Colorado,
You were the smallest (body weight wise) guy there! We were all watching each other real careful and it was amazing how those big boys turned out to be " not that big of a deal" ! The technique is everything. I figured with the 500 Nitro Express Double (a $10,000+ gun) Allan would have positioned himself close to the shooter so if anyone really " lost it" he could at least grab his rifle -- he took no such precautions -- knew he didn' t need to as he had been able to watch us as we worked our way up through the calibers.

America has wonderfully liberal gun laws (for now & compared to elsewhere) and a fairly tolerant gun culture (say, compared to Britain). Regrettably, the result is that most folks get taught how to shoot guns the same way they learn to play flag football in the park.... just get out there and give it a go. For the 90% that never stray beyond smallbores this lack of training is not a problem. For the 10% of folks that stroll into the Magnum Arena (NFL play now --- not flag football in the park) many get turned back with stories of injuries, owies, and misadventure -- they tried to play in the NFL without even going through Spring Training -- and with predictable outcomes. Some prevail and move on up and take their place with no such training -- kudos to them -- but it is called doing it the " hard way" .

In Mag Fest 2003, we ran we through a gambit of calibers that 99% of hunters/shooters will NEVER experience and will go through life considering them to be mythical " suicide calibers" ! The consensus of our group afterwards -- " It was exciting" -- " I had some apprehension" -- " This is awesome" -- but in the end..... " The physical challenge was no big deal -- it just wasn' t -- it' s a mind thing." [With the exception of folks with personal injuries, the mind game is the most difficult component to master -- many never do.]
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On a seperate note aside from big bores and what it takes to handle them, I always wondered why I was a relatively poor off hand shooter with a rifle, did quite well with a shotgun on upland and waterfowl, but unsatisfactory with a rifle, especially a scoped rifle. Over 35 or so years I' d become quite fond of shooting off a rest of some sort like a tree or my knees. Who taught me? My brother and myself -- trial and error -- typical -- turns out my technique was all wrong -- what an eye opener -- and it only took minutes with an " in the trenches" professional versed in hunting in a locale where you HAVE TO HAVE IT DOWN CORRECT, where the game doesn' t necessarily flee in your advance, and the penalties for poor personal technique can be very severe!

Now, in the last 30 years how many people have I shown how to shoot per the " flag football" model? ...... ouch!!! -- especially with my boys I have some remedial work to do because NOW I am not blissfully ignorant as before -- time to get it right!

Make The Big Dogs Bark!!
Never Go Undergunned,
EKM