The Guys from Knight Rifles Shoot the .950 JDJ, Extended Versio

YOUTUBE ^ | Jan 16,2012 | swampsniper

[SWAMPSNIPER]

The guys from Knight Rifles "Americas Muzzleloader" head out to the range with Dave Fricke of Millennium Manufacturing to shoot the largest center fire rifle ever made. Only 12 people have ever shot the .950 JDJ as a rifle. Produced by SSK Industries, only 3 were ever made this was the first and the lightest weighing in at 50 lbs.. 2400 grain bullet and 240 grains of powder.

[Kevmo]

Would a bullet that big make a good sniper system? I've been reading up on the DARPA programs aimed at increasing sniper range, like EXACTO. There's been no news for 6 months. http://www.special-operations-technology.com/sotech-home/340-sotech-2011-volume-9-issue-6-august/4577-better-bullets.html New Guns, New Bullets Weapons and ammunition operate as one system. There can be no doubt that in the field, the reliability of one affects the reliability of the entire system. A weapon system that the warfighter can rely on accomplishes several things. It increases morale, increases safety and increases mission success rate. With that in mind, another way entirely to get more accurate and better performing bullets is to put them in new and improved guns. That’s the philosophy behind AAI’s proprietary Lightweight Small Arms Technologies, or LSAT program. AAI is working with the Army to develop LSAT through the Joint Service Small Arms Program Office, located at the Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. Key objectives of the program are to maintain or improve lethality and reliability over current systems, while at the same time reducing the weight of weapons carried by warfighters by 35 percent, and lowering ammunition weight by more than 40 percent. This has been demonstrated by the development of two unique lightweight rounds, polymer-cased telescoped ammunition and caseless telescoped ammunition. “Only the weight of the cartridge case is reduced, or totally eliminated in our caseless design,” explained Paul Shipley, LSAT program manager with AAI. “The same bullet is fired at the same velocity using the same propellant weight as the standard M855, so the accuracy and lethality remain the same. Our development focus has been the 5.56 mm M855, so that we can do a direct one-for-one firing comparison versus the M249/M855. We have conducted design studies for 6.5 mm, 7.62 mm, 0.338 cal, 0.50 cal. CT cartridges. All showed a weight reduction of 35-40 percent versus the standard cartridges while maintaining performance.” Reductions of up 50 percent can be achieved with the caseless bullet. The truly remarkable caseless design features a solid propellant body that burns completely when the round is fired. In essence the case is the propellant and therefore there isn’t any shell casing to eject. The caseless design not only significantly reduces weight, but the lack of cases left behind has unique implications for covert operations. To date, AAI has built four light machine guns and has test-fired more than 12,000 rounds of cased telescoped ammunition. But the developing technology is much broader than just a new light machine gun. It is applicable to a broad range of calibers and platforms to include a carbine that also fires the lightweight cased telescoped ammunition, which would be of particular interest to special forces. Plus, said Shipley, lessons learned in LSAT have practical implications for all types of arms. “We’ve done work on high temperature/ high strength materials, lubricious coatings, reduced flash propellant, and a 40-round magazine, all of which have potential applications in conventional weapons.” “Smart bullets” have long been a science fiction staple, and a realworld objective of DoD. A prototype smart bullet system, the XM25, has been deployed successfully in Afghanistan. More like a “smart grenade” actually, the Counter Defilade Target Engagement System, the weapon’s full name, uses laser-guided technology to fire a 25 mm “bullet” over the head of an enemy target, which calculates the precise point during flight to explode in mid-air above the target, raining down shrapnel. Troops who have used the five prototype XM25s in several engagements against the Taliban have nicknamed them “punishers.” The XM25 is scheduled to begin low-rate initial production in late 2013. The plan is to buy 12,500 weapons, one for each infantry squad or special forces team. Tomorrow and Beyond The Punisher may be the beginning of “smart bullet” technology but it is only the tip of the iceberg. Back in 2009, I had the opportunity to do an exclusive interview with then project manager Lyndall Beamer, about DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) program. At the time, Beamer described the goal of the EXACTO program. “The basic concept of the EXACTO program is to remove the effect on accuracy of target motion and random variances in the environment through use of a guided bullet.” Now almost two years later, the program has a new manager, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph K. Hitt, but its goals remain the same. Hitt was unavailable for comment. However, it is known that the program recently completed its first phase by achieving a successful proof of concept with a high fidelity hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation. Phase II will build and test a complete system, including the required optical sighting equipment and guided .50 caliber projectiles. In October, Teledyne Scientific & Imaging LLC, a division of Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Teledyne Technologies, received a $25.45 million “Phase II” contract from DARPA in the EXACTO program. Under the contract, Teledyne needs to deliver a working prototype of a .50 caliber round that can be guided and adjust itself for windage by fall 2012. Lockheed Martin, already a Phase I contractor as reported in 2009, will be incorporating its “One Shot” advanced gunsight technology, already in use by SOF, to deliver the Phase II sighting requirement. So the program is moving forward. No doubt we are on the brink of a game-changing evolution in ammo technology. As always, when it comes to the best technology used by the world’s greatest warriors, U.S. special forces will be the tip of the spear. ♦

