tree hollow, a void in a branch or trunk, which may provide habitat for animals
Places
* Sleepy ...
, at high velocities to maximize
point blank range
Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm can hit a target without the need to compensate for bullet drop, and can be adjusted over a wide range of distances by sighting in the firearm. If the bullet leaves the barrel paral ...
. Later the express cartridges were loaded with
nitrocellulose
Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and ...
-based
gunpowder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...
, leading to the
Nitro Express The Nitro Express (NE) series of cartridges are used in large-bore hunting rifles, also known as elephant guns or express rifles, but later came to include smaller bore high velocity (for the time) British cartridges.
Name
The term "Express" was c ...
cartridges, the first of which was the
.450 Nitro Express
.450 Nitro Express also known as the .450 Nitro Express 3-inch is a rifle cartridge designed for hunting dangerous game such as elephant, rhino, cape buffalo, lion, and leopard. This cartridge is used almost exclusively in double rifles for hunti ...
.
The term ''express'' is still in use today, and is applied to rifles, ammunition, and a type of
iron sight. With the widespread adoption of small bore, high velocity rifle cartridges, the meaning of ''express'' has shifted in modern usage, and refers to high velocity, large bore rifles and ammunition, typically used for hunting large or dangerous game at close range.
History
The name originates with a rifle built by
James Purdey
James Purdey & Sons, or simply Purdey, is a British gunmaker based in London, England specialising in high-end bespoke sporting shotguns and rifles. Purdey holds three Royal Warrants of appointment as gun and rifle makers to the British and othe ...
in 1856 (based on a pattern established a year earlier by William Greener) and named the ''Express Train'', a marketing phrase intended to denote the considerable velocity of the bullet it fired. It was not the first rifle or cartridge of this type but it was Purdey's name ''express'' that stuck.
To understand the context of the express cartridge, it is necessary to go back to the weapons that preceded them. Early hunting firearms were typically
smoothbore
A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars.
History
Early firearms had smoothly bored barrels that fired projectiles without signi ...
, usually firing a spherical projectile. This meant that a given bore size must fire a given weight of projectile, which put significant limits on the
external
External may refer to:
* External (mathematics), a concept in abstract algebra
* Externality
In economics, an externality or external cost is an indirect cost or benefit to an uninvolved third party that arises as an effect of another party' ...
and
terminal ballistics
Terminal ballistics (also known as wound ballistics) is a sub-field of ballistics concerned with the behavior and effects of a projectile when it hits and transfers its energy to a target.
Bullet design (as well as the velocity of impact) larg ...
of the gun. The significant arc of the slow round ball limited the maximum
point-blank range
Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm can hit a target without the need to compensate for bullet drop, and can be adjusted over a wide range of distances by sighting in the firearm. If the bullet leaves the barrel para ...
to very short distances, and the spherical nature of the ball required a large bore diameter to carry a ball large and heavy enough to provide a quick kill on large game. These early smoothbore guns were typically measured by
gauge
Gauge ( or ) may refer to:
Measurement
* Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments
* Gauge (firearms)
* Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire
** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, ...
, as most modern
shotguns still are, rather than by
caliber. Typical gauges used ranged from 12 gauge to 4 gauge; the 4 gauge was for large game, fired a massive ball of 1500 grains weight (97 g).
In the 19th century, rifled firearms increasingly gained popularity, and the cylindrical (conical) bullet was introduced. This allowed a wide range of bullet weights to be used with a single bore size; the
.450 Black Powder Express
The .450 Black Powder Express also known as the .450 3-inch BPE was a popular black powder cartridge in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Design
The .450 Black Powder Express is a rimmed, straight walled, centerfire rifle cartridge desig ...
, for example, was loaded with bullets ranging from a 270 grain hollow point bullet for small game such as deer, to a 360 grain solid bullet for use on dangerous game, to even heavier hardened bullets for use on elephant. The early black powder express cartridges used paper patched lead bullets, to prevent lead buildup in the bore at the high velocities. These bullets were made of soft lead, and even in solid form they expanded readily and provided great killing power.
Typically the trajectory height would not be greater than 4.5 inches at and the rifle would have a muzzle velocity of at least . While is not fast by modern standards, it was relatively fast in the era of
black powder and spherical balls.
