Kimber Caprivi 458 Lott weight and recoil

Aussie_Hunter

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I have been looking around for a 416 or 458 Lott for a long time now as they are not the easiest rifles to come by in Australia especially more recently. A lot of the bigger wholesalers/importers have stopped bringing in the bigger calibres and now only bring in the 375H&H's.

All though I love my RSM in 375H&H and will never let it go I have been itching for something with a bit more boom for a while now.

Yesterday I purchased a secondhand Kimber Caprivi in 458 Lott it was just by chance I stumbled across it while actually inquiring about a different rifle. It looks to be in excellent condition (apart from one mark on the stock) and looks like it has spent far more time in a safe than out in the field so I threw an offer at the owner and they accepted. All though I haven't got my hands on it yet I am more than happy with my purchase so far, Kimber seem to have a reasonable reputation and their build quality looks excellent.

The only thing I would have liked is a bit more weight, with the bases, rings and scope I am going to mount on the rifle it will come in at around 9.3 pounds. I believe my RSM bare is around 10.2 pounds? So there is quite a difference in weight and I love the way the RSM tames recoil with that weight it is very comfortable to shoot. Having said all this the CZ's look like they weigh around 9.1-9.3 pounds bare and I am sure there is plenty of people around the world shooting these bare with open sights.

Anyone here had much experience with the lighter weight bigger calibre rifles? My main concern is zeroing the scope off the bench, I have never used a "sissy pad" before but I'm starting to think I may have to invest in one haha
A few photos below of the rifle.
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Nice looking bit of gear! I owned a Sako .500 Jeffery for a couple of years, and put away a few dozen buffalo with it. They are a light rifle compared to the cartridge. It was fine in a hunting situation, but I never put a scope on it. That would’ve been challenging. I imagine that a standing rest could be helpful for scoping a big rifle, but I’ve never scoped more than .375H&H.
 
Nice looking bit of gear! I owned a Sako .500 Jeffery for a couple of years, and put away a few dozen buffalo with it. They are a light rifle compared to the cartridge. It was fine in a hunting situation, but I never put a scope on it. That would’ve been challenging. I imagine that a standing rest could be helpful for scoping a big rifle, but I’ve never scoped more than .375H&H.
The Sako brown bear in 500 Jeffery? How was the recoil? I agree they are definitely not overly heavy for that calibre.
 
Nice looking rifle. The mark on the stock looks like some on my guns. Wearing ear muffs while shooting can mark the stock. I will be keen to hear how it shoots.
 
I have the Kimber in 375 and it is a very pleasant gun to shoot. Never shot one in Lott so I cannot say, but I do think the Kimber stocks manage recoil very well. I have a Ruger RSM in Lott and the recoil is not bad in it, but as you point out it is a heavier rifle.
 
If you hunt a lot, you will carry it much more than you will shoot it. For bench work you can always load it down a bit for practice, then load up when you're going hunting. You will find the recoil pad on that rifle to be the perfect dimension for handling recoil. It's wide enough to spread the recoil over a wide surface on your shoulder.
 
Although I don’t love shooting my Caprivi from the bench, it is quite tolerable.
 
Nice looking rifle. The mark on the stock looks like some on my guns. Wearing ear muffs while shooting can mark the stock. I will be keen to hear how it shoots.
Yeah that mark on the stock is a little disappointing but I don't have any safe queens, all my rifles do work out in the field and this one will be no exception so I am sure there will be a few more knocks on the stock to come yet.
 
Oh yep, I actually looked at this photo yesterday. Nice well that's good to hear it's not as bad off the bench as I thought it would be. And are you happy with yours? Have you done much work with it?
I like the rifle, honestly haven’t spent a ton of time behind it though. What I have shot it though it shoots well and feeds perfectly. I have an EOTech Vudu mounted on her and really like the scope. As you increase the power the circle extends outward until it is completely out of the FOV, making for a much less busy scope.
 
Congratulations on a beautiful rifle Aussie_Hunter!

Weight...
My own .458 Lott is a Mauser 66 that weighs 8 lbs 13 oz. The rifle is certainly a joy to carry, but it is objectively too light. I say "objectively" because even though I shoot it quite well (100% hits on 6" plate at 75 yards off hands), about a dozen full power .458 Lott rounds give me a small headache, which is a sure medical sign of a minor concussion...

Mauser 66 .458 Lott.JPG


Scope...
I never dared put a scope on it, nor did I need it. It shot clover leaf groups at 100 yards when I regulated the iron sight and that was both good enough for me and the only time I shot it from the bench. With aging eyes I increased twice the size of the front sight white bead, and finally put a Docter III red dot on it.

Recoil reducer...
I guess I could tame it considerably by adding 2 or 3 lbs to it, which is easy enough, and for which there is plenty of room in the stock, but in truth I never got to it because I do not shoot it enough. It was obsoleted as my DG stopper rifle when I bought a double .470 NE Kreighoff...

Suggestion...
I would suggest you shoot yours first with iron sights. The .458 Lott recoil is fast and brutal, and is vastly superior to that of a .375 H&H. More than double, to be specific. If it is a bit too much, the classic solution is to add 2 lbs. of weight in the stock. It can be a recoil reducer, or just a lead bar in a hole drilled in the stock. You can easily do it yourself...
If you intend to put glass on it, you likely want to have the 6x48 scope bases holes drilled and tapped to 8x40, and use red Loctite with completely degreased threads and screws when torquing the screws in place...

Enjoy :)
 
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Congratulations on a beautiful rifle Aussie_Hunter!

