Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Curious About .416 Taylor

I've been thinking about trying 400 grain bullets in a .405 Win or maybe have a .411 H/S made. But as I sit here, I realize I have a .338 WM I like but am not overly attached to. No doubt the Taylor would avoid any issues you might have when loading to the top end of either I mention above.

What kind of velocity is available with a Taylor with 300 - 400 grain bullets? What is reasonable weight for a bolt action Taylor that is ok to carry but does not kick your teeth out? I am not overly recoil sensitive. What about barrel length recommendations? Would not think it would need a long barrel (over 22-24 inches) for that small case to make max practical velocity. Would probably use 300-325 grain Xs.

Thanks in advance,
Expat

Expat,
I've also been considering putting a 416Taylor together. Here's my reasoning:
Years ago I owned a 10.75x68 which in its "classic" loading of 347gr at 2200fps was super-mild and great fun to shoot. Loaded up it would push a 347gr to 2400fps (pretty much what my 375H&H does with a 350gr and also my 458WM with 350gr Hornady) and a 400gr to original Jeffery velocities of around 2100fps. In a light rifle (which mine was) these loads did not kick the snot out of you.
10.75 brass and dies are an expensive proposition, but a Taylor is dirt cheap in comparison and matches the 10.75 ballistically.
When I get around to building mine, it will have a 22" barrel, profiled along the lines of a regular sporting weight 338WM, I like an all-up weight around 3.6 to 3.8kg but with a good recoil pad. It will be loaded with a 400gr at 2100fps (matching the 10.75) or a Woodleigh 330gr at 2400fps and brass at this level will last nearly forever. 2300fps is achievable with the 400gr but why push it so fast? Action will most likely be a M98 or a push feed M70 and it will be in a synthetic stock. It will more than likely wear a straight 4x Leupold or 2.5x Leupold. It will be ugly as sin as no money will be spent making it pretty, but it will be easily carried all day, handle like a regular 30/06 with much better end performance on the big deer I chase in forested areas. Time will tell.
Cheers...
Con

My Taylor is built on a 98 action. Weight is about 9 1/2 lbs scoped.

I find the 400's loaded to around 2150fps and the 350 at 2400, that it is a relative pussycat to handle. When I step the 400's up to make loads at nearly 2350 the recoil climbs QUICKLY.

I haven't tried anything lighter then 350, but I can get them into the 2500's.

I would think an 8-8 1/2 pound Taylor would be ok to handle, especially if not pushed to the max.

My Taylor wears a 23" barrel, #5 countour.

Ex,

My Taylor closely mirrors Steelhead's 98. I have kept a supply of Barnes X's in 325 grain and achieve 2600 fps out of them. My go to load with a 400 grain Hdy. bonded round nose is at 2,350 fps. You do know that you have fired the rifle!

Forming brass is as easy as it gets. I might add that .458 brass is easier (cleaner) to neck down than .338 brass necked up...but the finished, fire-formed case works fine regardless. If and when you decide to "do" a Taylor...look for Rel 15 or one of the 4895 powders for reloading....

Best,
bhtr

Here is th web address for the .416 Taylor site. .416 Taylor I though about building one on a Weatherby Mark V action I had laying around but decided on another .450 Marlin. Lawdog
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I'm thinking about this rifle as a N. American thumper..........just because. That said, it would probably get most or its utility as an elk rifle. With 300 grain Xs at 2600-2700, it would work up close or well over 200 meters. I would probably use some heavier bullets for some other purposes, not that I would need them, but just because! That said, I probably would not exceed 350s at 2300-2400. If I can get a 8.5-9 lbs rifle with a 22 inch barrel, I'm just not seeing this gun as that overpowered when compared to a hot loaded .45-70 (400 gr @ 2,000) from a Ruger #1.

Sounds like a good plan to me! I always thought Ruger should have made the .416 Taylor a factory cartridge years ago. I don't own a .416 Taylor but I have always thought it was a neat cartridge. (I do own a Ruger M77 in .416 Rigby.)

I've read where some handloaders have trouble getting to 2400 fps with 400 gr bullets and that's probably true. But, so what? The original .404 Jeffery ballistics were a 400 gr bullet (.423") at around 2150 fps (if I recall correctly) and the ol' .404 has taken thousands of Africa's Big 5 and plains game over the years. I'm pretty sure that the .416 Taylor can hit 2200 fps with a 400 gr bullet without even breaking a sweat. That will handle most anything if need be.

My 9.3x62 pushing 286 gr (.366") bullets at around 2400 fps worked extremely well on plains game in South Africa last August (2 Kudu and 1 Gemsbok, plus some Warthogs and Impalas). The .416 Taylor pushing a 350 gr at 2300-2400 fps is a similar concept ballistically but with just a little more bullet weight and diameter. I like the idea of 350 gr .416" bullets at around 2400 fps with a rifle weight of around 9 pounds. It would be a real handy thumper. For North America, it would be sort of a "super" .405 Winchester or .400 Whelen. I don't think it would be "too much gun" for Elk at all. Heck, I'd even hunt Deer with it. IMHO, big bullets at moderate velocity don't ruin a lot of meat if you're after some to put in the freezer.

Dang, the more I think about this, the more I like the idea.

My two cents....
-Bob F.

Yep, I keep my 400gr loads at 2200fps give or take, and the 350's at 2400. Easy to handle, and if a 416 diameter 400grain bullet doing 2200fps doesn't keep me out of trouble, I doubt another 150fps will matter.

Not much to add here. My favorite load now is 370gr North Forks ahead of 72grs of H4895. That's good for 2400fps in my 23 inch barrel.

BFaucett,
I believe you put into words what I am thinking.

Just checked the Barnes site. It appears they've dropped their 300 and 325 Xs. Does anyone else offer a good, light (300-325) .416 bullet that would make a good elk bullet at 2600-2700?

A lot of folks make 350s. I doubt I'd ever go heavier than that.

Barnes still lists the 300grain X.

Barnes

Ah, very good! I obviously didn't go all the way to the bottom of the page. They did drop the 325. Phil Schoomaker (sp?) liked that bullet in his .416 Rem.