Firing cartridges designed for African game for no good reason.

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rci2950

rci2950

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I am interested in picking up and trying a rifle in a large impressive calibre. I have a number of hunting rifles and milsurps. Owned tons over the years. My mainstay at the moment is a Thompson pro hunter in 30-06. I own an M44 mosin and can shoot it all day, no butt pad just the steel plate with only a T-shirt on, without flinching or getting sore. so using this as a benchmark, How traumatic is the recoil from say a 375 H&H magnum or a .416 Rigby? I hand load my own so the ammo cost is a non issue. I will be dismembering coyote and ground hogs with it. Potentially black bear and white tail hunting. Other then that i just want to have the biggest... If you know what i mean. I wanted to buy something laughably big. But i am worried that i will be causing whiplash or dislocating my shoulder. I don't know anyone who has fired these cartridges that would tell me the truth. I have also read that 416 rigby vs white tail deer is negligible damage. That the bullet doesn't expand. It just punches though like a FMJ but still droops them in their tracks due to the size. I read a quote from some other website "you can eat right up to the hole" don't remember which one but i have been doing quite a bit of reading on the topic. My options were to either buy a barrel for my thompson pro hunter or save a bit more and find a completely different rifle. I started out wanting a 45-70 but that has been done...by my hunting buddies, the 300 and 7mm magnums are also done and not special anymore with them... There is not a single person in my circle that has fired a 375 or a .416 though. This is why i am doing it.

Opinions please. be as brutal as you want.
 
location???? if you're anywhere near me you can try either a 375 H&H or 416 Rigby barrel on your T/C frame...... I have both :)
you could just pm me if you feel more comfortable with that.
 
My take anyone can shot a 375, 416, 404 Jeffery 425 WR you need a little practice. 458WM, 458 Lott a it more practice. 450 Rigby, 470NE 505 Gibbs for more experienced people
 
they are awesome to fart around with using cast bullets and mouse fart loads, work the recoil until you can't take it anymore and then back off a hair. And Cast is way cheaper to shoot
 
Picked up a .375 H&H for the same reason. CZ 550 Safari Classic. Recoil is about twice that of a .30-06 but the rifle is over 9 LBS and eat some of it. Will use it on moose this fall. See first what ammo you can get without too much of a headache unless you reload. Fired a box of 20 first time out, and a box of 7MM Rem Mag, did not bruise, unsure if I would try that prone. You treat heavier rounds a little different, come back with the recoil. Many shoot sitting with cross sticks for support. Mounting a Leupold in a couple of weeks, have leadsled to try out.

Unless you have unlimited budget a CZ or Winchester Model 70 in 375 would be my suggestion and can be had in good condition used for less than 1000.

If you know someone with one, see if you can try one out. You can always go bigger later. :)

If you reload, you can also load down in that round.
 
Consider a .458 WM... it has the impressiveness that you are seeking, but can be downloaded easily and can be shot with a plethora of cast bullets designed for the .45/70... sweet round in a Ruger No.1.
 
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I have this weird urge to buy a 458 WM and it does not seem to be passing.

Looking for the perfect one built on a standard long action before I pull the trigger though. Might need to pad out the lower end first as well.
 
458 wm. Big and versatile. Recoil isn't bad with 400 gr bullets. 500 ga bullets at 2150+ fps will get your attention. Fits in a standard long action so much cheaper action. As mentioned cast bullets open a new world of fun
 
medvedqc said:
long action for a 458 win mag? plan to go on the lott side?
Click to expand...

I meant long as opposed to a "magnum" sized action like the 375 h&h. Might be using the wrong terminology.

Not really interested in the lott; if I wanted something like that I would probably go 50 cal.
 
I bought two 375 H&H rifles recently (past year). I had only fired rifles up to 7mm REM MAG and it was with quite a bit of trepidation that I shot my 375 the first time. I'll just say that the lack of the "severe" recoil I was expecting actually had me laughing about how big a deal people make about firing anything bigger than a 300 WIN MAG.
The amount of recoil I experience from the price of factory ammo is worse than that I get shooting it haha! Make sure you handload, unless $4 a shot sounds like a deal to you.

I would get a 375 H&H before any of the 416s or 458s simply due to the cost of components. You can find 375 bullets in most places, but good luck finding bullets in 416 or 458. The 458 however can use cast lead or bullets made for the 45-70, so there is that option as well.

