Thoughtful. Prudent. Properly conservative. Introspective. Perhaps a wee skosh better educated today than a couple of days ago...

All of those things I can believe about you, Bill. But a WIMP?

NEVER.

Alberta Canuck

If it ain't below .470 in head diameter,175gr. bullet weight, 57mm in length and .284 bullet diameter the fun in shooting it has seriously deminished. I for a majority of one will step aside and let the young Turks prove their manhood. I just got a CZ 527 A merican in .222 . What a joy. I shot a.17 cal in the same rifle the other day and liked it better. roger

Bill
I feel your pain!!!!!!!!!!
I have a No 3 Ruger in 45-70, I have never been hit
so hard as that with a big load of 3031 behind a 405
gr bullet. Now I load it for fun, 10 or 12 grains
of unique. Then it is fun for anyone to shoot.
Lyle

Bill:
I've managed up to a .416, with a well-designed stock and muzzle brake, offhand, with no discomfort.

OTOH, I have an old Remington 30S in .30-06 with a hard plastic butt plate and a lot of pitch on the comb. Even with the PAST shoulder pad, you really feel the whack. With all the pitch the recoil sends the comb right into your cheek- after 2 shots, it gets painful. Instant flinch.

Anymore, if I'm testing groups or zero with a thumper, I just break out the Lahti rifle rest / evaluator. It tolerates the pain better than I would.

Bill: I feel your pain, and we have something in common. When I was in college, a friend was fighting Hvywt. Golden Gloves. I had fought a bit and weighed about 170 at the time. I sparred with him one day; he never did get a clean shot to my head, don't know if it was skill or luck. The body blows felt like somebody hitting me with a sledge hammer; I saw stars on every one.

A few weeks ago I came to the same conclusion about myself. I took my 7 1/2 lb. 375 H&H to the range along with my T/C Encore in 45-70 that weighs about 6 pounds.

I was firing 270 gr. loads through the 375 with out a bit of problems, and when finished I pulled out the 45-70. I had loaded some ammo with 400 grain bullets and a stout charge of Rl-7. The hammer dropped and I was given the most rude jolt from I rifle I had ever felt. I placed a couple sand bags behind the butt and fired a few more rounds that were tolerable, even with the wicked muzzle flip. I finished the day with a round offhand, without any added recoil protection. The punisment was delivered with avengance, and even with 4+ inches of eye relief, I felt the scope brush by.

At one time I thought that I would punch the barrel out to 45-90 for some extra zing. Lucky for me I fired it first, as at this weight the recoil is in the abuse catagory.