20/577 Alexander Henry
The 20/577 Alexander Henry, also known as 20/577 Express, is an obsolete rifle cartridge.
20/577 Alexander Henry | ||||||||||||
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Type | Rifle | |||||||||||
Place of origin | Scotland | |||||||||||
Production history | ||||||||||||
Designer | Alexander Henry | |||||||||||
Designed | 1895 | |||||||||||
Produced | 1895 | |||||||||||
Specifications | ||||||||||||
Parent case | 20 bore | |||||||||||
Case type | Rimmed, bottleneck | |||||||||||
Bullet diameter | .584 in (14.8 mm) | |||||||||||
Neck diameter | .607 in (15.4 mm) | |||||||||||
Shoulder diameter | .674 in (17.1 mm) | |||||||||||
Base diameter | .706 in (17.9 mm) | |||||||||||
Rim diameter | .754 in (19.2 mm) | |||||||||||
Rim thickness | .06 in (1.5 mm) | |||||||||||
Case length | 2.75 in (70 mm) | |||||||||||
Overall length | 3.27 in (83 mm) | |||||||||||
Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||
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Source(s): The big game express[1] & The Spanish Association of Cartridge Collectors[2] |
Overview
The 20/577 Alexander Henry was developed and introduced by the Scottish gunmaker Alexander Henry around 1895 exclusively for his hunting rifles.[1][2][3][4][5]
The 20/577 Alexander Henry is a rimmed, bottlenecked centerfire rifle cartridge. The 20/577 Alexander Henry is derived from brass 20 bore cartridges necked down to accept a .584 in (14.8 mm) calibre bullet like the .577 Black Powder Express.[1][2][4][5]
The 20/577 Alexander Henry fired a 560 or 570 gr (36 or 37 g) lead, paper patched bullet driven by 6 drams (10.6 g) of blackpowder at 1,725 ft/s (526 m/s), its ballistic performance replicating that of the .577 Black Powder Express 3-inch. Later versions were loaded with mild loadings of cordite, carefully balanced through trial to replicate the ballistics of the blackpowder version, a copper-tubed lead bullet was also available, offering improved performance against dangerous game.[1][2][3][4][5]
References
- Marrakai, "One of the harder ones: Alexander Henry's 20-bore/.577 Express", The big game express, No. 73, Eagle Park, Victoria: The Big Bore Rifle Club of Australia, July 2000.
- The Spanish Association of Cartridge Collectors, "20/577 Alexander Henry", municion.org, retrieved 17 July 2018.
- Cartridgecollector, "20/577 Black Powder Express", cartridgecollector.net, retrieved 17 July 2018.
- Cartridgecollector, "20/577 Alexander Henry Nitro for Black Powder", cartridgecollector.net, retrieved 17 July 2018.
- Czech Moravian Society of Collectors of Cartridges, "20/577 Alexander Henry", naboje.org, retrieved 17 July 2018.