460 Weatherby Mag and the recoil threshold...

manbearpig

manbearpig

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460 Weatherby Mag:
100 ft/lbs of recoil out of a nearly 12lb rifle?
thats like being dropped kicked by an 8-year old jumping off a 2-storey building.

the .700 Nitro Express generates 196 ft/lbs of recoil from a 14lb rifle.
the .585 Nyati generates ~160 ft/lbs
do you have to be built like Butterbean to actually survive touching off a round in one of these things? 196ft/lbs would probably give most people a concussion.

so what is your personal recoil threshold?
anyone here fire anything with crazy recoil? :50cal:

my limit is around a .300 Win Mag. yeah yeah im a pussy - anything more than that is just not fun at all.
 
I've been fine with everything I've shot, 300 ultra mag, 338 win mag and 375 H&H are about as big as I've shot so nothing too outrageous. I'd love to touch off a couple rounds from a 460 weatherby and the 700 nitro sounds like a fun plinker, sign me up for a couple rounds out of that one too.
 
Hot loaded 500 grain jacketed bullets in my light little ruger no.1 45-70 rattle me around pretty good. I do find that the larger, slower moving projectiles produce more of a "push" than a kick. I think the most painfull rifle I ever shot was a light 340 weatherby.
 
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I do find that the larger, slower moving projectiles produce more of a "push" than a kick.
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yeah, with rifles i wuss out beyond .300 win mags, but im not bothered by any shotgun loads at all, including 3" mags and 3.5" turkey loads - and all i own are solid breach shotguns (ive never owned a semi shotgun). these are supposedly up to 55-65 ft/lbs of recoil, so well over double that of a .300 win mag. i wouldnt want to shoot them all day but im not afraid of their recoil.
 
I'm currently shooting 378 WBY, .416 Rem., .416 Rigby and .458 Win. I've owned and loaded for a 460 Wby as well. If you shoot big guns a fair bit the 416 Rem. is not too bad. I find the 458 Win. in my light gun (8.5 lbs) kind of nasty. The Rigby with full power modern loads is a BIG kicker. The 378 is very snappy and one gun I would not let someone shoot who is not used to the big ones. My 460 was a #1 Ruger and the recoil from it can only be described as nuts. More than 5 rounds of full power and you're going home with your brain rattled. I sold it because I was giveing myself a concussion every weekend. I too used to think 300 mags kicked but the more you work with the big ones the more your tolerance goes up. Now only the big ones are interesting to me. I did hunt this year with my STW but my last two Mulie hunts were with the Rigby. 350 TSXs at 2700+ is all the range I need. Get a big one and have some fun.
 
The most disagreeable rifle I've shot is a Mosin Nagant M-38 carbine. The shape of the stock and curved metal butt plate made it a real bruiser. The biggest power I've shot is a .500 Nitro pushing a 570 gr X bullet at 2150 - not too much, but distinctly enough. The turn of the century rifle had what appeared to be the original rubber pad that was only slightly softer than the wood of the stock.

The recoil from my Whitworth Mauser .458 was strong but not unmanageable when shooting from field positions. My .416 Rigby was the most power I would shoot prone by choice, far more difficult when hot loaded than a .458. I could hold the .416 prone for 3 rounds, but seldom 4. I do not recall ever pulling off a good 5 shot prone group with that rifle. By comparison, I can hold my .375 Ultra for 5 shots prone, and shoot multiple groups, allowing enough time to check the target between groups, without the groups opening up. When I look at the video of me shooting the .375 prone and see how my body reacts to the recoil in slow motion, makes me wish I had a video camera when I was shooting the .416.
 
Boomer your are one sick dude, shooting .458s and the Rigby prone at paper? I know we should practice from all positions but yikes. Put a big 6 pt Elk in front of me and I'll hold it on my eyebrow but not at paper. I shot a Bear years ago prone aiming way up the hillside, it was with my 338/8mm mag. wildcat with a full power load. Couldn't look to my right for a week. Got the bear though.
 
