Why is it so hard to find Safari bigbore rifles like .500, .505, and .585, etc.?

Answer 1

it is not hard to find them
here are some links to some of your calibers listed
http://www.impactguns.com/store/M98-AFRICAN.html
http://safariclassics.com/sc550.aspx
http://www.ritterbusch-rifles.com/?id=140000
there you go a little google and in few min you get results

Answer 2

You question is like asking why there aren't more cars with V-16 engines.

The answer is the same: They are powerful but incredibly expensive to make, operate and are very inneffective for most purposes.

The Safari rounds were bred from the mega-macho excesses of the late 19th and early 20th century hunters. Ernest Hemingway and Theodore Roosevelt come to mind as Americans of this genre.

First off, there's not much need for a shoulder held rifle that fires a projectile as big as a grown man finger. The game that can be hunted with such guns is few and far between and not a typical food source herd animal. So it's a trophy sport gun for the very adventerous and the very rich.

Also, you need to consider that a lot of these calibers were made just to make "one bigger" than the next guy. Not a great reason to sink thousands into a rifle ( although with the proliferation of the "macho guys" that shoot .300 Winchester Magnum at little whitetail deer, I wonder about that!).

Now, as far as practicality and money aside, the rifles that can fire these lead cigars are heavy as heck and you would not want to carry it around hunting. That's just the point......the guys that used these DID NOT carry their own rifles, they had a whole army of bearers in loin cloths and the biggest of theses carried the 16 pound rilfle, just near the handsome hunter.

Now, recoil......ever shot a half inch rifle? A .30-06 has I think about 22 ft-lbs of force on recoil. The Nyati has like 140 ft-lbs of force. It's like someone slamming a sledge hammer into your shoulder very fast.

I shot a Nito Express one time and was not too interested in a second round.

There are special companies in London and New York that deal in these old pieces of historical excess. If you do some Yahoo searching you can find them.

Take a look at this video of a guy shooting a safari gun:

Answer 3

The market is very small. When you consider that those calibers are not really meant for hunters, it's even more so. Try to keep in mind that those who hunt the Big Five will want to carry 375 H&H to 458 Lott. The calibers you list are stopping rifles for the PH, and even they don't see much reason for anything larger than 45 calibers, or perhaps 470 NE. Plus, they aren't really that hard to find; more like hard to afford!

Answer 4

I've actually seen some for sale at Gander Mountain. A .500 Nitro Express double-rifle. They only wanted $10,500. for it. I suppose the price has something to do with their scarcity. Who needs a Nitro Express Stateside? I do own a .458 Winchester Magnum. It only cost me $900.

Best.

H

Answer 5

I think they are moostly built on a custom basis.Most people who can afford a rifle (not mention ammo and the fees to hunt) that big and expensive can afford to have it custom made.because of this there are not many around.In some ways i think you are better off buying a barrett.roughly same cost as a safari gun but much cheaper ammo.

Answer 6

Short simple answer. Not a huge demand for rifles in these calibers and the price of such rifles tends to keep the regular guy from owning them.

Answer 7

It isn't that they are hard to find, its just the number of people who actually need those cartridges, are few and far between, and they an afford to shoot the big berthas.

Answer 8

You just have to look in the right place. It is like looking for a lost coin at night under a streetlight.

Answer 9

there so big and and have so much materal in them and so not many companys make them

Answer 10

Cause there rediculious !!!!!!!!

why don't you just get a Cannon and fire it at them ..or better yet an RPG!!!!!