[SWAMPSNIPER]

They claim 2400 FPS from that one, just about the max for black powder. The bullet is a bit stubby, not really great sectional density so the trajectory is probably not as flat as a 50BMG.

If you go over.50 cal federal law prohibits smokeless powder, and I suspect that Eric Holder would throw a shitfit is he saw this thing anyway.

[kingu]

I've seen many a rifle in the big calibers fire, and never ceases to amaze me the shockwave that comes off these weapon systems. If you happen to watch in the last shot, you'll see a shooting pad on a bench three over from the shooter go flying when the bullet fires.. Least it appears that they were on a range without other shooters on it - one of my biggest pet peeves at the range are big bores who never announce shots, nor take into consideration those who are close to the sides. Even heard one very inconsiderate shooter reply to a friend's concern... ‘Trust me, after the first shot, they'll move on down the range.’

[SWAMPSNIPER]

That one has a muzzle brake to make things even worse!

Pre 1968 I got to shoot a Boyse anti tank rifle a lot. The muzzle blast on that rig would dig a pretty good hole in the ground after a couple of shots and no one wanted to stand anywhere near you while you shot, LOL, not twice anyway.

[shibumi]

In the words of “Dirty Harry” Callahan, “A man’s got to know his limitations.

Having fired an assortment of weapons that ranges all the way from pellet guns to large caliber high powered rifles as well as .22 pocket pistols up to the .454 Casull revolver I have learned that each person has a certain point where accuracy is sacrificed to the machismo god of power.

In short, it’s way better to actually hit what you’re shooting at than it is to impress the bystanders with the awesomeness of your “Boom!”

A 3” Magnum slug in my Mossberg 500 or the 7.62X54r in the old Mosin are this guy’s upper limit on “Boom!” while still being able to make holes in exactly the right places. The only way I’d want to fire a rifle like the .950 would be if I could have it mounted on a Jeep. (And even then I might think twice.)

[wardaddy]

Im not sure this is the biggest

October Country made a 1 inch caliber....and a zero bore....similar

Very pricey....6k

Claim to shoot a one pound ball thru a lion from head to buttocks thru entire body

Im pinging someone who keeps up with this stuff

I could be wrong....often am...over firearms as trouser measuring.. Boast...snort....a brutal sport on this board

[shibumi]

Read the comments on the video.

The last shooter actually broke a rib.

[DirtyHarryY2K]

WOW.. :0)

[Semper Mark]

The last shooter actually broke a rib.

Per the video: "Like shooting ten 30.06s at once."

A man could definitely develop a flinch from firing this weapon.

[Squantos]

Wow....

[Tainan]

My wife just watched that video with me...she made her 'tongue-clicking' sounds and just said..."You cannot have one of them...no way."...heh heh heh.

[NVDave]

The .950 caliber isn’t in the running for the largest caliber cartridge rifle ever made. Largest I know of is the “2 bore,” which is 1.310 (or thereabouts) inches in diameter.

http://www.2-bore.com/home.html

I think JDJ can credibly lay claim to the highest energy civilian rifle ever made.

