Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Has anyone ever fired a....

.460 wby without the brake installed?

How bad?

Did you get scoped?

Pass out?

Die?

My .378 came from the factory without a brake installed. It’d get your attention from the bench, but it really wasn’t that bad at all. My .416 and .460 both had factory brakes on em’ and neither of them was as harsh from the bench as that .378…which, again…wasn’t really bad at all. All Mark V’s and very accurate rifles.

Yes. Attention needs to be paid to keep from getting hurt but it’s survivable.

One of my best friends has killed elephants, buffalo, hippo, and a bunch of Kodiak bears with his 460 and it doesn’t have a brake.

I had a Ruger RSM (rechambered 458 Lott) in a McMillan (because it broke the factory stock when it was a Lott). No break. It was not a fun gun to shoot. Have a video of my buddy shooting it off the bench. Probably a contributing factor to my chiropractor bills.

Not a 460 wby.

Fired an iron sighted 458 win mag. No brake.

It was by no means pleasant, but not as bad as a 45/70 in a contender

Fired a 470 nitro double rifle with full loads. It got my attention!

Thanks for the replies

Reason I am asking is that I have the opportunity to get one for a reasonable price

Its a Weatherby DGR.

Don't know how old it is, it doesn't have the tan stock the new ones have. Its all black.

I have shot a .458 win mag a few times and didn't get scoped.

Shot a .378 once, that was worse.

Have absolutely no need for a .460 but hell, when it comes down to it, need has nothing to do with it.

I did, more of a push than a kick...

I shot a friends .378 Weatherby a while back.

Standing, offhand, no scope, no brake. Actually didn't think it was too bad.

Remember thinking it might make a pretty good elk rifle.

A .460 w/o a brake might be a step up, but probably doable.

Buy it!

LNo but something a bit larger. I was coming back from Greenwood MS to my home in Carroll Co. Just before my turnoff, I noticed a pickup pulling a large trailer parked at the chained entrance gate to an abandoned gavel pit. On the trailer was a 3” rifled Civil War cannon and cassion. I pulled behind the guy and asked about his choice of weapon. Seems like he bought the barrel from Dixie Gun Works and had a old timey blacksmith make the carriage and cassion for him and he was awaiting some local historians and reenactors to open the gate and they were going to fire it for the first time. He invited me to come and watch and participate. He used a pound of black powder for each round (made of cast zinc if remember). The cassion containing the black power and, the swabs or mops, the pendulum brass sight, and all accrouments were there. The local historian explained the procedures and safety rules. Just like Gods and Generals movie. Lots of smoke and surprisingly accurate. 3 rounds could be covered by a paper plate at multiple football fields . We could only shot bout 800 yards maximum. And I did get to fire 1 round. Great time and I learned much. Very expensive hobby tho.

Yes, I’ve shot big bores since my teens. My second centerfire rifle growing up was a 458 win mag. 458s 500 a-sq 577s . I want very little to do with them now.

A 378 wby would make a very $hitty elk rifle.

3 rounds. Shop I worked at had a policy to fire 3 rounds after inspection on any used gun. It didn't have a scope which I'm sure saved me. Worst ever was a .416, felt like it was trying to jump out of my hands.

What most people don’t seem understand is these are not bench rifles. You shoot them offhand. Want to sight it in. Put it in a lead sled or something similar. Most I can get out of my .500NE in one session is 10 shots. Full loads offhand. I would never dream of shooting it off the bench.

Offhand, lean into them and let them rock you back.

Some years ago when I was able to go to a range
fairly often, there was an executive type man
that came by every week ( from his office I'm assuming)
in his dress shirt and tie and slacks and wingtips,
and he'd bring some big something out to shoot.
He'd put on a vest with a thick pad, and whatever it
was the rounds were like big okra pods and IIRC it
held like three. He'd load that cannon up at the 50
and made hisself ready and would would empty
it while standing faster than most any bolt shooter I've
ever seen. His group was always about the diameter
of an average coffee cup. Going on some dangerous
game safari to aff rah kuh IIRC.
If there was anybody that could cut the mustard,
I'd have put money on him

I've got a 378, 416, and 460 Weatherby. It's no big deal shooting any of them un-braked off-hand or sitting.
On the bench, they will light you up. I've never been hit by the scope on any of them, but the front sling swivel lug will come back and bust you hand big time.
I ended up removing the sling swivel studs from all of them. There is a reason most big guns have the sling attachment point on the barrel, not the stock.

The 460 is actually the most pleasant of the three because it weighs quite a bit more. The barrel is extremely heavy.

The worst recoiling gun I own, is a 450 Nitro Ruger #1 that only weighs 7.5 pounds. Even off-hand, about 3 shots is all a person can take.
Of course it's not loaded with reduced pressure double gun ammo, it's running loads over 50k. Fires 500 grain bullets over 2400 fps and 300's at 3,000+. That's faster than a 458 Lott.

Tony Rumore
Tromix

Yes I have from the bench and it kicked like a mule. My hunting rifle is a .375 Ruger and it is much more enjoyable to shoot, in fact I love it.

Why is that? It would certainly put one down with authority. I’ve used it’s little brother, a 375 H&H, to do the job.

Hell no

I read someplace that the guys who sight in and regulate the big ones for the bespoke makers in Britain do so from a standing rest, so they can roll with the recoil.

A few years back I scored a very nice Number 1 .45/70, but soon found out that it was more fun than I wanted from the bench, even with relatively light loads. I shoot the occasion shotgun slug, but limit the number of shots. Old bodies take longer to recover.

.460 is too expensive to enjoy...

I love WM...