I’ve shot Cape Buffalo with a few different calibers, including 458 Winchester, 375 H&H, 470 NE and 416 Hoffman. The only heavy rifle I have now is the 416 Hoffman, which I acquired about a month before Remington announced their version of 416.
If I were to get a new 416 today, it would be 416 Remington, in a controlled round feed Model 70.
The Remington is nearly the same as Hoffman, only difference is the shoulder on the Hoffman is about 1/8” farther forward, so you can shoot 416 Remington cartridges in a Hoffman, not not the other way. My Hoffman load up to now has been a 400 grain Trophy Bonded Bearclaw atop RL15 at 2,510. It’s a great Buffalo load. However, I’m about to start tweaking it as finding Bullets is very difficult right now and I have a Buffalo hunt coming up.
I’ve got a 16-day hunt coming up in western Tanzania that includes 3 buffalo bulls and am considering what to shoot in my 416. So far, I have 350 gr TTSX’s & 400 gr Cutting Edge Raptors in hand and have 400 gr Swift A-frames on back order. Also have some 400 gr Trophy Bonded sledgehammer solids. I should be able to get some 400 grain TSX’s by early May. It’s going to be fun testing these various Bullets and will make the time until October fly by. I expect I’ll be able to push the 350’s around 2,650-2,700 but am not sure I want to. It’s hard to argue with a 400 at 2,500+, that load really is great Buffalo medicine. My PH, Alan Vincent, thinks I should stick with 400 grain Bullets.
I gave all that background because you can nearly duplicate it with a 416 Remington. While I love the history and tradition of the Rigby, I think the Remington is the best practical option.
