Shooter's Point of View Firing Elephant Rifles (video) .450, .470 Nitro, .505 Gibbs

[Justin]

Let's leave Jerry out of this, pretty sure he isn't even human!

I've met Jerry.

He's really nice for an android that was built for the sole purpose of shooting faster than anyone else.

 

[Ardent]

Ha! I bet, and seems he only gets faster with age, suspicious.

 

[H&Hhunter]

You've certainly nailed it H&H, none of the big stuff will ever be the excellent all rounder the .375 is, and for 99% of situations that's more than is required. There is something fascinating about the 1% however, isn't there. As for .404, would love one myself, likely the classiest medium bore.

What a coinkydink I just happen to have a .404 for sale at the moment.

 

[Ardent]

Wish I could, pretty well tapped out with Ele and Rhino this winter. One day! Going through a herd reduction myself.

 

[BigG]

The 460 Weatherby is a real shoulder workout.

 

[Ardent]

Indeed, the .505 here is exactly the same in recoil as a .460, in velocity, and recoil energy. The .505 of course is capable of being uploaded well beyond that, power for which I've yet to find an application. The .450 Rigby here as H&H mentions is also extremely similar to the .460, with 95% of the same case capacity and launching the exact same bullet. It is very stiff in this lightish short barreled carbine with top handloads, and indistinguishable to any shooter or game alive from the .460.

 

[tark]

I have fired just about every elephant caliber, in every type of rifle, on a range in Northern California, thanks to a wonderful old gentleman named Ray Meyer. Ray hunted extensively in Africa during the twenties and thirties of the last century. His story and how I met him have been covered in an earlier post.

The only smokeless calibers that really hurt to shoot were the 577 and 600 nitro expresses. The real pain was in the old 8 and 4 bore guns. Don't believe these stories about a "gentle push, or shove" Their recoil was violent and painful. The 4 bore pushed a 2000 grain conical bullet with 385 grains of 1-F. The gun weighed 21 pounds and generated over 200 ft-lbs of recoil. A 458 in a nine pound gun has about 70, if memory serves me correctly. So go figure.

Ray assured me that during a charge, recoil was the last thing on your mind...

 

[Frostbite]

Would you be kind enough to provide a commented illustration of the correct shooting stance with such a rifle from another angle than the one shown in the video? I doubt the one I am using with my .22LR from a bench would be the best suited for that role

 

[Ardent]

Good stuff tark, he sounds like quite the fellow and adventurer. I've been charged and he is right, in fact some may do better but I wasn't even actively thinking about aiming, I didn't have time to. That's why I practice instinctive shooting like with the 7x57 at the end of the video. The only thing to do in a charge is trust yourself and face it, I have to admit I turned once to get out of the way, on the only dedicated charge I've faced, and lucky I lived to tell about it. It's not the noble and exciting charge story you dream of. The only thing that saved me was a well placed tree. I like to think I learned my lesson and face everything now, stand your ground and keep cool. Easier said than done sometimes, especially when you're alone.

Frostbite I'd be happy to, I will try and do some in the next couple days, I've had people ask here in Canada as well and about time I do a couple positioning pics.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

I agree with Ardent. I do NOT like the .450 Rigby. Like him I thought it should have been the bee's knees. Then I shot one. It has a very sharp and uncomfortable recoil pulse IMO. It reminds me of a .460 Weatherby.

A 416 Rigby necked up to 45 is basically a beltless 460.

 

[H&Hhunter]

jim,

Exactly the only real difference is the lack of double radius shoulder thus a bit smaller capacity in the .450 rigby.

 

[Robert]

H&H you can't sell the 404, just leave it to me. I promise to give it a good home and shoot it once a month...since I could not afford that rifle in the next ten years...

 

[H&Hhunter]

Robert,

To late.....

 

[Ardent]

The .450 Rigby, while my favourite iteration, has been produced in many guises before the new Rigby company branded it theirs. The .450 Dakota is of course utterly identical less for a couple minor spec differences, and as H&H points out the .460 Weatherby is so close it's silly too. But when you own a name like "Rigby" you get the privilege of calling it yours, even if late to the party.