Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Learning to shoot large caliber rifles

Looking for advice on how to properly learn to shoot large bore dangerous game rifles. Interested in developing proper fundamentals in order to effectively and efficiently practice to insure solid muscle memory afield.

I am experienced rifleman and big game hunter, but have zero experience with large calibers or dangerous game and am preparing for my first African safari. I have time and want to insure I have done my part prior to embarking on the adventure of a lifetime.

my .375 tends to be a little much from the bench...so...I got some shooting sticks and shot it standing up...(that's how you will shoot in Africa anyhow)....I shot it a bunch before I went, at least twice a week, and I concentrated on a slow squeeze and letting the rifle "surprise" me when it went off....shoot 2 or 3 shots...rest a bit...then 2 or three more...then try running to the backstop and back, then shoot...I think you will see steady improvement....good luck on your hunt and please take and post lots of pictures....

There's actually schools you can go to for this. What caliber? Make sure above all that you shoot a bunch of the weight bullet and exact load(s) chosen beforehand. Also, the stock and scope/iron sights chosen must fit you. (I missed a kudu with my .416 Rigby in 2005 out a hide at fifty yards before learning all about cheek weld, LOP and so on. In 2007 I was hitting at 280 yards off sticks.) You have to stand differently and "grab 'em!"

FLGator, welcome to the 'Fire.
You will always get replies and some good info from the folks here. You did not say what rifle/caliber you plan to use and what you have used in years past. Do you reload? Because some of the large bore stuff can cost a lot. AFTERUM was right about shooting off of sticks, you could not go wrong with training that way. You sound like you might be worried about the recoil from the big guns and not be able to make good shots because of it.

FLGator;

If you are a reader: Dangerous-Games Rifles by Terry Wieland
Section VI - Using the Dangerous-Game Rifle

Like every book there will be things you can use and some things that are not useful. I'm sure you'll pick something up that will be worth the purchase.

Cheers,
Wild Bill

Thank you for the replies. I will be using a 375 Ruger hand loaded with 275 Barnes TSX bullets. I have a lot of experience with rifles up to 300 WinMag and also shooting 12 ga 3" magnum shells for turkey and waterfowl. My intent is to learn how to manage a heavier recoiling rifle effectively and learn how to employ it efficiently while pursuing dangerous game. I am certain it's different shooting these types of rifles and the larger caliber guns than say a 22 LR or more typical big game type rifles and want to insure I develop proper fundamentals.

FLGator - I was pleasantly surprised a few years ago when I took my first shots with a .375 H&H. It felt like a big push to me, not a sharp and painful recoil. A good Pachmayer decelerator recoil pad helped I'm sure, plus the rifle and I seem built for each other. Heck, I even shoot it prone at 300 yds. No real "give" in the prone position. Mostly though, I shoot it from sitting and standing, and the ability to give with the recoil helps too.

Bigger than that? I dunno... Never did get comfortable with a .458 Win or a .450 Ackley I tried. Shot them okay, but didn't really enjoy either.

FWIW, Guy

A .375 Ruger against a .300 WinMag isn't much of a jump. You're ready...

Excepting an "adventure" when I was 17 years old, I got to try out a 500 Nitro Double,10 lbs last month down in Tennessee. Target:one of the heavy plastic target cubes at 50 yards. Off hand I hand no problem hittting both shots very quickly. I did however have a slightly different time with a 577 Nitro double at same target, same range. The recoil from a 14 lb gun backed me up 2 full steps. No fast recovery was even in the cards. Bolt guns have a somewhat different feeling to the recoil impulse. My "adventure" at 17 was a 505 Gibbs and that was just downright brutal. You just need to set the proper target and practice the fast mount and shooting. a 375 isn't bad at all.

Gunsite runs a Safari Prep course, don't recall the course number, should be on thier website. They will teach you to shoot from the "assaulter's position", as that is the position you WILL reflexively assume when someone or something is trying to kill you. This will quickly render most "spot and stalk" heavy rifles unusable, as their stocks will be too long, and with the scopes mounted for bench shooting you may not even be able to see through them.

wouldn't that be the assaul-tee? what is an example of a "spot and stalk heavy rifle"? And what does it mean when a scope is mounted for "bench shooting"? Is this opposed to say a scope mount style? I find myself confused by your post and hope you can clear it up.

1) ASSAULTER- one who assaults. Assaulters "square up", shoulders perpindicular to their target, to present their body armor square to the target in part, also to enable them to shoot while moving, but mainly because this is a REFLEX that you will revert to when your ass is in a crack.
A lot of good men died to figure this out. Ignore this at your own peril

2) "Spot n' Stalk heavy rifle"- typically a LOT more rifle than is usually required, but "someone" told 'em they needed a "real" rifle, think 375 H&H or 458 Win. It came with a 13.75in LOP and they added a decellerator pad, now bringing the LOP to about 14.5. Of course the scope "needs" a high power of at least 14X, as this is more "accurate".

3) "Scope mounted for bench shooting"- Said rifle with four foot long stock has to be "crawled" (head craned forward) and the body has to be "bladed", IE, sharply angled towards the target, to get the head in position to see through the typically much too powerful scope.

So all of this sets you up for failure when a lion charges you. You square up to the lethal threat (reflex), throw the rifle to your shoulder, that is if it will go, it might catch under your armpit as it is so damned long. You mount it, no where nearly in the pocket as it should be, your scope is so far forward all you see is a light pencil surrounded by black. You DO see the lion closing with your ass at warp speed so you yank the trigger, shoot about four feet over the top of him.

Because you did not properly mount the rifle, you cannot recover from it's recoil, you fumble the bolt and jam the rifle, just before the lion knocks you into oblivion.

