For those of us who hunt Alaska with a .416" caliber gun, what is your chambering? (And, why?)

For those of us who hunt Alaska with a .416" caliber gun, what is your chambering? (And, why?)
6 lb 375 H&H mag. It goes everywhere easy, shoots like an 06 on steroids off the bench, bullet selection is fantastic and it shoots better than me. Greg

6 lb 375 H&H mag. It goes everywhere easy, shoots like an 06 on steroids off the bench, bullet selection is fantastic and it shoots better than me. Greg
Sorry, not a 416. Greg

Who needs a .416? Although nice to have if tracking a wounded brown bear a .338 works just fine. I have even seen one 9'5" taken with one shot at 30yds with a 30-06 220gr. I know you are asking about 416, but from IMHO the .375 is the perfect brownie gun. It just shoot too good and flat.

Roady

Although I don't have one anymore, I really loved the 416 Rigby I had. There's nothing any of the other 416's can do that the big Rigby can't, usually at less pressures and less fuss. The Rigby does tend to require a heavier rifle, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think its a great chambering for a rifle to be taken into the thick and nasty alder, devil's club and willow jungles for big bears along the coast.

Sorry, not a 416. Greg
Hey, you got to like your enthusiasm, though!! :D

Just received an order of .416" Speer 350 grain Mag-Tips today. At $20 per 50, I think that's a pretty good deal (for a bullet with a pretty good reputation as a game-taker). Anyhow, I don't know if bullets qualify as art, but these things do in my book. Can't wait to drop them in some new R-P brass I have. (I know, I know....it's pretty pathetic an old man can get excited about how beautiful handloads look!)

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!"

Some cartridges just look neat. :D

I looked at 416s for 4 years. Why mess with a good thing. The Rigby is what I chose. It wouldnt still be here if it didnt work well. Even with the scarcity it went through 20-30 years ago it is still here.

Yeah, I know what you mean about it being a pretty looking round loaded. You should look at it loaded with 400 grain Nosler Partitions in Norma brass! :D

If Godzilla ever were to appear in Ship Creek ready to march through town... heheheheh

How 'bout a necked down .416Remington Magnum. It's a .411/.416Remington Magnum. I had this long before H&H came out with "their" .400H&H. Maybe I should have copyrighted it. :(

The new H&H is quite a bit different than a necked 416 Remington. It holds the shape of the 375 H&H a little more than the 416 Remington does. Has a much longer neck, more taper and much shallower shoulders.

Still, even with North Forks great new 360 grain .411" bullets, the availability and wider selection of bullets in .416" gives the 416's the edge. Certainly there would not be real ballistic differences.

Just received an order of .416" Speer 350 grain Mag-Tips today. At $20 per 50, I think that's a pretty good deal (for a bullet with a pretty good reputation as a game-taker). Anyhow, I don't know if bullets qualify as art, but these things do in my book. Can't wait to drop them in some new R-P brass I have. (I know, I know....it's pretty pathetic an old man can get excited about how beautiful handloads look!)

I think the 350 gr Speers, at least in the accuracy dept, are great. I haven't shot them in media to see how they hold up though. They shoot way under an inch in my 416 Taylor on a '98 Mauser and if I remember correclty, approx. 2300 fps (too lazy to run downstairs and look at my range notes). The poor rifle sits in the gun rack mostly unused though. I hope to take it to Africa someday and shoot the 350's on plains game, and (Oh I hope someday) 400's on buff. The 400's I've shot so far pattern very close to the 350's.

I would love to have a Rigby. I almost bought one of Ruger's Express rifles in the Rigby years ago (another decision I regret). It is an impressive cartridge. My brother has the same rifle in 375 H&H, and it is very pleasant to shoot.

I just ordered a 416 Rigby barrel for my Encore. Should be here today. :eek:

Redhawk,
I think that one is going to hurt you. I may be wrong on this, but I doubt it. Be sure to fire factory loads through it as the first course of action, so you know what you're up against. :)

Fremont,
I haven't had the chance to hunt Alaska yet, but I do have a .416 Rigby that a play with a bit. I don't see any real ballistic differences between the first three on your list...the Rigby will do it easy as Alyeska pointed out...and the fourth one (Weatherby) I wouldn't shoot on a dare, standing or on the bench.

Redhawk,
I think that one is going to hurt you. I may be wrong on this, but I doubt it. Be sure to fire factory loads through it as the first course of action, so you know what you're up against. :)
.


Well I got the barrel in and I installed a mercury recoil suppressor in the stock and installed a Sims recoil pad. I loaded up some 300 gr. Barnes X bullets and headed to the range. With the set up I have, the gun is fun to shoot. The recoil is not bad at all. My buddy also shot it and was surprised at the lack of felt recoil.

