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375H&H is a very good caliber no doubt..but, does better in my mind as a plains game caliber to use when hunting in DG country such as Zim or Cameroon.

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Untold thousands of safari hunters experience probably disagrees.

As for the .416 being an all-rounder including on plains game, I wonder how the average safari client fares on accurate plains game with .416 recoil? Clients bragging expert tales are often are far different from their PHs experience with the same. Those missed kudu at 30 yards evaporate! I think the recoil of a .416 for plains game shots is too much for the average whitetail stand hunter. The reason the .375 shines as an all-rounder. Recoil is still stout but milder. As for buffalo, guys like Harry Manners shot thousands of buffalo with a .375 in Mozambique. For close thick cover hunting I'd turn to a .450 or bigger in a double rifle anyway.

They all do the job. Only the law prevents the good old buffalo killing .318 WR also being used.

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John aka NitroX

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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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375H&H is a very good caliber no doubt..but, does better in my mind as a plains game caliber to use when hunting in DG country such as Zim or Cameroon.

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Untold thousands of safari hunters experience probably disagrees.

As for the .416 being an all-rounder including on plains game, I wonder how the average safari client fares on accurate plains game with .416 recoil? Clients bragging expert tales are often are far different from their PHs experience with the same. Those missed kudu at 30 yards evaporate! I think the recoil of a .416 for plains game shots is too much for the average whitetail stand hunter. The reason the .375 shines as an all-rounder. Recoil is still stout but milder. As for buffalo, guys like Harry Manners shot thousands of buffalo with a .375 in Mozambique. For close thick cover hunting I'd turn to a .450 or bigger in a double rifle anyway.

They all do the job. Only the law prevents the good old buffalo killing .318 WR also being used.

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I am not saying the 375 doesnt work..I AM saying the 416 does it considerably better. Per my experience on buffalo and other large game.

My first trip to Zim, my plains game rifle was a 300 RUM, the 180 Accubonds were blowing up on game, so ..for the next 20 days all I used was my 416 from Duiker to buffalo, it worked perfectly..used 400gr A-Frames..roughly2400fps.. same for solids, 400gr Barnes Solids.. Shot game from 50 yards to 265 (bushbuck)..

I really don't find the recoil of my 416 Rem to be bad at all.. 375 is certainly less, but I stand by my statement that in my experience .375 makes a perfect PG rifle in DG areas.. Your going to wish you had a 375 vs a .270 in your hand when you get charged by a tunskless in the dark sneaking into a blind.. YES, that did happen..Twice.. not both tuskless..

The 375 killed everything I shot while in Cameroon.. However the effect on game when getting hit with a 416 vs 375 is visible to the naked eye.. I've taken a min of 50 head of game with my 416. Not a ton but enough to see a trend forming. If it doesnt drop immediately, its very quickly thereafter.. My experience from PG to ele to cape buffalo...




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Hornady Factory loads for the 416 Ruger match the original 416 Rigby ballistics and seriously beat the original 450/400 and 404 Jeffery rounds. All of which earned Sterling reputations !

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Hornady Factory loads for the 416 Ruger match the original 416 Rigby ballistics and seriously beat the original 450/400 and 404 Jeffery rounds. All of which earned Sterling reputations !

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The original 450/400 was 2050 fps I think with a 400 gr. The original .404 was about 2150 fps or there abouts. Seemed acceptable back in the day.

Now the .404 reaches 2300 to 2400 fps.

All these cartridges have very similar performance. From 2100 to 2400 fps and even up to 2600 fps I believe with 400 gr bullets.

Myself 2350 fps plus or minus is fine.

What speeds are people getting with 450 gr projectiles, .416 or .423?

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John aka NitroX

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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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Hornady Factory loads for the 416 Ruger match the original 416 Rigby ballistics and seriously beat the original 450/400 and 404 Jeffery rounds. All of which earned Sterling reputations !

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Hornady Factory loads for the 416 Ruger match the original 416 Rigby ballistics and seriously beat the original 450/400 and 404 Jeffery rounds. All of which earned Sterling reputations !

