EMPIRE ANNOUNCES THE NEW .505 EMPIRE

 

Empire Rifles has a well established reputation as a versatile maker with several specialties, one of which is big bore rifles.  As Terry Wieland recently pointed out in RifleShooter Magazine (Nov/Dec 2006, p. 40), Empire Rifles makes a significant number of .50 caliber dangerous game rifles in .500 Jeffery.  Terry alludes to a new cartridge from Empire Rifles. . .

 

“If one were setting out today to design the perfect .500 caliber bolt action cartridge, I would vote for a scaled-up .458 Lott based on the .378 Weatherby Case. . . You want a bolt action .500 to match the power of the double-rifle .500 Nitro Express: a 570 grain bullet at 2,100 fps. If a rifle will do that, it’s a winner.” 

 

Existing .500 cartridges have a couple of drawbacks, some real, some imagined.  The drawback of the .505 Gibbs is it’s sheer size, which requires an extra long 3.9” action and a fat .750 diameter bolt. Moreover, many hunters are concerned about the rebated rim on the .500 Jeffery --a concern I do not share. What began as a simple conversation about the .505 Gibbs evolved into the design of the .505 Empire, delivering .505 Gibbs velocities in a package fitting neatly into Empire’s Mauser actions.  Excellent bullets are available from several makers, notably Barnes and Woodleigh.

 

From Left: .505 Gibbs, .500 Jeffery, .505 Empire, .458 Lott.

The .505 Empire launches a 600 grain bullet at 2,150 fps for a TKO of 93.06 –slightly ahead of the redoubtable .500 NE

 

The cartridge design is simple: Weatherby magnum brass, straight taper to .505 Caliber, with a 3.6” COL.  Fits in the Empire 98L and 98S actions with their 0.700 diameter bolts.  Although the cartridge achieves 2,250 fps with a 600 grain bullet, we load it down to 2,150 fps, generally considered the ideal velocity for a stopping rifle, and within the recommended impact velocity for the Woodleigh bullet.  This equals the velocity of the renowned 500 NE (3”) with 30 more grains of bullet weight. 

 

While the .505 Gibbs was traditionally loaded with 525 grain bullets, the caliber comes into its own with a 600 grain bullet at moderate velocity.  Like the .505 Gibbs, the .505 Empire will drive the lighter 525 grain bullets close to 2,400 fps. 

 

The 600 grain bullet at 2,150 fps yields momentum of 129 lbs/ft and a Taylor Knock Out value of 93.06 –values which are significantly higher than the excellent .458 Lott, and in the good company of the .500 Jeffery, the .505 Gibbs, and the .500 NE.  I put little stock in kinetic energy, but for those who do this cartridge generates 6,158 lbs.  Both hunting ammunition and low velocity (read low recoil) practice loads will be available from Superior Ammunition.  I am looking forward to using the .505 Empire on Cape Buffalo next Summer!  Please call George on 603.469.3152 to discuss this exciting new cartridge.