By Eric Nestor via wideopenspaces.com

A 75-pound steel plate is no match for these hard hitting monster calibers. The .460 Weatherby Magnum is no slouch, hurling a 500-grain bullet at a staggering 2650 fps. (feet per second). The steel plate is smacked hard and swings with good force.Β What can be better than that you may ask? . . .

Try the .585 Nyati with 750-grain bullets flying at 2300 fps. (feet per second). The steel plate reacts violently from this serious impact.

Either pick of theseΒ behemoth riflesΒ will put down big game in their tracks with ease. Watch out lions, tigers and bears; the big boys are bringing out the bigΒ toys.

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49 COMMENTS

  2. For comparison, a .50 BMG is running about 2850 fps at the muzzle. That’s also with a 750 grain bullet.

    • Yup.
      Just had friends over shooting mine Saturday. Always a good time.
      also had a .470NE and a .450-400.

    • Good to know. Wonder how those fare against big game?

      Yeah, it’s either in a heavy semi auto or bolt gun platform. I get that game hunters might like a double barreled rifle more. But .50 BMG seems to have more recreation factor than the hunting loads.

  3. I love the sound of the Weatherby rifles. They sound like a howitzer. The only thing left of a white tail or mulie hit with either of these would be the tail, antlers and hooves.

  4. Like guys aren’t over calibered for deer already. Still my bet is their will be guys buying. Why? Because they can.

    • And so perverse is our culture that there are large segments of our population that will take your comment as being cynicism rather than celebration because they don’t think being able is a good reason to buy anything and they don’t think making money from selling anything is a good either.

    • I have big guns because I like them and like to shoot them and not specifically for hunting. If I were to go deer hunting, I would likely take my Winchester 94.

    • Seriously. I have talked to far too many guys that think they need a belted magnum to hunt deer in the woods and hills where they are extremely unlikely to take a shot over 100 yards. It has pretty much turned into a “my gun is bigger than yours” contest.

  8. Suddenly my .45-70 just feels so. . .I dunno, inadequate?

    My shoulder hurts just from watching this.

    • “Suddenly my .45-70 just feels so. . .I dunno, inadequate?”

      It’s not the size of your caliber, its how you… uhm… er, …

      Aw, forget it. πŸ™‚

  9. He keeps calling that a 75 pound steel target. I think he means it WAS a 75 pound steel target before a whole lot of chunks got taken out of it!

  10. Why in the world would you need anything close to this for deer? To me a 300 win mag is way overkill. I regularly take deer with 223 and 62gr sp or 243win and 100gr sp. Machoism and testosterone fueled idiots use super whiz bang magnums with super explosive golly ballistic tips. Deer, elk, and antelope aren’t that hard to kill if you place your bullet where they need to go. My buddies favorite deer gun is a 22-250 and 55gr sp. Never fails to drop a deer in it tracks if you put where it needs to be.

    • See my comment below. Those rifles have to be for African dangerous game like the cape buffalo, rhino, hippo, and elephant.

    • Guys who have the money to buy and plink with $10,000 rifles have the money to go to Africa on $10,000 safaris. They actually use them what they are made for….not deer.

    • Great if .223 works for you, but my buddy intentionally passed on a shot on a good sized 6 point buck because he was using that caliber. The platform was a POF 16″ 5.56 using Mk Mod 0. Distance just under 200 yards. Given the ballistics of the cold winter air – about 10 degrees Fahrenheit at the time – that round would be hitting with only 700 FPE. And if the deer hops the fence the neighbors get it with ’06s and 300 mags.

      Personally I like a little more punch on big Midwest whitetails. YMMV.

      • For 200 yards and in, I think .243 Winchester shooting 100 grain bullets is minimum for shooting white-tail deer in the Midwest.

        If you plan to shoot Midwest white-tail deer up to 400 yards, I like .270 or .308 Winchester minimum shooting 150 grain bullets.

      • How does very cold air impact the performance?

        Is it simply the higher density of the cold air?

