Some may have interest in my new 416 Taylor, built to be as lightweight as possible.

CZ550/22" Douglas barrel/NECG sights/McMillan stock/1 up, 3 down/7.45 lbs.

[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=243976&c=531&z=1"] [/url]

Sweet .... Much hunting luck with it!

Will you be hunting with Brent and using it as your "primary" rifle?

Will,
Just a tag-along question, could basic mag brass be taken to Africa in this caliber since it has no headstamp? No caliber on headstamp, no problem with rifle caliber? Got a .416 Taylor myself on a lefty Ruger 77 MkII.

Will,

That came our real nice. Did you blue it or gun coat it.

Will,

Nice ride........good luck to you. I especially like that Carolina blue stock.

Joe

Sweet!

Will,
Well done indeed!
Prof242 is not to worry about headstamp, as proper brass is available from Quality Cartridge, and doesn't Midway stock QualCart stuff now? Or order direct as in the past. The Remington .458 WinMag brass necked down is almost identical to the QualCart stuff for load development.

That bluish gray stock color is my favorite.

Is this a CZ 550 Medium? You didn't specify that, but the light weight and only 3 down in the box would seem to confirm that.

And for my notes, what is the diameter at the muzzle, please?

Is that a standard Douglas No.4 sporter with a short shank? Or did you have it turned down a bit?

Did you choose the 12" twist or 14" twist?

I think Douglas and McGowen barrels are as good as any. Shilen is nothing to write home about. Krieger, Pac-Nor, Dan Lilja, all excellent, and the deciding factor is usually the service or specification offered and delivered.

I would have to cut 4 inches off the barrel of my Ruger/Shilen .416 Taylor and move it into a Brown Precision stock to get close to your weight ... you win the light-weight/compact competition.

I do have a 6.75# .375 H&H, but you get bonus points for caliber.

My .404 Jeffery is 8.0# (Winchester/McGowen), but it is getting the NECG banded front sight with pop-up ivory bead added right now, and that will add a few ounces to the muzzle ...

UNCLE!

That's a great rifle! I want to change the sights on my CZ550 as well but don't trust any of the riflesmiths in France to do a good job so I'll try screwing it up myself. If I've remembered how to post a picture, here's my .416 Rigby

I like your rifle very much. It's simple, rugged-looking, and all business.

AD

RIP,

It started life as a CZ "medium," in 7mm Rem. I had Douglas duplicate the original barrel so it would fit into a drop-in McMillan AHR stock. The twist is 1-12", for no good reason. Muzzle diameter is about 0.611".

Those darn NECG sights are heavy, 0.20 lbs.

It takes a couple days for my shoulder to start hurting, so not too bad.

The downside is only 3 in the mag., but you can't have your cake and....

Judge,

Yeah, it going to be the pick of the litter.

Wink,

Is that a McMillan stock on your Rigby? I need to do the same for my converted CZ in 416 Rem. (that will hold 5 down).

Allen,

Thanks. I must admit I have a utilitarian outlook on it. As long as it works, and is light in weight.

Nice looking rig, Bill.

A no-nonsense, all-purpose, rugged African working rifle. Fits you to a tee, Will. Really nice gun!

I like it too! Very nice. Being partial to Taylor's, I am looking forward to hearing how it shoots.

Cheers,
Canuck

Cesli Wakan!!! (Lakota for "dung of the great spirit" ... Holy Shit ... pronounced: chess'lee wah-kahn'):

Only 0.611" at the muzzle!

I want to know how it shoots too.

So you like a butt-heavy gun, eh, Will? That ought to point like an index finger on outstretced arm.

I could build one down to 6.5 lbs with a barrel that light, using a 1-pound Brown Pounder, Brown Precision stock ... but I won't!!!

You don't have a plastic floorplate and follower on that too, do you?

I lucked out as the sights were nuts-on the first time around at 25 yards, shooting off-hand. As that as far as I intend to shoot it, I am afraid I will have no "how-does-it-shoot?" report.

Actually it balances right at the hinge.

Not bad.

Will
With that much sweep to the bolt handle, doesnt it bite with full power loads?

quote:

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Originally posted by TSJ:
Will
With that much sweep to the bolt handle, doesnt it bite with full power loads?

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Allow me, Will,
Of course not! Not when you grip it properly as a big bore should be gripped.

Now,
If I turn a barrel down to 0.666" at the muzzle and slap it on a pre-64 M70 with a one pound stock ... hmmm ... dare I go to 0.625" ... there is no end to this.

Will, Yes, it's a drop-in MacMillan stock for the CZ550 Magnum in .416 Rigby. I bought the new barreled action here in France and ordered the stock from MacMillan. It's a good fit so I can't complain. Relatively short length of pull (13 and 1/2 inch) but I'm not too recoil sensitive and my Leupolds (a 1.5 X 5 and a 6X fixed) in Talley mounts don't scope me. I asked MacMillan to fill the butt to add weight and compensate somewhat for the barrel heavy rig. In fact, it is still too barrel heavy. I will probably follow your idea and cut off a couple of inches from the barrel (down to 23") to improve the balance. I like the Rigby. I can load it down to 2200 fps and get Taylor like recoil or load it up to 2400 or 2500fps and have it shoot as flat as my 375 H&H. I know we don't impress anyone with the beauty of these rigs but they are by golly practical.

Will,
I have one of those McMillan for CZ 550 Safari stocks also. It will align your eyes perfectly with a low powered scope. You might have to scrunch your face down a bit to get behind the iron sights.
Of course, RIP or I would be happy to set you up with a nice hogback stock for iron sight work.
lawndart

Lawndart,

I was just confirming that it was a McMillan on Wink's 416. I had one on a Lott, but didn't have any trouble with the open sights. I wish I could have withstood the abusive recoil in non-hunting situations.

Thanks for the offer of a hogback. If I ever ask for one I will have been certified as crazy, so then ignore the request.

I really like your rifle it is great.......it would be a fair bit lighter than my cz safari .416 Rigby I would think.

Well doen on a great rig.

Hey Will,
I just weighed my .416 Dakota and it weighs 7.75 pounds, but it is a little muzzle heavy and needs a quarter pound of lead in the butt to make it an even 8 pounds. It is an M70 from a 300 RUM, with Talley mounts and a banded NECG front sight with pop-up night bead, 24" Douglas stainless 12" twist No.5 sporter barrel that is 0.718" at the muzzle.

I won't be beating your weight with this one either. It will be 8 pounds just like my .404 Jeffery.

RIP,

What I came to find out was that the CZ action is a bit heavier than the Mod. 70 action, so I was unknowingly under-the-gun weight-wise from the outset. I was hoping for 7 lbs. even, but it didn't happen. It is probably possible with a Mod. 70, and even more so if a flyweight stock can be found. Someday McMillan will make 1-pounders for rifles other than the 700's.

It is too late this year for any more playing. I have to get the thing broken in. Maybe next year.

Will,
That would be a great thing, especially if McMillan can come out with a graphite and Kevlar "Mac-Pounder" for $400 or less instead of the over-inflated $700 Brown Pounders.

I'll take Mac-Pounders for CZ 550's, Winchester M70, Mauser 98, and Ruger M77 MkII, hold the Remington M700. Then I would have to turn down some barrels ...