I'm in the market for a big bore rifle, but the largest I'd shot previously was a .375 H&H. I was concerned about the additional recoil of a .416 Rigby...though that is my preferred chambering.

Our own Rigbyman was kind enough to let me test drive his Ruger .416 Rigby this morning. It was a hoot. A pretty healthy punch but not unmanageable by any stretch. In fact, I managed to put three shots at 100 yds into a 15/16" group. Off to find my own .416 Rigby now.

THANKS Rigbyman !!!!

I own a 375 H&H and a 458 win mag . Both are Remmington model 700 ABG. The 375 is actually a little heavier as the rifles are identical except there is more steel missing from the inside of the barell in the 458.. I have found the 375 kicks MUCH HARDER. As a matter of fact I find a 375 to be one of the hardest kicking rifles I have shot (the worst was a Weatherby 30-378) I have shot a lot of "big bores" 458 lot, 470 NE 585 Nyati ect ect and I still feel most 375 H&H are like a 300 win mag X 3. The 416 is not a bad rifle to shoot at all. If I did not own a 375 I would consider a 416, perhabs a weatherby.

Felt recoil is pretty subjective. I personally find the .300 mags to be much more sharply recoiling than other calibers in the .338 range and larger. The .375 is not bad at all ... either in the Weatherby Weathermark Alaskan form or the M70 SS Classic form. The .375 H&H to .416 RIGBY is a bigger jump than the jump from .338 WM to .375.

And of course, the Lott is somewhat brighter than the .416 RIGBY. I don't find the .470 NE terribly unpleasant but it certainly is more "interesting" than the .375 H&H.

I shot my .375 yesterday, out of curiosity to see if the scope was still on after a week of hunting in Namibia and the return flight from Africa (in fact POI had shifted an inch left).

Before shooting it, I shot my .280 Rem. and .30-06 (each weighs about 8 lbs. scoped). I found myself feeling a little flinchy.

When I shot my 9.5-lb. .375 it actually seemed more comfortable, maybe because I'd shot it more recently. I also shot a smaller group!

Eventually I readapted my bench technique to the lighter rifles and got back to more normal groups but it convinced me there's a whole lot of psychology to this stuff that we don't pay much attention to.

Howdy, and congradulations!!

How did the recoil compare to the 375? while a step, it wasn't a monstrous change, was it?

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/...=143102515#143102515

Nice shooting - are you going to get yours in a No. 1?

Oh, a CZ 550 eh? I have a CZ in .416, and a Ruger No. 1 .416 barrel I have been planning to put on a No. 1 in .30/'06 that I bought for this project. Unfortunately, the thing shot so well as an '06, I'm having trouble getting it to the 'smith to swap barrels.....

I'm ordering a CZ 550 from Ozark Guns out of NC on Monday as well as a Leupold 1.5x5 from Bear Basin Outfitters.

I didn't think the recoil was all that much more severe than the .375 H&H I'd shot previously. That one was a Ruger No1 though. I'd imagine gun weight and stock design were as important as chambering.

This big bore bit is a whole lot of fun.

quote:

Originally posted by Badger Matt:
I'm ordering a CZ 550 from Ozark Guns out of NC on Monday as well as a Leupold 1.5x5 from Bear Basin Outfitters.

I didn't think the recoil was all that much more severe than the .375 H&H I'd shot previously. That one was a Ruger No1 though. I'd imagine gun weight and stock design were as important as chambering.

This big bore bit is a whole lot of fun.

See, ole jeffe wasn't funnin ya, now, was he?

I think you will do just fine. Let me know when you want to get to the club when the weather gets a little cooler.