        • My guess is that cold air slightly affects the combustion pressure and possibly friction between the bullet and the barrel. Cold air means that a very cold barrel would absorb a tiny bit more heat during combustion which would decrease the pressure in the barrel and hence muzzle velocity. Perhaps a cold barrel — especially with oil residue which starts to act a lot like sludge in serious cold — would increase barrel friction and also decrease muzzle velocity slightly.

          As for cold air density, unless barometric pressure is higher during cold weather, the actual air density should not be any higher. If the air pressure is higher, however, that means bullets would slow down faster of course at greater ranges.

    • I have to call BS on that one. Back in the early 80’s I tried deer hunting with an SKS. Sure the SKS killed small 80lb does with ease. But when you shoot a 200lb trophy buck with those peashooters don’t be surprised when the deer runs away. I shot a trophy buck that weighed over 200lb eight times with a 7.62×39. Every shot hit the deer in the shoulder blade or lungs. You cannot say that is poor shot placement. The next day I bought a 30/06 BAR. I have yet to shoot a deer more than once with the 30/06 no matter where I hit the deer. There is a reason a lot of states have minimum caliber laws.

    • 300’win mag is over powered for deer. Maybe not for bear though. 223 ,243 any of the 6 -6.5 mm cartridges. 270 is pushing it. 308 is a little over kill but good if you need to go longer ranges.

  11. What besides a whale would one use these calibers on??
    As Im not a hunter. I have no clue what these rounds are for besides making my shoulder hurt just thinking about shooting them.
    Fun of course I do understand.
    I cant see much of any big game animal being left after getting whacked by one of these monsters.

    • These sort of firearms are for hunting — and sometimes even protection from — African “dangerous game”. What we think of as traditional hunting rifles will not stop an angry charging rhino, hippo, elephant, or cape buffalo. To stop them in their tracks, you need really big bullets that are capable of making huge holes while penetrating several feet into animals whose hide, muscles, and bones are much, much tougher/stronger than deer or elk. And that means you need big, HEAVY bullets travelling as fast as possible.

      Think of an angry charging cape buffalo, rhino, elephant or hippo as equivalent to 20 deer or five elk. What sort of firearm would you need to stop 20 charging deer or five charging elk with one shot? (Assume they are all lined up so that one properly placed bullet would hit all critters in the heart/lung area.) That gives you a sense of what it takes to stop dangerous game in Africa.

      • I can only imagine the actual size of those beasts. Of all the big game you mentioned. I believe an elephant is the only animal Ive ever seen in a zoo setting. I have no real memory of even its size in reality.

    • “What besides a whale would one use these calibers on??”

      Just off the top of my head, Rosie O’Donnell would qualify…

      *snicker*

  12. I seem to remember 71 caliber musket balls….Does anyone know if rounds that large have been chambered into a modern rifle, or would you end up with something the size of an arquebusque.

  13. Am I the only one who noticed no eye or ear protection used when taking those shots at the end?

  14. I just watched the video. On every shot it sounds like the bullet bounces off the steel plate and then whizzes past the camera at a frightening velocity. What do other people think?

  15. Or the poor mans way NEF Ultraslugger re-chambered for 3+in loaded with 1000 grain+ hard cast around 1500fps The Britts conquered African and Indian beast with 12 gauge paradox rifles loaded with BP. Big and slow is time tested small and fast is the modern way.

    • I was just wondering myself about my 12 gauge shooting hard cast slugs. (.500 Redneck?)

      I’ve got a double rifle in .500 Redneck…… πŸ˜‰

      (Stoeger Coach sxs 12ga)

      Hell, imagine the 10 gauge in 3.5.

    • Well then why not contact North American, and see if they will make up one of their mini revolvers for you. Ought to be a real gas to shoot!

  17. Can you imagine how much it would hurt if you got the old “scope ring” cut around your eye! Probably bore right through your scull, Ouch!!

  18. One of the funniest videos I’ve ever seen was a big (and I really mean BIG 280 lb) good old boy in his overalls shooting a 1.0 cal blackpowder musket. The recoil took the gun way up over his head and down the back side. Unreal.

  20. Changing the issue slightly, but where do the bullets end up using steel plates. Straight back at you, near the plate, or all over the place?

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