Hornady Dangerous Game .470 Nitro Express Ammunition: Unrivaled Power for the World's Toughest Hunts

For the discerning big game hunter facing down the world's most formidable animals, confidence in your ammunition is not just a preference—it's a critical component of safety and success. When pursuing the African Big Five, formidable bears, or any massive quarry where a definitive, one-shot stop is paramount, the Hornady Dangerous Game Series .470 Nitro Express 500 gr DGX Bonded ammunition stands as the pinnacle of terminal performance and unwavering reliability. This isn't merely a round; it's a meticulously engineered system designed to deliver devastating impact and deep, straight-line penetration, ensuring an ethical and decisive harvest when moments matter most.

Why Choose Hornady Dangerous Game Ammunition for Your Ultimate Hunt?

The pursuit of dangerous game demands more than just power; it requires precision, consistency, and a bullet that performs exactly as designed, every single time. Hunters embarking on expeditions for elephant, Cape buffalo, rhinoceros, lion, or other large, thick-skinned, heavy-boned adversaries understand the inherent risks. A failed shot can quickly turn a thrilling pursuit into a perilous encounter. This is where the Hornady Dangerous Game series distinguishes itself, providing the peace of mind that comes from knowing your ammunition is engineered to handle the most challenging scenarios imaginable.

Hornady has poured decades of ballistic expertise into crafting this specific line of ammunition, focusing on attributes that are non-negotiable for dangerous game hunting:

• Exceptional Weight Retention: Critical for maintaining momentum and driving deep through hide, muscle, and bone.
• Controlled Expansion: The DGX Bonded bullet is designed to expand just enough to create a wide wound channel while retaining most of its mass for maximum penetration.
• Deep Penetration: The DGS (Dangerous Game Solid) acts as the ultimate follow-up, ensuring the bullet reaches vital organs even after encountering significant bone.
• Unparalleled Consistency: Each round is manufactured under strict quality controls to ensure uniform performance, shot after shot.
• Regulation for Double Rifles: A unique and vital feature for traditional big game rifles, ensuring both barrels shoot to the same point of aim.

This ammunition is specifically crafted to solve the inherent challenges of hunting dangerous game, such as achieving rapid incapacitation and ensuring deep vital organ disruption, which are paramount for hunter safety and ethical take-downs.

The Legendary .470 Nitro Express: A Caliber Built for Giants

The .470 Nitro Express is not just a cartridge; it's a legend in the annals of dangerous game hunting. Developed in the early 20th century, it quickly became, and remains, one of the most popular and effective cartridges for large and dangerous game, particularly in Africa. Its immense stopping power and reliable performance made it the darling of professional hunters and safari enthusiasts worldwide.

What makes the .470 Nitro Express so formidable?

• Substantial Bullet Weight: Typically firing heavy bullets, like the 500-grain projectiles in this Hornady load, it carries tremendous kinetic energy.
• High Muzzle Energy: With a muzzle energy of 5132 ft lbs, this cartridge delivers a crushing blow, capable of breaking down large bone structures and disrupting vital systems.
• Deep Penetration Potential: The large diameter and heavy weight of the bullet allow it to penetrate deeply through thick hide, muscle, and bone, reaching critical organs for a swift, humane kill.
• Designed for Reliability: Traditionally paired with robust double rifles, the cartridge itself is known for its consistent performance under extreme conditions.

This Hornady loading harnesses the full potential of the .470 Nitro Express, optimizing it with modern bullet technology to push its legendary performance even further.

The Science of Stopping Power: DGX Bonded and DGS Bullet Technology

At the heart of the Hornady Dangerous Game Series is its innovative bullet technology, designed for a devastating one-two punch. This ammunition features the DGX Bonded bullet, but it’s crucial to understand the philosophy behind Hornady’s approach to dangerous game hunting, which often includes the complementary DGS (Dangerous Game Solid) bullet in the series. While this specific box contains the DGX Bonded, the overall Dangerous Game line is conceived with this synergy in mind.