As nitro powders were introduced and became the standard, bores grew smaller, and velocities grew ever larger, until the term ''express'' grew to mean something other than just high velocity. William Greener, for example, splits British sporting rifles at the turn of the 20th century into four classes:
*Large bore smoothbores, or ''
Elephant gun
An elephant gun is a large caliber gun, rifled or smoothbore, originally developed for use by big-game hunters for elephant and other large game. Elephant guns were black powder muzzle-loaders at first, then black powder express rifles, the ...
s''
*Medium bore high velocity rifles, the ''express rifle''
*Small bore, higher velocity rifles, the ''long range express rifle''
*Miniature, short range rifles, or ''
Rook rifle
The rook rifle, originally called the rook and rabbit rifle, is an obsolete English single-shot small calibre rifle intended for shooting small game, particularly rook shooting.
Design
The rook rifle was designed to be light enough to be carried ...
''
Since then, ''express'' has gradually changed to denote a large bore diameter combined with high velocity. The
1911 ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'', for example, lists express cartridges ranging from .360 to .577 caliber. The traditional express rifles were
break action
Break action is a type of firearm action in which the barrel or barrels are hinged much like a door and rotate perpendicularly to the bore axis to expose the breech and allow loading and unloading of cartridges. A separate operation may be requir ...
designs, either single- or double-barrel designs, and express rifles are still made in this form today. With the advent of repeating actions, many
bolt-action
Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are right-handed).
Most bolt-action ...
rifles were chambered in express cartridges, and often the same cartridge will be found in "flanged" and "rimless" form, the flanged for break-open actions, and the
rimless
A rim is an external flange that is machined, cast, molded, stamped, or pressed around the bottom of a firearms cartridge. Thus, rimmed cartridges are sometimes called "flanged" cartridges. Almost all cartridges feature an extractor or headspacing ...
for easier feed from a bolt-action rifle's magazine.
Many modern rifle cartridges fire large-caliber, heavy bullets at velocities of well over , and the designation ''express'' applies solely to British calibres whereas the word ''magnum'' applies to American calibres. With a few exceptions, such the
.242 Rimless Nitro Express from the 1920s, and a brief period around 1980 when
Remington
Remington may refer to:
Organizations
* Remington Arms, American firearms manufacturer
* Remington Rand, American computer manufacturer
* Remington Products, American manufacturer of shavers and haircare products
* Remington College, American c ...
renamed their
.280 Remington
The ''.280 Remington'', also known as the 7mm-06 Remington and 7mm Express Remington, was introduced in 1957 for the Remington model 740, 760, 721, and 725 rifles.
History
Having been released 32 years after the .270 Winchester, it had somewhat ...
cartridge the ''7 mm Express Remington'', the label ''express'' is today used for short range, big game rifles pushing large, fast bullets.
Another item to bear the name ''express'' is the iron sight combination, used by William Greener and still found on express rifles today, consisting of a bead front sight and shallow "V" rear 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.
Ammunition
Traditional express
cartridges tend to be long cases, working at low pressures. This is partially due to their black powder roots, but the low pressure cases are also more reliable under extreme conditions, such as found in African hunting. Modern designs may use the
belted magnum design; older ones may be rimmed for break actions or rimless for bolt-action rifles. The bullets were typically short, light, hollow-point designs intended for maximum velocity and ranges out to the maximum point blank range with fixed sights. Early cartridges were loaded with black powder, and many later converted to cordite or other smokeless powders, often yielding two similar cartridges with different loadings, such as the .450 Black Powder Express and the .450 Nitro Express. Older express cartridge ballistics are fairly similar to modern
shotgun slug
A shotgun slug is a heavy projectile made of lead, copper, or other material and fired from a shotgun. Slugs are designed for hunting large game, and other uses, particularly in areas near human population where their short range and slow speed h ...
ballistics, while modern big game cartridges, such as the
.577 Tyrannosaur and the
.585 Nyati, provide ballistics that push the physical limits of the hunter with their tremendous power and recoil.
Examples
There is a large variety of express rounds, including the
Nitro Express The Nitro Express (NE) series of cartridges are used in large-bore hunting rifles, also known as elephant guns or express rifles, but later came to include smaller bore high velocity (for the time) British cartridges.
Name
The term "Express" was c ...
family of cartridges. Older
black powder express cartridges include:
*
.450/400 Black Powder Express
*
.450 Black Powder Express
The .450 Black Powder Express also known as the .450 3-inch BPE was a popular black powder cartridge in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Design
The .450 Black Powder Express is a rimmed, straight walled, centerfire rifle cartridge desig ...
*
.500/450 No 1 Black Powder Express
*
.500/450 Magnum Black Powder Express
*
.500 Black Powder Express
The .500 Black Powder Express was a series of Black powder cases of varying lengths that emerged in the 1860s.
Development
The cartridge was offered in several case lengths including 1-inch, 2-inch, 2-inch, 2-inch, 3-inch and 3-inch,several were ...
