This cartridge is used almost exclusively in double rifles for hunting in the tropics or hot climates in general and is associated with the Golden Age of African safaris and Indian shikars.

This cartridge was based on the then popular .450 Black Powder Express case with 70 grains (5 g) of Cordite and a 480-grain (31 g) jacketed bullet.

Another problem lay in the sensitivity of Cordite, loads developed in the cool British climate performed differently in the tropical heat of Africa and India, resulting in excessive pressures.

By the time these two cartridges appeared, the early issues with the .450 Nitro Express had been resolved, and it quickly became the most popular and widely used dangerous-game hunting round.

[2] Following the British Army 1907 ban of .450 caliber ammunition into India and the Sudan, instead of developing their own replacement, Rigby adopted Joseph Lang's .470 Nitro Express as their standard double rifle cartridge.