Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 416 advise

I just purchased my first large bore rifle a Ruger M77 in 416 Rigby. Recommendations for getting comfortable with this rifle (iron sights) and what kinda loads to purchase? Anyone buy from Hendershots? Other sources of quality ammo for this rifle?

Practice, lots of practice!

Load your own as shooting factory ammo will eat up your savings in no time.

First "advise" to myself........learn to spell.....good grief too many years in exam room. So I need advice! Thanks elkhunternm for advising!!! I don't anticipate necessarily enjoying trying to put multiple rounds through this rifle both due to ammo price and recoil.......but we gotta gitta know each other!

Just a few here and there at the range will help. Also a "sissy pad" like a P.A.S.T. recoil pad helps too.

I still strongly suggest you load your own.

Saw something some Rigby ammo for sale online a short time ago. $179/box of 20.

Back to the bench.

Aside from the same "load your own" advice others have already stated, test-shooting standing over a tall bench (or pickup hood) is FAR easier on you than than when sitting down....

What's it weigh? It should be heavy enough to attenuate recoil.

I had one and it was plenty heavy but it kicked like a mule at 2350 FPS. I replaced it with a CZ550 and it didn't kick nearly as hard
I also have a Whitworth in 416 Remington that is much lighter than the Ruger and 400 grain bullets at 2454 FPS had much lighter felt recoil.

Stock fit is important,too long or too short,too much drop, not enough drop all make recoil more noticeable. A recoil pad can ease things a bit as well. Start with 350 grain bullets at starting or reduced velocity and work your way up to full power. Start free hand or off sticks. Over time, you'll find shooting off a sitting bench isnt too bad.
Don't shoot too many rounds at each range session. If you get the jingles, you shot too many rounds that day. Recoil, for me is like running. The first time you run a mile you think your going to die, over time a couple miles is no big deal.
Those Rugers are great guns and the Rigby is a phenomenal cartridge! Enjoy the adventure.
Bfly

Thanks Bfly I will heed your advise on working my way up, using the sticks and being persistent. It is an RSM, made 2001, weighs 9.75lbs. My gun guy has it on the way so I haven't got my hands on it yet and I'm itchin'!

My .416 Rigby was a CZ 550 that, after I remodeled the factory "humpback" stock, weighed 9-1/4 pounds without a scope--the same as the .416 Rigby used by Harry Selby for decades, and made famous in Robert Ruark's safari book HORN OF THE HUNTER. I know this due to shooting the Selby rifle around 20 years ago, while hunting on a rice plantation in Arkansas, owned by a guy who hunted with Selby a lot, and bought the rifle when Harry retired. It didn't kick nearly as much as many people would assume, using Federal factory ammo, which is why I modified the CZ to approximate Selby's rifle.

That said, the .416 Rigby has almost exactly the same case capacity as the .416 Weatherby, and can be safely heated up to Weatherby velocities of around 2650 with 400-grain bullets. I did that for an article in HANDLOADER, which also appeared in a chapter of THE BIG BOOK OF GUN GACK, and I did all the range-testing off a sitting benchrest. But I also used higher front and rear rests than usual, which helped!

I had a Ruger no.1 in the 416 Rigby. It kicked pretty hard. I had read in a gun test publication that the no.1 in that cartridge kicked worse than others the tested in the same cartridge. Have fun! Rob

I'll second what Blackfly said above. If I recall, the M77 in .416 Rigby are pretty hefty rifles, so that should help with recoil. Shooting just a handful of rounds at a time will help also, like Blackfly said, from developing a flinch. You don't want to overdo it. Also, finding some reduced loads that shoot to the same general location as your full power loads will help with practicing with the iron sights. Using 350gr bullets and handloading to reduced velocity will allow you to extend your range sessions. I would also suggest getting off the bench and get used to using shooting sticks, since I'm presuming you're headed to Africa with this rifle. Even if you're not, shooting sticks are great aids for any type of hunting or shooting, especially with a heavy rifle like this Ruger.

Yes '23 trip to Mozambique and it will be my first. All good advice, thanks everyone. Dunno how I missed this forum all these years. I have lotta material to keep me occupied!!!

Good bud killed a 41" buff in Zim with his Ruger Safari Magnum in .416 Rigby. He shot it a lot before he went, seems he was maxing it out with H-4831 and 400 gr. TSX's. Buff killed with one shot, although he traveled, one bullet did him in.

His PH carried an old push feed M-70 in .416 Remington. He liked the RSM, but said it was too heavy. PH did like the .416 caliber for buff.

Here's the bullet that did the trick.

DF

I've used one in my youth. Like others said, reload your own ammo. You may want to look into making your own bullets by casting. RCBS make a 350gr mould for your 416 and that's plenty for most game. That a much more economical method of getting practice in and you don't have to run it full throttle either. I've used that mould and have taken game with it working just fine.

With a scope added, the recoil shouldn't be bad. They're a pretty beefy rifle. If needed, add some lead or a recoil reducer in the buttstock. I have a rifle coming in 500 A-Square, so maybe I'm not the best one to give advice on recoil :-)

I was wrong about factory ammo costs. Natchez Supply has Federal .416 Rigby ammo in stock. $253.99/20

Will you post pictures of the rifle when you get it please.

yes