I anticipating getting a new 416 Rigby for an Africa hunt and am wondering what range to sight it in; 100? 200?

knowing your skill with a rifle I would suggest a modest 7 feet

Jim,

I shot my 458 Lott at 100yds and after I got a group of 5 inside of a 2 inch circle..I stopped and shot from 75 yds in..50 40, 30, 20, 10, 5yds so I knew where my bullet went exactly...I never fired another at 100yds. I even shot at 200 just to know where it hit...
I took my bull ele at 30feet...

Mike

It depends on where in Africa & what particular species you plan to hunt. For example if you plan to hunt the thick bush as is found in the lowveld or Zambezi Valley you should sight in at fairly short range..... if you plan to hunt springbok in the Kalahari then a much longer range.

Probably the best thing to do is wait until you've decided on an area & an outfitter & then ask their advice.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Kobe:
I anticipating getting a new 416 Rigby for an Africa hunt and am wondering what range to sight it in; 100? 200?

For all around DG and PG use, I would go with 1 inch high at 100 yards.

I had mine sighted in 1.5"@ 100 yards, even though EVERYBODY told me that I would be shooting buff at 60 yards or less, Well guess what> SHot mine at 125 yards and I was glad I had it sighted in as stated. I still knew the POI at 25 and 50, but you never know. It was hitting right on at 200 BTW with 400gr Swifts. jorge

I sight my big bores rifles in 1" to 1.5" high at 100 yards. My medium and light rifles 2.5 high at 100........works for me.

A big bore sighted as above should be the same at 50 yards, at least mine are..I want to see that buggers eye at 25 and put a hole in it. If I can see the eye above my sights, he should be toast..At least one of us will be.

Ray:

As old and stringy as you are, no carnivore worth a shit would want to eat you. Just throw some Meow Mix out there... and act submissive

Now buffalo... shooting them in the eye ain't a bad idea. I've held up PETA literature during a charge, and that'll stop them as surely as a .416 solid in the brain.

All these great suggestions are in my new book:
HOW TO ALMOST SURVIVE A SAFARI

Back OT:
I absolutely agree with Ray and Jorge. 1.5" at 100 yards will keep your bullets where they need to be... particularly if you need to use that scope at 25 yards or so.

I also have my Rigby sighted in 1" high at 100 yards and rarely have to shoot that far when I am carrying it! But in the miombo and/or jess you seldom do, just my experience.

For a dedicated DGR, I go for dead on at 50, or at most, 100, and shoot until I know the POI at nearer and farther ranges.

Jack OConnor must be laughing his ass off. Whether a 416 is sighted in a 100 or 150 yards is hardly relevant in African hunting situations. Buff don't worry much about 1/2" groups or whether it was hit a 1/2" too high or a 1/2" too low.

Sight it in at a hundred yards and don't shoot any buff any further than that (much less any other dangerous game).

Will: I subscribed to your POV until about 3 weeks. I was hunting up in Dande in Zimbabwe and the only shot presented to me over the course of five days was at 125 yards. While I much prefer a closer in shot on buffalo or like you say ANY dangerous game, I took a calculated risk. Why calculated, because even though I can routinely hit a 3" circle @ 200 yards using sticks with my 416, I would have much prefer a closer in shot. As it turned out, my hsot was PERFECT if I don't mind saying so. A 1.5"@ 100 setting is prudent, particularly when it's practically dead on at 25 and 50 yards. jorge

jorge,

Hey, it's a judgment call. I have shot buff over a hundred yards but only because they were big and I couldn't get any closer. I also know the feeling of shooting something or going home empty handed.

But you have to accept the consequences of shooting buff at long ranges. Bullets get deflected, it takes a step at the last second, etc. Not only accepting the potential danger but the fact that the buff could get away wounded and never found.

I just think it is a bad plan to shoot buff at long range, especially for all the trouble it can generate. Things are a lot more certain at 50 yards than at 100.

