.400 Jeffery Nitro Express
Encyclopedia
The .400 Jeffery Nitro Express or .450/400 3 inch Nitro Express is a .411 caliber rimmed, bottlenecked cartridge designed by Jeffery in 1902.
version of that cartridge particularly in rifles which may have pitting
or rusting. The shortened neck of the .400 Jeffery Nitro Express was an attempt to alleviate this condition.
Unlike the earlier .450/400 Nitro Express cartridges, this cartridge was designed exclusively for the use with cordite
. The .400 Jeffery Nitro Express fires a 400 gr jacketed bullet propelled by 60 gr of cordite at a muzzle velocity of 2100 ft/s (640.1 m/s). In this loading the .400 Jeffery Nitro Express is more effective on game that the 300 gr loading of the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum.
John "Pondoro" Taylor considered both 3 inch and 3¼ inch .450/400 Nitro Express cartridges adequate for any African game species under any condition as long as it is used by an experienced hunter. Elmer Keith
noted that this cartridge would be his first choice when hunting brown bear in Alaska.
Unlike earlier .450/400 cases the .400 Jeffery Nitro Express was standardized on the .411 caliber bullets. With the renewed interest in the .405 Winchester
more bullets are becoming available in the .411 caliber. Bertram Brass offers cases for this cartridge. Bullets are offered by Barnes and Woodleigh. Factory ammunition is offered by Kynoch.
General Information
The .400 Jeffery Nitro Express is based on the .450/400 3¼ inch case. The longer neck of the .450/400 3¼ inch case had been causing extraction difficulties in the Nitro ExpressNitro Express
The Nitro Express series of cartridges are used in large-bore hunting rifles, also known as elephant guns or express rifles. They are named after the propellant they use, cordite, which is composed of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine...
version of that cartridge particularly in rifles which may have pitting
Pitting corrosion
Pitting corrosion, or pitting, is a form of extremely localized corrosion that leads to the creation of small holes in the metal. The driving power for pitting corrosion is the depassivation of a small area, which becomes anodic while an unknown but potentially vast area becomes cathodic, leading...
or rusting. The shortened neck of the .400 Jeffery Nitro Express was an attempt to alleviate this condition.
Unlike the earlier .450/400 Nitro Express cartridges, this cartridge was designed exclusively for the use with cordite
Cordite
Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom from 1889 to replace gunpowder as a military propellant. Like gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burning rates and consequently low brisance...
. The .400 Jeffery Nitro Express fires a 400 gr jacketed bullet propelled by 60 gr of cordite at a muzzle velocity of 2100 ft/s (640.1 m/s). In this loading the .400 Jeffery Nitro Express is more effective on game that the 300 gr loading of the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum.
John "Pondoro" Taylor considered both 3 inch and 3¼ inch .450/400 Nitro Express cartridges adequate for any African game species under any condition as long as it is used by an experienced hunter. Elmer Keith
Elmer Keith
Elmer Keith was an Idaho rancher, firearms enthusiast, and author. Keith was instrumental in the development of the first magnum revolver cartridge, the .357 Magnum, as well as the later .44 Magnum and .41 Magnum cartridges.-Personality and life:Keith's trademarks were his cigars, his ten-gallon...
noted that this cartridge would be his first choice when hunting brown bear in Alaska.
Unlike earlier .450/400 cases the .400 Jeffery Nitro Express was standardized on the .411 caliber bullets. With the renewed interest in the .405 Winchester
.405 Winchester
The .405 Winchester is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced in 1904 for the Winchester 1895 lever-action rifle. It was the most powerful lever-action cartridge available until the .444 Marlin was introduced in 1964, and was highly regarded by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt during his safari...
more bullets are becoming available in the .411 caliber. Bertram Brass offers cases for this cartridge. Bullets are offered by Barnes and Woodleigh. Factory ammunition is offered by Kynoch.