Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa 416 Rigby vs 375 H&H

Well, I take it all back in that case....

OK, I'll reserve the congratulations until next year, but the Thanks stands.

Charley,
Magnificent looking rifle... Still looking for the right Magnum Mauser for my .416 Rigby project. Had settled on GMA, however, the thought of cutting/profiling the feed rails is daunting. May very well bother you for a measurement or two down that road...

Hoping you and yours have a very Merry Christmas...

Regards, Matt Garrett.

Thank you, Matt. I'd be happy to take any measurements you'd require.

Have you looked at Stuart Satterlee's actions? Fantastic equipment. The only downside is that unless he has one on the shelf, you'd be hard pressed to get one from him. I spoke with someone last night who's action is more than a year overdue.

That said, he does have a few actions in stock.

Well then congrats on 29 years of service and thanks anyway. We'll get the retirement covered this time next year. HAHAHA. Either way, look forward to meeting you in Dallas. You gonna bring that 416 RSM along for me to bring home with me? JK. Roger Ferrell is taking all my money working on my .375. I sure would like to have it though.

David

David: I'll have to think on it some more. If I sell it all I would do is turn around and either build or buy another one and spend a lot more money! jorge

jorge,
a custom 340 might be a worthwhile replacement! Or possibly a new Hein or Biesen in 416.

Oj jeez, here we go again John! Might have to give Biesen a shot! jorge

Jorge, I was just kidding anyway. As much as I'd like to have one, right now is not a good time. I'm gonna be in hock all I can stand with Roger on my .375. I'm afraid that and the work I'm gonna have him do on my .257 Roberts will consume my gun funds for the first half of 2008. I plan to book for my '09 buff/pg hunt around May or June, so I've got to be saving for that, at least the deposit and airfare. That is a really nice RSM you've got though, especially knowing the treatment it's been given by the smith.

David

When is your 450 supposed to be finished? Any news on that?

Yep, much wiser my friend to spend the money on hunts! jorge

Gotta get it done while I can. Never know what tomorrow holds over there. The .375H&H will do everything I need it to, but that doesn't mean I'll never own a .416 or .458. After shooting the .375, it's kind of like a teaser for something bigger.

David

Jorge, do more than keep it in mind. I have experienced Del Frisco's. It is something special.

AGW

I like all the guns i own from.222 to 458 Win Mag but my favourite is my CZ550 416 Rigby. Both Jamison and Norma brass last a long time and it really does it all with 350Gr TSX. Off the bench it will almost shoot in the same hole[110Meters] with different loads and for fun shooting at the 300 Meter steel gong i just lean my hip on the range shed post and use a shooting stick and can go through a couple of boxes ammo no problem. It really is a great cartridge.Regards

When it comes to guns and calibers, "I have heard" is something that I dismiss right off the bat..I would rather someone said "I happen to know because it happened to me"

I have used the .416 Remington since its birth, I may have bought one of the first ones and I used a necked up .375 prior to that and I still use a .416 Rem today..I have never seen or had any signs of pressure from it and if one does its because he poked too damn much powder in its belly, end of story and yes even the factory will do that on ocassion, the .458 Win is a prime example of that...If the .416 Rem has pressure then the .375 would have to have the same malady for sure and even more so as its bore is smaller.

My all time favorite caliber of DG is the .404 Jefferys, but its a pain to maintain and everyone I ever had someone else had to have it...but the .416 Rem is more practical and just as good in every way and even better in some ways...

Although 82 or 83 grs of RL-15 is max, a mild load of 79 grs of RL-15 and any decent 400 gr. bullet will kill any animal on the planet earth and do it real well if you stick the bullet in the right spot and if you don't stick in the the right spot then neither will a .577 N.E. That load will get you right at 2400 FPS in a 26" barrel and just a tad less in a shorter barrel..My short tubed (20") got 2340 FPS with that load, and that is plenty good..

I have no problem with the .416 Rigby other than its a waste of that big ole action, I would rebarrel it to a 500 Jefferys were it mine. I have never been able to build a 416 Rigby at under 10 pounds unloaded. More like 11.5 or more with scope,mounts, loaded, and maybe with a sling. I can get a 416 Rem in at several pounds less for whatever that is worth. Its worth a bunch to my 72 year old body!

Well, that is why I am going to run the tests.

The people that have "told me" their experiences are long-time PH's that have no reason to tell tales. I have owned two .416 Remington Mags myself, both custom rifles, the first built in 1989, and have had no problems, but then I never hunted with either in 120-degree temps, and I am not a hot-rodder either.

I guess you have somehow had bad luck with .416 Rigbys. My own CZ, as stated earlier, weighs 9-1/4 without scope (the same as Harry Selby's did) and 10 pounds on the nose with 2.5x Leupold in Talley rings.

I DO love my 416 Rigby and unfortunately I'm "allergic" to anything with the Remington moniker affixed to it (yes I admit it's pathological as the 416 Rem is a very practical round indeed), but I agree with Ray & Allen that in an action that big, I might as well "fleet up" in smack and that's why I'm having my Hein in 450 Dakota built. And yes I admit it, it's pure ego, but hell, that's what's driven me for 28 years in Naval Aviation jorge

The 375 H&H with 350g Woodleighs bears some thought. Shooting a .375 350g Woodleigh at 2400 fps seems like it might be a nice compromise for those of us with 375's already. The 350g Woodleigh protected point has a SD of .356 and a BC of .400 which should be nice for those longer shots as well.

Regards,
Chuck

I saw a very nice 416 Rigby just this last Friday at a local gun shop. It was a CZ African Safari beautiful gun. Next I checked and they did have brass $2.25 each. You know with less powder needed and nearly the same performance the 416 Remington still looks pretty good. I noted that the 416 Rem brass was .64 each. I mean is there really dead and deader? My personal opinion is there is no need for much more gun than a 416 Remington unless it's in your mind.

If I step up from 375 H&H it will most likely be to a 470 Capstick. From what I hear it's an easy modification to a 375 H&H. If I rebarrel with a heavier barrel and add a mercury recoil reducer to keep the balance just right, the recoil shouldn't be too bad. Something about .470 just says Africa to me ...

Unabashed Rigby groupie here. The Remington version does nothing for me though I know it makes sense in the action length and economy department. The Remington just has no soul to me. The Rigby gives you more leeway to stoke it up hot, if that tickles your fancy.

I use H4831SC in mine with 350 gr Barnes X. I tried some test loads with IMR 4831 and 7828 but I wanted the temperature insensitivity of the Hodgdon powder as I was developing loads at -30C to use at +30C. Over there is not the time to find out that your handload is great for polar bears but bites the big one for use in Africa.

Muledeer - did you ever carry out the pressure tests on the .416 Remington that you talked about doing here?