.400 H&H Magnum
Encyclopedia
The .400 H&H Magnum also known as the .400 Holland & Holland Belted Rimless or the .400 Holland and Holland Magnum is a .411 caliber belted rimless bottlenecked cartridge introduced in 2003 by Holland & Holland
together with the .465 H&H Magnum
in 2003. It is based on the .375 H&H Magnum
case.
.
The .400 H&H Magnum is a modern rifle cartridge
designed for the hunting large and dangerous game animals. The cartridge would be legal in countries which require a .400 minimum caliber for the hunting of dangerous game. It was engineered to provide dependable reliability in a tropical environment. The gradual tapering and moderate shoulder of the cartridge provides for reliable feeding and extraction of the cartridge.
and the .416 Remington Magnum
with the arguably slightly advantage of better sectional density given bullet of equal weight. The typical 400 gr bullet will have a sectional density of .338 for the .400 H&H Magnum vs. .330 for the .416 caliber cartridges. The .400 H&H Magnum shares the same caliber with several .400 cartridges from the turn of the 20th century such as the .400 Jeffery Nitro Express
, the 405 Winchester and the series of .450/400 cartridges.
Due to the large choice of comparable safari calibers on the market and the high prices (approximately US$200.00 or more per box in 2008), the demands remained low and select. For the same reason, apart from Holland & Holland
the only other confirmed maker of rifles in 400 H&H Magnum is Mauser
. Bullets are available from different manufacturers such as Barnes
, Hornady
, Woodleigh and Kynoch
.
Holland & Holland
Holland & Holland is a British gun-maker based in London, England. They offer hand-made sporting rifles and shotguns. H&H holds two Royal Warrants.-History:Holland & Holland was founded by Harris Holland in the year 1835....
together with the .465 H&H Magnum
.465 H&H Magnum
The .465 Holland & Holland Magnum also known as the .465 Holland & Holland Belted Rimless or more simply as the .465 H&H Magnum, is a modern big bore firearms cartridge introduced by Holland & Holland in 2003 together with the .400 H&H Magnum. The .465 H&H Magnum is a .468 caliber, belted, rimless...
in 2003. It is based on the .375 H&H Magnum
.375 H&H Magnum
The .375 Holland & Holland Magnum is a powerful rifle round and one of the best-known and most popular medium-bore cartridges in the world. The .375 H&H was only the second cartridge ever to feature a belt, now common among magnum rounds. A popular misconception is that the belt is for headspace,...
case.
General Information
The cartridge owes its development to hunters requesting Holland and Holland to develop a cartridge which would have increased power over the .375 H&H Magnum. The project was undertaken by Russell Wilkin, the technical director for Holland & Holland. The result was two cartridges: the .400 H&H Magnum and the .465 H&H magnum. The cartridge was launched in 2003 to the public in 2003 in the UK and Europe and became available in North America in 2008. It follows in a long line of illustrious big bore cartridges introduced by Holland & Holland, the last of which was the .700 Nitro Express.700 Nitro Express
The .700 Nitro Express is a big game rifle cartridge made by Holland & Holland, London, England. It was developed in 1988 by Jim Bell and William Feldstein and built by H&H. Feldstein had tried unsuccessfully to get H&H to build a .600 Nitro Express for him, but they had already ceased production...
.
The .400 H&H Magnum is a modern rifle cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
designed for the hunting large and dangerous game animals. The cartridge would be legal in countries which require a .400 minimum caliber for the hunting of dangerous game. It was engineered to provide dependable reliability in a tropical environment. The gradual tapering and moderate shoulder of the cartridge provides for reliable feeding and extraction of the cartridge.
Performance
The .400 H&H Magnum is in the same class as the .416 Rigby.416 Rigby
The .416 Rigby or 10.6x74mm was designed in 1911 by John Rigby & Company of London, England as a dangerous game cartridge and is the first one to use a bullet with a diameter of .416"...
and the .416 Remington Magnum
.416 Remington Magnum
The .416 Remington Magnum is a .416 caliber of a belted bottle-necked design. The cartridge was intended as a dangerous game hunting cartridge and released to the public in 1989. The cartridge uses the case of the 8 mm Remington Magnum as a parent cartridge. When the cartridge was released in...
with the arguably slightly advantage of better sectional density given bullet of equal weight. The typical 400 gr bullet will have a sectional density of .338 for the .400 H&H Magnum vs. .330 for the .416 caliber cartridges. The .400 H&H Magnum shares the same caliber with several .400 cartridges from the turn of the 20th century such as the .400 Jeffery Nitro Express
.400 Jeffery Nitro Express
The .400 Jeffery Nitro Express or .450/400 3 inch Nitro Express is a .411 caliber rimmed, bottlenecked cartridge designed by Jeffery in 1902.-General Information:The .400 Jeffery Nitro Express is based on the .450/400 3¼ inch case...
, the 405 Winchester and the series of .450/400 cartridges.
Due to the large choice of comparable safari calibers on the market and the high prices (approximately US$200.00 or more per box in 2008), the demands remained low and select. For the same reason, apart from Holland & Holland
Holland & Holland
Holland & Holland is a British gun-maker based in London, England. They offer hand-made sporting rifles and shotguns. H&H holds two Royal Warrants.-History:Holland & Holland was founded by Harris Holland in the year 1835....
the only other confirmed maker of rifles in 400 H&H Magnum is Mauser
Mauser
Mauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
. Bullets are available from different manufacturers such as Barnes
Barnes
Barnes is a riverside London suburb in southwest London and in terms of local governance falls under the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is located around west south-west of Charing Cross in a loop of the River Thames, with Hammersmith Bridge at the north end...
, Hornady
Hornady
Hornady Manufacturing Company is an American manufacturer of ammunition and handloading components, based in Grand Island, Nebraska.The company was founded by Joyce Hornady in 1949 and is currently run by his son Steve Hornady who took over after his father's death in a plane crash in 1981.Hornady...
, Woodleigh and Kynoch
Kynoch
Kynoch was a manufacturer of ammunition, later incorporated into ICI but remaining as a brand name for sporting cartridges.-History:Kynoch was established in Witton in Birmingham in 1862 by Scottish entrepreneur George Kynoch when he opened a percussion cap factory in Witton. In 1895 he built an...
.