• DGX Bonded (Dangerous Game eXpanding Bonded): This 500-grain projectile is engineered for controlled expansion and maximum weight retention. Its heavy, thick copper jacket is mechanically bonded to the lead core, preventing core-jacket separation even upon impact with dense bone. This bonding ensures that the bullet mushrooms consistently, creating a wide wound channel while retaining over 95% of its original weight. This deep-driving, controlled expansion is ideal for the initial shot, delivering massive hydrostatic shock and tissue damage to critical organs. It’s designed to penetrate deeply enough to reach vitals even through heavy muscle and bone, while expanding just enough to maximize energy transfer.
• DGS (Dangerous Game Solid): While not present in this specific box of DGX Bonded, the DGS is often mentioned in the context of the Dangerous Game series as a potential follow-up. The DGS is a non-expanding, solid bullet, usually made from a hard, lead-free alloy or solid copper. Its purpose is ultimate penetration through any obstacle—hide, muscle, or heavy bone—to reach deep-seated vitals, especially in quartering-away shots or when a follow-up shot is needed to anchor a truly massive animal. This robust design guarantees a straight-line path, minimizing deflection.

The Hornady approach emphasizes that for dangerous game, you need a bullet that can either expand predictably and retain weight (DGX Bonded) or penetrate relentlessly without deformation (DGS). This 500 gr DGX Bonded load provides the former, ensuring an ethical and efficient harvest when facing down animals like Cape Buffalo or large bears, where penetration and significant tissue damage are equally vital.

Precision Engineering for Double Rifles: Regulated for Optimal Performance

One of the most significant and often overlooked features of Hornady Dangerous Game ammunition is its meticulous powder matching and regulation for double rifles. Double rifles, beloved by traditional big game hunters for their rugged reliability and rapid follow-up shot capability, demand ammunition that performs consistently from both barrels.

What does "regulated for double rifles" mean and why is it crucial?

• Optimum Pressure and Velocity: Consistent internal ballistics translate directly to consistent external ballistics.
• Precise Regulation: This ammunition is designed to maintain the factory regulation of your double rifle, guaranteeing that both shots strike precisely where intended.
• Reliable Performance: In a situation where a second, precise shot is not just desired but potentially life-saving, this consistent regulation is indispensable.

This commitment to regulation sets Hornady apart, making their Dangerous Game series the trusted choice for hunters who rely on the iconic double rifle for their most challenging hunts.

Unmatched Quality Control and Consistency

Trust is built on consistency. Every box of Hornady Dangerous Game .470 Nitro Express ammunition undergoes stringent quality controls to ensure absolute uniformity from one round to the next, and from one lot to the next. This meticulous process includes:

• Premium Brass Casings: Utilized for their durability, consistency, and ability to withstand the high pressures of the .470 Nitro Express. The brass casing material also contributes to smooth feeding and extraction.
• Carefully Selected Propellants: Matched precisely to the bullet weight and caliber for optimal burn rates, consistent velocity, and minimal muzzle flash.
• Non-Corrosive Primers: Ensuring reliable ignition in all weather conditions, crucial for hunts that can span diverse climates.
• Rigorous Inspection: Each component and finished round is inspected to meet Hornady's exacting standards for safety and performance.

This commitment to quality means that hunters can have complete confidence in their ammunition, knowing that every shot will deliver predictable and powerful results, whether it's the first shot of the day or the last round in the magazine.

Key Benefits for the Big Game Hunter

Choosing Hornady Dangerous Game 470 Nitro Express 500 gr DGX Bonded ammunition provides a multitude of advantages for serious hunters:

• Decisive Stopping Power: With a muzzle energy of 5132 ft lbs and a muzzle velocity of 2150 fps, this ammunition delivers overwhelming energy transfer and hydrostatic shock, crucial for rapid incapacitation of large, dangerous animals.
• Ethical Harvests: The combination of controlled expansion and deep penetration ensures that vital organs are decisively disrupted, leading to quick, humane kills and minimizing animal suffering.
• Reduced Tracking: The efficacy of the terminal performance often means shorter or non-existent tracking jobs, enhancing safety and efficiency in the field.
• Unwavering Reliability: Designed and manufactured to perform flawlessly under the most extreme conditions, from scorching African plains to damp Alaskan forests.
• Confidence in Critical Moments: Knowing your ammunition is precisely engineered for your rifle and your quarry provides invaluable peace of mind when facing down a charging buffalo or a territorial bear.
• Optimized for Double Rifles: Ensures precise shot placement from both barrels, vital for rapid and accurate follow-up shots.

