I have seen many posts concerning the weight of big bore rifles but am interested in seeing the subject treated in a more direct manner. In your opinion, what is the ideal weight of a big bore rifle for the following calibers:

.375 H&H
.404 Jeffery
.416 Rigby
.458 Lott
.505 Gibbs

My interest is not in the lightest weight possible but the best balance of weight to felt recoil. Disregard muzzle breaks in the analysis.

I'm not really a big bore fan as I'm recoil sensitive. I'm a gunsmith and have built a number of them though. I recommend a rifle .375 & up to weigh at least 10#. It should balance just ahead of the magazine IMO. These guns usually point and come up nice. they swing and hold pretty steady in situations where the pucker factor & fatigue can be considered.
But then, I like my med bore rifles to be in the 8# range too for holding & shooting. I've built some light weight rifles for customers, even taking it to extremes, with drilled out parts to save wt & substituting alum for steel components (see sig below ).
I lightened up a Browning .375 for a customer last year for an African trip and he liked the weight but later said he couldn't shoot it as well offhand & the recoil was "brutal". When he picked it up he asked if I'd "test fired" it & I told him I saved that honor for him ).

My gunsmith built a braked <7 Lb Weatherby 378 magnum for a guy a couple of years ago. We still shake our heads over that one.

375 and 404 - 8# to 8.5
416 and 458 - 8.5 -9.5
(just about any sporting 50) 9.5-10.5#

The opinion of chuckhawks



http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_weight.htm

quote:

No rifle that can comfortably be carried for long periods in one hand is really heavy enough to tame the recoil of cartridges such as the .30-378 Weatherby, .338-378 Weatherby, .375 Weatherby, .375 Ultra Mag, .378 Weatherby, the various .416's, .458 Magnums, and so forth. Rifles for these cartridges need to be as heavy as the hunter can endure, preferably 12-13 pounds or even more.

13 pounds for any of the above is absurd. Only 577 NE and above need that kind of weight.

I prefer a little heavier on the rifle and a little less kick on the other end. But every one is different. Thats why some guys like 15 lb rifles and some think they are useless peices of shit.

I fired a Mod 70 375 H&H this weekend without a scope and it felt very light compared to my 7mm08 Varmint with H-S precision stock which weighs 8.5.
I did not feel the recoil was that bad from a sitting position. Maybe like a 12 gauge. I think if it were 8.5 to 9 lb it would have been rather pleasant to shoot.

With all due respect to Dan, I think the 500 3 inch nees to weigh at least 15 pounds! When I find one that weight, I'll shoot a 500 NE again!

Seriously, my 404 Jeffery weighs 9.5 pounds sans scope. With 400 grain bullets and 2250 FPS you know you got ahold of something when you shoot it off the bench!

Without a scope:

.375 H&H = 9-1/2
.404 Jeffery = 10-1/4
.416 Rigby = 10-1/2
.458 Lott = 11
.505 Gibbs = ??

I generally agree with ForrestB's list with a few variations/additions (I substituted a .500 A2 for the .505, because that's what I shoot in a .500 class, and I don't have a .404):

.375 H&H - 10 lbs. w/ scope, 9 lbs. w/out.
.416 Rigby or Rem. - 11.5 lbs. w/ scope, 10.5 lbs. w/ out.
.458 Lott - 12 lbs. w/ scope or 11 lbs. w/out.
.500 A2 - 13 lbs. w/ scope or 12 lbs. w/out.

These are probably on the heavy side for most shooters, but I like a long, heavy contoured barrel, for the steadiness it offers.

With a well balanced rifle, the extra weight will not be a factor in shooting, except to help attenuate the recoil.

As for carrying, I have not had a problem carrying a 12 lb. rifle all day long. Maybe some day I will, but so far, so good.

.375 with scope-10 lbs
.404 with scope-11 lbs
.416 without scope-12 lbs
.458 Lott without scope-13 lbs
.505 Gibbs at 2350 fps - 13-14 lbs -no scope

Like others, I insist on a rifle with a reasonable swing weight and great balance. It must swing to the shoulder and be ready. 12-13 lbs is not too much to carry in Africa IMO, we are not climbing mountains. Also, a removable sling is available and if you are too fatigued--the game scout can be bribed, but not in the jesse or on any final approach.

Dak

Of those I only have the H&H. Mine has a 21" barrel, balances just forward of the trigger guard, and scoped weighs just over 9 lbs. Brought to shoulder in field attire the crosshairs are centered, it swings well, and recoil in not a problem. Is the weight ideal? I'll just say that for all day carry I'm glad it doesn't weigh more.

Can't resist giving my 2 cent worth:

W/O Scope
375H&H 8 - 8 1/2lbs
404/416 9lbs
458wm (couldn't resist this since it is my fovorite) 9 1/2 - 10lbs
458Lott shooting 500grs @ 2250fps+ 10 - 10 1/2lbs
505 ?

JPK

there are so many variables.....for me the first question is will one of the trackers carry it?.....will I have it in a horse scabbard?.......is it likely to be carried by me all day long?

I prefer my rifles light but under certain circumstances they don't matter.

I wouldn't want any true big bore under 8 pounds however as there must be some recoil absorbing weight to them.

without scope:
8.5
9
9
10
12...based on very enjoyable shooting ten-twelve rounds of 600gr bullets at 2200fps.

Rich
DRSS