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The original 450/400 was 2050 fps I think with a 400 gr. The original .404 was about 2150 fps or there abouts. Seemed acceptable back in the day.

Now the .404 reaches 2300 to 2400 fps.

All these cartridges have very similar performance. From 2100 to 2400 fps and even up to 2600 fps I believe with 400 gr bullets.

Myself 2350 fps plus or minus is fine.

What speeds are people getting with 450 gr projectiles, .416 or .423?

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I never loaded 450's..only 400's ..never saw a need for it..my 400's were right at 2400- when chrono'd.. like 2412--2420.. Primers all looked good at that speed..no excessive pressures..

At that, the A-Frames blew through a big buff bull and killed another bull also on his off side.. it was a two for one Tuesday in Zimbabwe..

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ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..

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I cannot "see" a carbine in that calibre. Rifles have 24" to 26" bls. to me.

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I cannot "see" a carbine in that calibre. Rifles have 24" to 26" bls. to me.

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Double rifle! Shorter.

As for velocities I don't have a .416 so I just use the armchair expert knowledge method of regurgitation!

Real user actual muzzle velocity testing is usually more reliable.

Barrel length? I think a large capacity cartridge with a short barrel is a Billy silly. The cartridge should burn it's powder before the bullet exits the barrel. Use a smaller cartridge for a short barrel. Probably little loss of performance.

I think a carbine length barrel (20 inch) with a .458 Win Mag makes more sense than most .416s.

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John aka NitroX

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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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An added post from days gone by..

https://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/the-gun-nuts/dangerous-game-rifles-the-roaring-forties/

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Ripp, What muzzle velocity do you get from your .416 Rem with a 400 gr bullet?

General comments:
I note this article claims the same muzzle velocity for both the larger Rigby case as the smaller Remington case? Unlikely imo and not per most velocity claims. I thought it was the Rigby 2400 fps and the Rem 2200 to 2300 fps? Not much difference in field terms of course.

If the .416 Rem Mag uses a 8mm Rem Mag case which I thought was a magnum length case? Why then can a .416 Rem Mag, I believe, be made in a standard length action? Correct or incorrect? Maybe I am thinking of the .416 Chatfield-Taylor?

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John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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Ripp, What muzzle velocity do you get from your .416 Rem with a 400 gr bullet?

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I never loaded 450's..only 400's ..never saw a need for it..my 400's were right at 2400- when chrono'd.. like 2412--2420.. Primers all looked good at that speed..no excessive pressures..

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John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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I never loaded 450's..only 400's ..never saw a need for it..my 400's were right at 2400- when chrono'd.. like 2412--2420.. Primers all looked good at that speed..no excessive pressures..

At that, the A-Frames blew through a big buff bull and killed another bull also on his off side.. it was a two for one Tuesday in Zimbabwe..

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More weight over the calibre plus bullet construction equals better penetration.

I like the idea of a matching 450 gr .423 SPRN and FMJ. For buffalo and especially elephant i.e. the FMJ.

I have to check the sectional densities of the 450 gr .423 versus the .458 480 gr or 500 gr. To see how they compare.

I hope I have some Woodleigh .422 450 grs. I bought a box load of bullets. Some of my order was supplied some wasnt. I never checked which were and which weren't. The order came through the SA BGRC and David Handyside as the dealer. Before the fire obviously! Of course now I wish I had never culled my order twice for $$$ reasons!!!

If the 450 gr can't reach say 2000 fps to preferably 2100 fps, maybe I'd stick with the 400 grs which should work very well anyway.

250 gr to 450 gr bullet range, very versatile.

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John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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I’ve never been to Africa and I haven’t even hunted with this rifle. Nor, have I chronographed any loads. But I reckon she ticks all the boxes for when it comes to selecting which.416 for Africa. It just has to be the Rigby.


https://youtu.be/SDgNGQtuvsQ

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John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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Hornady specify 2050fps for the 450/400 on their ammo box, chronographed at 1940fps in my 24" barrel, far short of that specified! (Unless they use a 28” test barrel

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