.600 Overkill

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The .600 Overkill cartridge is a hunting cartridge designed to fit the CZ550 action, by American Hunting Rifles.

The .600 Overkill was designed by Robert Garnick of Las Vegas, Nevada. It was intended to be the largest bullet than was able to fit in the CZ550, and was designed specifically for the purpose of elephant hunting. The CZ550 is able to fit 2 cartridges, with slight alterations. With solid brass bullets, the .600 overkill is able to penetrate 6 feet (1.8 m) into solid oak.

The .600 Overkill has the ability to fire a 900-grain (58 g) bullet at more than 2,400 ft/s (730 m/s), At this level of power, as the bullet spins down the barrel, the rifle is torqued in the opposite direction, often twisting the rifle out of the shooter's hand. Recoil in standard-weight hunting rifles (10 lbs. or less) is far beyond what most shooters will tolerate.

Cartridges of this size and power are reserved for hunting dangerous game such as lions and cape buffalo, where deep penetration of tough tissue and high energy transfer are essential. Even in this context, many hunters prefer to use a smaller cartridge with more manageable recoil and reserve super-caliber rifles as an emergency backup (often carried by guides) to stop charging game.