The earliest ones had a built in brake that looked more like magnaporting than a real brake.OK, now I'm wondering (and no expert on Weatherby history) they introduced the 460 in the late 50s (57?) did they always come with a brake??
I cannot now remember if the rifle I saw in the 70s had a brake or not. TO the best of my memory at this time, if it had a brake it was one that didn't "bulge" the barrel profile. Might have had holes in the barrel, I just can't remember.
So if someone out there knows the older MK V .460s, can you tell us if they always had a brake or if not, when that started??
I saw some early rifles with the port jobs. May have all been identical aftermarket, but all looked the same. Irf am not sure exactly the history.Sometime late 70s, early 80s; a gun mag had a recoil test. They put black line on a concrete walk. Set a radio flyer wagon on the sidewalk, with front wheels on the black line.
Guy sits in wagon, holds rifle butt against back of wagon and pulls trigger. They measured how far the wagon rolled.
IIRC, ,30-30 was something like 4". .30-06 was 8". .300 Win Mag was 24"
They shot 12-15 calibers, finally getting to .460 Wby. The wagon went over 14'
Not that a wagon rolling relates to your felt recoil in any way; it does have a qualitative means of the degree of recoil. Nor does it differentiate the sharpness of the recoil, just shows the amount of push.
An interesting note, a 12 Ga slug and a 3" 000 buck were over 15'. No actual result, as the walk was 15' and then grass.
I am fairly certain, Weatherby did not offer a muzzle brake until mid to late 80s.
I can personally guarantee the gentle reader that the 12ga -- at whatever commercial load -- doesn't come within spitting distance of a full-up lever-action 45-70 loadout... and not within a 10-ft pole's distance of a 460 Wthrby.An interesting note, a 12 Ga slug and a 3" 000 buck were over 15'.
No actual result, as the walk was 15' and then grass.
I guess it all depends. A 460 with a brake is pleasant. I would imagine that one without a brake is more pleasant than getting gored by a Nyati or stomped by an Elephant. There is no need to have one in North America other than just the "want to" factor.My buddy Jimmy, from down at the range, says a 460 Weatherby magnum will loosen your teeth and rattle your jaw-line if you don't hold it just right. Jimmy says only a non-shooter WBY collector or a practicing masochist would want one.
He's got a Mk V 300 WBY which he hunts with, ... hates the thing. So I guess he should know.
Is this guarantee based on personal experience shooting them?I can personally guarantee the gentle reader that the 12ga -- at whatever commercial load -- doesn't come within spitting distance of a full-up lever-action 45-70 loadout... and not within a 10-ft pole's distance of a 460 Wthrby.
There's a good reason for that. The 300 delivers a very fast sharp kick and is still often encountered in non-braked models which are usually intended to be light-weight intermediate to long range hunting guns with excellent point blank range capabilities. I shoot them frequently so I find them to be no big deal, even the unbraked models, but it is a bit of a challenge to hold them right on target for a quick follow-up and spotting the fall of shot. The 300 remains Weatherby's most popular offering. If your friend really hated them--why would he hunt with them?He's got a Mk V 300 WBY which he hunts with, ... hates the thing. So I guess he should know.
You can see the neck snap it causes.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1KGzXaanEI
Here is a you tube video a small-framed people shooting a .460 Wby Mag, both with and without the brake. The video goes into slow motion when shooting without the brake. Not something I would ever do, but they survived without any ill effects.