Guys, I just ordered one of Montana Rifle Company's PH actions yesterday. I told them just to use a standard bolt face and I plan to figure out what caliber I want it to be later. I was thinking about making up a really nice custom rifle in .416 Rigby but I was also thinking about a .450 Dakota or a .450 Rigby. If I went with a .450, which one do you think would be the better, the Dakota or the Rigby? I am concerned about the availability of brass and I can't seem to find load data for either cartridge.

Dave

I went through the same process when ordering my custom rifle and went with the Dakota. Ballistically, they are practically identical. The word "Rigby" of course carries some weight if you are into that, but brass availability AND cost, the Dakota is the better choice. I just ordered enough brass to lst me a lifetime, but the Rigby brass was hard to find and at four bucks for the Rigby vs two or less for the Dakota, it was an easy choice. jorge

+1 what Jorge said.

Another thought is that Ken Cline has 450 Rigby brass and dies for sale in the classifieds.

Rich
DRSS
Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost...

Thanks for the tip Rich.

Dave

If it was me, I would just neck up the 416 Rigby brass (either Norma or Hornaday) for general shooting etc. and only use the more expensive, correctly head stamped brass, for use on the other side of the big pond.