I went 375 H&H as the trajectory of the 458 WIN MAG is a bit too rainbow for me. I will admit that I found/find the idea of a 416 to be enticing, but I know my 375 H&H is good enough for anything I ask of it here in Canada.
 
I checked under my bed. You are not there...
If you let us know where you are, perhaps someone can help you.

BTW, I popped a black bear with a full power 500 gr SP from a 458 Win mag and the meat wasnt blood-shot damaged much. Mighty big hole though.
 
Things like the 375 H&H aren't too bad in terms of recoil. That doesn't mean you can just grab one up and whale away, but with a bit of practice it won't be a problem. The 416 Rigby is a little more cranky than the 375, but not seriously bad. I do find the 416 Rigby to be a rifle I prefer to develop loads for and sight in from a standing bench as opposed to sitting. It really extends your range session. The 458 WM isn't horrendous but it will expose any flaws in your technique. And if you step up to the 470 NE it is a different level of recoil again. And expense.

They're all expensive to feed, so unless you're a reloader you will want to think long and hard about how much you want to spend on feeding a toy.
 
A hot loaded .416 Rigby/.416 Weatherby are the hardest kicking rifles I have any interest in shooting prone. I could hold the Rigby prone for 3 rounds, but I tended to lose concentration on the 4th. I can hold my Brno 602 .375 Ultra prone for 5, with the heaviest loads. Unless you develop a means of mounting a scope well forward, so the ocular comes no closer than the back of the cocking piece of a bolt gun, you have arranged for a scope cut, its just a matter of time if you shoot these things frequently; the only way to get any good with them is to shoot them frequently. The .375 H&H is frequently recommended for novice shooters, women, and hunters sensitive to recoil, who intend to hunt dangerous or large African game, and most find the recoil moderate, if they fire a rifle that fits them, off-hand.

The steps towards effectively shooting heavy recoiling rifles are as follows:
- you have to want to, that means having the desire, the motivation, and determination to master the rifle,
- concentrate on the idea that these things are designed to be used by ordinary people,
- ensure the stock is not too long, and make sure the ocular of the scope is not too close,
- a high quality recoil pad is essential, but not if it makes the length of pull too long,
- if possible begin your familiarization with reduced loads, then work up the power scale incrementally,
- begin shooting in the off-hand position, then try lower supported positions, then lo slung up positions as your tolerance to recoil increases,
- the correct off-hand position is a boxer's stance towards the target, with your forward knee bent slightly, so you're leaning forward into the rifle,
- concentrate on the mechanics of marksmanship, so you are not thinking about recoil, and you achieve a surprise break,
- if your find the rifle hurts you, take a break, don't continue shooting once recoil becomes painful,
- on days you can't get to the range dry-fire the rifle frequently, 100 cycles a day isn't too much, but not continued to fatigue. Dry-fire must be done slowly, deliberately, and with the same attention to position, and the same amount of concentration as live fire. Balancing a coin on top of the muzzle so the "shot" doesn't disrupt the coin will get you there, start with a quarter, and when that gets too easy switch to a dime. Between shots, get in the habit of cycling the bolt as hard and as fast as you possibly can. This will develop the habit of a fast follow-up in the field, rather than the beginner's habit of lowering the rifle and waiting for the buffalo to fall over. Sometimes it won't.
 
I hunted with the 375 exclusivly for about 5 years,hunted everything with her. Loaded hot 300 gr accubonds in a ruger#1 I did not find the recoil bad at all. I bought a 72cal side by side, it got my attention with 550gr round balls, and 220gr of blackpowder.
Then I went and got my ruger#1 in 45-70 reamed out to 450 3/4 Nitro Express, with 600gr hand loads it was a bloody hand full, light gun with lots of powder. This i would not recommend to shoot prone! I am 6foot and about 170lbs, so I think most people can learn to shoot a 375 H&H very easy, moving up to the big boys takes time, Don't shoot a bunch of rounds the first time. ANd shoot from a standing position until you feel conferrable with the recoil. Then move on to shooting from the bench.
Please don't put any of the big boomers in a lead sled(well unless you like buying new stocks).
And the big thing is have fun. Because the bigger guns are alot of fun!
 
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