What's The Largest, Most Powerful Gun You've Ever Fired - Smallarm-wise?

[mac2]

I'm seeing that people are making 20mm rifles and 2 bores...

MAG-FED 20MM RIFLE - Anzio Ironworks

http://www.stolzergunsmithing.com/2boredoublerifle.htm They also make a pistol - THAT would be interesting to fire...

while this company built a 600 nitro revolver awhile back

Zeliska .458 Win. Mag. - Zeliska Revolver - Nitro Express - Family - Homepage - Most powerful handgun Interesting cylinder flutes...

So, many of you must have fired some interesting outsize stuff?

 

[walkin jack]

Thompson Contender chambered in .45-70. I don't care how big you are or what stance you use, you shoot that thing and you will take a couple of steps back.

My friend talked me into shooting it. I let him do it...twice! The first time is on him but the second time is on me. I love shooting guns but that was just no fun at all. The only way I'll ever do it again is something rilly, RILLY bad is about to happen to me if I don't.

 

[deadin]

.458 Winchester in a Ruger #3 with a steel buttplate.... (500gr. slug.)
I made the mistake of sitting down at the bench for the 2nd shot.

 

[PatriotX]

I pulled the trigger on a punt gun once, probably a 2-bore. It belonged to a Belgian dentist, who also owned the first semi-auto I ever fired - a BHP in 7.65 parabellum. I remember the gun having extensive embellishments engraved, as well as an external hammer wrought in some type of animal shape. The stock was short and made of a dark striped wood, and there was a curved iron piece that hooked under the armpit.

It was attached to a gimbal, and the whole platform moved a bit when shot. I was suitably impressed.

 

[arjay]

A 300 win mag a couple of years ago.A little too old and skinny for that.I actually had to take a step back

 

[RobertJ.]

.458 Winchester in a Ruger #3 with a steel buttplate.... (500gr. slug.)
I made the mistake of sitting down at the bench for the 2nd shot.

When I was much younger, I had a #3 in .45-70. I can't remember the exact load, but I was sending a 500 gr. SP down range about 1700 fps, and that wasn't even a maximum load. In a 6.5 pound rifle! I can't imagine one in .458! When shooting from the bench, I'd fold up a towel and put it under my shirt.

My dad, who at the time was the same age I am now, could only be convinced to shoot it once. Well, now I get it.

I also had an old H&R model 176 10 Gauge. I bought it at a pawn shop in Lewiston, Idaho for 70 bucks. I shot most of a box of ammo, then sold it for 75.

When I lived in NE Oregon, way out in the sticks, we had a bunch of hippie mushroom pickers come out and camp nearby town (we had a small forest fire the year before), right next to the shooting range!

I woke them up at 7AM one morning with that 10 Ga!

If we're talking about non shoulder-fired small arms, then it would be the Browning M2 .50 cal.

 

[italiansport]

A H&H 600 Nitro express. Not a sharp recoil but a big push back!
Jim

 

[Glashaus]

Ma Duce and Barrett M82A1 in .50 BMG

 

[Dashriprock]

Owned a 9.5-lb .460 Weatherby for a time. Straight up nasty recoil.

Search 600 Nitro Pistol on youtube some time -- ouch.

 

[Alpo]

50 BMG Barret. Shot it twice, to convince myself I was not afraid of the recoil.

Weatherby Mark V 460 WM. Again, shot it twice to prove to myself it did not scare me.

CZ 550 Safari, European stock, 416 Rigby. Once was enough. I have no problem admitting that THAT hurt, and I'm afraid of doing it again.

 

[STCM(SW)]

My 416 Weatherby....


It's gone.....

My Ruger #3 in 45-70 till I put a #1 stock on it was real bad.

 

[NYlakesider]

Year’s back I was friendly with a gun writer named ED HALL. He wrote for Fur Fish & Game, Hand loader and a couple other rags. He had a Competitor Pistol. Very similar to a Contender but it had a cannon type breach. He had a bunch of different barrels for it, but one caught my eye. It was for a .458 Winchester Mag.

Now I have a couple 29s and have shot .45.70. .444 Marlin .30.30 out of contenders and I asked him about shooting the .458. I’m a big strong guy and have shot with Ed before so he reluctantly agreed to let me fire it, under his rules. He said I had to work up to the full factory load by shooting his lessor power hand loads. I agreed.

The first one I fired he said was more than 2 times a full house .44 Mag. . . . All was OK. Next one was about double that, still OK. Third one was double that one. Things are getting real interesting now this thing kicks like Hades. I asked about shooting full power, he said OK but I must tell you, most voluntarily stop at number 2 shot. Everyone else that fired #3 I have not allowed to shoot #4(full factory power) but me, but go ahead.

I touched off that thing and the only thing I could say was WOW, totally missed the target and the muzzle blast just about took my earmuffs off (I was wearing plugs under them) He said do you want another shot, and I said no way, FWIW I was not wearing shooting gloves. My hand hurt and it was totally numb for about an hour and partially numb and hurt for over a week. All finely went back to normal

But I sure had a good story to tell!

 

[FlyFish]

I have a friend who owns a Lahti L-39 20mm anti-tank rifle (he also reloads for it using a custom-built hydraulic press, which is a story in itself), and I've had the opportunity to fire it a few times. Between the weight of the gun and the huge muzzle brake the recoil isn't particularly challenging, but the shock wave really gets your attention, particularly if you're not the one doing the firing and happen to be standing in the wrong place.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahti_L-39

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

for hand guns the largest I've fired was the 50AE desert eagle I had for over 20 years. Not that big of deal! For rifle, the nastiest was a Ruger 77 in 458 Win Mag hand loaded with jacketed 350 grain bullets, I don't know any other info, but comparing factory 500's to these was like 38 special to a 44 mag.

These are nothing to what some of you guys set off! Ivan.

 

[walkinghorse]

Boys anti-tank rifle! .55 caliber, bolt action, 35#, on a bipod!
Several times, and then declined anymore as I could not see anymore tanks around?

 

[Jon42]

Thompson Encore in 30-06. Was more than enough.

 

[Snowninja]

.45-70 in a Magnum Research. A .460 Smith. And a .454 Casull. All in revolvers. Fun little plinkers if you ask me...

 

[rusty37874]

Well a LAW is a shoulder fired weapon, but I'm not sure if it's considered a small arm or not.

 

[OLDSTER]

Large gun

Years ago I was an avid hand-gun silhouette shooter. I shot a Super Black Hawk in Production glass and a TC in modified class. After a match in Billings, Montana I had the chance to shoot a friends new "silhouette gun". It was a custom Wichita/Mellick single shot in full-length .308 I shot it once ( fortunately wearing ear plugs) After the dust settled and the gallery quit laughing I returned the gun with a "thank-you" !! Holy stimeee !! Now when you touch one of those off you know you did something!!

 

[chud333]

I've owned a couple Freedom Arms .454 Casull's and they
would get your attention but not uncontrollable at all to me.
In rifles i have shot a .460 Weatherby once. That was enough.
I am now at the age where i don't have to prove anything to
anybody including myself, so i won't be shooting any guns that
do as much damage to the shooter as it does downrange.
Been there done that.


Chuck