.470 NE versus .500 NE Felt recoil

Your future looks designed for a 450/400NE.

 

I had my rotator cuff fixed about 25 years ago. I was told by the surgeon that shooting wouldn’t be a problem. I shoot all sorts of Calibers including .375, 450/400 and .458 win mag. I wear a shoulder pad when I’m at the range but my shoulder has never given me any problems from shooting. Let it heal and do the rehab religiously and hopefully you’ll be ok to go.

 

What a .470NE feels like

 

What a 500NE feels like

 

Rookhawk and Doug Finn; thank you both for those comments. I haven’t really had to think about heavy calibers much lately as I’ve just been rehabbing and trying to get ready for duck season.

Last year, prior to surgery, it was painful even shooting a 20 gauge. For this coming season, I’ve purchased a Beretta A400 in 28 gauge and with a rebuilt shoulder, those mallards are in trouble. Good thing is, since surgery I’ve had no pain, whereas it hurt constantly before getting it fixed.

I’m Taking my son buffalo hunting in northern Tanzania at the end of this season, now he will be the only one shooting. My next buffalo hunt looks like May of 2021.

 

When you go to Africa you could be faced with a charge. It may be the animal you shoot, one someone else shot on another hunt and wounded or that animal could be pissed off just because you're in his neighborhood. Anything is possible in Africa.That .500 Nitro will be the best bet if you're faced with this issue .

 

I call excess recoil dwelling in ‘the stupid zone’.

I find that I can tolerate level 2 stupid in my own acts of recreational stupidity.

The chart reads left to right - caliber and load - weight of gun - felt recoil in foot pounds.

You’ll note that the absurd 4 bore with its 115gr of bluedot at 1480fps using a 2000gr bullet in a 25lb gun only puts 133lbs of felt recoil! Ironically, the .577NE and .600NE are also painfully stupid to one’s shoulder!

The “it gun” these days is the 450/400 NE for double rifles and the .404 Jeffery, its ballistic twin, in the magazine rifle configuration. 51 lbs of recoil is quite low when shot off shooting sticks, about what a 20 gauge slug or a 3.5” 12 gauge waterfowl load produces. That’s the charm... it’s only “level 1 recoil stupid” and will kill everything you wish to hunt on planet earth, but it truly is “just right” or thought as ideal for Buffalo. Because I like the push versus whack of the 470 versus the 500, and better penetration ever so slightly, and less recoil ever so slightly, I top out with my 470 on what I’m willing to shoot. Consider me “level 2 stupid” according to my shoulder!

My humorous rant was meant to illustrate just how effective of a double rifle you can obtain with how little recoil by selecting the 450-400. If you buy a modern one, get the 20 gauge barrels as well and you can shoot it a ton on clays so you can practice less with the rifle load. Off of bipod shooting sticks where you can sway, and with a good recoil pad installed, this is doable with your shoulder condition. It’s 25% more recoil than a 375h&h....you can do it!

.450/.400-3" (400 at 2150)

9.0

51.


.470 N.E. (500 at 2150)

11.0

69.


.500 N.E. (570 at 2150)

12.0

74.


.577 N.E. (750 at 2050)

12.0

127.


.600 N.E. (900 at 1950)

12.0

154.


4 Bore (2000 at 1480)

25 .0

133.

 

I fired a .470 NE Double rifle in Australia in few times. It's certainly not a gun you'd want to shoot the whole day , but altogether l wouldn't say it was uncomfortable... Until my friend , Clay loaded both barrels of the gun. Apparently that gun has a nasty habit of making both barrels go off sometimes if both barrels are loaded. I didn't believe this " Hocus pocus " and so told Clay to load both barrels once. I pulled the right trigger. The gun kicked harder than a mule and l actually DID feel a lot of pain . Both barrels DID go off. After that day , whenever l fire Clay's double when l am in Australia , l do what he does : load only one chamber.
P.S : I know practically nothing about Double rifles ( l prefer bolt action, lever actions or repeaters more , as a matter of taste ) . But l understand that double discharges can happen in some rifles from time to time ? Someday , l do wanna fire the same model of double rifle which Stewart Granger had .

 

As far as recoil I shot a CZ 550 Safari Magnum in .458 Win Mag W/some hot reloads (500 grain Hornady's at 2150fps) I could shoot 10 or more as long as I held the rifle tight to my shoulder from some type of standing rest and no bench rest. The .500 is a little stouter kick but manageable with not much hurt at all to me.