500 Jeffery - What gun weight to tame it?

[Bonde]

I would like to get a 500 J made. What weight should I aim for?

I have a Jeffery 450/400 3» double at present, weighing in at 4,8kg. It is delightful to shoot.
Just a heavy showe.

I also have a light built 375H&H which is more if a thumper. Unsure of weight, but probably 3,6-3,7kg empty.

I think I can shoot something that kicks a bit more than the 450/400 with ease, but would not like to loose my fillings in the process.

What weight should I aim for in 500 to make it easy to shoot with 570grs bullets in 2200-2300fps? 5,3-5,5kg(12lb)? How much «more» recoil is it than the mentioned 450/400?

I had a Merkel .470 years ago. It was a real thumper. Sold it and got the 450/400. I have since heard the Merkel is quite bad recoilwise...
Tried a light .458 Lott in a Remington a few years earlier. That one gave me one helluva headache after some full power 550grs rounds. I guess it was no heavier than 4,3-4,4kg or thereabouts.

Would a 500 in say 5,5kg be closer to the 450/400 in felt recoil, compared with the mentioned .458 and .470?

 

[Inline6]

Recoil Energy Calculator

Calculate the recoil of firearms using the recoil energy calculator.

www.omnicalculator.com

 

[matt85]

Between 5kg and 5.3kg will be good, assuming the gun fits you well. Too much lighter and the gun will be hard to control and too much heavier and it will be hard to carry.

My 505 Gibbs was 5kg and was about perfect.

-Matt

 

[Pondoro]

Come shoot mine, Bonde..then we can debate rifle weight..

 

[Rare Breed]

I would like to get a 500 J made. What weight should I aim for?

I have a Jeffery 450/400 3» double at present, weighing in at 4,8kg. It is delightful to shoot.
Just a heavy showe.

I also have a light built 375H&H which is more if a thumper. Unsure of weight, but probably 3,6-3,7kg empty.

I think I can shoot something that kicks a bit more than the 450/400 with ease, but would not like to loose my fillings in the process.

What weight should I aim for in 500 to make it easy to shoot with 570grs bullets in 2200-2300fps? 5,3-5,5kg(12lb)? How much «more» recoil is it than the mentioned 450/400?

I had a Merkel .470 years ago. It was a real thumper. Sold it and got the 450/400. I have since heard the Merkel is quite bad recoilwise...
Tried a light .458 Lott in a Remington a few years earlier. That one gave me one helluva headache after some full power 550grs rounds. I guess it was no heavier than 4,3-4,4kg or thereabouts.

Would a 500 in say 5,5kg be closer to the 450/400 in felt recoil, compared with the mentioned .458 and .470?

Lol…anything above your 450-400 will be a thumper no matter the weight…been there done that

 

[IvW]

From what you have posted and what you say about the Lott and a 470 the 500 Jeff is not for you..

 

[Bonde]

I’m getting the possibility to try a 500 in not too long. We will see How it goes. I’ll make up my mind then. If it is too hefty - I’ll go .404...

Thinking of it, I have actually shot a CZ .505 with 600grs load at the Norma factory. It was «not too bad». Only one shot though. I was really really concentrating to squeeze the trigger until it went off. It sure was a heavy showe, but it wasn’t too unpleasant. Faster recoil is a lot Worse..... The gun had some weight to it. I guess it must have been more than 5kg?

 

[colorado]

The check's in the mail. It's more of a shove ... lol I have a 500 Jeffery that weighs 12 lbs with scope, rings and sling unloaded. I shoot 570g TSX's at 2300 fps. If you have COVID it will clear out any nasal congestion you may have ...

 

[zephyr]

another recoil calculator to plug in numbers

ShootersCalculator.com | Recoil Calculator

An online calculator that calculates the recoil energy, impulse, and velocity of a firearm according to the firearm's weight, powder charge, bullet weight, and bullet muzzle velocity.

shooterscalculator.com

my 505 is 11lbs empty ..
You can manipulate recoil by type of powder you choose.. I have found loads for the 505 Gibbbs from 105grs of RL15 to 148gr of MRP that according to the above calculator is a 30ft lbs of recoil of difference at the shoulder

 

[IvW]

another recoil calculator to plug in numbers

ShootersCalculator.com | Recoil Calculator

An online calculator that calculates the recoil energy, impulse, and velocity of a firearm according to the firearm's weight, powder charge, bullet weight, and bullet muzzle velocity.

shooterscalculator.com

my 505 is 11lbs empty ..
You can manipulate recoil by type of powder you choose.. I have found loads for the 505 Gibbbs from 105grs of RL15 to 148gr of MRP that according to the above calculator is a 30ft lbs of recoil of difference at the shoulder

My 500 Jeff is 11lbs empty it takes 4.
I can manage the recoil but the gun fits me and I shoot quite a bit.

But yes it is a 500 and with decent loads it is not a pussy and surely not for all. I shoot 570gr and am having some 600gr bullets made for it

 

[7MAG]

From what I hear an 11 pound 375 will be manageable for smaller shooters. Take that with a grain of salt

 

[Aussie_Hunter]

I would like to get a 500 J made. What weight should I aim for?

I have a Jeffery 450/400 3» double at present, weighing in at 4,8kg. It is delightful to shoot.
Just a heavy showe.

