Thanks
@Red Leg Once again you diplomatically stated my “WTF thoughts”. I admit I couldn’t find the words so that I would not be rude to the OP. Thanks Red Leg!
Here’s another factor in big Johnson, oops I mean big bore lust. What is the intended purpose? If that is to “own” a .500 caliber rifle then fine, just don’t pay too much! If one can buy a big bore at 70 to 80% of the average selling price, then do it, shoot it, and in a few years pass it on to the next caretaker without loosing any money. I am a gun lover and have done this many times with other firearms.
If as previously stated, elephant hunting is the intended use, fine. But, how many elephant hunts will the buyer ever go on? If after figuring out that one or two elephants will be all one can squeeze in prior to getting too old to carry an 11 pound or heavier rifle for 10 miles a day in Africa heat, if one still has to have a .500, then get out the fat bankroll.
An elephant’s brain is the size of an American football, and it changes relative position to the shooter as its head is raised and lowered. At twenty paces from a 10,000-pound critter that can kill a less than proficient marksman, the big bore hunter better be proficient. Mastering the recoil of a .375 is many times easier than mastering a .500 caliber rifle! There are logical reasons the .416 caliber rifles with their deep penetration and moderate recoil are popular for dangerous game hunting.
Toward mastering a big bore rifle, lots of practice is required. Certainly, repeated shouldering and dry firing will accustom one to the fit and feel of their rifle, but only experiencing the 80+ foot pounds of recoil will allow one to become proficient in shouldering the rifle and presenting “consistent opposition to recoil”, commonly referred to as follow through. Add to that, recovering from the recoil and being able to shoot an accurate second shot. All that takes practice even for the most experience marksman.
I imagine if dangerous game PH’s get together and talk about their experience guiding clients, most will have a story or two about the how many times they had to shoot follow up shots after the big bore client(s) wounded game. Once again, I imagine that a common factor would be the clients had not mastered the big bore rifles. As for me, I want to fell my game without a PH blazing away. A well-placed shot or two with a 375 to 458 in most cases, should drop the largest of game.
To master a big bore rifle, one needs to first be proficient with small, and medium bore rifles. Once accomplished, mastering the big bore will require shooting a fairly large quantity of ammunition. Does the shooter have access to a range for this live-fire practice? Can the shooter either afford shooting many rounds of factory ammunition, or have the capability and experience to hand load the required ammunition? How many rounds? If stepping up from a 458 Lott to a 500 Nitro, then some rounds. If coming from a 375 or 415 to a 500, then IMHO maybe 100 or 200, depending on the shooter. If one is on a budget to afford the hunt, then a more practical rifle may be the wisest choice.
Ammo and loading components for 375 H&H, 416 Remington and Rigby, and 458 Win and Lott are pretty common and more available than most other cartridges. Because they are produced and sold in much larger volume than cartridges such as the 416 Taylor or Ruger, 404 Jeffery, 470 Nitro, and any .500 caliber cartridge, the common cartridges and caliber components are more available and at significantly lower cost. The same is true for the rifles that shoot them…
A search via Ammoseek on 3 April 2023 revealed .500 Nitro available, with shipping at almost $9 a round. In comparison, .458 Lott and .416 Rigby ammo is around $6 a round. Other searches for .500 Jeffery and .505 Gibbs ammo revealed “None in Stock” anywhere.
For bullets on Ammoseek, .510 were available at almost $2.50 each shipped, and .505 available at almost $2.00 each, shipped. For comparison, .458” 500 grain bullets are available at near $1.50 each, shipped. I must admit that I am surprised at the low cost of the .505 bullets. Better stock up now!
One can often acquire practice bullets in 375, 416, and 458 at very reasonable cost by watching the market. Buy them when they are available! For the big bores, the new big bore shooter better have the cash on hand to buy a couple years’ supply when the ammo and components are available. Why? these items have a limited market so manufactures produce in batches or lots that they can sell in a year or two. When the ammo and components are available at reasonable prices, the experienced big bore shooters will stock up. After a few of them make their purchases all the .500 ammo and components will be “out of stock”. Anything remaining on the market will be higher priced. Supply and demand…
Author’s note:
I admit that I have bought dies, brass, bullets, and powder for cartridges prior to procuring a rifle or handgun. “Buy it when its available at a good price…”
Use enough gun, as Ruark said. Great advice but don’t use more than one has mastered!
It can also be said, “Buy a quality rifle, but don’t buy larger than one can afford to practice with enough to master.”
