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As you look at a surplus military Mauser 98 and ponder what big bore to build, perhaps the .470 Cazpstick should be on the list. It was named in honor of author Peter Hathaway Capstick who was famous for his stories about hunting dangerous game in Africa. Art Alphin of the A-Square Company (www.a-squarerifles.com) designed the .470 Capstick to have the biggest diameter bullet and the greatest powder capacity that can be squeezed out of the .375 H&H parent case. It pushes a 500-grain .474 diameter bullet at a nominal velocity of 2400 f.p.s, making it a prime candidate for dangerous game hunting.
The Cartridge The .470 Capstick is a belted magnum with the same rim and belt size as a .375 H&H. The case has a length of 2.800 inches, and the overall cartridge length is 3.65 inches. A cartridge drawing is shown in Figure 1 for dimensions. The .470 Capstick will fit in the same length action as the .375 H&H and .458 Lott. Figure 2 provides a photo comparison of the .470 Capstick to the .375 H&H and the .458 Lott cartridges. Actually the .458 Lott is a good measuring stick for the .470 Capstick. The Capstick has a bullet that has seven percent more cross sectional area than the .458 Lott, which in theory would result in more shock transfer to game and a larger wound channel. As for powder capacity and velocity, they are similar, with the .470 Capstick having a slight edge in powder capacity and therefore a slight edge in theoretical velocity. However, for field use the .470 Capstick and .458 Lott should have identical performance because the differences between them are rather small. That being said, the differences in field results between the .458 Win. Mag. and the .470 Nitro Express should be nonexistent because both push a 500 grain bullet at 2150 f.p.s. But some people have noted an observable difference in the way it behaves with those two cartridges, possibly due to the greater cross sectional area of the .474 bullet. If desired the .470 Capstick can be used to create a ballistic twin to the .470 Nitro Express, pushing a 500 grain bullet at 2150 f.p.s. while generating low pressure. For those who remember the .475 Ackley, it is similar to the .470 Capstick except that the Capstick has a ghost shoulder which allows the cartridge to achieve excellent accuracy. Use of a ghost shoulder rather than a continuous taper on the case wall helps the cartridge to line up concentrically with the bore axis, contributing to accuracy. Figure 3 shows two sample groups shot with the .470 Capstick at 100 yards. The left group measures 1/4 x 3/ 8 center to center, and the right measures 3/8 x 3/16. I have not been able to achieve similar accuracy with the .458 Lott, and my theory is that lesser accuracy from the Lott is due to the continuous taper and lack of a ghost shoulder in the Lott case. Although it is possible to use 600 grain bullets in the .470 Capstick cartridge, the powder Figure 2 Photo of loaded capacity is not sufficient to rounds of 375 H&H, 458 Lott, push 600 grains at anything 470 Capstick cartridges. near 2200 f.p.s. without high pressure, so I do not think this is a suitable bullet weight for the Capstick. 500 grain bullets seem to be the best all-around compromise. With full power loads, recoil is significant but not difficult to control or become accustomed to. Recoil from the cast lead bullet load shown below is almost nonexistent. For plinking or light game hunting, 400 grain pistol bullets are a candidate, but they generate almost as much recoil as 500 grain bullets. The advantage of 400 grain bullets is that they are inexpensive and will open up quickly on light game. But in my rifle they also tend to hit at least six inches higher than the 500 grain bullets, creating an inconvenience for the hunter who wishes to use both bullets on the same hunting excursion. Some sample loading data for the .470 Capstick is as follows: The velocities were chronographed at 95 degrees Fahrenheit at 5000 feet elevation from a 26 Pac-Nor barrel. Before loading for the .470 Capstick, the reader is encouraged to consult the A-Square reloading manual Any Shot You Want for complete reloading data.
