2 bore

Two bore or 2 bore is an obsolete firearm caliber.

Specifications

Two bore firearms generally fire spherical balls or slugs made of hardened lead, or in the case of a modern metallic cartridge with either solid brass or bronze projectiles. The nominal bore is 1.326 inches (33.7 mm), and projectiles generally weigh 8 ounces (227 grams; 3500 grains). The velocity is relatively low, at around 1,500 feet per second (460 m/s) at the muzzle, but develops approximately 17,500 ft⋅lbf (23,700 J) muzzle energy.

According to William Wellington Greener, the Eley Brothers Limited company produced 2 bore paper cases, but the bullet caliber and power charge—and subsequently performance—were practically equivalent of a thin brass-cased 4 bore cartridge, while being less waterproof.

History and background

2 bore guns were manufactured for hunting waterfowl, but due to their weight and hefty recoil, hunters preferred using smaller guns, such as single-barreled 4 bore or double-barreled 10 bore guns, or 12 gauge shotguns.

Before the advent of Nitro Express cartridges in 1898, ivory poachers used large caliber elephant guns ranging from 2 to 4 bore that could weight up to 25 pounds (11 kg) and were carried by a team of porters and fired solid lead balls; These were the only suitable weapons for big-game hunting as existing black powder rimfire cartridges were barely adequate for medium-sized game and firearm locking systems weren't capable of withstanding the pressure generated by high-powered cartridges. While some authors— including W. D. M. Bell—describe Sir Samuel Baker's "Baby" rifle as a 2 bore, author Terry Wieland describes the Baby as a 3 bore rifle that fired a 5 oz (140 g, 2,200 gr) shell.

According to an anonymous account from an English mercenary who served with the Transvaal Republic, during a border skirmish with Swaziland, the opposing side employed a team of three men to operate a single 2 bore elephant gun, which reportedly caused several casualties in the Boer ranks:

First of all, they loaded the gun up to the muzzle with scraps of iron, stone, nails, and any rubbish of a like nature that came to hand; then the first Swazi held it lightly to his shoulder, while the second propped him up behind to stop the recoil. Number three gunner stepped up when the other two were in position, and as the lock and trigger were out of order he just touched the charge off with a match. Every time this antiquated blunderbuss was fired the three Swazis were sent sprawling, but the execution done in our ranks by this original method of firing an otherwise useless gun was greater than all the rest of the Swazi fire put together.

Schroeder & Hetzendorfer cartridge

Schroeder & Hetzendorfer 2 bore metallic cartridge
2-bore and .45-70
TypeRifle
Place of origin United States
Production history
DesignerRudolph Schroeder
ManufacturerSchroeder & Hetzendorfer LLC
Variants2
Specifications
Parent caseProprietary
Case typeSemi-rimmed, straight
Bullet diameter1.326 in (33.7 mm)
Rim diameter1.490 in (37.8 mm)
Rim thickness.125 in (3.2 mm)
Case length3.50 in (89 mm)
Case capacity935 gr H2O (60.6 cm3)
Rifling twist1 in 48 in (1219.2 mm)
Primer typeCCI #35
Filling weight700 gr (45 g) ffg
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
3,500 gr (227 g) Brass FNTC solid 1500 ft/s 17,500 J (12,900 ft⋅lbf)
3,350 gr (217 g) Lead round ball 1200 ft/s 10,700 J (7,900 ft⋅lbf)
2,500 gr (162 g) Bronze FN solid 1450 ft/s 11,670 J (8,610 ft⋅lbf)
Test barrel length: 28"
Sources: Design and test data

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Stolzer & Son's Gunsmithing". Archived from the original on March 12, 2022.
  2. ↑ Dickson, J. (2019, August 14). The tyrannosaurus 2-bore: Most powerful sporting rifle. Firearms News. https://www.firearmsnews.com/editorial/tyrannosaurus-2-bore-rifle/365185
  3. ↑ S&H Super PrecisionTM. Schroeder & Hetzendorfer LLC. (n.d.). http://www.2-bore.com/home.html
  4. ↑ "S&H 2 Bore Blackpowder Express". February 18, 2008.
  5. ↑ Greener, William Wellington (1910). The Gun and Its Development (9th ed.). London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne: Cassell and Company. p. 392 – via Google Books.
  6. ↑ Gilbey, Tresham, ed. (July–December 1900). "A Gun-Room Causerie: The Enjoyment of Shooting". Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes. Vol. 74, no. 485–490. London: Vinton. p. 165 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Mellersh, W. Lock (1907). "Wild-fowling". In Page, William (ed.). The Victoria history of the county of Gloucester. Vol. 2. London: Archibald Constable. p. 302 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ↑ Wieland, Terry (2009). "Single-Shot Rifles". Dangerous-Game Rifles (2nd ed.). Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-89272-902-9.
  9. ↑ Petzal, David E. (December 2004). "Big Bores". Field & Stream. Vol. 109, no. 8. New York City: Time4 Media. p. 87. ISSN 8755-8599.
  10. ↑ Bell, Walter Dalrymple Maitland (2017). Reminiscences of an Elephant Hunter: The Autobiography of W. D. M. "Karamojo" Bell (2nd ed.). Simon and Schuster. p. 268. ISBN 978-1-4930-7908-7.
  11. ↑ Wieland, Terry (2009). "The Rifle to 1898". Dangerous-Game Rifles (2nd ed.). Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-89272-902-9.
  12. ↑ "Commandeered by Kruger: The strange experience of an Englishman in the service of the Boers". The Windsor Magazine. Vol. 11. London: Ward, Lock & Co. 1899–1900. p. 288 – via Google Books.