500 a square

farmboy

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How ugly is the recoil going to be? I have a 358 sta Magnum that I find easy to shoot. I also have a Browning bps 3 1/2 10 gauge. Shot it with no recoil pad and 2 1/4 oz loads. I knew that. After a recoil pad it is shootable. I found one that I am wondering about. I know I could load it down and or add a brake to get used to the recoil. I don't know how much the gun weights yet I have just seen pictures of it. I do understand that stock fit is almost everything so that will have to be right. I just have never shot one that big. It's built on a cz 550 action. Laminate stock barrel band for front swivel also it looks alright as far as the pistol grip goes quite open there. Thanks for the help.
 
You are looking at 93.2 ft/lb recoil with a 600 gr bullet. As comparison a .375 h and h have 41.8 ft/lb recoil with a 300gr bullet.
Felt recoil will all depend on weight and stockfit.
 
You are looking at 93.2 ft/lb recoil with a 600 gr bullet. As comparison a .375 h and h have 41.8 ft/lb recoil with a 300gr bullet.
Felt recoil will all depend on weight and stockfit.

Ouch....:eek:
 
Way too much for this old man!!!
 
ive never put much stock in the recoil numbers as stock design and fit play a HUGE role in felt recoil. ive shot hundreds of cartridges from my 505 Gibbs using either a 570gr bullet at 2300fps or a 600gr bullet at 2250fps and both loads were quite manageable from the 11 pound rifle.

I admit to not knowing much about the 500 A-square, but from some quick google searching it appears the common load was 600grs at 2470fps. depending on rifle weight the rifle the recoil may or may not be extreme. you also do not need to load the cartridge to these levels as a 570gr bullet at over 2050fps will bring down the angriest game on the planet in short order. with the "standard" load of 600grs at 2470fps I would want the rifle to weigh around 12-13 pounds otherwise shooting could be quite unpleasant. however if loaded down to 570gr at 2100fps (standard 500 NE 3" load) the rifle could be as light as 10 pounds and still not be unpleasant to shoot (assuming the stock fits you).

now for the less pleasant news: from what you've shot in the past I can guarantee you will be completely unprepared for the 500 A-square. shotguns and heavy rifles have nothing in common and do not recoil anything like each other. my first piece of advice is DO NOT FIRE FULL HOUSE LOADS TO START WITH! start with mild loads and work your way up till you find a load you like. how light to start with will depend on how much your rifle weighs and how well it fits you.

I always encourage people to try heavy stopping rifles and guarantee if you start right and work your way up then you will find they are not the monsters people make then out to be. I will happily help you in any way I can if you wish to venture down the road of big bore rifles.

-Matt
 
Matt is right. Do not think shotgun recoil. It will definitely be more than that. As a big game cartridge however I have found the recoil on the 500 A square to be very manageable. I have shot one made by A square with that chunky typical A 2 stock on it -- right handed.
 
Do the mercury recoil reducer s do anything other that add weight?
 
Do the mercury recoil reducer s do anything other that add weight?

Some say yes and some say no. The argument for yes is that the physics behind the "sloshing" reduces the felt recoil. Argument for no is that weight is weight and lead in a stock does the exact same thing.
 
dont worry about adding things to the rifle till youve fired it. just start with some light loads and you will find out if you like it or not. i would be able to help a lot more if you could find out what the rifle weighs.

-matt
 
Agree with light loads but be careful, hangfires can occur if you use a normal powder. There are powders you can use that won't hang fire Accurate 5744 for one. If you call them and tell them what bullet you plan to use they will provide load data. Also I use Federal 215 primers only (they tend to be on the hotter side) in my 500 Jeffery. Don't be afraid of the rifle but treat it with respect and you'll be fine.
 
I was wondering about loads with trail boss and lead bullets. I contacted the seller and he will be back from a hunting trip in ten days so I will know more then. Looks to be a Boyd's classic stock on it. Built on a cz 550 Magnum. No brake
 
thats very light for its chambering, you will either need to download the cartridges and/or add weight to make this this comfortable to shoot. neither is too difficult to do and id recommend a bit of both.

id add around 1-1.5 pounds to the rifle using lead ingots melted to snug fitted sizes (mind the balance of the rifle). then id load the cartridges to around 2100-2200 fps using a 570gr bullet. this would give you a rifle that is comfortable to shoot and more then powerful enough to take any game on the planet.

not having a muzzle break is a great thing, you wont destroy your trackers/PH's ears when you shoot your prized animals.

-matt
 
What would you think of mercury I'm the but stock? I was thinking two fourteen oz ones and then balance the rifle by adding weight in the forearm. My goal on paper was thirteen pounds or a bit more. I have a Schmidt and Bender 1-4 zenith series scope put it on or leave it off?
 
mercury takes up more space then lead and in my opinion doesn't do any more then lead. keep in mind, im betting there is already something in the stock.

I would not scope this rifle, unless your going to do the "scout style" with the scope out on the barrel. getting hit by a scope is never any fun! if your going to put some sort of optic on rifle then I recommend a holographic type sight. I used a Trijicon red dot on my 505 Gibbs for my buffalo hunt and thought it was pretty good.

-matt
 
This gun is low cost for what it is but would I be better off to just spend more and get an off the shelf 416? I have been thinking that perhaps it's a better idea to start smaller. This big rifle comes with a set of dies brass and bullets and when you factor that all in the rifle is close to free. So that appeals to me. I wonder whether you were going g to tell me to leave the scope off. The guy claims nothing in the butt.
 

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