Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only How "big and strong" must one be to handle the recoil of a true Big Bore?

That's awesome, BTW.

+1

Bob

www.bigbores.ca

I'm no "macho man" either, about 10 years younger than you Bob, a few inches taller and about 20 lb heavier.

When I first got my Ruger #1 375 H&H and had to shoot it off a bench per range rules, it hurt because I was dodging that scope coming back so quick. I never took it back to that range, but only to one where I could shoot standing up and everything was fine.

I went on to get an identical rifle in 458 Win Mag, and found I could shoot it from a bench more comfortably than the 375, in my opinion due to a slower recoil velocity, not lesser recoil. I did have it rattle my cage once when shooting semi prone( laying over a round hay bale for support)

Later I picked up a pretty CZ Safari American, again in 375H&H, for two reasons beautiful wood and the thing fit me perfectly. In all honestly it's softer shooting, from a bench than the old Winchester 70 featherweight 30-06 I started out with back in 63. I have offered to let others shoot it at the range and they usually decline saying it would hurt too much, when I can see their little 7mm &30 cal wonder mags are whipping them much worse than my big 375.

I guess what I'm saying is that mental attitude is the biggest part, position and technique help.

Connie Brooks, all 125 or so pounds of her, shoots 500NE and others just fine. I, at 6'3" and a muscular 245lbs with a very deep voice and an avid biker, dangerous game hunter, former football player, etc run out of tolerance at 416 Rigby. Big and strong or 'macho' have nothing to do with it.

Just as the average Navy Seal is around 5'10" and 165-170#, size has nothing at all to do with toughness. It's in you head.

Don't know if it's photo chopped but looks real. Nice pic

This guy seems to do ok.

Wonder if he ever needs a follow up shot? LOL

It might be that the bigger and more solid one is, the more the felt recoil since a large shoulder attatched to a large frame does not want to move or give as readily as a smaller counterpart.

I have owned and shot a coulple of 458 Win and Lott rifles and can shoot them OK, but do not care to do so and find no need. 416's seem to flatten 'em out quite nicely.

You're getting some good responses w

I think it has to do with shooting form, and just relaxing. I shoot a .416 Rigby (CZ 550)off a bench and have shot as many as 40 rounds in one sitting with no problem. I am a large body. I have taught my son and a friend to shoot it and once I could get them to hold it correctly and relax they were very surprised that is was not bad at all. They both shoot short action cal. and are very recoil sensitive. But if you try to stand up to the recoil it will hurt you.

Darn right! Always knew there might eventually be some advantage to being skinny without big muscles. That probably explains why some women handle the recoil so well. They move with it rather than tensing up too much and fighting it. Also the shape of the stock is really important. You don't want to get whacked in the jaw with every shot. Or have the bolt handle or trigger guard bang into your finger.

Some are nibbling around the ket issues IMHO...which, to me are that recoil does not effect your whole body....which explains why little lightweight folks can manage it(sometimes) and big people cannot(again, sometimes)......generalizations about "toughness",body weight,gender,etc have utterly nothing to do with it....and neither does physical fitness(the more weight lifting you do the more recoil you can manage,which is "bull")....

What is affected by recoil are those body parts in touch with the rifle,or directly affected by the recoil, ie, head, face neck,hands and shouler area(if I left anything out lemme know

As you age, you better keep an eye on your retina's too, which are not quite as well put together as they were when you were younger.

Also, the way you shoot.....dealing with a very hard recoiling rifle requires greater muscle tensio to control the rifle in recoil than a lighter kicking one....sometimes, for some people a lighter hold allows better more accurate shooting than something that will fly out of your hands if you fail to get a monkey grip on it.....

And heavy rcoil is detrimental to accurate shooting,most especially over long strings,or from awkward and unsteady field positions.

If you don't believe this set up a 3" dot at 50 yards,shoot it off hand with your 22 rimfire.....it is no trick to hit it every time,off hand. Try the same thing with your 30/06 and see what happens.....

Of course for a couple of shots in the field,all this will not matter much......

I could pick up anything from a 22 rimfire to a 458 and do well with it....but that doesn't mean I want to, or should...generally the less the better especially if you shoot a lot.....I have found there is a lot of dishonesty among riflemen when it comes to how much recoil they can truly manage.JMHO

Well said.

Thanks to all for your views and input on this sometimes blurred subject.

Bob

www.bigbores.ca

When I got 500 Jeffery, my youngest son (16 years old and 140 lbs at the time) had to shoot it. He did fine, though he liked shooting the 375 H&H better ...



Chuck

cz550,
I used to mount scopes on a lot of 12 gauge shotguns for deer hunters. Most of the time they would have me sight it in for them. They were afraid to shoot their own gun!
I can't really blame them. I have a Ithaca 37 LAPD model with rifle sights on it. It kicks worse than the 8.5 lb .458 Model 70 African I had.
My advice is to shoot it standing up if at all possible.
Noone shoots dangerous animals from a bench that I know of. The light rifles are nice to carry but beat you up bad.
The worst kicker I have ever fired was a 5 pound 20 gauge.
whelennut

That recoil absorption allowed from standing is better than from the bench since recoil distributes over the whole body mass, not just the shoulder neck and head.The body movement allows recoil impulse to occur over a greater time period and thus be subjectively less.

My personal take is that it has absolutely nothing to do with one's personal size. Fit of the gun sure helps a lot but mostly it's about the want and desire to master the bigger rounds as well as the will to practice.

Just the way I see it.

Dober

That's kinda the way I see it too.