Why are the .475 #2 Nitro Express and the .475 #2 Jeffery named the #2? What were each of them called and what characteristics

[Mark E. Sonk]

Why are the .475 #2 Nitro Express and the .475 #2 Jeffery named the #2? What were each of them called and what characteristics did they have that differentiated the #2's from what they had previously been?

[John B. Snow]

The .475 No. 2 NE is a larger cartridge than the .475 NE. The No. 2 uses a larger bullet (.483 in. vs. .476 in.) and a longer case (3 1/2 in. vs. 3.30 in.) that has a bottleneck taper as opposed to the .475 NE’s straight wall design. Factory specs for the .475 No. 2 NE claim a gain of about 100 fps with a 480 grain bullet over the .475 NE, pushing that load over the magic 5,000 ft-lb. mark that many feel is the benchmark for a true dangerous game cartridge. I doubt an animal would be able to tell the difference.

As for the .475 No. 2 Jeffery NE, it differs from the .475 No. 2 NE only slightly. Loading data for the Jeffery indicates a 500-grain bullet with a .488 in. diameter, making it 20 grains heavier and .005 of an inch wider than the .475 No. 2 NE.

Some sources claim the two No. 2 cartridges are interchangeable but I would take extra pains to verify that assertion before stuffing a cartridge into the breech.