"I am so tired of those people who suggest the Weatherby .338-378 isn't a flexible cartridge. It's mostly those wimps with the heavy barreled .22 centerfires, or .243's making all the noise. 'Whine, whine, whine... muzzle brake... yap, yap, yap... stop, my ears are bleeding...' It's always something."

from:
"A varmint load for the .338-378 Weatherby"
at http://www.realguns.com/

-Bob F.

I have found an upside to shooting my .404jeffery off the bench. Everything else I shoot seems to recoil a lot less. My .338-06 is now like a varmint rig, even the .338mag is now pleasant to shoot from the bench.

Plus you get to feel power. REAL POWER!!

Fred,
A typical day at the range for me is 25-40 rounds of 500 jeffe, followed by a round of skeet...

I can't even feel my 12 ga coachgun go off then

jeffe

JCN, LOL. Yes whenever I take even my little .404 to the range, it usually brings people over to see what kind of canon I'm shooting. I must admit, I love shooting it. I couldn't say the same for the 9# .458Lott I had, ouch.

Ain't it grand putting in ear plugs and putting on the muffs as well, squinting your eyes and opening your mouth so the overpressure wave doesn't blow out your sinuses, and torching off the old howizter under the tin roof over the benches...
I mean dogs start barking, kids start crying, cows miscarry, and Mr. Rambolina with the tricked out Wilson Combat Masterpiece 1911 comes over and whines: "Hey man, that's kind of loud."
Then you take off the muffs and say "What?" "Oh, my shirt." "Yeah it is kind of bright."
JCN

I've noticed that every time I take my .416 Rem to the range it only takes me 2 or 3 rounds before the benches around me have been abandoned and I'm shooting all alone. I kinda like shooting alone.

when there's a gang of us, with everything from 577, 500 jeffe, 470 mbogo, 458 win, 416 rigy, 376 steyr, and a 58 cal double smokepole thrown in, well, teh sks and ar guys LEAVE and a crowd gathers...

jeffe

I agree! I was shooting my .470 Capstick at the range one day, when a guy I know through SCI offered me the opportunity to shoot his .458.

It was like shooting a .30-06 compared to the recoil of the Capstick.

George

<<<<<<<<<I've noticed that every time I take my .416 Rem to the range it only takes me 2 or 3 rounds before the benches around me have been abandoned and I'm shooting all alone. I kinda like shooting alone. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

very funny but true. My 460 and 378 gives me the elbow room I need at the range. But the downside is that some people bitch to the range master about the blast. I dont use a muzzle break..

I don't mean to suggest I'm anywhere near the freak you all are, but I've had a little taste of big bore action, and I like it. From the little I know firsthand, there's a few comments about the experiences posted that I can relate to, so I'd like to share.

I've played with a 458WinMag and a 416 Rigby, and it always gets some attention. I usually shoot these standing while surrounded with people seated at benches. The noise and muzzle rise usually draw some stares. The shiteating grin on my face just confirms for them that I am indeed a nutcase.

About the AR and SKS crowd, it's the same at my range. Even when there's a waiting list they won't take an open bench among the old guys with their blackpowder (ML and cartridge) rifles.

These guys are friendly with me because I show them respect, spot for them, help them put up gongs at long range and I'm interested in what they're shooting. That's how I've gotten the chance to shoot the Rigby, 50-140, 50-90, 577-450 Martini and a whole bunch of stuff I can't even remember.

I have read every post on this thread, now I know where they got the idea to make the TV Series "DEADWOOD", all you tough bastards were raised there no doubt!

Ray,

I think that show is terrific! I find Calamity Jane absolutely charming. Her looks and vocabulary remind me of my ex-wife.

George

I must be getting old. I worked my way up through the 500 A-Square/510JAB, then got to shoot 43 rounds of stout loads of a 577 TRex with 750 to 900 grain bullets.

I had never experienced the amount of axial torque that the 577 TRex supplied. This made me reconsider my pursuit of recoil.

I don't need any detached retinas nor brachial plexopathy.

I am thinking of loading my .510/460 WBY 570gr XLC's and FN's down from 2400-2450 fps to 2200-2250 fps for comfort sake on my end of the rifle. The critter on the other end won't know the difference inside of 200 yards. I could do without the scope on this rifle too.

I was getting ready to build a .585 Nyati, until I met the Trex.

Now in my enlightened, shock-therapied brain, I conceive of lesser rifles as better for me. I have back tracked gradually through 470 Mbogo, 470 Capstick, 470 NE, 45 Lapua, 458 Lott, 416 Rigby/Barnes Supreme/Remington/Taylor, 378 Wby, 375 RUM/Wby/H&H/Taylor ... then back up to 404 Jeffery.

I have to admit, the .404 Jeffery is amazingly light of recoil for the ballistics it delivers. 2400 fps and 400 grains of bullet, all for just 81 grains of Varget.

About 20% less powder than a .416 Rigby load of equal ballistics, aye, the .404 Jeffery is the gentle giant, but does get the pressures up about 10,000 psi over the Rigby.

All old hunters will eventually be shooting .404 Jeffery rifles. Not all bold hunters will, however.

Deadwood, SD is still about as vulgar as the miniseries was. Nothing but casinos! And none of them belong to the Red Man!

Our range is just a 200 and 500yard clearing in the bush, but it has a 30 ft long covered shooting bench.
Most of the time we (my buddy and me) go there we are alone.
We always shoot at the far end of the bench from each other,be cause I only have big guns.
However Kurt would not allow me to shoot my 500AS with a brake on it from under the roof.
The one and only time I fired it there it made him allmost fall of his chair and blew all his neatly stacked targets all over the place.

Martin

Yep, I have experienced the range-clearing phenomenon when shooting either a 50 BMG or the 500A2's.



The 500A2 Ruger No.1 with scope and muzzle brake is comfortable at 12.5 pounds.



The .510/460Wby BRNO ZKK 602 goes bare (express sights and unloaded) at 10#-10 oz., or goes with screw-on brake, scope, sling, and 4 rounds of ammo at 13 pounds. Full power loads are comfortable with the brake, but 11 pounds loaded, with express sights only AND NO BRAKE, is the most rifle weight and recoil that I would even consider for the veld. 500A2 is it for me. End of the line.



Guess I have done all I can do in this field of endeavor. But I can still see with both eyes and I have full use of all four limbs. I am thankful.

A friend's 14-year-old daughtor shoots two 50 bmg rifles just for the shock effect. She is already very attractive and has covey of followers. She waits for the crowd to press in close on the sides before she touches off her shot blowing the guy's baseball hats off. She has very good muzzle breaks on the rifles- I don't know how one can stand the blast and recoil of the heavy hitters you guys are shooting.

You have a point Fred. I shoot my 458 a fair bit and have got used to it. When I bought my 300 Weatherby last month I let off the first few shots and thought MMMMM this is nice ,no recoil, must be the stock or recoil pad. Jeeze I remember years ago ,I was even flinching when firing the heavy 303 I had as a young fella.Now I dont even feel the recoil when using my 308 in BR Hunter or field rifle competitions while every one else uses their 6PPCs and 222s