The Big Bore Dilemma

[steve white]

Miss the brain with a .416 and one gets the same result. One has to get much heavier than a forty for KO to be a consideration on dangerous game if the shot misses what matters.

I also think your .410 analogy is wrong. It truly is a gun for experts when used on game like quail. However, the .375 will do anything a .40 will do if a premium 300 gr bullet is placed in exactly the same place - solid or SP. I know that is annoying to the forty owners (I would add that I own a .470, .404, and 500/416). Unlike a .410 in an inexperienced wing shooter's hands, the .375 is ideal for the client transitioning from his scoped deer rifle to something that will cleanly kill a buffalo or an elephant.

If you want to use a shotgun analogy, I would say that the .375 is more like a 1 ounce load from a 12 bore when used on upland game. The short shot string makes it just as effective for everything but waterfowl as a heavier load but in most shotgun configurations is far easier to use effectively. I should note that I base that on thousands of pheasants taken with an ounce of No. 6 shot.

Two years since my last post and I have effectively changed my mind...what was it you once said, "broadsword vs rapier?"

 

[colorado]

I believe Jim Corbett used a 450-400 double, also a 275 Rigby (7x57mm Mauser). Of course very few men have the sand and the steadiness under stress of the legendary Jim Corbett

 

[DrBob]

.375H&H is the ultimate all-rounder, the bigger stuff just lets you feel a little more secure if something jumps out to give you a fright.

Dare I say it? Yes. The 375 H&H is the GOAT African calibers.

 

[Tiger2001]

So I sold a .458wm to fund a .375H&H and now I see a .458Lott at a good price.
Do I buy it? Do I need a stopper? I can only carry one and don’t have the hunt planned yet but can someone try describe the difference in recoil. I know it’s hard but any thoughts?

Benefit of the Lott is that you shoot both 458 Lott and 458 WM ammo from it.

 

[Pole Pole]

Recoil! Someone please explain why numerous videos of hunters, including light weight ladies and PH shooting large bore doubles do not seem to suffer from recoil. The guns don’t seem to rise and their bodies remain stationary as if shooting a small bore. I know skill is required but just don’t see it in the videos. Why?

 

[VertigoBE]

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Recoil! Someone please explain why numerous videos of hunters, including light weight ladies and PH shooting large bore doubles do not seem to suffer from recoil. The guns don’t seem to rise and their bodies remain stationary as if shooting a small bore. I know skill is required but just don’t see it in the videos. Why?

Stock fit and good technique starting from the feet and up.

 

[grand veneur]

Recoil! Someone please explain why numerous videos of hunters, including light weight ladies and PH shooting large bore doubles do not seem to suffer from recoil. The guns don’t seem to rise and their bodies remain stationary as if shooting a small bore. I know skill is required but just don’t see it in the videos. Why?

Interesting observation. I rarely watch hunting videos for many reasons and I have never noticed anything like this. Perhaps there is a lot more staged in such videos than expected. I have also participated in promotional videos about hunting and fishing worldwide and that's why I know that not everything really happened as finally represented.

 

[Frederik]

Recoil! Someone please explain why numerous videos of hunters, including light weight ladies and PH shooting large bore doubles do not seem to suffer from recoil. The guns don’t seem to rise and their bodies remain stationary as if shooting a small bore. I know skill is required but just don’t see it in the videos. Why?

You also learn the rilfe as you go you could start with the rifle lifting up high after a shot and then grip the rifle different to stop it from happening.
But Fit is key and standing properly anticipating what is to come and following up on the shot.

 

[grand veneur]

No matter how well trained you are, when you shoot with a big bore rifle everyone can see that the recoil is strong. If it looks like you are shooting with a rifle of smaller caliber, it's a reduced load or it's not a big bore rifle.