I need some advice: I have my 416 Rem. Mag. zeroed at 100 yds., but I'm wondering if this is optimum. I'm using my rifle in Tanzania for buffalo, etc., this season, and my load is 370 gr. North Forks @ 2460 fps. I'm taking my 300 Win. Mag. for plainsgame, so I don't need an all-purpose sight-in for the 416.

Thanks!!

AD

That's what I did with what sounds like the same load, zero at 100, and just knew where I would hit at 50 and 200. Didn't much matter, could just hold on vitals, and 200 is the longest I'm personally comfortable with the 5x scope. Conditions may vary, but in my limited experience the shot distances got longer as the season progressed due to visibility and lack of cover. If QR mounts, then you are covered for any follow-up and/or under 50 if comfortable w/the irons. JMHO.

Allen: my 416s a Rigby as you know, but I sighted mine to hit 1" high at 100 with 400gr AFrames loaded to 2400 fps. It seemed to work perfectly on that 125yd shot on the buff. jorge

Allen, with that big bullet and known trajectory you should not have a problem...with anything...I believe you would be able to just hold on the body of animals out to 250 or 300yds. and drop the bullet on them...IMO they would be sledgehammer when it would hit them..

Mike

Allen ---- I took the same rifle and load, even the very same bullet and speed. I had my zero at 100 yards and it served me well on the Buffalo. I took a .358 STA with North Forks for plains game. IMO you will shoot instinctively when the time comes, forgetting all ballistics for the moment. Good luck and good shooting.

I'm just taking the one gun, my .416 Remington Magnum, with 81.0 grains of RL-15 and 370-grain North Forks. I haven't chronographed it yet, but I'm sure this load is close to yours, Allen.

I was figuring on zeroing at 200, which ought to put me at -- or just under -- three inches high at 100. I'm thinking this ought to carry me through for everything I'll be shooting, but I'm wide open for comments.

Russ

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
Allen: my 416s a Rigby as you know, but I sighted mine to hit 1" high at 100 with 400gr AFrames loaded to 2400 fps. It seemed to work perfectly on that 125yd shot on the buff. jorge

Allen: I sight my .416 in exactly this way as well (same exact load too). Will try it on three more buff in two months.

Jorge: How was the hunt? How big was the buff? Good boss? Any problems?

Allen, I took only my .404 to Moz. last fall & was sighted on @ 100, that put me about 1" high @ 50 & 4" low @ 200. My 380grNF are going just over 2200fps. The longest shot I took was about 225yds, but I missed my Waterbuck w/ that one, got him later @ about 110yds.
Russ, I think 3" is too high if you are after buff. in cover, JMO, but for pure plainsgame, that's where I would be.

Allen,
I have my 416's set 1" high at 100 (meters - my home range is set up for silouhette).
lawndart

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:

Russ, I think 3" is too high if you are after buff. in cover, JMO, but for pure plainsgame, that's where I would be.

Well, my figuring is that anything closer will hit less than three inches high and should still be a killing shot. Still, I need to chronograph my load, crunch some numbers, and see how I'm hitting at 200 before I set a final zero.

Thanks, Fred.

Russ

FWIW, I agree with your initial decision to zero your .416 DGR dead-on at 100 yds. I do the same with my DGRs since bullet rise above line of sight out to 100 yds. is negligible for all practical purposes.

And you will have your .300 (with presumably a 200 yd. zero) for PG hunting.

Makes perfect sense to me.

AZ: Absolutely no problems over there. I've posted a lessons learned over on the Hunt Reports here that you can read and on the African Forum there's a pic of the buff. To be perfectly honest, I didn't even measure him! He has good hooks and a great boss. Check him out! jorge

IMHO - Buffalo sighting is all about from zero to 100 yards. Assuming your scope is 1.5" above the bore line, the highest point of impact @ 100 yards that one is comfortable with will, one day, hedge your bets in clearing that obstacle just under one's crosshairs at some intermediate range. I believe your 1" high @ 100 setting is a good one, in this regard and will in no way hinder the longer shot. This is an all too rarely mentioned benefit of irons on a DG rifle, too, I might add. As a hunter of the eastern woodlands for most of my life, I can tell you I've had many a bullet just nick an object the crosshairs were apparently clear of, under 40 yards or so and missed a buffalo at 60 yards, just a few years back. In other words, the sooner a DG projectile arrives at, or slightly above line of sight, the better. It takes very little to deflect a bullet, however large.

Never sight in a DGR 3" high at 100 that is for plainsgame and 270s etc...If you get a charge the distance is fast closing and 3" becomes a 6 or 7" high shot from your point of aim and I assure you that you do not have time to make those adjustments...I sight in 1" high at 100 and both my guns are also 1" high at 50 yds....I just want to see that bulls eye over my sights when I pull the trigger...A Buff is a big target and lots of room for drop if the shot is a long way off...Hold on the hair on the top of his back and spine him or he gets a chest shot.

100 yard sight in is also a very good way to go..Most Africans use that method, they like the bead to cover the eye of the beast....I like to see that eye and if he winks at me, I unload and walk back to the bakkie, he's bluffing, trust me on this one...

Don't forget to aim an inch and a half high when he's close enough to pee on your new Russells.

I am not sure if I have done the right thing but with my .416 a Rigby I have it 2" high at 100 yards and it is zero at 200 yards. Seems to be dead on at 25 yards to.

The load is a 410 gr woodleigh Round Nose at around 2450 fps.

AD,
Are you going to take a "solid" load?

In my 416 my soft load shoots 1" higher than my solid load at 100 yards (both chronograph at ~2450fps). I zero the solid at 100 yards (puts the soft 1" high).

I hunted last year in Tanzania with this combination. The longest shot I took on a buffalo was 180 yards (frontal, he was facing me). I dropped that "bad boy" on his nose. Everyone was high-fiving behind me and then he got up and ran into the crap (before I could shoot again). It took four more solids at ~25 yards to convince him to stay down. My heart starts beating fast just thinking back about it.

One mistake I made was in taking too many solids. I would take one box of solids and the rest softs.

quote:

Originally posted by PC:
I am not sure if I have done the right thing but with my .416 a Rigby I have it 2" high at 100 yards and it is zero at 200 yards. Seems to be dead on at 25 yards too.

My point, exactly.

I just got my .416 back from the gunsmith. He glass bedded it and cut the barrel back to 22 inches. Wow, you wouldn't think 2 inches would make that much difference, but it does. Much handier IMO.

I wouldn't mind seeing a discsussion on second and third shots in the mag...soft or solid. I have always used a solid as no 2 and 3.