Compare Recoil

Hi everyone,

From your experience in general, How would you grade from 0 to 10 and giving 10 to 470, the recoil of:

300 Win Mag
9,3x62
375 H&H
416 Rig
450/400
470

I will compare everything to the 375 H&H. I think the 300 Win Mag is half as much recoil. And I think the 416 Rigby is twice as hard as the 375 H&H. Have not shot the 9.3x62...450/400 or 470.

A lot depends on the platform and weight of the gun. Never fired the .416 or .470. But by your scale. The .375 about a 6, the 9.3x62 a 3.5, the .300 WM a 4, the .450-400 (Ruger No.1) a 7. I have fired the .458 Win and give it a 8.5 with full power loads.

I would add my .404 Jeff to the list at about a 6.5 (CZ 550 at 10#).

sestoppelman, of course I know a lot depends on the gun weight, platform, etc as allways when we talk about recoil.

So, it seems both of you agree in 375 H&H recoil is doble than 300Win Mag...
And sestoppelman, from your experience 404 Jeff is almost the same as 375 H&H?

nsok,

Yes, again within the confines of the specific platform, ie, my .375 compared to my .404. Bearing in mind my .404 weighs about 3 pounds more than my .375.

And do you really feel 375 H&H recoil double than 9,3x62?

I do yes. Others may disagree strongly. Its subjective.

Thank sestoppelman. You are right, talking about recoil is always subjective

From my experience shooting both the .375 and .416, the Rigby is not quite double. Mine is a CZ550 and with the 400gr at 2350, it is around 58ft/lbs. I owned a Ruger #1 some years ago that felt much worse.

Here is a good post by michaelhh375 on this subject: RECOIL!

Thanks Jerome. I knew that post, I just wanted to know about these specific calibers from the experience.

Per canuck416 statement. I too found that the Ruger No. 1 rifle in the heavy hitters seems to kick harder than similar weight rifles of different style like a bolt gun. I dont know why this should be other than the wimpy pads they use. I love the style of the No.1 stock and they have a good length of pull and fit me well but are not fun to shoot in the big bores.

I have shot back to back on my last trip my light weight 9.3x62 and Chris Troskies factory Ruger 77 .375H&H. Recoil was almost identical with the .375H&H marginally 'heavier'. I believe he was shooting lighter weight X bullets in it.

I was surprised as I expected the .375 to have more.

I also own a factory CZ .416 Rigby and to me it is easily double+ that .375 H&H.

There are lots of variables in this.

Nsok, to show just how subjective FELT recoil can be, coupled with the effect of being fired from different platforms (remember, these are my personal impressions of recoil based on rifles I have/do own, and others I have fired);

1) I find any of the three different 458 Lotts I have owned to be more comfortable (easier on the shoulder) than any 416 Rigby I have ever fired (full power 416 loads come back much faster than the Lott which is more of a heavy push, than a fast kick)

2) several different 470 Nitro doubles I have fired to be slightly more comfortable (easier on the shoulder) than my full power loads in my Lotts (most of the double 470's I have fired have been very generously weighted at 10lbs and more).

3) my light-weight Rem 700 mountain rifle in .375 H&H extremely comfortable to shoot, more so than a CZ 550 I have in the same calibre that weighs more than a pound heavier (the stock shape and dimentions of my Rem are ideal for me as compared the the Cz stock).

4) most .375's to have been more comfortable (easier to manage) to fire than the, two only, .300 Wby's I have ever fired.

5) have noticed a trend of felt recoil, (on me at least), that cartridges with sharp shoulders, e.g the Wby range, will tend to produce more felt recoil than counterpart tapering rounds. Personally, I find it easier to manage the recoild from a well stocked .338 than firing a .300 Wby.

From my personal perspective, the main factors which appear to have major bearing on the level of "recoil-impact" on me when firing;
* projectile weight X velocity
* stock fit/configuration
* muzzle blast

For me personally, (I have substantial hearing loss, a direct result of exposure to repeated muzzle blast) I experience some 1/3 less (as close as I can judge) actual felt recoil when using hearing protection as opposed to when not.

Proper stock fit and familiarity will go a long way to "taming" felt recoil in big bores but I concede that we all have our individual limits.
I guess I was fortunate, in a way, to have grown up as a young lad accustomed to firing great volumes of 12g rounds at frequent intervals.

These days, after having fired many hundreds of rounds of 458 Lott ammo in the field and over the bench that, for me, knuckling down on the bench with my favourite .375 has become rather mundane and uneventful.

I conceed that there will be many that dissagree with my "perspectives" as I see many different hunters in the field each year, of different shapes and sizes, firing different rifles, all essentially chambered in the same range of big bores, .375, 450/400, 404, 416, 458, 500 and most all displaying different levels of managability and control over the recoil produced in those rifles.

Not much help to you I realise, as I understand from your post you are trying to gauge your ability to cope with the level of cartridge you intend buying.

My suggestion would be to try and find the best fitting rifle in that cartridge, find someone who owns one and test fire it (with moderate loads) off-hand, or from shooting sticks whilst wearing proper hearing protection. If you find that you are able to have some reasonable level of managability, understand that altering the stock of your chosen rifle to best suit your fit, and plenty of familiarity with that rifle will eventually lead to dampening the effects of that recoil.

Also remember this, we have a higher portion of one shot kills on buffalo from hunters placing their first shot well with a comfortable .375 than with all the other cartridges combined !

Sorry for the long winded reply but recoil is a constant factor in my life for both myself and my clients, and although I am aware of, and acknowledge, that not everyone will ever be comfortable with the likes of a 458 Lott or a .500 nitro I believe there is a lot of "whooey" out there written about recoil that prevents some hunters from ever realising the wonderful benefits provided by some of these cartridges when the correct procedures of rifle fit and familiarisation have been addressed.

Paul.

Thanks Paul for your post! Write as long and often as possible...we love your posts.

I agree 100 percent with your post, proper rifle fits helps so much it is hard to underestimate it's effect. And I agree with you, some cartridges by design (Weatherby) are rougher on the body than others. I would not be afraid to shoot any of the big bores at a paper target as long as the gun had a good recoil pad on...and I think that is a good way to see if a gun is too big for you.

The 416 Rigby is a lot of gun for me.

Than you Paul, and yes, lot of help, coming from your experience, not only from books.
And thanks for all the other answers.

My 500 Jeffery shooting 570g TSXs at 2410 fps is double the recoil of a 375 H&H shooting 300g bullets at 2550. I'm assuming an 8.5 lb 375 H&H and a 10.25 lb 500 Jeffery, both weighed without scope, sling or ammo. I have both, so I can't imagine a 416 Rigby or 470 NE kicks as much as my 500 Jeffery unless they are very very light. Of course, if the 375 H&H is at the top end of your recoil tolerance (no issue with that), than a 416 Rigby might seem like it has twice the recoil. Here's a link to recoil calculator online that I like a lot...

Recoil Calculator

Originally Posted by AfricaHunting.com

Here is a good post by michaelhh375 on this subject: RECOIL!

Very good post.