Size doesn't seem to be a factor, and in alot of circumstances smaller framed lighter people seem to handle heavey recoil better as they move with it better.
Mostly it's about practice,the more you shoot the easier it is to adjust.I use to shoot alot of 416's,458win, 460wby and such,I haven't played with the bigbores alot in the last couple of years and find the recoil worse now.All that means is it's time to build a few and get shooting again.
 
when I was a kid, probably 10 or so, my dad took me out on the ice and told me to shoot his .458.
I shot it 2 or 3 times and I was sore for a week. but ever since I haven't been afraid of many magnums.
I dont usually find the need to shoot anything bigger than a 300 mag these days, as thats about as big as I can shoot accurately.
 
I loaded up some 420 grain bullets to 2,000 fps out of my 45-70 for 120 ft/lbs of recoil out of only an 8 pound rifle with a steel buttplate. I shot several round wearing a t-shirt. The first round recoil was noticeable. The second one started to hurt, the third round definitely hurt, and I found myself letting out a little yell of pain for rounds 4,5 and 6. At that point I wondered why I was using such a ridiculous load. After letting my friend get belted around bit, I took the remaining rounds home, pulled the bullets, and reloaded to more sane levels.
 
Actually, with a PAST recoil pad on your should you can pretty much shoot anything without fear of bruiseing your shoulder. The recoil is still there but it won't hurt.
 
I have a 416 Rigby in a Ruger 1 Tropical that drives ya pretty dam hard!
I find even my lite 458 wm not as bad, or the 375 epstien not terrible..

My nastey Barker is the 350 Super Mashburn Built on a M 70, That one drives ya and really jumps!

I also had ( HAD LOL) a sawed off barrel 22 inch (legal ) 10g in a friggin handi single about 6 lbs with a tapped turkey chock extra full LOL, I shot some 2 1/4 oz turkey loads oowwwchhh! It cut my hand wide open on the sling stud, that gun was stupid.
 
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Shot a Ferrette 50 BMG once, with a 22 inch barrel, WOW that was something else, especially the muzzle blast! I do not think I would own one, even if I could.

I have a .458 American x 2 inch, which is basically a belted 45-70, or 450 Marlin (earlier edition!!) and I do have a mercury recoil reducer in it, as well as a pachmyr de-celerator recoil pad. It is a hefty K98 FN Mauser so, in actual fact this is a better set up rifle than some, rather featherweight Browning Safari 458 win mags, that I have seen/handled.
With stout loads, I am good for about 25 rounds maximum, if pushing 405s at highest velocity.
Before I had the mercury recoil reducer, this was a painful endevour, if using the wrong powder choice.
(IMR 4198 OW!)
I like my 458 x 2 inch rifle alot, but it is well stocked and professionally bedded, with a nice heavy boyd's laminate.

With 500 grain Hornaday FMJs loaded to about 1700 fps, I swear the rifle muzzle, climbs to 45 degrees upwards!
Then again, I have shot antique 50-70s, that were more uncomfortable in rearward push, than my 458 American.
PS 460 Weatherby and 50 BMG are not far away from each other in the recoil energy department.
I think 8,500 ft lb VS 10,500 ft lb, in muzzle energy?
I could be wrong there....
Oh yeah, Boomer, please take note, with those high kickers of yours, Benelli mercury recoil reducers, that are made actually for shotguns, are most plentiful in the market. An excellent investment to save punishment, and the easiest for gunsmiths to install in wooden stocks, so they tell me.
 
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Boomer said:
The most disagreeable rifle I've shot is a Mosin Nagant M-38 carbine. The shape of the stock and curved metal butt plate made it a real bruiser. 6.
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I HATE those Nagants!! Woodchopper brought some to Haggisfest, and we used them for the "Milsurp" shoot. Damn I was glad when the prone firing of the Nagants was over...:p.

For that matter, Winchester 94 carbines in 30-30 don't' fit me well, and are fairly light, and they seem to mash me up pretty good, too. I'd rather shoot a 375 H&H than a Nagant!!



Biggest I've shot is a 458 WM, and I didn't find it punishing, but I saw no need to own one. Same for 460 Weatherbys etc. I'd shoot anything, but I don't' see the need to own any of them..Maybe I f I was hunting elephants on a regular basis, I'd get some huge boomer, but there seems to be a lack of pachyderms around here.:cool:
 
I also owned the 460 Weatherby that MTM had.It sure would rattle the teeth.I also had a Ruger #3 in 45/70 and it kicked worse than the 460.There is just something about that #3 steel butt plate that makes you say ouch LOL.
 
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