Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Largest cartridge you can handle?

I must say at this time the biggest boomer i have in my collection is a Model 70 300 WIN. MAG. With its heavy weight and good recoil pad it is mild to shoot. Truthfully the ADL 30.06 without a recoil pad hurts more than the 300 winnie. I did shoot a short barrled 45/70 in T/C one time but it was not too bad for me. One of these days I will probably get a .338 caliber just in case the .300 winnie will not take down those tough Zombies....Grin

Full-house 45-70 loads in a Handi Rifle maxed me out. Same load in an 1895CB not so bad.

Well, 'bout all I can say here is, a Ruger 77 in 338 Win Mag, on a day when the temperature hovered around zero degrees F, is a NASTY, EVIL beast; and I want no more part of that puishment.
So for today, I can safely say, that a 7x57 is just about right for my taste.

338 WIN MAGs all i can take

Biggest I ever shot was a 358 Norma pushing 250 grain partitions at 2700 fps.

Not so bad . . .

BMT

My 458 Lott at 9.5 lbs is invigorating and I cannot say I enjoy it. I have had to work on control technique with it or a second quick shot is impossible but the worst handheld firearm I've fired was one of those cheap, muzzle-light NEF 3.5" 12 g. single shots that probably don't go over 6 lbs. I bought it thinking of a down and dirty turkey gun to throw in the truck on out of town hunts in case something happened to my primary.

The first time I fired it was to pattern some Win Supreme 3.5 inchers. It had just rained and my set-up was pure makeshift. I set up a target 40 yds away and squatted indian-style to keep my behind clean and dry. That worked out well as at the shot I was dumped backwards in the mud on my butt; I could just as well have been sucker punched by Mike Tyson except it was on the shoulder which looked like a pale rasberry in a few minutes. It made me wonder about whom it was that decided on that long chamber in that pipe.

I gave the sucker to my son-in-law as a start up and told him to go no bigger than 23/4 shells.

before the stroke my 350 ram mag. After my 6 mm. But it's all good.

I've just bought a .35 Whelen in the Hawkeye and I was surprised that the barrel profile is the same as that of the .257 Roberts. Due to the bigger hole, the .35W is lighter than my Hawkeye in .257R. The first trip to the range was an experience. After about 10-12 rounds the thing was really booting me, and after about 20 I packed it in. I've fired about 100 rounds through it now and it's not too bad, but I'd really think hard about buying a bigger cartridge in the future.

Thank you very much.

I find that my 45-70 Handi-rifle kicks pretty good, so I put a Limbsaver recoil pad on it and that seems to help. My 7MM Mag has a Brake and recoil pad, so I can shoot it all day long.
.30-06 is no problem either.

Before the lead sled appeared a 300 WM was about all I could shoot more than a few rounds of off a bench. Now anything goes.

Punching holes in a target with Ruger #1 375H&H just isn't my idea of a fun afternoon but recently short term memory loss kicked in when I saw a Ruger #1 .458 Win Mag for sale. It sure wasn't my shoulder that was thinking when I bought that "only one round through it" .458

22 Hornet...

With a half a case of Blue Dot? joshing ya!

In a handgun 4570 is the largest shot so far. After a few years away from shooting an 6 was too much, but my 338 is ok again. I used to enjoy 458 win maag and 375 H&H but my 338 is top end now. 45/70 handi rifle is quite pleasant, and I have a date this summer with a 405 win #1 of the shootist's that promises to gain my attention.

I am looking at downward expansion to 22cf for more bang, less buck and snort. 22lr is a shear joy to shoot in target brno #5 26" target barrel. or any other rifle for that matter.
Randy

I shot a 375 H & H in a T/C with a 15 inch barrel once...

I thought that was kinda overkill and a little much for the T/C hand gun package...

45-70 over a .410 in a derringer was just about a tad more than I like.
Sako 300 wsm is just fine, have a Model 70 in .300 wthrby that is quite pleasant, but I have a Ruger 77 7mm RM that is just plain snotty. Depends on the gun as much as the cartridge.

My screen name sums it up. I shoot my Lott very well. the recoil on it is worse than my brothers .416 Rigby or .470 NE. I used to shoot my bosses .416 Weatherby a bit. It was a hand full but not unmangable. Recoil managment has a lot to do with size, techinic and a short between the ears that does not register pain. Luckily I have all three.

BTW!!! Lead sleads will ruin your rifles and scopes!!! I would highly recomend that people seriously annalize the reaction of the rifle in the sled when you pull the trigger. If you need a lead lead sled then look for another position to shoot from or get a lighter recoiling rifle. Just my opinion and experiance.

Have owned 300 rum,.340, .350, 375H&H & 458... no problem
Had a .378 wby and just to be sure , got another a few years later..like bearstalker so eloquently put it: Flinch, Jerk, Pull, close your eyes and wipe away the tears when no one is looking !

The '06 with 200 grain Partitions at 2650 is O.K for a steady diet. But I have an ancient M70 in 375 that doesn't thump the shoulder near as bad as a little M660 I had in 350 Rem Mag. Depends on fit and load, I think.

Wayne