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To what extent can the human nervous system really get used to heavy recoil when shooting at inanimate targets? Maybe some individuals can beat their nerves into submission but I'm more inclined to think nerves have their own agenda, and may behave better when facing dangerous game if not tortured beforehand. Dry-firing snapcaps, shooting subloads, sporting clays with a similarly setup shotgun or occasional shooting full-power loads at a charging paper targets - yes, I think these are good ideas. Trying to peen ourselves into shape by continually shooting a full-house .500NE at stationary paper targets - maybe not.

That I have finally opted for a 450/.400 is partly because that's what I could get new without waiting two years - and partly on advice from experienced hunters.

One NT PH said he was alarmed that many clients using big rifles shoot all right with the first shot but are lucky to hit an escaping animal with the second. He was getting a big calibre for himself on the assumption perhaps that we shoot them better when we only shoot in an emergency.

If you hear that I end up on the horns of a dilemna, you'll have the last laugh.

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A fellow named Gregor Woods wrote an excellent book on African Rifles, can't recall the book's title; in it he describes how to become accustomed to substantial recoil. It works, though I do it a bit differently.

Watch a cooking show to confirm that it can be done. Keep an eye on the chef, watch the hot plates and pans and whatnot he handles with out an oven mitt or other substantial protection. Watch him taste food which you would find uncomfortably hot, especially liquids. His hands and tongue are not burned, they are conditioned. Lots of similar examples out there of practice leading to tolerance of things that others would find intolerable, or painful.

Because I hunt ducks and geese in freezing weather frequently, and wish to do so without the discomfort of cold feet, I walk to get my morning newspaper barefoot, even in the snow. When we have snow, I make snow balls and participate in snowball fights with my kids without gloves too. I can pick up decoys and wrap lines without gloves even in well below freezing temps and with ice chunks floating in the water. We hunt in salt water and that doesn't freeze until wel below 32*F or 0*C.

But to give you the idea that recoil tolerance is not too difficult to come by, let me relate our deer hunting situation here. In more than half of my state deer hunting is limited to shotguns shooting slugs. Shooting a typical 7 1/2 or 8lb 12ga slug gun makes shooting a 10lb 458wm or a 470NE seem like a "gentle message." But every year, tens of thousand Marylanders take up their 12ga slug guns and kill about 10,000 deer in two weeks. More recoil here in Maryland in our two week deer season than in all of Africa every year, I'd venture. Then multiply that result by all of the other states with restrictions requiring shotguns and slugs.

Here is how to become recoil tolerant with your big bore rifle - assuming you don't have a 12ga slug gun and don't need to deer hunt with it, because that will definitely do it.

First, don't shoot off a sitting bench, a standing bench is just fine, off hand, etc, but don't shoot off a sitting bench.

If the rifle is new to you or you've laid off for quite some time, load some mild rounds. I load them to 45/70 levels, 500gr @ ~1500fps. Go shoot twenty or whatever, just to become acquanted with your rifle. Even though they won't shoot to regulation, you can still test you shooting because each barrel with print in a consistent place. Remind yourself that your rifle will not actually hurt you. Shoot four full house loads.

Return within one week, and preferrably sooner, and repeat, but shoot some of the light loads and then six or eight full loads.

Repeat within a week, preferrably sooner, but shoot eight or ten full house loads.

Repeat for a month bulding up the number of full loads you shoot and then as nessecary, skipping the light loads and working in another rifle instead, like a 375H&H. Soon shooting one is no different than shooting ten than shooting 20. You will end up looking forward to shooting more and become adicted to shooting the center 2" circle out of the target.

Keep in mind that some days you will just be more recoil tolerant than other days, so if a particular day is uncomfortable, cut back. But return soon. Also, some days your shootng will just be better. The days your shooting is just better, tend also to eb days where recoil is just less for some reason.

Even fully conditioned, I stop at about 20 rounds most of the time for $'s if nothing else. After 25 or so it definitely seems counter productive, unless your on a roll. I've done thrity five developing loads when time was short, but looked forward to some Advil afterwards. 500grs at 2145fps recoil level in a 10 1/2lb rifle.

The key is frequency. Repeat, but on a faster schedule and without the light loads if you've laid of for a bit, up to maybe three months. Repeat the whole proccess if you've laid of for quite some time.

Recoil with a buff or an elephant in front of you, or any game really (just ask the ten thousand Marylanders), will be just sufficient to let you know the rifle fired when you pulled the trigger.

JPK

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