So you think you need to own a Stopping Rifle...

Northern Shooter

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And so did I, until recently.

I've made several posts here regarding the various big bores on my journey up the dangerous game/big bore cartridge-ladder and where that dividing line falls between a "hunter" and "stopper" cartridge. I started off with the 375HH and have since added a 416 Rigby, 458 WinMag and most recently a 470 NE.

What I have discovered is that I kind of like the magical line of roughly 5,100 ft-lbs of muzzle energy and 70-75 ft-lbs recoil energy that is exhibited in those last 3 examples. Going above that isn't as much fun.

I've always been curious about the >0.50 cal offerings like the classic 500NE, 500 Jeffery and 505 Gibbs and have always viewed them as exotics along the lines of a Ferrari.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to shoot both a 470NE and 500NE back to back in the same rifle model (Merkel 140) and while some here have said the difference in recoil between the two is negligible , I was able to feel the difference.

I was very comfortable shooting the 470, Afterall it produces roughly the same ballistics as my 458 WM, yet the rifle weighed a full 2 lbs heavier, making the experience enjoyable. The same 11lbs rifle in 500NE was still a push, just a BIG push which raised the muzzle higher, took me longer to reset and let my shoulder know I was shooting a 500.

Knowing that the 500 produces roughly 700 ft-lbs of additional oomph over the 470, and that it's really the entry level of the heavy-hitters has me asking why the need for more? I'm a fairly big guy (6'6'', 260lbs) and have never been recoil shy but I think I may have reached my upper threshold.

A comparable bolt-action like the 458 Lott produces the same energy as a 500 in a much lighter rifle will which be producing in the range of 80-ft-lbs of recoil, The 450 Rigby about 95 ft-lbs and the 500J and 500G over 100-ft-lbs..

While I fully support anyone that chooses to add one of the above cartridges to their stable, I feel like these fall more into the realm of PH stopper cartridges vs what the average North American hunter that may hunt dangerous game a couple times in their life truly requires. Again, if your someone who frequently hunts Elephants then I can see the case for it.

While the 458 WM and 470NE also likely fall into the category of a stopper cartridge I am viewing them more along the lines of "Stopper-Light", closer in performance to the 375s, 404s and 416s than the 458 Lott, 450 Rigby, 500 Jeffery, 505 Gibbs and so on.

When it comes to ammo costs and availability the same divide appears to belong that 470 / 500 line. Here in Canada I have no problem sourcing ammo for my 375/416/458/470 but once you start looking into the 500s, availability plumets and cost per round doubles.

In short, as someone who has recently caught the all things African-hunting bug but has only hunted in North American and will likely only have 1 or 2 opportunities to hunt in Africa, I think I have reached my practical limit in the cartridge world with the 470NE.

As much as I love the mystique, romance and exoticness of the 50cals, I think I will leave that to the PH.

Where do you draw the line?
 
Well… I own a .500NE, and enjoy shooting it more than my .416Rigby…
 
I draw the line at 458 Lott and I use it to shoot elephants. That is all. My buff have all been shot with 375H&H and 404 Jeffery. I feel much better standing 15-20 yards from elephants with the big gun. I don’t practice much at all with the Lott, just enough pre safari to make sure it’s good to go. It’s a Model 70 exactly like my 375 and I’ve shot them all my life. Never feel the recoil in Africa.
 
I have come to many of the same conclusions finding my Model 70 in 416 Remington and an 11 pound double in 470 to be very manageable to shoot and handle.

I have a 458 Lott but it is a lot more felt recoil for me. I think the 416 and 470 of reasonable weight are about perfect for hunting clients who must place the first shot with absolute precision.

The 500s and 458 Lott in my view are tools for professionals seeking to sort out a mess often created by a poorly placed shot of a client.

If you as a client can shot the Lott and 500s as well as something smaller, you are probably the exceptional individual. And like Elmer Keith are pretty much recoil proof.People like that should shoot whatever they can handle. The rest of us are better off with a “light heavyweight “ which still packs a whale of a punch.
 
I agree with the OP! The Lott, 470 Cap, and the 500s are pure stopping rifles for professionals when things go wrong in my view. If you own one and shoot it well great but I don’t see that as a client it’s necessary?
I have a 375 H&H and a 458WinMag and I personally feel that with today’s ammunition and bullets that is a perfect setup for me and something that will work perfectly in the field as they have over the past century…
 
My .416 Rigby bolt rifle suits me well. The elephant didn’t complain. I think I might enjoy owning a double, but will probably be looking in the .450 or .470 neighborhood.

In the brain on ele it doesn’t matter. Aimed perfectly, maybe the .416 penetrates best. The true big bores have the HP to turn a charge or stun a critter if the brain isn’t hit. I’ll leave that to the PH. I doubt I’d shoot them well anyhow…
 
I agree with the OP! The Lott, 470 Cap, and the 500s are pure stopping rifles for professionals when things go wrong in my view. If you own one and shoot it well great but I don’t see that as a client it’s necessary?
I have a 375 H&H and a 458WinMag and I personally feel that with today’s ammunition and bullets that is a perfect setup for me and something that will work perfectly in the field as they have over the past century…
Not that I have any experience with the Big 5 but from what I’ve read it is more than up to the task with modern 450gr-500gr while doing it with minimal difficulty (recoil).

The 458 WM might be the easiest of the bolt- action big bores when it comes to multiple follow up shots on target.
 
My .416 Rigby bolt rifle suits me well. The elephant didn’t complain. I think I might enjoy owning a double, but will probably be looking in the .450 or .470 neighborhood.

