Actually, I never noticed the recoil when shooting at game: this included three elephant, five Cape buffalo and one rhino. I shot one elephant while standing the top of a termite mound and was not knocked off by the recoil. (Yes, I know, "What was the elephant doing on top of a termite mound?")

I had read Bell's account of shooting elephants from a ladder carried by his gun bearer, but since I had no ladder, I decided on impulse to use the next best thing, which put me on a level with the elephant's head and allowed me to do a behind-the-ear brain shot. He went down instantly, but I put in a second shot just behind the front leg, just to make sure. The elephant was facing away from me and was about 25 yards distant when I fired.

Shooting the same rifle off a rest for zeroing purposes required the use of a "Lead Sled" type device I have been using for about forty years now. It adds about 28 pounds to the weight of the rifle with a comensurate reduction in recoil.

My load was a Kynoch 570 grain bullet in front of 90 grains of 4064, which produces 2150 fps in my wildcat cartridge, identical to the ballistics of the .500 NE. I was able to use .510" bullets in my .505 bore with no difficulty. However, I was careful to ascertain that there was enough neck clearance for the larger bullet by sliding a bullet into the neck of a fired case, making sure that it went in freely. The cartridge case is formed from a .460 Weatherby case, shortened to 2.500" so as to allow it to fit nicely in the 1917 Enfield magazine I use with the P-14 Enfield action. The magazine holds three, with one "up the spout."

You can see both rifles at http://www.frappr.com/?a=mygroups&id=3823381, together with one of the tusks from that particular elephant.