barrel and inletted into the forearm of the stock. The second recoil lug will spread recoil that the stock is exposed to across a wider surface area to avoid splitting the stock. Glass or steel bedding is recommended. Some minor polishing or adjusting of the ramp and rails may be needed, and then the rifle is ready to shoot. The advantage of the CZ550 conversion is that they typically hold five rounds in the magazine box plus one in the chamber, and very little work is typically needed to get them to feed. A Winchester Model 70 Classic (claw extractor) can also easily be converted to .470 Capstick. In addition to the steps above, the magazine box spring must also be replaced with one that has a traditional Zshape instead of the curly-Q style that the factory provides. The W i n c h e s t e r conversion may only hold two cartridges in the magazine box unless you purchase an extra deep magazine box and bottom metal from Sunny Hill (through www.brownells.com), Williams Firearms ( h t t p : / www.williamsfirearms.com/ ) Jim Wisner (http://
www.wisnersinc.com/)
Figure 4 Surplus military Mauser 98 action (1940) built into a 470 Capstick rifle.
Figure 3 Target with two different three shot groups fired from a 470 Capstick rifle at 100 yards. The left group of three was shot using 500-grain Woodleigh soft points on top of 90.0 grains of Reloader 15 powder. The right group of three was shot using 500-grain Woodleigh soft points on top of 85 grains of IMR 4064 powder. This kind of accuracy can be attributed to fine gunsmithing and to the ghost shoulder on the .470 Capstick, which helps to center the cartridge in the chamber and leads to an inherently accurate cartridge.
or Ted Blackburn (801 373 3526). Use of an extra deep magazine box necessitates replacement of the stock with another stock having greater depth of wood. Alternatively, it may be possible to fit three rounds in a model 70 conversion with the factory magazine box if the follower is replaced with one II
Figure 5 Feed rails of Mauser 98 rebuilt to feed 470 Capstick. Note the stepped configuration of the feed rails, which when combined with modifications to the feed ramp, facilitate feeding of flat nosed solid bullets. is designed to expand at .470 Nitro Express velocities (2150 f.ps.), and if pushed to the 2400 f.p.s. potential of the .470 Capstick, the Woodleigh will tend to expand very quickly and sacrifice penetration. Figure 6
Figure 8 Some of the bullets available for the 470 Capstick, from left to right: 500 grain Woodleigh soft point, 500 grain Woodleigh solid, 500 grain Trophy Bonded Bearclaw softpoint, 500 grain Trophy Bonded Sledgehammer solid, 500 grain GS Custom flat nosed solid (the authors favorite), 500 grain North Fork flat nosed solid (prototype), 550 grain Bridger flat nosed solid, 500 grain Barnes solid, 600 grain Barnes soft nose, 500 grain Hawk soft point, 500 grain cast lead, 400
(available from Huntingtons). Alternativey the reloader can fireform his own brass from .375 H&H, .416 Remington or .458 Lott brass. Dies for the .470 Capstick may be purchased from Redding (www.reddingreloading.com), RCBS (www.rcbs.com) or CH4D (www.ch4d.com). And for the shooter desiring factory ammunition, ASquare, Superior Ammo (www.superiorammo.com), Safari Arms (www.safariarms.com) and Quality Cartridge support the .470 Capstick with dangerous game ammo. Conclusion For those who like the road less traveled, the .470 Capstick may be a nice alternative to some of the more mundane factory big bore offerings. It can be used to duplicate either the .470 Nitro Express or the .458 Lott, but offers greater frontal cross sectional area than the .458 Lott. Accuracy with the cartridge is excellent, and an inexpensive six shot repeater can be made from the CZ550 in a simple rebarreling project. Alternatively, a Model 70 or a Mauser 98 can be the basis of a .470 Capstick rifle. The trajectory of this cartridge is better than you may expect, and the field performance is excellent. It may be worth a look. WARNING - Hand loading is potentially dangerous - The loading data and methods contained in this article are offered as a reference only, and relates to an individuals weapon and experience. While it may be safe in that weapon, it may not be in others. Neither the author, nor Publishers are responsible for the use or abuse of this data, or the consequences thereof.
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