ST test-fires a two-bore rifle!

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VIDEO: ST test-fires a massive two-bore rifle!

The word "bang" simply doesn't do justice to the effect this rifle has.

By Alastair Balmain, Shooting Times

Wednesday, 28 May 2008

ST exclusively reports on the test-firing of the Royal Armouries' new 2-bore - the biggest ever sporting rifle.

The word “bang” simply doesn’t do justice to the effect this rifle has. But that’s not surprising given that the London Proof House had to use a new proof mark stamp after testing this behemoth. As well as the crown, the new mark has the number 2 stamped inside the diamond — that would be a 2 to denote 2-bore. “When you pull the trigger, it’s like presiding over your own personal earthquake,” remarked Giles Whittome, when, with a degree of trepidation, I joined him last week at the West London Shooting School to testfire a unique example of the gunmaker’s art. If he meant to calm any nerves prior to pulling the trigger, it didn’t work. Giles is a forensic firearms consultant, rifle collector, gunmaker and an occasional instigator of exotica such as this 26lb mammoth of a gun.

He was clearly giddy with anticipation. Everything about this rifl e is exaggerated — the enormous tree trunk sized fore-end, the thick-walled barrel, which could double as an acro prop, and the hefty falling-block action that wouldn’t be out of place on a harpoon gun. It looks like a fabulous piece of make-believe, a gun designed not to take down an elephant, but a tyrannosaurus rex. That it is a bit out of the ordinary is a given. This rifle was commissioned by the Royal Armouries (RA) for its own collection as an exhibition piece. In 1997, it felt there would be a certain attraction in marking the turn of the millennium — in which the number 2 had a prominent role — with the creation of a piece of gunmaking history, a bespoke 2-bore blackpowder rifle. The fact that it has been made at all is fortunate, as Giles explained: “The RA only has a limited grant and I was lucky they asked me to make this. In the year they commissioned it, the RA also bought one of Henry VIII’s suits of armour for £1.8million, which could easily have put a stop to this project.”

The rest of this article appears in 29 May issue of Shooting Times.

To watch a video of the world's largest sporting rifle being test-fired click play below...

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Comments

Giles Whittome

Sat, 21st Jun 2008 16:00:31

Re Bob's comments; these were just light loads for function testing only. The full service charge is twenty drams, and we also make really nasty loads with twenty-four drams and the full half-pound bullet. Re telling the firer to keep his finger off the trigger, you may not be aware of our ridiculous nannyish health-and -safety laws in this country, but every possible safety precaution must be not only observed but spelt out all the time. I know I have to keep my finger off the trigger,and the firer knew, but I still have to go through the rigmarole. Incidentally, if you look through the Baker archives, he used mainly ten or twelve drams in the Baby, not sixteen, so I have fired twice his powder charge with the same bullet weight. Mind you, the Baby only weighed eighteen pounds, which was a big mistake, and it doesn't look as if the stock design was right for him.

Bob

Tue, 17th Jun 2008 14:06:36

Given that we are talking about a 26lb weapon, the 12 dram load would actually be considered quite mild and probably not all that practically effective given the bullet weight. The 16 dram load is more like it, but keep in mind that Samuel White Baker was using powder charges like this with his 4 bores. It might take a much higher charge to allow the twice again as heavy 2 bore bullet to really penetrate through an ele skull...which is after all the point of all this. -Bob P.S. Did anyone else find it humorous that it was deemed necessary to tell Holt that he might want to keep his finger off the bloody trigger! Gun "experts" that must be reminded of rudimentary gun safety...CLASSIC!

BLAIR

Fri, 30th May 2008 18:35:30

Britain at its finest

.

Thu, 29th May 2008 06:08:34

Very interesting clip showing a very large bore. Fire whoever decided that a crap soundtrack was necessary. At times when I wanted to hear what was being said, I was forced to listen to the irrelevant noise sometines called music. That spoiled the event.

Tom

Thu, 29th May 2008 01:53:53

Wow, that's a huge gun!

What's in this issue?

Don't miss this week's issue (on sale Wednesday 1st February). FREE PRIZE DRAW - it is week 3 of our great "Gun a Week" competition, see P53 for further details and how to enter! Plus, who is top dog? Paul Rawlings reports on the 2012 Cocker Spaniel Championship. Get down to your newsagents and buy your copy today!