In the brain on ele it doesn’t matter. Aimed perfectly, maybe the .416 penetrates best. The true big bores have the HP to turn a charge or stun a critter if the brain isn’t hit. I’ll leave that to the PH. I doubt I’d shoot them well anyhow…
With solids I assume? Did you opt for the traditional 400gr load or one of the heavier 450s?

The 470NE makes a lot of sense for your first double, especially if you skip the 458s.
 
I have found my CZ 416 Rigby all I’ll ever need proven recently on a one rifle Safari where all animals were taken with one shot apiece, excluding a second “insurance” shot on the Buffalo. I’m able to precisely place my shots with this rifle and see no need for a larger caliber yet today I just concluded a deal with luvthunt for his custom Brno 458 Lott! You may ask why? I’m not sure I can answer. I like the look of it, the history of it, and it deserves to go to Africa and slay buffalo, hippo and elephant. So that is my mission for this 458 Lott when I return to African in 2026.
 
I have found my CZ 416 Rigby all I’ll ever need proven recently on a one rifle Safari where all animals were taken with one shot apiece, excluding a second “insurance” shot on the Buffalo. I’m able to precisely place my shots with this rifle and see no need for a larger caliber yet today I just concluded a deal with luvthunt for his custom Brno 458 Lott! You may ask why? I’m not sure I can answer. I like the look of it, the history of it, and it deserves to go to Africa and slay buffalo, hippo and elephant. So that is my mission for this 458 Lott when I return to African in 2026.
Ever shot a 458 Lott prior to the purchase?
 
Ever shot a 458 Lott prior to the purchase?
I have not, just a 458 Win Mag being the largest rifle I’ve shot, which in truth seemed no worse than my 416 Rigby. I believe this Kevlar stocked 458 Lott rifle is only 9 1/2 lbs too without scope, so perhaps on the light side for a 458 Lott. While, I truly won’t know until I take possession and shoot it, I do feel confident I’ll be able to shoot it well. It does have a muzzle brake but I will never use it, the thread protector will remain screwed in for the duration. I will happily do a write up here on AH, as I put the 458 Lott through its paces

My experience level is primarily with 416 Rem Mag, 416 Rigby, 458 Win Mag and 375 RUM. Without any doubt, hands down the worst recoiling rifle I’ve ever shot is my lightweight Remington custom shop 375 RUM without brake, it weighs 8 lbs, still I learned to shoot it accurately.
 
I’ve shot a handful of “stopping” rifles… 458 Lott, 500 NE, and a few others…it’s been cool to experience it.. but all it really did was confirm for me that my 416 is all the rifle I really ever want or need..

Honestly I’ve even considered letting the 416 go and having a 375 as my only DG rifle in the arsenal.. as a client, and more of a buffalo guy than anything else DG, it’s really all I should ever need..
 
I find nothing enjoyable about shooting greater than 375 H&H. For hunting my Sako 375 is shorter, lighter, points faster, I can recover from recoil and reload faster, and it’s scoped. It might not be a stopper but I think many of those attributes make it more valuable than my 450 Rigby in most hunting situations.
 
I personally own and/or have hunted game with a 375 H&H, 375 Weatherby, 404 Jeffery, 416 Rigby, 458 Lott, 460 Weatherby, 470 Capstick, and 500 Nitro Express. Every time I hunted dangerous game I walked away not satisfied with the effect of the cartridge on the animal I was hunting until I started using the 500 Nitro Express. Literally every animal I have shot with the 500NE has had a hard, visceral reaction to taking the bullet...with most of the animals dropping to the shot or staggering only 5-15 yards and falling over.

One of the things I have learned on this cartridge journey from other much-more-experienced hunters is that I cannot shoot anything 375 and above like a North American deer rifle. 375 and above requires me to stand differently, grip and hold the rifle differently, and pull the rifle hard into my shoulder in order to mitigate the effects of recoil and maintain proper control over the rifle so that I can get back on the animal quickly for a followup.

Prior to any dangerous game hunt, I load up several hundred rounds of the lightest load I can develop (Trail Boss is great for this) and practice, practice, and practice some more. During this practice I work up the loads to full power cartridges. Just like hard physical labor develops callouses on the hands, I think repeated practice with my dangerous game rifles and working up to shooting full power loads helps desensitize my body to the recoil such that it feels like I am shooting a 30-06 or 300 Win Mag and recoil becomes a non-issue.

With regard to the OP's statement about "needing" a stopping rifle, for me and me alone it's not that I need a stopping rifle but that I want one because it gives me the results I seek. And, it is just plain fun to me to shoot all the different cartridges and rifles....so much fun that I am now building a 550 Magnum on a Granite Mountain Arms African Magnum action....will post photos of it when the rifle is completed.
 
I have found my CZ 416 Rigby all I’ll ever need proven recently on a one rifle Safari where all animals were taken with one shot apiece, excluding a second “insurance” shot on the Buffalo. I’m able to precisely place my shots with this rifle and see no need for a larger caliber yet today I just concluded a deal with luvthunt for his custom Brno 458 Lott! You may ask why? I’m not sure I can answer. I like the look of it, the history of it, and it deserves to go to Africa and slay buffalo, hippo and elephant. So that is my mission for this 458 Lott when I return to African in 2026.
Congratulations.
Krish
 
For me, the difference in recoil in 375 and 416 is noticeable at the bench, so I no longer shoot my 416 from a bench rest.

But the 416 is pleasant to shoot off shooting sticks, which is how I’m going to shoot it most of the time in Africa anyway.

But if I really shot my 375 better than a 416, and would hunt dangerous game with it and never look back.

I have a friend who has killed 16 cape buffalo with a 9.3x62 so a 375 is certainly more than capable.

I just like the smack down that I’ve seen on critters with my 416.
 

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