Weight...
My own .458 Lott is a Mauser 66 that weighs 8 lbs 13 oz. The rifle is certainly a joy to carry, but it is objectively too light. I say "objectively" because even though I shoot it quite well (100% hits on 6" plate at 75 yards off hands), about a dozen full power .458 Lott rounds give me a small headache, which is a sure medical sign of a minor concussion...

View attachment 327920

Scope...
I never dared put a scope on it, nor did I need it. It shot clover leaf groups at 100 yards when I regulated the iron sight and that was both good enough for me and the only time I shot it from the bench. With aging eyes I increased twice the size of the front sight white bead, and finally put a Docter III red dot on it.

Recoil reducer...
I guess I could tame it considerably by adding 2 or 3 lbs to it, which is easy enough, and for which there is plenty of room in the stock, but in truth I never got to it because I do not shoot it enough. It was obsoleted as my DG stopper rifle when I bought a double .470 NE Kreighoff...

Suggestion...
I would suggest you shoot yours first with iron sights. The .458 Lott recoil is fast and brutal, and is vastly superior to that of a .375 H&H. More than double, to be specific. If it is a bit too much, the classic solution is to add 2 lbs. of weight in the stock. It can be a recoil reducer, or just a lead bar in a hole drilled in the stock. You can easily do it yourself...
If you intend to put glass on it, you likely want to have the 6x48 scope bases holes drilled and tapped to 8x40, and use red Loctite with completely degreased threads and screws when torquing the screws in place...

Enjoy :)
Thanks for the info, good to hear from another owner of a relatively light 458 Lott. I am going to shoot it a bit with iron sights but I am 99% sure I will be putting a scope on it, Leupold VX Hog 1-4. I love these scopes I bought a few of them before they went out of production. I am not overly concerned about recoil eye relief issues, these scopes have very generous eye relief having said that though when I first mount the scope and zero it I will be very cautious for the first couple of rounds to make sure I don't end up with a bloody mark above my eyebrow. Thanks again for the info.
 
Fit a recoil reducer in the rear of the rifle stock , it increases the weight as well as reduces the recoil .
 
Fit a recoil reducer in the rear of the rifle stock , it increases the weight as well as reduces the recoil .
Yep I have already talked to my gunsmith about this, if I find the recoil to be too much that will be the plan.
 
IMO one of the perceptions of felt recoil is the degree of muzzle lift and the torque felt by same. The possibility of scope and face contact is greater with degree of muzzle lift. My first Lott was a build on a 1949 MOdel 70 action with a syn stock and it was light. On two occasions during speed practice on a drum slide wire arrangement I failed to seat the rifle on my shoulder as high as it should be and this added to the degree of greater muzzle lift. Yeh, I bled. I decided to Mag Na Port the rifle to reduce the lift and it was a significant improvement. I have put more then 800 rounds through that first 458 Lott in practice and hunting.(over about 30 years)
Just put together another Lott (AHR) a Brno this time and went with a Trijicon RMR. One of the first things we did was port it.
 
I have been looking around for a 416 or 458 Lott for a long time now as they are not the easiest rifles to come by in Australia especially more recently. A lot of the bigger wholesalers/importers have stopped bringing in the bigger calibres and now only bring in the 375H&H's.

All though I love my RSM in 375H&H and will never let it go I have been itching for something with a bit more boom for a while now.

Yesterday I purchased a secondhand Kimber Caprivi in 458 Lott it was just by chance I stumbled across it while actually inquiring about a different rifle. It looks to be in excellent condition (apart from one mark on the stock) and looks like it has spent far more time in a safe than out in the field so I threw an offer at the owner and they accepted. All though I haven't got my hands on it yet I am more than happy with my purchase so far, Kimber seem to have a reasonable reputation and their build quality looks excellent.

The only thing I would have liked is a bit more weight, with the bases, rings and scope I am going to mount on the rifle it will come in at around 9.3 pounds. I believe my RSM bare is around 10.2 pounds? So there is quite a difference in weight and I love the way the RSM tames recoil with that weight it is very comfortable to shoot. Having said all this the CZ's look like they weigh around 9.1-9.3 pounds bare and I am sure there is plenty of people around the world shooting these bare with open sights.

Anyone here had much experience with the lighter weight bigger calibre rifles? My main concern is zeroing the scope off the bench, I have never used a "sissy pad" before but I'm starting to think I may have to invest in one haha
A few photos below of the rifle.
View attachment 327801
View attachment 327802
View attachment 327803
View attachment 327804
View attachment 327805
View attachment 327806
You’d better get the sissy pad and much more. I have one and have only shot it once from the bench and wow it kicks. Planning an Edwards Recoil Reducer if I decide to keep it.
 
IMO one of the perceptions of felt recoil is the degree of muzzle lift and the torque felt by same. The possibility of scope and face contact is greater with degree of muzzle lift. My first Lott was a build on a 1949 MOdel 70 action with a syn stock and it was light. On two occasions during speed practice on a drum slide wire arrangement I failed to seat the rifle on my shoulder as high as it should be and this added to the degree of greater muzzle lift. Yeh, I bled. I decided to Mag Na Port the rifle to reduce the lift and it was a significant improvement. I have put more then 800 rounds through that first 458 Lott in practice and hunting.(over about 30 years)
Just put together another Lott (AHR) a Brno this time and went with a Trijicon RMR. One of the first things we did was port it.
I have also considered porting or a brake but this will be a last resort for me. All though I love the effectiveness of a brake I hate the extra blast and noise. I have also considered a red dot for this rifle as obviously a 458 Lott isn't exactly designed for long distance. I will be doing it a bit of experimenting when it arrives next week.
 

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