Largest caliber you regularly shoot?

[robertsig]

I was reading the Worst Kick Ever Felt!!!! (http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=475513) thread and it got me thinking... What is the largest caliber you regularly shoot when you go out to practice? I imagine many of the .375H&H or higher shooters only zero their gun once in awhile or before a hunt since they are so punishing, so what is that caliber in the .30 through .375 range which has become part of your shooting routine? Do you regularly shoot a .338 Win Mag, or just save it for special occasions? Or, if you like to shoot a .416 Rigby every week, let us know that too!

[GroovyMike]

With the right stock 375 H&H is no worse than 30-06. The 375 is my go to hunting rifle. Although I'm currently working up loads for 500 black powder express double rifle. I don't shoot the 75 caliber flintlock much except during reenactments, but the real big bore on getting a work out is the 12 gauge I put a couple hundred shells through each week for trap.

[PawPaw]

I guess my biggest caliber is .45-70, but my loads are pipsqueaks compared to some of what I see bandied about. My light rifle (total weight) is my .45-70, so I don't want heavy recoil in a 6 lb rifle. I push a 405 grain lead bullet at about 1300 fps and that's plenty good medicine for whatever I want to shoot.

My .30-06 heavy loads will give me all I want after about 20 rounds.

[CTS]

While the largest caliber I shoot regularly would be the 6.8SPC, the higher recoiling rifle I shoot regularly is the .243 Winchester. I'm not a big recoil fan if you can't tell.

[Mueller]

I try and shoot my .416 Rigby at least 20 rounds per month and a .375 H&H about the same and a hot loaded 45/70 Marlin Cowboy model.

During the summer I play with several BP rifles .58 Rifled Musket, 50/70 Remington Rolling Block and a 50/90 Remington Rolling Block, both rolling blocks are original and still in their Original caliber.

Recoil is not a problem with a properly fitted stock.

[Jbotto]

I shoot the biggest rifle I've got, my .30-06, at around 20-40 rounds a month. It's nice to see the price I can shoot reloads compared to factory ammo!

[WV_gunner]

Most of my rifle shooting is .243 and .45 Colt. I'd shoot .45-70 more, but it's pricey.

[hounddawg]

.308 but the gun is a 12 pound F class gun so the recoil is no worse than my 6 pound 243 sporter

[RevGeo]

By 'largest caliber' you must mean bullet diameter, right? If that is the case it would be .45(-70) for me. That would be a larger caliber than, say, .416 Rigby. But a 45-70, in it's original loading, is way below the .416 power-wise.

Do you really mean 'most powerful rifle'? I may be nit-picking, but it really does make a difference.

George

[Zach W.]

.510"

[thedaddycat]

I may not shoot .30-06 every month, but I have no problems shooting 100+ rounds at a sitting. Now I may be using three different rifles to do it with, and maybe shooting other stuff that day, too. It's nothing to go out and shoot 6.5X55, 7X57, .303 British, .30-40 Krag and .30-06 in a day to the tune of a couple hundred total shots.

[rezmedic54]

338 Win Mag every few weeks. 20 to 40 rounds at each time.

[warbirdlover]

.300 Win Mag. About 30 rounds per visit to the range. About 1-2 visits/month.

[JTJones]

300 win mag. I shoot about 40 rounds every two weeks.

[RaySendero]

Largest caliber = 458 Win Mag
Regularly shoot = 9.3x62

[2ndtimer]

I shoot my .270WSM fairly regularly. My son just got a new Ruger Hawkeye in .338 Federal that I will get to work up loads for. It isn't too bad with the factory 200 gr Fusions. I don't think I would want to shoot more than 20 rounds or so per trip, though. I enjoy shooting the 6.5x55, .243 Win. and .223 Rem more than the others. They are also cheaper to shoot.

[BIG P]

300WM about 50 rounds a month.
454 casull, 100 rounds a month.

[Creek Henry]

This might be the wrong forum for it, but I talk to serious duck/geese hunters that go through many boxes of heavy 3.5" 12 and 10 ga loads a month during the hunting season. I don't get how they can deal with that kind of recoil for 20or more shots every weekend. I guess the heavy jackets and bibs help or something.

The thing about big game hunting is that you only get a few shots at each game out in the field. Waterfowlers get hundreds at moving targets. I shoot a lot of dove but a heavy geese load is 3x that recoil at least.

I think the worst punishment I've seen someone take at the range was from a light slug gun sans recoil pad or shooting vest. I can't imagine a well fitting 375 being nearly so bad.

[NWCP]

While I own a .338 WinMag my shoulder and wallet can only take so much of a beating from it. I'll go through a box of shells every few months. Otherwise my .308s get the biggest workout for larger caliber guns. After 50-60 rounds I'm ready for a lighter recoil. Then it's my ARs, 6.8SPC, or .22LRs that get the range time.

[micksis86]

My 338 is my hunting rifle for the deer season so I tend to shoot it as much as possible to ensure I'm as proficient with it as I can be from all positions.

[Old Grump]

Most of the time its my 44 mag handguns & .308 rifle but once a month my 10 gauge and about every 6 months my 300 Wby just so I have an excuse to clean it.

[hoytinak]

Most of the time it's a .22lr......every great once in a while I'll break out the .223 and .308. Yeah, I'm a wimp when it comes to recoil. :)

[warbirdlover]

My 338 is my hunting rifle for the deer season so I tend to shoot it as much as possible to ensure I'm as proficient with it as I can be from all positions.


micksis86

MY kind of guy!! :eek:

(I used a .300 Win Mag for years)... :)

[Crankylove]

.458 Win Mag, .416 Rigby, and .450NE.