I also have a light built 375H&H which is more if a thumper. Unsure of weight, but probably 3,6-3,7kg empty.

I think I can shoot something that kicks a bit more than the 450/400 with ease, but would not like to loose my fillings in the process.

What weight should I aim for in 500 to make it easy to shoot with 570grs bullets in 2200-2300fps? 5,3-5,5kg(12lb)? How much «more» recoil is it than the mentioned 450/400?

I had a Merkel .470 years ago. It was a real thumper. Sold it and got the 450/400. I have since heard the Merkel is quite bad recoilwise...
Tried a light .458 Lott in a Remington a few years earlier. That one gave me one helluva headache after some full power 550grs rounds. I guess it was no heavier than 4,3-4,4kg or thereabouts.

Would a 500 in say 5,5kg be closer to the 450/400 in felt recoil, compared with the mentioned .458 and .470?

I have a Merkel 140AE in 470, the recoil of the Merkel doubles is no different to other brands, obviously rifle fit makes a difference to each individual shooter. I have a relatively light 458 Lott (kimber caprivi) that I use alot in the field, again rifle fit makes a difference but the recoil is similar to the 470 for me slightly less because of the difference in powder charge I am using. The recoil of the 500 Jeffery is a different animal, definitely suggest finding one you can shoot a few times before deciding on buying one, you can not compare the recoil of the 500 Jeffery to the other calibres you have mentioned. I agree with what most have already mentioned between 11-12lbs is a good weight for the 500 Jeffery, more than 12lbs it becomes a bit of a lump to carry and less than 11lbs and becomes too lively in the hands when pulling the trigger. Recoil reducers, decent recoil pads, proper fit of the rifle are also very important things to consider.

 

[grand veneur]

More than 20 years ago, I had a rifle caliber 500 Jeffery built to my specifications.

At the end the rifle was very handy but weighed only around 4.5kg with a scope, which is very light for a rifle of this caliber.

The recoil with a full charge is very strong. But me, no one has ever fired more than one shot with this rifle.

 

[Aussie_Hunter]

More than 20 years ago, I had a rifle caliber 500 Jeffery built to my specifications.

At the end the rifle was very handy but weighed only around 4.5kg with a scope, which is very light for a rifle of this caliber.

The recoil with a full charge is very strong. But me, no one has ever fired more than one shot with this rifle.

View attachment 464861

Beautiful rifle, built by who?

 

[grand veneur]

Built in 1998 by Ritterbusch in Seehausen/Bavaria.

The gunsmith is retired in the meantime.

 

[spike.t]

More than 20 years ago, I had a rifle caliber 500 Jeffery built to my specifications.

At the end the rifle was very handy but weighed only around 4.5kg with a scope, which is very light for a rifle of this caliber.

The recoil with a full charge is very strong. But me, no one has ever fired more than one shot with this rifle.

View attachment 464861

Sounds good weight to me

 

[colorado]

My 500 Jeffery weighs 5 kg without scope, mounts or sling. It is definitely manageable, but if your reference is a 458 Win mag or 458 Lott, the recoil is definitely a step up. Faster powders will kick a bit less given the same bullet as long as you can get to the velocity you want. My load is Jamison brass, CCI Mag primers, 103g H4895 (straight out of the "Any Shot You Want" book, and a 570g TSX bullet for 2300 fps. I tried a load with IMR 4350 same components and got up to 2510 fps, but the recoil was punishing.

 

[zephyr]

Have shot a 500J at 9.5lbs it was not fun, owner said you carry it all day shoot it once .. I even loaded it down for him a 535gr bullet at 2150 better but still a handful Owner eventually sold the gun... Recently had a 505 Gibbs built for me at 11lbs, empty gun, will not wear a scope. Working from the Woodleigh manual loading RL15 a 525gr bullet at 2300 fps, the recoil is very manageable If you hand load Big difference in recoil between powders... in the Woodleigh manual for the 525gr bullet they list RL15 as the fastest powder and MRP as the slowest, that is almost 30 ftlbs difference in recoil if you use a recoil calculator

ShootersCalculator.com | Recoil Calculator

An online calculator that calculates the recoil energy, impulse, and velocity of a firearm according to the firearm's weight, powder charge, bullet weight, and bullet muzzle velocity.

shooterscalculator.com

 

[grand veneur]

Have shot a 500J at 9.5lbs it was not fun, owner said you carry it all day shoot it once ..

I said that too, which is partly true. Moreover one do not feel in the same way the recoil during a hunting action.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

From what I hear an 11 pound 375 will be manageable for smaller shooters. Take that with a grain of salt

I'd rather take the hit from my synthetic R8 than carry an 11 pound 375 specifically because I'm not a big guy. People are just going to value different things, so to the OP: know yourself. If you are even asking the question, you are probably more toward the "avoid recoil" than "avoid weight" side of the spectrum, so I suspect you'll want it on the heavy end. Or as IvW said, it's not for you. There's no shame in that. Spending a small fortune to end up with a beautiful rifle that you don't enjoy shooting is a waste of money and effort no matter how much you've wanted it. Get the 404 and shoot the hell out of it. You'll be better off in every way than with a 500 that you honestly don't enjoy shooting.