A Modern Masterpiece in .577 Nitro Express

It gained its reputation in the early twentieth century, when British colonists and visitors to the territories of the Empire had ample opportunity to explore and hunt in what were then vast wilderness areas. Since the demise of the Empire, following the Second World War, the demand for these big game rifles from home-based sportsmen has diminished to almost nothing, while the American market has increased. Today, we make several double .577NE rifles every year to support the thriving international big game hunting community.

Where tradition is revered and history re-lived, in the thickets of Botswana or the bush of Tanzania, and the biggest of the dangerous game species sought out, the desire to commission, own and hunt with a classic British double rifle is still strong. As beautifully as we build them, the heart of a big game rife is a serious matter. It must work and it must work with utter dependability. The life of the hunter literally depends on it functioning in action. You only get one chance to stop a charging buffalo or elephant.

One might argue two chances, if each shot counts as one. In that respect, the double beats the magazine rifle for such work. If a magazine rifle fails, there is little chance of a quick recovery. If the first shot with a double fails, the second shot follows a split second later; released by a different trigger, a different lock, down a different barrel. The double is truly two rifles. Blending those two rifles into single entity is a process blending engineering with art and gun craft. Here, we can see a twenty-first century example of how Westley Richards builds these classic rifles to ever higher standards for modern sportsmen.

This is No.20460, finished in late summer 2025. It is chambered for the .577 NE (3") cartridge in Modéle de Grande Luxe quality with super-deluxe walnut used for stock and forend. Before further discussing the finer features of the rifle, some basic data: It weighs 13lbs. 8 1/2. oz, which is a good number for a rifle this powerful and a few ounces heavier than the typical weight for a .577NE firing a 750-grain bullet, with one hundred grains of Cordite behind it, as published by Westley Richards in their early twentieth century catalogue.

A .577NE typically delivers 70 ft-lbs of recoil, often likened to firing two .375 H&H Magnum cartridges at once. Not only must the rifle have sufficient weight to tame some of that recoil, it must be properly constructed and fitted so that the remaining recoil may be more comfortably absorbed by the person firing the rifle.

Fearsome as it certainly is, a great deal of nonsense is often spouted about the supposedly unbearable recoil. The writer is in his mid-fifties, weighs 185 pounds and stands six feet tall, reasonably fit but by no means an olympic athlete. Having hunted with a Westley Richards .577 and killed Cape buffalo with it, he can report categorically that in action, the recoil is perfectly manageable to any man of average physique, familiar with sporting rifles.

The breakdown of components shows the barrels to weigh 7lbs. 1.2oz, the stock and action 5lbs. 19.9oz and the forend 12.3oz. The barrels are 25", the stock (with vintage WR cheekpiece and anti-recoil pad) is 14 3/4" to centre and the regulation is for a 750-grain bullet, loaded especially for Westley Richards and supplied in adequate number with the rifle. The 50-yard test target shows left and right holes a centimetre apart.

The standing rear sight is regulated for fifty yards, with additional leaf sights for 100 and 200 yards. The safety is manual, obviating any chance of inadvertent engagement failure under pressure. The selective single trigger is the latest in a long line of Westley Richards single triggers, which have featured on our heavy rifles since before the Great War. Famed elephant hunter James Sutherland killed hundreds of elephants with his and claimed he never suffered a mis-fire.

This rifle is supplied with a second set of hand-detachable locks 'just in case' and the sling eyes make attachment of the two-inch wide, webbing sling optional. It certainly makes carrying a heavy rifle more comfortable in the heat of the African sun. Visually, the rifle is classic Modèle de Grande Luxe, with dangerous game scenes in raised relief and the use of gold inlay for the maker's name and the serial number, as well as 'SAFE'. Gold lines also highlight the express sights.

The rifle is cased in brown buffalo leather, lined in green Alcantara, along with turn-screws, strikers and spare locks. A 'Hunter Green' canvas outer protects the leather and the customer's initials are embossed in gold. The engraving, which is such an important part of making a rifle like this unique, was executed by British engravers Wes Tallett and Marcus Hunt on a theme of elephants in their natural habitat.

By using gold as a background colour, Marcus has created a very dramatic series of scenes, which he has blended into the panels the action provides in a most artistic manner. His raised foliate surrounds add depth and texture, with additional engraved scroll on the barrels and an elephant skin texture on the fences and forend iron further enhancing the character of what is already a beautiful rifle.

No.20460 is an exemplar of the way Westley Richards continues to create modern masterpieces on a classic platform, producing field-capable sporting rifles which would command star billing in any exhibition.