One can easily guess the relative size and purpose of the Tyrannosaur, a .577 cartridge designed expressly for stopping charging large game in Africa. It's fired from a 13-lb rifle (appropriately called the "T-Rex") which only Paul Bunyan would not mind lugging around on the plains (oh yeah, I forgot - big game hunters RIDE most of the time).
The Cryptic Subterranean notes Accurate Reloading has some clips of people firing this monster (but a free registration is now required to view them).
The famous Jeff Cooper said he'd call it the ".577 Dundee" and explains why:
We were fascinated at SHOT to examine the "577 Tyrannosaur" from A Square. This piece is designed to end all discussion about stopping power. It is a bolt-action (1917), 3-plus-1, 13lb rifle which fires a 750-grain bullet at 2460 feet per second. It is said to be the first sporting rifle cartridge that "breaks the 10,000 foot-pound barrier."
In my opinion this is a definitive example of a piece which is made to own rather than to shoot. It is not at all clear that it will kill an elephant or a buffalo or a hippo any better than a well placed hit from a 470, and, of course, it will not do anything with a badly placed hit except annoy the recipient. As I see it, this combination should be referred to as the "577 Dundee." You keep it available in your armory so that when people start talking about the power of their rifles you can break yours out and say, "That's not a rifle. THIS is a rifle!"
Regarding naming cartidges in general
Yes, I know it's tempting to give the cartridge your last name, but unless you have a unique last name, don't. Use a name which is more descriptive and better for marketing purposes.
What are you favorite names for cartridges (commercial, proprietary, or wildcat)? I'll comment with some of mine later.
1345Z TUE 25JAN05
As of this posting, A-C-E has been "hit" 1999 times in the past 24 hours.
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How does it compare to the .50 BMG? Well, it's a larger caliber, but the .50 BMG has a larger case.
If you want an even bigger caliber bullet, with a slightly larger case than the .577 Tyran, try the .700 Nitro Express.
Everyone gets a kick out of the videos showing guys getting knocked back while firing the .577 T-Rex, but that need not happen with a proper stance and hold, as this illustrates:
Holland & Holland will custom build you an exquisite double rifle for its .700 Nitro Express cartridge, which fires a 1,000-grain bullet at 2000 fps. The price for the rifle is in the $100-200K range, and it takes H&H three and a half to four years to build one. (Talk about your lead time!) The cartridges cost about $100 apiece. If you're in the crowd which routinely goes on African safaris, this might not shock you.
Peter Hambrusch will build a single-barrel, somewhat-less-ornate .700 NE rifle for you for considerably less (but still not cheap).
SSK speaks of Nitro barrels for the Encore, but do you want to fire one?
There are rumors of a future .800 Nitro. You know it's coming eventually.
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