njc110381
AH enthusiast
I thought I'd post this up as I had a bit of an odd day at the range yesterday. As always I took my .416 Rigby to put a few shots down - remind myself what it's like to shoot and keep myself on form. Somehow though it was very different to what I've got used to expecting.
It's been a bit of a game of endurance so far. I started off, as some of you may well remember from my posts, thinking that as I'd had a .375 previously the .416 would be easy to shoot. I was instantly proven wrong! So the battle commenced and I've slowly gone from dreading it, to accepting it and being ok but very much having it in the back of my mind that this thing is going to thump me! Yesterday though the first shot didn't feel like it rocked me. I put a few more down it and put it back in the case, but could happily have put another couple of magazines through it and still felt happy with it.
I think I've probably made it to where I want to be. Next time I pick up the rifle it will be my last experience that I remember - a few pleasant shots, nothing to be tense about. That's nice to know, I think now is the time to start hunting with the rifle. It will only be used for deer here in the UK but it's hunting none the less, and all good field experience.
I felt that this was worth a mention for all the other new shooters who will come along. No doubt I won't be the first or the last to fire a rifle this size and be a little overwhelmed by it. It's nice to be able to say that if you stick with it, you'll get there in the end. A big bore rifle never really hurts you but learning to stand there and calmly release all that energy knowing full well it'll rock you a bit isn't something that happens over night. It didn't for me at least!
It's been a bit of a game of endurance so far. I started off, as some of you may well remember from my posts, thinking that as I'd had a .375 previously the .416 would be easy to shoot. I was instantly proven wrong! So the battle commenced and I've slowly gone from dreading it, to accepting it and being ok but very much having it in the back of my mind that this thing is going to thump me! Yesterday though the first shot didn't feel like it rocked me. I put a few more down it and put it back in the case, but could happily have put another couple of magazines through it and still felt happy with it.
I think I've probably made it to where I want to be. Next time I pick up the rifle it will be my last experience that I remember - a few pleasant shots, nothing to be tense about. That's nice to know, I think now is the time to start hunting with the rifle. It will only be used for deer here in the UK but it's hunting none the less, and all good field experience.
I felt that this was worth a mention for all the other new shooters who will come along. No doubt I won't be the first or the last to fire a rifle this size and be a little overwhelmed by it. It's nice to be able to say that if you stick with it, you'll get there in the end. A big bore rifle never really hurts you but learning to stand there and calmly release all that energy knowing full well it'll rock you a bit isn't something that happens over night. It didn't for me at least!