I was not going to spend the money of factory ammo, at over $120 for 20 round. I can reload about 80 rounds for that. Plus I am not a factory ammo guy. Nothing like rolling your own. :D

I have a .416 Remington in a model 70 Winchester and I can't see any real advantages, that a .416 Rigby would have over the .416 Remington caliber, other than higher price for ammo.

The old wife's tale about African heat and pressure build up making the Rigby a better choice is nothing but BS. The Remington has proven itself over the last 15 years or so in Africa hunting and NO stuck cases have I ever heard about from anybody or read about in any hunting magazine.

I for one like the model 70 Safari verses the Ruger in stock and 3 position safety, which is larger and less cumbersome on the Winchester model 70.

The 416 is a most versatile caliber, letting one use those 325 or 350 grain bullets for plains game out to 250 yards and 400 grainers for the Big Bad Nasty animals, that just might want to dine on your hide.

My vote is for the Remington. I have helped build them in most of those cals. and I thing the Remington is more 'user friendly' and the ammo is more avaliable. :)

Fremont- I use the .416 Taylor and am very happy with it. I chose the Taylor because at the time Ruger made the only controlled -round feeding action in stainless [I wanted a stainless/fiberglass stocked rifle for here in AK.],and the Taylor was the right fit for the action. I had a Shilen bbl. put on it and it is one of my most accurate rifles.

There is no denying that a 400 grain .416 caliber bullet at 2375-2450 fps is a thing of beauty. Yes, shooting the Rigby isn't cheap, but I look at it this way. It keeps me from upsetting the wife by buying a new rifle every month because I'm feeding the ones I have. I also get to tell her that instead of paying $6.00 plus per shot of factory ammo, I can load my own for under $2.80 each so I can shoot it more! The scale of savings isn't that advantageous for the Rem Mag. :D

Well, I got a Water Buffalo with my Encore in 416 Rigby. One shot from a 300 gr. Barnes X bullet at 135 yards. I like the 416 Rigby so much, I bought a CZ 550 in 416 Rigby also. I have it at the gunsmith getting it glass bedded and a second lug installed. In my opinion any 416 is great. :D

..My PH-in Africa carried a .375H&H while we were in the bushveldt, and I carried a .376Steyr-Scout...both of us were adequately armed for any potential-problems any rogue-lions might present. However, when he hunted the Caprevi-Strip, he carried a 416Rem-Mag. His 416 looked just as weathered and worn as his .375H&H, and he expressed great satisfaction with the performance of his-416. He told me the 416Rem-Mag represented a well balanced combination of affordability, availability...and POWER.

Well I got the barrel in and I installed a mercury recoil suppressor in the stock and installed a Sims recoil pad. I loaded up some 300 gr. Barnes X bullets and headed to the range. With the set up I have, the gun is fun to shoot. The recoil is not bad at all. My buddy also shot it and was surprised at the lack of felt recoil.

I was not going to spend the money of factory ammo, at over $120 for 20 round. I can reload about 80 rounds for that. Plus I am not a factory ammo guy. Nothing like rolling your own. :D

Redhawk, you are right about loading your own being cheaper but you owe it to yourself to see what the originals were like with at least a couple of factory loads. 410 grain Woodleigh just for fun? :D

Redhawk, you are right about loading your own being cheaper but you owe it to yourself to see what the originals were like with at least a couple of factory loads. 410 grain Woodleigh just for fun? :D


The factory loads don't come close to the performance of the reloads I load. :D

Redhawk, really, the additional 110 grains of bullet weight is a thing of pure beauty. :) Just over 33% more bullet weight, and it's the one that made the Rigby's reputation.

Okay, maybe Im a glutton for punishment. :) But I like the big heavy bullet!

Well I got the barrel in and I installed a mercury recoil suppressor in the stock and installed a Sims recoil pad. I loaded up some 300 gr. Barnes X bullets and headed to the range. With the set up I have, the gun is fun to shoot. The recoil is not bad at all. My buddy also shot it and was surprised at the lack of felt recoil.

I was not going to spend the money of factory ammo, at over $120 for 20 round. I can reload about 80 rounds for that. Plus I am not a factory ammo guy. Nothing like rolling your own. :D

Hey Redhawk1, when did Barnes start making 300 grain X bullets for the .416 caliber? I knew they made a 325 grain and the 350 grain, as well as the 400 grain. :confused:

Sorry! I must have missed those bullets in the Barnes manual. I got some on the way to try out on a couple of critters prowling around the place. Most likely won't have to skin them either. LOL.