brendonjames65
US Veteran
Thought I’d start a thread on the heaviest recoiling guns forum members have fired, either rifle, handgun or both!
Starting with handguns, I have two which I consider my heaviest recoiling handguns, a Ruger Super Redhawk Toklat 454 and a Freedom Arms Model 83 Field Grade 475 Linebaugh. Neither are ported which I feel makes a big difference. The nod goes to my 475 Linebaugh! I can only shoot about 6 rounds a session of 420 grain LBT-LFN at 1350 fps. Then I need a break or recovery period if you will, or I’ll start flinching. It’s a beautifully engineered revolver but with full house loads, it’s not pleasant to shoot! It recoils more than a ported 500 S&W! Downloading to about 1000-1100 fps is much more manageable.
In regard to rifles, without question, my Remington Custom Shop North American Custom 375 Remington Ultra Magnum (RUM) was the hardest recoiling rifle ever! At max loadings it’s just a hair under the 378 Weatherby Magnum. I originally bought it with the intent to go back to Alaska or African. The problem with this rifle is it’s light weight, under 8 lbs and originally no muzzlebrake. I believe the recoil energy to be 80 ft lbs! I’d previously owned a 416 Remington Magnum and shot a 458 Wn Mag but those rifles weighed 10-11 lbs with recoil energy 55-60 ft lbs, significantly less than my 375 RUM. Weight plays a significant factor!
Shooting my 375 RUM, even with a PAST recoil pad felt like getting punched in the shoulder by Mike Tyson or George Foreman! This rifle is capable of one inch groups but took an incredible amount of concentration to accomplish. I figured, it’s a hunting rifle, not a target rifle and you don’t really feel the recoil when shooting game. I took a wild boar, bison and a cow elk with it. On that elk, it was an awkward angle prone shot that upon shooting, I didn’t know if I even hit the damn elk due to all the blood cascading down my face from a scope cut between the eyes!
I managed to stop the bleeding and found the elk was stone dead. I probably needed to go to the ER but instead chose to process the elk and later had my wife put a butterfly bandage over the gash. Now I have a nice scar there. Anyhow, after that, I had a gunsmith install a KDF muzzlebrake on my 375 RUM and now the recoil feels more like a 300 magnum.
Going back to the weight thing, my understanding is the S&W scandium 340 PD and 360 PD are a real handful with full house 357 rounds but I’ve never shot one. I also wonder about the 500 S&W Performance Center 3.5 inch barrel with no porting? This is the only S&W revolver chambered in 500 S&W magnum with no porting I believe. At 56.2 oz it must be a handful!
Pics of the above mentioned guns and me shooting my 475 Linebaugh.
Starting with handguns, I have two which I consider my heaviest recoiling handguns, a Ruger Super Redhawk Toklat 454 and a Freedom Arms Model 83 Field Grade 475 Linebaugh. Neither are ported which I feel makes a big difference. The nod goes to my 475 Linebaugh! I can only shoot about 6 rounds a session of 420 grain LBT-LFN at 1350 fps. Then I need a break or recovery period if you will, or I’ll start flinching. It’s a beautifully engineered revolver but with full house loads, it’s not pleasant to shoot! It recoils more than a ported 500 S&W! Downloading to about 1000-1100 fps is much more manageable.
In regard to rifles, without question, my Remington Custom Shop North American Custom 375 Remington Ultra Magnum (RUM) was the hardest recoiling rifle ever! At max loadings it’s just a hair under the 378 Weatherby Magnum. I originally bought it with the intent to go back to Alaska or African. The problem with this rifle is it’s light weight, under 8 lbs and originally no muzzlebrake. I believe the recoil energy to be 80 ft lbs! I’d previously owned a 416 Remington Magnum and shot a 458 Wn Mag but those rifles weighed 10-11 lbs with recoil energy 55-60 ft lbs, significantly less than my 375 RUM. Weight plays a significant factor!
Shooting my 375 RUM, even with a PAST recoil pad felt like getting punched in the shoulder by Mike Tyson or George Foreman! This rifle is capable of one inch groups but took an incredible amount of concentration to accomplish. I figured, it’s a hunting rifle, not a target rifle and you don’t really feel the recoil when shooting game. I took a wild boar, bison and a cow elk with it. On that elk, it was an awkward angle prone shot that upon shooting, I didn’t know if I even hit the damn elk due to all the blood cascading down my face from a scope cut between the eyes!
I managed to stop the bleeding and found the elk was stone dead. I probably needed to go to the ER but instead chose to process the elk and later had my wife put a butterfly bandage over the gash. Now I have a nice scar there. Anyhow, after that, I had a gunsmith install a KDF muzzlebrake on my 375 RUM and now the recoil feels more like a 300 magnum.
Going back to the weight thing, my understanding is the S&W scandium 340 PD and 360 PD are a real handful with full house 357 rounds but I’ve never shot one. I also wonder about the 500 S&W Performance Center 3.5 inch barrel with no porting? This is the only S&W revolver chambered in 500 S&W magnum with no porting I believe. At 56.2 oz it must be a handful!
Pics of the above mentioned guns and me shooting my 475 Linebaugh.
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. When the .500 Smith came out local shop sold the Same gun 3 times and it came back each time. 3 owners and not one box of cartridges fired
. Somebody finally kept it (or traded it someplace else).
I’d really like to see Weatherby put a longer LOP stock on the .378, like they do the .460. 13-1/2” or 13-5/8” is just not enough for a rifle like that. An extra 5/8” or 3/4” would make a world of difference.
