I blooded my new 10.6 x 375 Ruger wildcat, (Baby Rigby), with this old Gnu, in the first week of May. My project is to make an "every man's" knock off of P.H. Harry Selby's infamous .416 Rigby. I think I got pretty close. I streamlined a 375 Ruger and opened it up to .416 with the old half inch long neck of the Rigby. In fact, I trimmed back a Lyman 416 Rigby F.L. die, .300", and used the seater, as is, to load my try cases. Now I have real Hornady custom dies, which support the case better. But I still can reload by neck sizing with the clipped Lyman die set, made for the 416 Rigby. Both seaters form a roll crimp so close that you can't see any differences.

But my wildcat is much better suited to the Mauser M-98 military action. My smaller Boer 8mm Mag. is an Americanised version of the 8 x 68S Schuler. The 10.6mm is about as far as I can neck it up, and leave enough shoulder to head space on. I have a rimless cartridge which is a bit larger than the .416 Taylor, and has the longer neck of the Rigby. I left enough steel in the military receiver, so that I can load up to the original factory velocities of the larger Rigby, without getting bolt set back. I used a Venezuelan R.Famage 1957 action, made for the U.S. .30 caliber M 2 round. With a little extra length in the magazine, I can load out to 3.5 inches O.A.L., by dropping my ammo straight down between the stripper clip slot, and the notch in the top receiver ring. This military action is about as close to the ones that Rigby used after WWII, as I could lay my hands on.

With a bastogne walnut stock, and a customized L. Walther Bavarian 1500 barrel, I got within two ounces of Mr. Selby's Rigby, and kept that "lively" balance. Mine does have scope mounts as well as fixed Express Sights,(NECG). My weight is 8 lbs., 10 oz., without the scope. I have a 24 inch barrel, as opposed to Selby's 23 incher. I used Layne Simpson's article on the old Rigby, now in Louisiana, as my template. Mine is a stock depth magazine, and only holds three of these Ruger cases. I found that I can re-form a virgin 375 Ruger case, in one plunge, to my .416 Wildcat. The neck up, cancels out the lengthening, from streamlining the shoulders, so I only have to barely kiss the case mouths in my trimmer. This saves a lot of work over forming down the basic brass.

My P.H.'s wife helps run a refuge hostel, and the little tykes who will eat this beast, named my wildcat rifle, for me, in Afrikanz, "Een skoot mood Gnu".

http://s1122.photobucket.com/albums/l534/dtrainmore/Een%20skoot%20mood%20Gnu/

http://s1122.photobucket.com/albums/l534/dtrainmore/