Will:

I think that the real reason that most folks sight in their "flatter shooting" DGR a little high at 100 yards is because (wow!).. they shoot flatter tragectories, making a 150+ yard zero very usable at 50 yards and for that 200 yard shot at plains game. Just MHO.

Will: Can't argue with your post, then again shooting buffalo at close range is a calculated risk also, after all they could charge. I think JudgeG captures what I'm trying to say best in that there s no disadvantage to sighting in your DG rifle to shoot a bit "flatter" and in doing so affords you the chance of taking another animal at longer ranges if the opportunity presents itself,particularly when you are talking about 416s or lesser calibers. jorge

Still and all, I'd rather be dead on up close--where a couple of inches could be important--and if I had to do it, just hold over a couple of inches for a shot beyond 100 yds.

Up close you don't always have the time or presence of mind to make those adjustments.

mrlexma: Have to agree with you, but it has been my observation that if one has to shoot "up close and personal" and offhand, 1.5" is irrelevant. Fortunately with my scope set at 1.5X, I can hit pretty close to dead center at 25 and 50 while shooting offhand. jorge

jorge, when I say "up close" . . . I mean a buff or hippo coming hard at 10 feet. I don't particularly want to face that kind of thing, but if I do, I don't want to have to remember to aim three inches high!

That's one reason why I'm going with iron sights on my primary DGR this year.

I once tried to brain a hippo from about 15 feet (luckily he was already dead, but we weren't sure) using a scope sighted .458 Lott zeroed at 100 yards. I forgot to aim high to compensate for the bullet's being so far below the line of sight. The 500 grain Woodleigh solid hit him in the side of his head over two inches low--enough to miss the brain completely, as it turned out.

But man did his head bounce!

[Edited to make it clear that this was a case of my forgetting to aim high.]

MR: Maybe this weekend I'll see where my rifle shoots at 10 feet and let everybody know. I guess that's why I have quick detach mounts too! jorge

I've said this about a jillion times already but here it goes again:

The real sighting problem is when they are real close and you are using a scope. You have to remember to aim 1 1/2" or 2" high as the barrel is that much lower than the scope.

It's enough to miss braining a buff if you don't remember.

quote:

Will: Can't argue with your post, then again shooting buffalo at close range is a calculated risk also, after all they could charge.

Jorge, isn't that why we hunt dangerous game? If it weren't so, I would stay home. I don't condemn anyone for choosing to shoot a buffalo at 100+ yards - I might do it myself someday, but for the reasons Will states and the fact that the "danger" of a DG hunt had been eliminated, I wouldn't feel too good about it.

Jim, sight your rifle in at 100 yards and go hunting.

Sorry, but I don't follow your logic about "not feeling great". We were "in buffalo" up to our collective necks, sometimes as close as ten yards, but a shot opportunity never presented itself.

This has nothing to do with the "danger" in DG hunting but rather how best to sight your rifle in, point being that when shooting offhand at close ranges a 1.5" delta just isn't that critical but when taking a shot from a steady rest at longer distances, and not nessesarily at DG, the higher POI setting might prove the difference in the end. And even as Will staes if your rifle is set to hit dead on at 100, you will still have a different POI at 10 feet. Does that mean one has to sight in at 10'? not hardly. WIth my setup I am positive I can hit dead on in close, you just need intestinal fortitude. Oh yes, my 125 yard at the buffalo was just the first shot, AND I FELT GREAT about it, but the next two were at 30 yards and closing.jorge

Jorge,

No offense intended. I was commenting on your observation of the risks of hunting DG. As for the original question, I put my two cents in on that as well. Good hunting.

I respect ypur opinion. Thanks, jorge

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
I've said this about a jillion times already but here it goes again:

The real sighting problem is when they are real close and you are using a scope. You have to remember to aim 1 1/2" or 2" high as the barrel is that much lower than the scope.

It's enough to miss braining a buff if you don't remember.

Hell, Will, knowing about this isn't the problem.

Remembering it during crunch time is the problem.

I'm using irons so I don't have to remember.