Just in case some mad scientist grabs some pre-ice age DNA and goes all Jurrasic Park on us, the aptly named .577 Tyrannosaur is probably up for the challenge.

“Jim Smith, who managed A-Square, says the first question anyone asks about the .577 is ‘What is the recoil like?’ To find out—since neither of us had ever fired one—we took a Tyrannosaur to a range in Kentucky and let fly. Shooting it offhand, with a firm grip, each of us was rocked onto his back foot, but nothing was dislocated and (lurid Internet videos to the contrary) we were neither thrown across a room nor through a window. A quick second shot would be difficult though. Fitted with Art's Coil-Check stock, the rifle itself weighed 13 pounds. The stock was so large, it was difficult to hold onto—shooting the gun was like fencing with a railroad tie—and I would hate to have to stalk a dangerous animal with the rifle at the ready.”—Terry Wieland, Dangerous Game Rifles, from the chapter “Cartridges for Bolt Actions.”

Like this quote? We think you’ll love our Gun Digest Presents Classic Sporting Rifles, Edited by Terry Wieland.