The standard African stopping rifle, is a double gun, regulated to 50yd or so, with a stock that fits its owner like a glove, so that when he throws it up, he is looking directly down the sights. This can be aproximated with a bolt rifle, but off-the shelf probably won't work for most folks. Go to Gunsite, they understand all of this stuff.

I agree. If you're a good shot with the 300 WinMag, you shouldn't have a problem with the .375.

I found that after growing accustomed to shooting big bores ( I own two .376 Steyrs, two .375 H&Hs, a .458 WinMag and a .458 Lott plus I've shot my buddy's 470 N.E, 500 N.E and 505 Gibbs on many occasions) I became a much better shooter with the lesser bores. Once you get the heavy rifles mastered, the 30-06 will be your new 22 LR.

A couple things: As said above, don't shoot the big boys from the bench. Use sticks. You do not want to instil a flinch. (You will need practice with sticks anyway in prep for your hunt). Also, don't shoot a full box on a single trip to the range. Take some lighter rifles along to finish out your range trip.

And finally, shoot your heavy rifle a lot before you leave for Africa.

I often hunt hogs and whitetail with my .376s and .375s. I've hunted pigs a few times with my .458 winMag. As one of the posters above noted, the recoil is more of a push than the explosive recoil of the higher velocity rounds. Heck, my .338 RUM will get your attention a lot quicker than any of my .375 bores or my .458 WinMag for that matter.

There's no magic in this. Just ease in to it and shoot your big bore a lot. You may find yourself prefering it for hunting in the States. It will produce less meat damage while delivering more knockdown power. You will learn to love your .375.

Good luck on the hunt! - T.S.

Take a Knee - I didn't see anything on Gunsite about shooting larger caliber / DG rifles. This would be a great course to go to, IMO.

Eric

I just looked and didn't see it either. They used to call it the Safari Prep Course. The last day was a lot of moving (towards the shooter) targets.

On second thought, I should have reccomended their Gunsite 270 first, as that is the foundation of riflecraft. Another very similar course is Randy Cain's "Practical Rifle". Cain has been a Gunsite rangemaster for 270, so, you'd be getting pretty much the same training. Here is his schedule:

http://www.guntactics.com/schedule.htm

Don't show up for these classes with a heavy. Ideal off the shelf is a Ruger Scout Rifle, or a Steyr, which ever has a more similar feel to your heavy rifle. Read Jeff Coopers' writing on his 458 G&A he called "Baby" that was his go-to Africa rifle.

A lot of good advice above all round as always. Use the largest caliber you feel comfortable with bearing in mind the 375 is the entry level for dangerous game hunting. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a 375 and it will kill any animal that can kill you.

If you know someone with a 375 go to the range with him and fire some rounds. I'm not too keen on bench shooting my 375 so I prefer shooting it off-hand or from sticks as has been pointed out. The 375 is so versatile you can hunt NA game with it and do the African animals so unless you feel like investing in a double, buy the 375 and get to use it for years to come.

I only know one person who fires off many rounds from a sitting position and then shrugs. I fire a couple maybe 3 rounds and inspect the target. Of course this allows the barrel to cool down and your shoulder to get used to the recoil. Repeat this a number of times until you feel comfortable with the rifle and recoil and prior to your first DG hunt shoot it as often as possible.

Enjoy the journey until you buy your first DG rifle.

should clarify he doesnt mean shoot 100 rounds a session, just shoot it some a whole bunch of times.....every time you go to the range take your big gun and 5 or 10 rounds.....pretty soon it gets real familiar and you havent shot it enough in any one session to get a flinch from beating yourself up....

I got familiar with my 416 Rigby caliber with Trail Boss loads, then with 90% loads with Reloader 22. I always suggest pulling the gun tight, elbow high for a good pocket, and relaxing, concentrate on breathing. Off my bipod sticks I hit 3" orange stick ons at 100yd, open sights. At 25 yds I only use the front sight, like a shotgun. When shooting from a bench I hold the rifle, no rests.
I shoot it quite easily.

I will still contend that a recreational Sport hunter does not need more then the 375HH. So many PH's use this as their carry rifle for DG that should tell you the capability of it.

One very Experienced PH and outfitter that Pieter and I both worked for at one time used the 375HH as his only rifle. He had done more DG hunts especially lions then most PHs will in a life time. He did get a 500 Jeffrey, but after a season or two went back to the 375HH because the ability to fire multiple shots quickly was in is opinion a far bigger advantage then one, and recover from the rocking back of recoil before the next was possible.

In any case if you can shoot a 300 mag, the 375HH is easier. The 375HH is about like a 3" 12 gage shell in a average weight pump/double shotgun. It's not the spearing speed of a 300 mag, it's a more like a serious shove in the shoulder.

Simply put, it's a brilliant cartridge that does everything right, and nothing wrong. The absolute perfect safari firearm for both DG and PG in my opinion.

Big bore technique doesn't really come into play until you get into the true big bores. .375s are pussycats. I shoot a .375 Wby now but have had numerous .375 H&Hs in the past. I don't really shoot them any differently than I do my .300 WM, they just don't recoil all that much. My .458 Lott and .470 NE on the other hand are different beasts. With those you need a firm cheekweld, proper LOP, and the rifle pulled tightly into your shoulder and then let your whole upper body roll with the recoil, anything else is a recipe for banged knuckles and scope rash.

As others have said practice shooting off of sticks. I made my own set for a few dollars from bamboo garden stakes from Home Depot and a cheap bicycle inner tube from Wal-Mart and it turned out to be just what my PH had when I got to Africa. I also spent a lot of time practicing in the backyard shooting a pellet rifle off the sticks.

I also noticed that you mentioned you will be loading the 270gr TSX. Are you going for DG and if so what? I had a negative experience with that bullet on a buffalo, if buff are on the menu I would suggest the 300 gr TSX.