Most African professional hunters will tell you that if an American hunter shows up on safari with a rifle caliber over a .375 Holland and Holland Magnum, he will be a lousy shooter because Americans generally are afraid of the recoil that comes from shooting the traditional big-bore charge stoppers like the .416 Rigby, .378 Weatherby Magnum, .470 Nitro express, .458 Winchester Magnum and .460 Weatherby Magnum. In reality, there are a lot of American hunters that shoot the large-bore charge stoppers very well, but those African guides also have a point in thinking that Americans would shoot better with a .375 Holland and Holland Magnum as their dangerous-game rifle caliber because it recoils with less than 40 foot pounds of energy.
The first two differences in American and European big game hunters that should be taken into consideration are that Americans tend to want light-weight rifles even in their big-bore Magnum calibers, whereas the European sport hunters have always preferred heavy, at least 12 pounds, in their dangerous-game rifles. The second difference is that European dangerous-game hunters tend to quickly bring the rifle to their shoulders put the front sight on the target and fire, or what Americans would call a snap shot if they didn’t, and they usually don’t, understand the mechanics behind the way the professionals in Africa and most Europeans shoot at dangerous game. Americans on the other hand, if not trained otherwise, tend to bring the rifle to their shoulder, look down the sight radius and hold their front sight on the target like they were waiting for the maple sap to run in February before deciding the sight picture is good and firing. It is enough to drive the calmest and steadiest African and American professional hunters to drink heavily.
The light-weight rifles that Americans prefers are not usually over 8 pounds before installing a telescopic sight. When shooting the .30-caliber, and 40-caliber Magnums out of such light rifles what you get in the chops and shoulder is eye-crossing recoil and three-day headaches.
The European and African hunters with much heavier rifles don’t experience the same kind of jarring recoil, but describe the recoil of their heavy rifles as a push as opposed to a punch. I’m sure that is true of the double rifles that are used in African hunting, but even the bolt-action rifles of dangerous-game hunters in Africa weigh 10 pounds or more.
During the time I have been hunting, I have learned that recoil over 20 foot-pounds, which a .30-06 generates, is where most American shooters become uncomfortable and tend to anticipate the shot, close both eyes and flinch as they shoot. It is true that there are many American shooters and hunters that own and shoot .30-caliber Magnums and more, but they had to get used to the recoil, which can be double the recoil of a .30-06 or more, before they could shoot those Magnums well. I have even seen a couple of those owners at the range who were still flinching in anticipation of the shot and recoil.
An 8-pound .30-06 as mentioned before, recoils at 20.3 foot-pounds of energy, coming back at the shooter at 12.8 feet per second, using a 180 grain bullet. This is about the most recoil that many can tolerate and can get used to when shooting. An 8.5-pound .300 Winchester Magnum, with a 180-grain bullet should recoil with 26 foot-pounds of energy, coming back at the shooter at 14 feet per second. My 8-pound .300 Weatherby Magnum, shooting a 180-grain bullet recoils with about 35 foot-pounds, coming back at the shooter at 16 feet per second.
The .300 Weatherby Magnum is the point where in a addition to holding the butt of the rifle stock tight into my shoulder, I also use a sling to reduce the upward rise of the barrel after the shot.
I have two grandsons that love the .300 Weatherby and shoot it very well without flinching. Another grandson who is older, won’t go near the .300 Weatherby or anything else that recoils more than a .30-06.
The .338 Winchester Magnum and .375 Holland and Holland Magnum have larger bores than the .30-caliber Magnums and use heavier bullets with about the same recoil numbers as the .300 Weatherby. The .340 Weatherby Magnum is a 338 caliber and is about the largest case and most powder that can efficiently be used to drive a .338-caliber bullet out of the barrel. Using a 9-pound rifle and a 250-grain bullet, the .340 Weatherby Magnum generates 43.4 foot-pounds of recoil, coming back at the shooter at 17.6 feet per second. It definitely gets your attention and is the hardest hitting caliber I would think anyone in North America would feel they needed for the largest ungulates and bears.
The foot-pounds of energy at which a given caliber recoils depends on the weight of the rifle as well as the amount of powder used to drive the bullet. Perceived recoil is a product of the foot-pounds of energy plus the speed at which the rifle recoils. Perceived recoil is somewhat subjective among shooters. It is perceived recoil that we all use to determine how much recoil is too much recoil.
Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.
