.450/400 Black Powder Express

.450/400 Black Powder Express (3¼-inch)
Type	Rifle
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Production history
Designed	1880s
Specifications
Parent case	.450 Black Powder Express
Case type	Rimmed, bottlenecked
Bullet diameter	.405 in (10.3 mm)
Neck diameter	.432 in (11.0 mm)
Shoulder diameter	.502 in (12.8 mm)
Base diameter	.544 in (13.8 mm)
Rim diameter	.615 in (15.6 mm)
Rim thickness	.040 in (1.0 mm)
Case length	3.25 in (83 mm)
Overall length	3.85 in (98 mm)
Primer type	Kynoch # 40
Ballistic performance
Bullet weight/type Velocity Energy 270 gr (17 g) Lead 1,850 ft/s (560 m/s) 2,050 ft⋅lbf (2,780 J)
Test barrel length: 26” Source(s): Kynoch & Barnes & Amber

The .450/400 Black Powder Express was a black powder rifle cartridge that was produced in two case lengths, 2⅜-inches and 3¼-inches.

Development

Both .450/400 BPE cartridges were developed in the 1880s by necking down the .450 Black Powder Express, the.450/400 3¼-inch BPE was listed in the Kynoch catalogue of 1884 as the 450 reduced to 400. The .450/400 2⅜-inch BPE was simply a shortened version. The cartridges have survived to the current day as the .450/400 Nitro for Black, the same cartridges loaded with mild loadings of modern smokeless powder, carefully balanced through trial to replicate the ballistics of the Black powder version.

.450/400 2⅜-inch BPE

The .450/400 2⅜ -inch BPE was loaded with a 210 – 270 gr. lead bullet ahead of 79 – 84 gr. of black powder. The .450/400 2⅜-inch Nitro for Black was loaded with jacketed 300 gr. round nose bullets with 40 gr. of cordite.

.450/400 3¼-inch BPE

The .450/400 3¼-inch BPE was loaded with a 230 gr. - 300 gr. lead bullet backed by 110 grains of black powder. The cartridge was intended for deerstalking and usually chambered in light weight rifles. This cartridge case was intended for use in black-powder rifles. The .450/400 3¼-inch Nitro for Black cartridge was loaded with a 270 gr. - 316 gr. soft point bullet with 45 - 48 grains of cordite.

Nitro Express loadings

The .450/400 BPE served as the parent for the .450/400 Nitro Express, the same cartridge case loaded with cordite. In turn the .450/400 3¼-inch NE was shortened to 3-inches by W.J. Jeffery & Co to create the .400 Jeffery Nitro Express.

Use

The .450/400 BPE was considered a good deer round and was usually chambered in a lightweight stalking rifle.

See also

• Express (weaponry)
• List of rifle cartridges
• 10 mm caliber other cartridges of similar caliber size.

References

Bibliography

• Barnes, Frank C. & Amber, John T., Cartridges of the World, DBI Books, Northfield, 1972, ISBN 0-695-80326-3.
• Kynoch Ammunition, Big Game Cartridges kynochammunition.co.uk