Recoil limit

[Woodcarver]

I really enjoy the 45-70 in several different iterations. A favorite is a Marlin Guide gun with hopped up loads, 405gr at 1830fps. Extremely effective on moose! A Pedersoli Kodiak MkIV double is also a lot of fun!
It seemed like a good idea (at the time) to set up my TC Contender as a carbine with a 16" 45-70 barrel. There is a real difference in recoil between a rifle weighing 7#, and one that weighs a shade under 5#. While the 3 rounds I suffered did hit the target at 100yds, this evil piece of wood and steel attacked my forehead as though it was possessed! I did manage to get the bleeding stopped relatively quickly.
I've read about others who suffered fractured wrists shooting this round as a pistol. I have not been willing to find out if my wrists are stout enough to handle it....yet.

 

[Frederik]

13th March will be fun again another BASA shoot and 18 rounds for the day.
Cannot wait for the fun again.

 

[Rare Breed]

Lately I have seen quite a few threads about recoil and people asking and comparing recoil between calibers.
Seems to me there is a definite view on felt recoil and limits to what people feel comfortable to hunt and shoot with.

First of all I have this opinion and theory I compare big bores to cars.
A 2 liter engine car will get you from point A to B with no issues
A good old V8 will also get you from point A to B with no issues but it will be more fun and more thrill.

Can anyone learn to drive a 2 liter car as fast as possible to get from A to B thats fairly easy?
Can anyone learn how to handle the V8 beast to get from A to B as fast as possible thats a different beast?

We are all created different no two humans are 100% the same even twins we all experience life different.
That is the beauty of our existence and why there are so many opinions out there and why we are allowed to choose for ourselves.

To get back to recoil learn and make the best of what you can handle. A precise shot out of a 375 on an animal is much better than a marginal shot with a 500.
It took me a long time but I finally own a big bore in my CZ 550 Lott before I finally had my hands on it I was thinking recoil reducers and better recoil pads etc.
But shooting my 375 Musgrave over 26 years learned me to push the 375 Limits and shoot precisly as I didnt have another choice.

I have shot now about 180 rounds through my Lott in less than a year and am still learning it but its not going to bad. (Mid May would be 1 year)
I never got to change anything factory spec on the CZ 550 its still stock standard and pushing 480gr bullets at 2300fps is easily managed much better than expected.
However after shooting 23 shots out of it at our last BASA competition I definitely felt that I fired something big that day.
Shooting a 505 Gibss on that same day it was nice and good fun but realizing afterwards I think I found my comfortable limit to enjoy big bores while still keeping good accuracy which in te end is much more important than what you shoot with. I would not have ebjoyed shooting 23 shots with the 505 on that comp.

We owe it to the animals that we hunt for a quick kill nobody is perfect and hunting has too many scenarios involved that it would turn out perfect evertime with every shot. Hunt long enough and you will wound and loose animals even if you are the best shot in the world.

I would rather hunt with someone who knows and enjoys his rifle than have a look of despair when asking to go to the range and check zero.
Learn your limit and its not impossible to go over it and have a new limit but don't lie to yourself.

Who can tell me the difference in recoil of. 470 NE to 450-400 NE please?

 

[rookhawk]

Who can tell me the difference in recoil of. 470 NE to 450-400 NE please?

I'll take a quick stab on it. This is based on the British standards for the default Kynoch original loading for each and using the standard weight for each. A 470, typically at 11lbs, produces 2150fps loads at 68lbs of felt recoil. A 450-400 3", typically at 10lbs, produces 2050 fps at 42lbs of felt recoil. These are approximations. Also, remember that weight of guns varies from one to another and the type of powder can alter the recoil significantly even if the velocity is the same from powder to powder.

 

[R.M.C.]

I just bought my first .375 H&H the other day. It has a removable brake so I tried it with and without and its not that bad without the brake. It's about 9 and a half pounds with the scope. I think my 5 or 6 pound 12 gauge 3 1\2 inch mag is far more brutal. That thing leaves the impression of the recoil pad in my shoulder for a day or two lol

 

[rookhawk]

I just bought my first .375 H&H the other day. It has a removable brake so I tried it with and without and its not that bad without the brake. It's about 9 and a half pounds with the scope. I think my 5 or 6 pound 12 gauge 3 1\2 inch mag is far more brutal. That thing leaves the impression of the recoil pad in my shoulder for a day or two lol

RMC. A 9.5lb 375HH shooting a 300gr bullet outputs about 38lbs of recoil. Your 3.5" 12 gauge goose loads out of a 7lb gun is pushing about 60-70lbs of misery your way. There is a reason you like your 375 more than your goose gun!

 

[R.M.C.]

I definitely love it more than my turkey gun lol

 

[Bignut]

I just bought my first .375 H&H the other day. It has a removable brake so I tried it with and without and its not that bad without the brake. It's about 9 and a half pounds with the scope. I think my 5 or 6 pound 12 gauge 3 1\2 inch mag is far more brutal. That thing leaves the impression of the recoil pad in my shoulder for a day or two lol

Agreed, I also think a 10 gauge recoils less than a 12 gauge with 3.5 shells.

 

[R.M.C.]

Yeah I thought the same thing about my buddies 10 gauge . Kinda weird

 

[Frederik]

Who can tell me the difference in recoil of. 470 NE to 450-400 NE please?

With doubles the few I have shot from clients they never fitted me well and my cheek got hit especially on the Blazer doubles no matter what cailber 500NE or 470?

A properly fit double and weight makes a huge difference. So I would rather check if the rifle fits before worrying which recoil will be felt more.