Mind you, the 2-bore and 4-bore aren’t new. They’re like 100+ years old... the stuff of British absurdity from their glory days of stomping around the Dark Continent. Some of the early examples were bespoke rifles made by Holland and Holland.

Because the JDJ is the first rifle of this type using smokeless (that I know of) with this level of energy that wasn’t some variant of a anti-tank rifle, I’m sure they had to go for a “sporting exemption” to the ATF regs on > .50 cal centerfire rifles using smokeless. The two and four bores I’ve seen were all BP rifles. A 4-bore is just a tad larger bore diameter than the .950 JDJ. Because JDJ is using smokeless, they’re able to achieve much higher velocities than a black powder cartridge rifle. Max for a BP cartridge rifle will be in the 1,500 fps to 1,600 fps area somewhere. A 2-bore cartridge holds about 700 grains (max) of FFg powder. You might be able to go up a tad on the velocity by using a Pyrodex or 777 type replacement, but someone is going to have to experiment the hard way to develop that load.

I’ve seen and handled a 4-bore. I haven’t handled a 2-bore. They’re the stuff of legend among African hunters, so heavy as to be almost useless IMO (we’re talking like 25lbs), but unlike the JDJ, they actually have been carried into the field against dangerous game. Everything about the current 2 or 4 bore beasts is custom made by hand, one-off - the monoblock, the lockwork, the barrels, stocks, brass, bullets, you name it. The brass is turned from brass rod on a lathe, one by one. The lead projectiles are cast, one-by-one, etc.

How much do they cost? The 4 bore side-by-side I saw made was priced at $14,000 to the customer who ordered it. I’ve seen 2-bores singles listed in best gun dealership catalogs for over $20K. They come in a wood case for the rifle, a few cartridges, the cleaning mop, etc. The case itself costs over $500 and is quite a nice piece of woodwork in it’s own right. Stolzer & Son Gunsmithing built a 2-bore side-by-side according to his videos - which is going to need a team of sherpas to haul into the field. No idea what he charged for that - but I’m sure it was well over $20K. Building a side-by-side bespoke gun is a big job for a gunmaker. Making the monoblock alone for a side-by-side is a whole bunch of machine work... the lockwork is a bunch more work. By the time one gets to putting the barrels together ribbing them and then regulating the two to hit near the same point of aim... a guy is probably starting to ask himself “Why the heck did I get into this?”

[CrazyIvan]

I hear the Navy still has some new 16” guns left over from the Iowa class. I could make a stock out of a redwood..............

[trebb]

I've seen many a rifle in the big calibers fire, and never ceases to amaze me the shockwave that comes off these weapon systems. If you happen to watch in the last shot, you'll see a shooting pad on a bench three over from the shooter go flying when the bullet fires.. Least it appears that they were on a range without other shooters on it - one of my biggest pet peeves at the range are big bores who never announce shots, nor take into consideration those who are close to the sides. Even heard one very inconsiderate shooter reply to a friend's concern... ‘Trust me, after the first shot, they'll move on down the range.’

Many moons ago, we were sighting in a friends new .308. I made the mistake of standing about even with the end of the barrel and about 10 feet away with my binocs to see where he hit. The shock wave was aptly named - it shocked and rocked me. Something like in the article would be no fun to experience.

[humblegunner]

A 3” Magnum slug in my Mossberg 500 or the 7.62X54r in the old Mosin are this guy’s upper limit on “Boom!”

Those old Moseys do indeed talk back a bit.

[satan69]

I have had a smile on my face for 5 mins.. Thank you!

[MarkL]

JD Jones has long been "the master" of big-bore handgun hunting wildcats, and is a legend.

I once spoke with him regarding a 290gr .41 Mag mold that SSK Industries made, and he told me that I COULD do it, but why not just use a .44 Mag? But if I had my heart set on it, to go for it! When I asked him what load I should use if I were to take up casting those bullets, he said, "Just fill the case up with '296' and put the bullet on!"

Mark

[Daffynition]

Pingaroo SG.

[WKUHilltopper]

Griz gun!