Who is this Ammunition For?

This Hornady Dangerous Game .470 Nitro Express 500 gr DGX Bonded ammunition is specifically engineered for a select group of hunters who demand the very best:

• Are you planning an African safari specifically targeting the Big Five (Elephant, Rhino, Cape Buffalo, Lion, Leopard)? This ammunition is precisely what professional hunters recommend for these challenging encounters.
• Do you own a .470 Nitro Express double rifle and require ammunition that is perfectly regulated for its unique characteristics? Look no further for consistent point of impact from both barrels.
• Are you seeking the ultimate in terminal performance and ethical take-downs for any extremely large or dangerous game animal, such as Kodiak bears or large European bison? The DGX Bonded offers the penetration and expansion needed.
• Do you prioritize reliability, consistency, and a proven track record in your hunting ammunition? Hornady's reputation in the field is unmatched.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hornady Dangerous Game .470 Nitro Express Ammunition

When considering ammunition for such critical applications, hunters often have specific questions. Here are some common inquiries regarding this high-performance Hornady load:

• Q: What animals is the .470 Nitro Express Hornady Dangerous Game 500 gr DGX Bonded ammunition most effective against?
  A: This ammunition is engineered to excel against the world's largest and most dangerous game. It is ideal for the African Big Five (elephant, rhinoceros, Cape buffalo, lion, leopard), as well as other massive and tough animals such as large brown bears (grizzly, Kodiak), polar bears, and wild boar or moose where deep penetration and stopping power are paramount. Its design ensures it can handle thick hide, dense muscle, and heavy bone.
• Q: Why is bullet construction so important for dangerous game hunting?
  A: For dangerous game, bullet construction is paramount because it dictates terminal performance. Bullets must retain their weight and integrity to achieve deep penetration and reach vital organs, even after encountering significant bone. The DGX Bonded bullet's lead core is mechanically bonded to its thick copper jacket to prevent separation, ensuring controlled expansion and superior weight retention for maximum energy transfer and reliable straight-line penetration, reducing the risk of a wounded animal and enhancing hunter safety.
• Q: What does 'regulated for double rifles' mean, and why is it important for the .470 Nitro Express?
  A: "Regulated for double rifles" means that the ammunition is specifically loaded to ensure consistent pressures and velocities, allowing both barrels of a double rifle to shoot to the same point of aim. Double rifles are meticulously "regulated" at the factory for a specific load. If ammunition consistency varies, the point of impact from the second barrel can be significantly off. Hornady's precise powder matching ensures that this .470 Nitro Express load maintains your rifle's regulation, providing unmatched accuracy and reliability for critical follow-up shots in dangerous situations.
• Q: What is the significance of the 500-grain bullet weight in this .470 Nitro Express load?
  A: The 500-grain bullet weight is substantial and characteristic of the .470 Nitro Express, contributing significantly to its stopping power. A heavy bullet maintains momentum better, allowing for deeper penetration, especially through the thick hides and dense bone structures of large dangerous game. This weight, combined with the DGX Bonded construction, ensures maximum energy delivery and vital organ disruption upon impact.
• Q: Where can I purchase Hornady Dangerous Game 470 Nitro Express 500 gr DGX Bonded ammunition?
  A: This highly specialized and effective ammunition is available from reputable firearms and ammunition retailers. For a reliable source, you can find Hornady Dangerous Game .470 Nitro Express ammunition at DEGuns, which offers a wide selection of premium hunting supplies.

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This Hornady Dangerous Game .470 Nitro Express 500 gr DGX Bonded ammunition represents the zenith of big game projectile design. It's an investment in safety, ethical hunting, and the successful culmination of your most challenging expeditions. When facing the world's most formidable creatures, trust in Hornady to deliver the performance you need, precisely when it matters most.

Product Specifications Overview

Attribute	Detail
Brand	Hornady
Model	Dangerous Game
Caliber	.470 Nitro Express
Bullet Type	DGX Bonded
Bullet Weight	500 gr
Muzzle Velocity	2150 fps
Muzzle Energy	5132 ft lbs
Rounds Per Box	20
Boxes Per Case	6
Casing Material	Brass
Application	Hunting
Game Type	Big Game
SKU	50666
MPN	82631
UPC	090255826319