My uncle owns the first, my dad the last two. We go out with them about every 3-4 weeks.

Biggest rifle I own, caliber wise, is my .358 Winchester.

[twins]

Largest caliber you regularly shoot?

.22LR

ratio of 20 to 1 in comparison to other calibers.

[Usertag]

The biggest I regularly shoot is 7.62x54mmR. But, I also consider 12 Guage, 3 Inch Magnum Slugs to be pretty big.

[black mamba]

35 Whelen Ackley Improved almost every week, with 225-275 gr bullets, as I'm working up some loads with a new powder. I also shoot my 416 Remington Magnum, but less often.

44 magnum handguns every week, soon to be adding a Ruger Bisley in 45 Colt.

[hoffbill]

I like to shoot my 223 a lot for practice, it's accurate and the pleasantly light recoil and muzzle blast produce good technique for me. I shoot my 243 quite a bit as well, and my 270 when I need to get ready for some serious killin'.

Hand load for all of them and shoot almost every week. I also put quite a few rounds through my Savage 93 17HMR.

[Achilles11B]

Regularly, .30-06.

Semi-regularly, .50 Beowulf.

[smith357]

.54 Caliber using 465 grain conical over 120 grains of FFg.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y266/smith357/armory/TC%20Scout/IMG_4656.jpg

[Savage99]

Due to my old age and concern about my eyes and setting a blood clot loose I don't shoot my 375's any longer.

The biggest I shoot now is an 8 lb 30-06 or a soft padded 7mm WSM.

Its still fun.

[micksis86]

Thanks warbirdlover

[Deja vu]

I shoot a 45/70 a lot. I love that round.

[cornbush]

regularly..... 375 Ruger

[BPowderkeg]

.499LWR..., it's almost the same as a .50 Beowulf, 1/10th inch longer which makes it 2.25", same length as the 5.56mm NATO.

[vincent 71]

7.62x54r...Not the biggest horse on the farm but it's the biggest I have. Ammo is super cheap, shoot 40-60 per range trip and I still get sore every time. I couldn't imagine using it every single day, if I had to I'm sure I could get used to it...

[robertsig]

I bought a gun in 7.62x54r (Mosin) but haven't shot it yet. It's the "largest" I currently own. I'm waiting to see how it stacks up before I get something bigger. However, from what I've read, the Mosin with the metal buttplate is noticeably harder hitting than an equivalent caliber in a modern rifle.

[1hogfan83]

I know its not a rifle but a 3 1/2 magnum turkey load out of a benelli nova w/o the new comfort stock will hurt like a, well you know. It is rated with the higher end african magnum loads. I only patern about 5 rounds in the spring. The biggest load i've shot out of a rifle would be the weatherby .300 magnum, it hurt but not to bad. A 150 grains of powder in a black powder rifle is nothing to laugh at either. My biggest rifle is a .270WSM, its not bad. The funny thing is, when youve got a deer, turkey, duck, or whatever in your field of view, you dont feel a thing.

[bpeezer]

However, from what I've read, the Mosin with the metal buttplate is noticeably harder hitting than an equivalent caliber in a modern rifle.

It's not bad at all, and I think you'll really enjoy shooting it. Largest I regularly shoot is .30-06. It's about the only thing I regularly shoot :D

[dbgun]

Lately, in rifle-.270 cal.-10-20 rds./month
in pistol- .44 mag.-30-50 rds/month

[Coyote_Buster700]

Rifle - .22-250

Pistol - .45

[Willie Lowman]

8x57mm rifle

.45 acp pistol. I used to shoot .44 mag just about every weekend but I just don't care to anymore.

[robertsig]

You know, maybe you guys could help me with something.

I bought a box of .44Mag rounds once and rented a Smith N-frame .44Mag revolver just to shoot them to say I did it. I was a very unpleasant experience and after the 20 rounds, I had no desire to ever do it again.

So if you were to translate that (handgun) recoil over to a rifle with a full buttstock, what would that equivalent threshold of pain be in a rifle round?

[Big Shrek]

Pistol - 10mm Glock 20-SF Handloaded 165-grain Semi-Wadcutters for GSSF/IDPA/IPSC, & Hornady 165-gr Critical Defense for CCW.

Rifle - .45/70 Marlin 1895SBL I've used Federal Fusion, Federal PowerShok, Corbon Hunter for Hog, and Hornady LeveRevolution.
It seems to prefer the Corbon Hunter, but they're bloody expensive...

[Ignition Override]

.308 and British .303, due to a friend selling me some really cheap reloading powder and very cheap bullets.

Russian 7.62x39 is the round used in the most quantities.
My shooting is for fun, and therefore ammo much above .60/rd. before reloading multiple times (8-10) would make no sense, just to destroy or sink a target from 20-50 yards, maybe punch holes in a Shoot-N-See.

[tahoe2]

went out yesterday, to the woods, and shot my 8mm mauser with a steel buttplate & full power loads (200 grns @ 2500 fps), my .375 winchester, Marlin levergun (220 grns @ 2200fps) and my .41 magnum Blackhawk (215 jhp @ 1300 fps).
They might not seem to big to some, but they're the biggest & baddest I have, and I love em !! I usually get out 2 or 3 times a month(weekends) and dump a few hundred rounds. When checking accuracy(reloads) I go the range, for fun shoots it's "to the woods"