 

[Pondoro]

Fit, weight and balance does the trick with coping with recoil....fit is too often overlooked IMHO..

 

[AZDAVE]

@Rare Breed I will try to give you a sports based visual of the differences in the recoil as I perceive them.

You are a 190lbs running back the 375 is the equivalent of being tackled by a 185 lb defensive back that is running a 4.5 40. the 450/400 is the equivalent of being tackled by a 210ls defensive back running a 4.5 40. the 450/470/500NE is the equivalent of tackled by a 250lb linebacker running a 4.5 40. and the 500Jeff/505gibbs and 577NE is the equivalent of being tackled by a 310lb defensive lineman running a 4.5 40. The stuff bigger than the 577 is like being hit by a couple the biggest rugby players and you have no pads on.

And the stuff smaller than the 375 is like being tackled by one of the lady cheerleaders.

 

[Viral_SIGness]

I've been accused of being a recoil junky. First of all, size has nothing to do with it. I was always a scrawny kid, but at 13 I started shooting the .300 Win Mag (which is still my all time favorite). In my 20's I was 145 lbs with a pocket full of rocks. Yet, at the range one day, I set up an older gentleman's .375 H&H for him, to keep him from putting it in a lead sled. There is no written set of rules about recoil.

My personal limit? For now it's a .375 Ruger because I don't have anything bigger. With the wood stock, and that strip of a balloon Ruger calls a recoil pad, it can get uncomfortable. Ive spent a lot of time behind 3.5" 12 gauge shells as well. Had a Mossberg 535 the stock was too short and every time I fired my thumb hit me in the nose.

Ive always wanted to try a .458 Lott. Maybe @TNDave will let me try his? :-D

 

[Rare Breed]

I'll take a quick stab on it. This is based on the British standards for the default Kynoch original loading for each and using the standard weight for each. A 470, typically at 11lbs, produces 2150fps loads at 68lbs of felt recoil. A 450-400 3", typically at 10lbs, produces 2050 fps at 42lbs of felt recoil. These are approximations. Also, remember that weight of guns varies from one to another and the type of powder can alter the recoil significantly even if the velocity is the same from powder to powder.

I absolutely love my Rizzini brand new 470 NE that I paid $10,800 in December of 2020 for. However on hind site I would have bought a 450-400 Double rifle given I could still hunt elephant yet better handle the recoil. My Rizzini is a gorgeous double rifle at 11 pounds. If someone has an awesome condition double rifle in 450-400 I would consider an even trade. I have six boxes of 470 NE Barnes plus dies

 

[Philip Glass]

I was like a lot of hunters years ago as I was fairly recoil sensitive. When I was a teen my dad bought me a Remington .30-06 and a box of 180gr ammo. I didn’t want anything to do with that gun but then I bought some 150gr and all was well with the world!
When I decided to pursue the Big 5 I had to get into the bigger guns and just worked my way up. All the way up to .470NE. I don’t have that much trouble with recoil on my shoulder and rarely have any bruising but my neck is the limiting factor. Many car wrecks as a teen (none my fault!) has left me with neck trouble from time to time. I am limited on how much I can shoot the .470 in a day. About 6 rounds is when I need to quit. I am afraid to shoot these expensive, heavy recoiling guns in a led sled because I’m afraid to do damage to the rifle. I had a stock crack near the tang on a .416 from using a led sled. I’d like to hear others thoughts on the led sled and what it does to rifles and optics.
Regards,
Philip

 

[Rare Breed]

I was like a lot of hunters years ago as I was fairly recoil sensitive. When I was a teen my dad bought me a Remington .30-06 and a box of 180gr ammo. I didn’t want anything to do with that gun but then I bought some 150gr and all was well with the world!
When I decided to pursue the Big 5 I had to get into the bigger guns and just worked my way up. All the way up to .470NE. I don’t have that much trouble with recoil on my shoulder and rarely have any bruising but my neck is the limiting factor. Many car wrecks as a teen (none my fault!) has left me with neck trouble from time to time. I am limited on how much I can shoot the .470 in a day. About 6 rounds is when I need to quit. I am afraid to shoot these expensive, heavy recoiling guns in a led sled because I’m afraid to do damage to the rifle. I had a stock crack near the tang on a .416 from using a led sled. I’d like to hear others thoughts on the led sled and what it does to rifles and optics.
Regards,
Philip

Interesting Phil. I placed my DR fore end within my hand when I fired it to get my Trinicon sited in and had to problems when I used my sled. Only took four shots

 

[Opposite Pole]

When I was a teen my dad bought me a Remington .30-06 and a box of 180gr ammo. I didn’t want anything to do with that gun but then I bought some 150gr and all was well with the world!

That’s interesting. I got into hunting and shooting as an adult, starting with a 308Win. I remember the first time I loaded 180gr ammo in place of the 165/168gr I usually shot. The difference in perceived recoil, shooting from the bench, surprised me. I have disliked 180gr in 308 ever since. Even though, I’m now comfortable with my 470NE and 416Rem, the sore shoulder I got from these 180s, or more accurately due to my poor shooting stance, left a bitter aftertaste.

 

[expresshunt]

Who can tell me the difference in recoil of. 470 NE to 450-400 NE please?

470 punched on nose by professional boxer.. 450,400 punched on shoulder by wife..!!

 

[Travis2282]

Years ago I shot a lightweight 375 RUM, I still remember how much that thing hurt!

 

[Opposite Pole]

470 punched on nose by professional boxer.. 450,400 punched on shoulder by wife..!!

I shoot 470NE and have had the displeasure of copping one on the mug from a pro fist fighter, long story short I’d be happy to shoot 470 Weatherby all day every day not to repeat the other experience.