.450 Nitro Express
| .450 Nitro Express | ||||||||||||||||
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| Type | Rifle | |||||||||||||||
| Place of origin |
 United Kingdom
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| Production history | ||||||||||||||||
| Designer | John Rigby & Company | |||||||||||||||
| Designed | 1898 | |||||||||||||||
| Produced | 1898 | |||||||||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||||||||
| Parent case | .450 Black Powder Express | |||||||||||||||
| Case type | Rimmed, straight | |||||||||||||||
| Bullet diameter | .458 in (11.6 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Neck diameter | .479 in (12.2 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Base diameter | .545 in (13.8 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Rim diameter | .624 in (15.8 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Rim thickness | .040 in (1.0 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Case length | 3.25 in (83 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Overall length | 4.11 in (104 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Primer type | Berdan #40 | |||||||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||||||
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| Source(s): "Cartridges of the World" 500gr load specified by ADI-Powders | ||||||||||||||||
.450 Nitro Express also known as the .450 3¼-inch Nitro Express was designed for the purpose of hunting large game such as elephant. This cartridge is used almost exclusively in single shot and double express rifles for hunting in the Tropics or hot climates in general and is a cartridge associated with the Golden Age of African safaris and Indian shikars.
The .450 Nitro Express was the first Nitro Express, developed around 1898 by John Rigby. This cartridge was based on the then popular .450 Black Powder Express case with 70 grains (5 g) of Cordite and a 480-grain (31 g) jacketed bullet. Muzzle velocity is listed at 2,150 feet per second (655 m/s) with 4,909 ft·lbf (6,656 J) of muzzle energy. This straight case has a length of 3.25 in (83 mm) with a .670 in (17.0 mm) rim.
Early cartridges used the black powder case that was designed for around 22,000 psi and not the 34,000 psi that the Cordite load generated. Case extraction was difficult, especially in warmer climates such as Africa and India where the cartridge was primarily used. To remedy this problem, a reinforced case was produced and Kynoch made a reduced load to lower the case pressure. Another problem lay in the sensitivity of Cordite, loads developed in the cool British climate performed differently in the tropical heat of Africa and India, resulting in excessive pressures. The manufacturers responded by developing "tropical loads" with reduced propellant.
These initial problems led to Holland & Holland developing the .500/450 Nitro Express and Eley Brothers developing the .450 No 2 Nitro Express, both of which offered very similar performance to the original .450 Nitro Express. By the time these two cartridges appeared, the early issues with the .450 Nitro Express had been resolved, and it quickly became the most popular and widely used Elephant hunting round.
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