Thread: Shoot…. elephant guns

While I was watching @Norway ‘s excellent lightweight rifle video, this one came to mind. Some of you will have seen it but if you haven’t it’s well worth the time for shits and giggles.

Believe me you’re going to be impressed by the shirtless recoil slow mo!

The real trick is to have rifle fit the shooter correctly. This is not as big an issue for the lighter calibers like 308, 30'06 etc.

I first shot a bunch of double rifles in the US with a friend. I shot calibers from 9.3X74R, 375, 450/400, 470 NE, & 600 NE.

The 450/400 Webley really fit me very well and I shot it very well. I nailed an orange clay target on the mound with the first shot. On the other hand, the 470 NE Chapuis did not fit me and it beat the heck out of me. I had a bruised shoulder, bruised cheek bone and a headache after 4 shots. The 600 NE was a really heavy old Jefferey rifle and the recoil was a big push. It actually pushed me back and I had to take a step back to keep my balance. But it did not hurt.

Later on I bought two rifles. A 416 Rigby in a Kevlar stocked CZ 550 Mag and a 470 NE in a Verney Caron. The 416 Rigby CZ fit me well and I shot it really well. I could shoot 50 meters off hand 5 shots and keep them inside 6 inches regularly. The 470 NE did not fit me as well and it was always a challenge to shoot it. Some days I shot it well and some days I did not.

My friend Grant just could not shoot the CZ 416 Rigby as the scope would regularly cut his eyebrow. He was ok with the 470 NE.

Both rifles were a a lot of fun to platy with for 5 years. Sold them.

So on the 577, you can see the bottom plate opening. The trick is to drill a small hole across the latch button , and thread through a piece of nylon of a diameter close to the hole diameter . Loop it around the from of the trigger hard and melt the two ends together.
This stops the latch from opening under recoil, and you can still, if you need to, cut the nylon with tip of a knife to access the floor plate .

Originally Posted by Friwi

So on the 577, you can see the bottom plate opening. The trick is to drill a small hole across the latch button , and thread through a piece of nylon of a diameter close to the hole diameter . Loop it around the from of the trigger hard and melt the two ends together.
This stops the latch from opening under recoil, and you can still, if you need to, cut the nylon with tip of a knife to access the floor plate .

Yes that bottom plate opening like that was an eye-opener for sure. I imagine there’s a hefty price tag on that rifle, one that would certainly not justify having all your ammunition fall out the magazine just as the cape buffalo turns and charges…..
@Nakihunter, back in the day when I lived in Africa I had a go with most of the big safari rifles at one point or another. Quite a long list as the guys had a proper collection. I’m not really very clued up with the names of different stock shapes, but for sure the type I really don’t like at all are the Montecarlo (?) type where the comb curves down and the butt plate sits quite low in the shoulder. I much prefer stocks that are dead straight and as close to in line with the bore as possible.

I've never seen a more graphic display of recoil, especially the path of if it through the body.

He did way better than I thought he would. Not exactly a big guy.
He also did way better than these chaps https://youtu.be/cGvob-4IsbU?si=Mi8IvTQyiKI3RCw1

Originally Posted by McNotty

He did way better than I thought he would. Not exactly a big guy.
He also did way better than these chaps https://youtu.be/cGvob-4IsbU?si=Mi8IvTQyiKI3RCw1

Yeah, he did.... not sure they knew exactly what they were in for... till after. Great fun to watch.

Originally Posted by McNotty

He did way better than I thought he would. Not exactly a big guy.
He also did way better than these chaps https://youtu.be/cGvob-4IsbU?si=Mi8IvTQyiKI3RCw1

I saw this video some years ago. Sometime after that I was in that very room and looking in wonder at everything, including that shooting tunnel. I knew that monster cal ( .700 cal something IIRC ) was there somewhere and carefully avoided receiving any invitation to shoot it.

dairy cocky mate bought himself a BRNO 458 magnum I did ask when he last saw a rhino in the area offered me a shot politely declined so a mate did - thiabendasol can in paddock - ka boom - drove his thumb back into his nose blood yes I made the right decision ( yes I am chicken )

I have fired the 458 win it is too much gun for me. The Brno in 458 Win (and 375) was part and parcel of African conservation, and widely used by guides. Fortunately, i had a great teacher, who told me to lean into the shot to the point of almost falling forward, and to hold it tight in the shoulder. I was a reedy 65kg whippet back then, and shooting it was a lesson to track well so that you never had to use it in anger. I'm much happier with a 308, although I'm starting to look to downsize in my almost old age.

Had my double at the range the other day - hammer gun with what could be called a 470 BPE. Gave a guy a shot with it, told him it had set triggers. He set BOTH triggers.

Well, it doubled. Two times 475grain projectiles, two times 90gr FFg. The rifle left his hands, but he caught it. One sore hand.

Moral of the story - only set one trigger at a time!

bulldozer driving crushing scrub back of Gisborne carried an old 8mm Mauser hung up in cab drove back up after lunch and big fat sow out where we just finished crushing- sat down with back to an angle post and shot pig but blew shoulder back into post - damn hurt- likely lot of rubbish in barrel did not help - best scope eye 12 year old versus my BSA air rifle - I kept telling him to bring his eye back from scope but no plonked trigger with eye right up to scope - and a perfect circle with claret - and sobbing and howling all my fault - step children can be a pain