No no I think you're fully on topic Velo, no worries and important points you share.
On recoil, it does take some getting used to, this .505 weighs in around 9 1/4lbs due to it being a conversion of a stock RSM, with original barrel. Once bored out to .505 she becomes pretty light and lively, and churns out over 100ft-lbs of recoil, but it also points like a wand as hopefully the video shows. Recoil would essentially be spot on double a 2100fps 11lb .458, and it takes a bit of practice to shoot well. The good news is, it is completely manageable and doable. Before you know it you're churning out piles of big brass and forgetting the rifles are anything special in the recoil department, it just becomes shooting. I find active shooting, such as this knocking over blocks and trying to do it quickly, the best remedy, you focus solely on the task. At that point when you're having fun, the only hold up and ending to the day is the cost of the ammunition and the heat of the fore end in your hands.
The .458 Lott is full house trim is middle of the road amongst this bunch.
Hello Ardent,
Thanks for that, also thanks for posting the above photo of your 4 rifles.
They are each and every one quite right for Africa and none too much for our large, sometimes grumpy N. Am. bears (I, just like yourself, live where Grizzly occur commonly and I sometimes work where Polar Bear commonly occur).
In terms of recoil, when I arrived in Alaska 32 years ago, I was of the opinion that a .30-06 / 220 grain bullet kicked pretty hard.
Even with that opinion, I had bought a used Ruger M77 in .338 Winchester with which to begin the rest of my life here, and I had a Gunsmith install a receiver sight on it.
The recoil was too much for me but I stuck with it and learned to handle it well enough to shoot the head off an occasional grouse, in connection with my low budget moose hunting adventures.
I was in my 20s and still suffering from "Velocity Madness" so, loading it down a bit was not on my young mind.
When it broke its stock from recoil, I epoxied it back together (looked like a 3 year old did the epoxy work- lol) and sold it "as is" during a gun show, for less than what I had paid for it a few years earlier.
Then I bought a used Remington Model 700 in .375 H&H and began to load it down a bit (300 gr bullet at 2400 fps).
And although I learned to handle the recoil of full factory ballistics very well for a few shots, with the 2400 fps load it was/is not a problem to fire a few shots from the shooting table/bench when checking my zero on paper targets and many shots from standing.
My fascination with large rifles for large game had begun.
Now I have two Mausers (Model 98 Whitworth and a Model 602 Brno) that are superior to my old Remington.
Regarding your using wood blocks as targets and shooting them rapidly from field positions, I am in total agreement.
Some time back awhile in this forum, I suggested to a fellow preparing to go to Africa for his first PG safari that he practice similar tactics from the sticks until proficient.
I suggested he use paper coffee cups full of dirt or water since he was planning to use a 7mm or .30, I think it was, and he had a scope on it.
Had he been planning to use a truly large bore for DG and open sights, your method would have been the perfect suggestion for him.
(Great minds think alike).
Regarding the Lott loaded to .450 NE ballistics, I have on occasion fired 20 or a few more shots from mine without my eyeballs falling out but usually my ability to hit very small targets with it only lasts for about 10 shots.
I had a .450 No2 NE, an Army & Navy hammer-gun/Jones underlever, etc. (you can see it in one or two of my photos).
And, I once fire 60 rounds from it in one session, several of which were from the bench.
However, that's deceiving because I'm ambidextrous and so, it was actually 30 shots per shoulder.
Furthermore, that particular rifle regulated exceedingly well @ 2050 fps (fired through a chronograph), instead of the original Kynoch Pre-War specs of 2175 fps from 28" barrels (mine were also 28").
Likewise, I have a CZ in .500 Jeffery (11 pound, empty) but have not even tried it at the original ballistics.
Loaded to .500 NE ballistics (570 gr round nose softs and solids @ just a bit over 2100 fps), I can shoot it well and not have to run away crying from a bruised shoulder (I only shoot this one right handed since it is a right handed bolt).
Even the old 535 gr loaded down to that speed should be plenty for any buffalo or hippo on land (for elephant I would think the 570 gr is called for).
Be all of that as it may, I train with my large bore rifles quite a bit (only live a little under 3 km from a rifle range) and have come a long way since the days that I thought a .30-06 and 220 gr bullets kicked hard.
I have fired a .600 NE double with full pressure loads (900 gr bullet @ 1950 fps I think the owner said it was) and although the recoil was very stout indeed, I actually got the hits with it (a right and a left was enough for me though).
So if old age does not knock me down before I get there, it is likely I will reach a tolerance level up to the full pressure Lott (500 gr @ 2300 fps / 23" barrel) and the .500 Jeffery (535 gr @ 2300 or more fps / 24" barrel).
Stay on that front sight,
Velo Dog.
