Not me! I consider a 30-06 a "big gun".

http://youtube/oLE86U8VSbU

This is a big gun

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Retired Career Security Guard

In rifle terms, a 45-70 is the biggest I have. But in my younger, pre-retirement days, Many times I hunted the most dangerous animal of all with a Remington 870.

My biggest bore was a .45 3 1/4" Sharps on a first year production 1885 Winchester. It had been rebarreled of course. I recently sold it and used the proceeds to buy a 28 gauge Remington 1100 shotgun. I recently also sold my .338 Win Magnum. I kept the 338/300 WSM in case I want to punish myself. If I really want to hurt myself I can always grab the 45-70 Remington #3 Hepburn with the curved steel butt plate. My shoulder is throbbing just thinking about it. Ain't no way I would ever pull the trigger on a .460 Weatherby.

I love to handle and shoot my Winchester M-71 in .348.

Years ago I took a push-feed M-70 in .375 H&H which shoots really well.

A friend has a German-made double rifle in 9.3x74. He bought the dies and asked me to load him some ammo. We took it out to try and I went first - both barrels were dead on at 75 yards. After he saw me shoot he didn't take his turn. Can's say I blamed him since he had by-pass surgery that year.

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6/23/2022

Any man that can shoot out a 375 h&h IS ONE MACHO DUDE! Not say'en it can't be done, but he has to be into self-induced-pain more than anyone I wanna hang with.

I my own self have 3 375h&h rifles plus misc. larger guns, BUT I gots to tell it like it is;
they're all "lightly used"

Well my forays into shooting large bore rifles was started and stopped with an old winchester model 70 in 375 H&H. One box later and I had all the fun I could stand. That one went down the road very shortly thereafter. I do have a Ruger #1 in 45/70 and mostly sees cast bullets. My 50 caliber carbine is a 1870's Peabody single shot in 56-50 rimfire which will when I get the money have converted to centerfire. Don't even shoot the Ruger Redhawk in 44 mag. Have three S&W's in 44 special so they satisfy my big bore urges. Frank

Well lets see I have 3 H&R Handis 45-70, 1 Handi Classic 28 inch barrel 45-70, 1 Handi 28 inch 38-55, A 98 Mexican in 458x2 custom built, 2 Smle s 24 inch 45-70, 1Sharps 45-90 30 inch, 1 Rollin Block custom mannlicher stocked in 50-90, 1 Siamese custom in 45-70,1 handi in 444 Marlin,1 Siamese custom in 375 JDJ 24 inch, and workin on a 9.3x62 Mauser, 141 Rem in 35 rem. I will get some pics up this week. Not really a big bore but a Ruger semi auto 44mag and a 92 in 357. I really like big bores. I have an article in converting a smle to 444 and one on rebarrelig 91-30 to 45-70, maybe winter????

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"I'm feeling MUCH better now"

I love my flintlock smoothbore, it was built by a friend of mine that builds truly museum quality rifles and pistols. I had to talk him out of it and worked on him for over a year. He always called it his "farmers" gun. Its in 68 caliber and fires a patched round ball of 460grns, or 13-32 caliber balls, or 2ounces of #4 shot. It is suprisingly accurate at 50yds considering there is no rifling in the barrel, capable of shooting a fairly tight group in a 6" bull. If it was the one rifle a guy shot he could get very handy with it, I am sure of that. I shoot too many blackpowder rifles and spend less time with the smoothbore, however the more time I do spend with it the more I like it and if I had to choose just one I would take the smoothbore, just for sheer flexibility. Most of the deer I have shot in my life were killed at close range, I have always been more inclined to sit and wait or set up in an advantageous spot, still hunting if nothing comes my way. If I ever decide to hunt again it will be with this smoothbore, maybe turkeys this coming fall.

When I was young and foolish (now I'm old and foolish), I bought a Winchester Model 70 in 458. Kept it for a while and shot it some, often with cast bullet loads. It broke the innards of the Weaver K4 I mouned on it. Finally sold it after I got back from a tour of duty in Alaska; I realized that as long as I had it, inevitably sometime I'd be maneuvered into a position where I had to shoot the thing, and that was no fun. Gotta say, though, that it didn't kick as hard as a friend's Ruger #3 in 45-70; a lot lighter and really painful to shoot.

I'm going hunting in Maine this fall. I think I'll take the Marlin 45/70 Guide Gun with 405g Jsp loaded for bear. The .375 H&H Encore for the clearcuts. I will also bring my 22/250 Rem. 700 but that's for smaller prey.

old 1911 fan

I have a Taylor's Arms 45-70 Quigley (Sharp's clone) that is comfortable to shoot with the right loads and very accurate. The "hardest kicking" rifle I own is a Weatherby Vanguard in 308 Winchester -- short barrel, thin recoil pad, and light weight. Three rounds finishes me and the group.

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S&WHF 366

Here's a new addition for me, Ruger .480.



Shoots a .475 400g bullet @ 1200fps.



That's shotgun slug territory.

Only, it's smaller diameter and therefore WAY more penetrating.

That said, a shotgun slug is known for penetration.

Oh yea forgot this one 50-70 6 lbs, and a Trap Door 45-70

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"I'm feeling MUCH better now"