*
.577/500 No 2 Black Powder Express
*
.577 Black Powder Express
The .577 Black Powder Express is a series of black powder cartridges of varying lengths including 2-inch, 2-inch, 3-inch and 3-inch.
Development
The .577 BPE originated around 1870 with the 2-inch variant.
The 3-inch cartridge has survived to ...
*
20/577 Alexander Henry
Rifle design
Express rifles historically came in two forms, singles (single-shot) and doubles, both break-actions. The
side-by-side double was among the earliest, but by the early 20th century the
bolt action
Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are right-handed).
Most bolt-actio ...
began to replace it. The double rifle has two barrels, either in a side-by-side or over-and-under configuration, and with either a single or double
trigger
Trigger may refer to:
Notable animals and people
;Mononym
* Trigger (horse), owned by cowboy star Roy Rogers
;Nickname
* Trigger Alpert (1916–2013), American jazz bassist
* "Trigger Mike" Coppola (1900–1966), American gangster
;Surname
* Bru ...
. Most parts of the mechanism that fire the gun are duplicated for redundancy. In the unlikely event that a mechanical failure such as a broken spring or firing pin should occur, the hunter can still fire the second barrel. This design allows the hunter to fire two shots rapidly—the second shot used when the animal is missed or not stopped with the first. If the hunter were using a bolt-action rifle, he would have to work the bolt, taking additional time and possibly affecting accuracy. Bolt-action rifles for hunting typically have a small magazine of five rounds or less, rather than the ten or more rounds found on more modern military rifles firing smaller caliber rounds (the maximum number of rounds a hunting rifle can take is fixed by law in many jurisdictions; two in the magazine and one in the chamber is the limit in the UK.)
Modern express rifles are generally either single-shot or bolt-action designs. Doubles are still made but are quite expensive; getting both barrels to shoot to the point of aim is a labor-intensive process. Single-shot rifles are not often used when hunting dangerous game because follow-up shots are not made as quickly. Single-shot express rifles, such as the
Ruger No. 1 Tropical, are more compact than bolt actions, but while they can weigh less, reduced weight tends to increase felt recoil. Lighter rifles are more likely to be in the hunter's hands, ready for a quick shot when game is found.
Examples
*
Sturm, Ruger
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., better known by the shortened name Ruger, is an American firearm manufacturing company based in Southport, Connecticut, with production facilities also in Newport, New Hampshire; Mayodan, North Carolina; and Presc ...
See also
*
James Purdey and Sons
James Purdey & Sons, or simply Purdey, is a British gunmaker based in London, England specialising in high-end bespoke sporting shotguns and rifles. Purdey holds three Royal Warrants of appointment as gun and rifle makers to the British and oth ...
*
John Rigby & Company
John Rigby & Company (or John Rigby & Co. (Gunmakers) Ltd) is a gunmaking firm founded by John Rigby in 1775 in Dublin. The company was established by the first John Rigby in Dublin, Ireland, apparently in 1775; his grandson, also John, opened a ...
*
Eley Brothers
Eley Limited is a British manufacturer of firearms cartridges. Historically the company has produced a broad variety of ammunition, but today specialises in .22 Long Rifle cartridges for competitive target shooting. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, si ...
*
Heym Heym is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Georg Heym (1887–1912), German author
* Stefan Heym (1913–2001), German author
See also
* Heym (gun manufacturer)
* Chayyim, the basis for this name
* Haim (disambiguation)
* Hei ...
*
Holland & Holland
Holland & Holland is a British gunmaker and clothing retailer based in London, England, which offers handmade sporting rifles and shotguns. The company holds two royal warrants.
History
Holland & Holland was founded by Harris Holland (1806 ...
*
Westley Richards
Westley Richards is a British manufacturer of guns and rifles and also a well established gunsmith. The company was founded in 1812 by William Westley Richards, who was responsible for the early innovation of many rifles used in wars featuring ...
*
Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
This is a table of selected pistol/ submachine gun and rifle/machine gun cartridges by common name. Data values are the highest found for the cartridge, and might not occur in the same load (e.g. the highest muzzle energy might not be in the sa ...
References
* See ''Rifle'' in the
Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition
The ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is a 29-volume reference work, an edition of the '' Encyclopædia Britannica''. It was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. S ...
Reviewof the Ruger M77MKII Magnum in .458 Lott
External links
M77 MKII Magnuman
#1 Tropicalrifles, in calibers from .375 H&H to .458 Lott
{{DEFAULTSORT:Express (Weaponry)
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