John,
Actually, you have inspired me. I'm going to load up some different .416 Remington ammo with various powders and bullets, and gather as much factory ammo as possible (I might still have some of the original Remington stuff from the late 1980's on my over-flowing shelves) and next summer see what can happen. Luckily or unluckily, Montana summers are getting hotter, and we can generally count on a number of July days in the 100-degree range even here in the mountain valleys.
The .458 Winchester problems of yesteryear have been pretty well beaten to death, but since I am still hearing of sticky bolt lifts from professional hunters when using the .416 Remington, I'll just have to see what might be the cause. As Allen pointed out, the SAAMI pressure standards for the round are the same as many others.
Some possilities that have occurred to me are the powder used (some are definitely more sensitive to heat than others, especially some of the ball powders often favored by the factories), and maybe even the bullet. The Swift A-Frame, for instancem prodsuces higher pressures than most other jacketed bullets, because of the pure copper and lead used. The copper is "grabbier" than gilding metal, and the lead bumps up to bore size more easily than lead with a little antimony in it. This combo might cause a problems in a barrel that has some dust or rust in it, due to a little neglect.
In other words, further experimentation is in order.
Last edited by Mule Deer; 11/30/07.
