Felt Recoil - what has been your experience

[Northern Shooter]

@AZDAVE
A mate bought a 458 win mag for a bargain price with a box of factory ammo that had only fired 2 rounds.
After firing 2 rounds himself he sold it for a bit more than he paid still with 16 rounds.
He said it was more than sporty in the recoil dept. What he said isn't repeatable even in this rough crowd.
The rifle weighed in at just on 7# , no wonder she kicked a bit. Thin barrel and a but not much thicker than a fence paling that had been attacked by termites. Recoil pad was hard rubber about 1" wide
Bob

I’ve seen quite a few lightweight 458WM rifles in the 7.5-8.5lb range, that’s just too light. I imagine it’s due to the popularity of the cartridge and being able to be chambered in standard long action rifles. The Ruger No.1 is a good example.

I find my new Model 70 at 9.0lbs to be too light for full power 500gr 458 WM loads.

I believe 10.0-10.5lb would be an appropriate range for that cartridge. That brings the recoil numbers down to around ~65 ft-lbs.

 

[ldmay375]

I agree of subjective. Regardless of bore diameter, case capacity, weight, recoil calculations or fit; I will not be using a rifle brings real pain to me on a regular basis.

 

[Jay Kelley]

I've got a CZ550 American in .375 H&H and a 557 Carbine in .30-06. Felt recoil is about the same. Kind of stiff, but a trip to the range isn't a frightening prospect.

On the other hand, I've got an H&R single shot 12 gauge that beats you up even with the lightest loads. I didn't notice it when I was 18, but at several times 18, that thing just hurts.

 

[saswart]

I think @saswart just needs to man up and grow a pair

My 450 Rigby was a learning curve and took some getting used to. Dubbed that the Chiropractor...

My new 500 Jeffery with Silvers Recoil pad makes the 450 feel tame...

DWB (Deon)... Hahaha, I probably need to yes. But then again, it seems I can handle it...

 

[AZDAVE]

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen 7 Lbs in a 458WM would be punishing. That whole rifle sound like it was a bad idea from the start.

 

[HookMeUpII]

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen 7 Lbs in a 458WM would be punishing. That whole rifle sound like it was a bad idea from the start.

I have a Ruger No1 in 458WM and depending on who you ask, it should be somewhere from 7.5-8.5 lbs. The recoil is punishing, just as you described. I've shot 12g 3.5" slugs, 300WM, 45-70, 30-30 from a light lever gun, etc. This is something else. The 458WM in the Ruger is enough to really, really ring your bell good. The only thing I feel comes close is old school 3.5" 12g slugs from a light pump. Basically a grizzly bear park ranger round.

Bolt guns definitely add weight but the problem then becomes feeding a big bore belted cartridge. The 375 HH seem to feed OK but supposedly, the 458WM is not great to cycle in a bolt gun. So a double might be the way to go there, price aside.

IMO, which doesn't matter much, the 416 Rigby is the ultimate round and you can see why it gets so much praise. Tremendous power, good SD, and no belting.

I guess it's all relative though. I'm sure if I was looking down the barrel at a cape buffalo I probably wouldn't be thinking much about the recoil.