Has anyone had any experience with the 450 Rigby?

Bob

well, last year my PH( Karl Stumpfe) used 1. he put another insurance shot in my elephant after i brained him on the ground through the skull. his shot was placed between the shoulder blades. it went through the spine, chest, brisket, exited the sternum and kicked up a big dust cloud beyond the animal! i was suitably impressed....

Think beltless .460 Weatherby and you have a idea how much power it has. A 458 bullet on a .416 rigby case.

Personally, I think its overkill, but some guys like that amount of power.

Just got one in a CZ 550, only fired a couple of shots. Recoil is not overally bad

It never really acquired any popularity.

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:
It never really acquired any popularity.

fujotupu, compared to what I'd ask? Bear in mind that not that many hunters have a use for the big bores, but in it's class I think it is probably the most popular and moreso today than the 460 Wby and Dakota. Comparing it to the .458 Win is an apples and watermelons thing in my opinion.

Maybe the Lott is more common due to factory availability, cheaper dies and components, but the 450 Rimless is quite popular amongst PH's here and also quite a few hunters. The cartridge is quite young I suppose, 1994 or so introduction and only recently available in factory rifles. It is a great cartridge which I don't own personally, but some of my friends shoot them.

I think the popularity here is also attributable to the fact that the Lott does not perform as well with local propellants as it does with US propellants.
550 and 600gr bullets are possible with this case if you want them.

quote:

Originally posted by AFRICAN LEADWOOD:

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:
It never really acquired any popularity.

fujotupu, compared to what I'd ask? Bear in mind that not that many hunters have a use for the big bores, but in it's class I think it is probably the most popular and moreso today than the 460 Wby and Dakota. Comparing it to the .458 Win is an apples and watermelons thing in my opinion.

Maybe the Lott is more common due to factory availability, cheaper dies and components, but the 450 Rimless is quite popular amongst PH's here and also quite a few hunters. The cartridge is quite young I suppose, 1994 or so introduction and only recently available in factory rifles. It is a great cartridge which I don't own personally, but some of my friends shoot them.

I think the popularity here is also attributable to the fact that the Lott does not perform as well with local propellants as it does with US propellants.
550 and 600gr bullets are possible with this case if you want them.

AL: How well do you know Paul Roberts?

I know him pretty well and I also recall the time he came to TZ to put his new toy to the test prior to officially marketing the product.

I can direct you to a website where he is posing with his 450 Rigby should it be of interest to you.

While the round may perform well (I never decried it) it never really hit the market probably due to its close competitors and it is highly unlikely you will find a new one off the shelf and if you do, may probably be the only one.

Start another thread and see how many people own and hunt with the 450 Rigby other than the few PHs you have mentioned.

I have also read many hunt reports and just cannot remember anyone having used one on their hunt.

I love mine. Built on a Enfield action I had zero feed problems in Zim last August. It took two Impala and one Duiker with 500 grain CEB #13's as well as a CEB #13 lengthwise through a cape buff. I only load it around 2175 for the 500 grain softs and solids.

It's going back with me in 2015. A great round.

Dutch

quote:

Originally posted by Dutch44:
I love mine. Built on a Enfield action I had zero feed problems in Zim last August. It took two Impala and one Duiker with 500 grain CEB #13's as well as a CEB #13 lengthwise through a cape buff. I only load it around 2175 for the 500 grain softs and solids.

It's going back with me in 2015. A great round.

Dutch

Indeed a very impressive round on Impala and Duiker; even more impressive if you can get one to charge!

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:

quote:

Originally posted by Dutch44:
I love mine. Built on a Enfield action I had zero feed problems in Zim last August. It took two Impala and one Duiker with 500 grain CEB #13's as well as a CEB #13 lengthwise through a cape buff. I only load it around 2175 for the 500 grain softs and solids.

It's going back with me in 2015. A great round.

Dutch

Indeed a very impressive round on Impala and Duiker; even more impressive if you can get one to charge!

Now now! Actually they do charge, straight into the ground.

Ballistic twin of the .450 Dakota, which I had at one time. Same load data, IIRC. You can also use 460 Wby load data since the case capacity is the same across all three (consult your personal reloading attorney before attempting any loads I publish)

It's a serious round. For serious men. Packs a serious punch on both ends.

quote:

Packs a serious punch on both ends.

Probably one of the main reasons it isn't popular, together with the 505 Gibbs

Liked my first one so much I bought a second. One of the key features for me is you can reach 2400 fps with 500gr bullets with no pressure concerns; somewhat reassuring in the hot African sun. I'd say the popularity thing has something to do with the fact that this is a relatively new cartridge circa the 1990's in development and not everyone wants something with this much punch. Performance wise it's a winner as are it's twin sisters.

Well, when it's the only rifle besides your double you gotta make due with what ya got. I thought for a moment that the Duiker was going to make a break for me what with that look in his eye like I owed him change for a soda. Fortunately that 500 grainer did the trick.

Dutch

Hated my 450 Dakota with a passion

quote:

Originally posted by MopaneMike:
Hated my 450 Dakota with a passion

Everyone has a passion...I've owned two 450 Dakotas, both were buff stompers...hard to beat a 500gr Swift AFrame at 2425fps, more if you wanted it, but not necessary...loved 'em.

quote:

Originally posted by MopaneMike:
Hated my 450 Dakota with a passion

The ROUND or the RIFLE or BOTH?
You've a story to tell friend!!!

I just took the plunge and bought a 450 Rigby, so no experience with it yet but i'm looking forward to it.

I don't want to hijack the thread but Spooksar, did you get one of the 550 Safari Classics that Wolverine Supplies has for sale ? If you have a Canadian source for ammo or properly headstamped brass can you PM me ? There aren't many 450 Rigbys here in Canada.

quote:

Originally posted by MopaneMike:
Hated my 450 Dakota with a passion

You are a wise man!

I shot 4 Buffalo with a 450 Dakota. It dang sure works. But I don't see too much difference between that and a 470 or a 416. But then again, I guess I would need to shoot 100 or so with each caliber to be able to have a reasonable comparison.

For what it's worth, the one Buffalo I shot the most times was with a 450 Dakota and the PH with a 458 Lott. 14 rounds. The first shot was NOT a bad shot either! This Buffalo would not die.

fujotupu,

I never suggested that you said the 450 Rigby rimless was a poor performer. I was suggesting that your comment was without a context against which to gauge what is "popular". You may have noticed that I didn't disagree with you at all.

I've just had a look at African Dangerous Game Cartridges. Pierre v d Walt says that Geoff Miller saw the cartridge as headed for obsolescence (I did not know this). Pierre adds that in Africa its popularity is growing. I provided the local context with my comments and I agree with this opinion, certainly in South Africa. This is the opinion that I shared and I provided that context to my comments.

Bob,

I spent a day over the weekend with two 450 Rigby owners and amongst various calibers, we did some relative penetration testing with the .450 Rigby Rimless.

500gr bullets at around 2400 fps
550gr bullets at around 2200-2250 fps
600gr bullets at around 2100-2150 fps

Performance with the heavy for caliber bullets is remarkable. It is truly an impressive cartridge. You will like the performance. Admittedly this somewhat exceeds the original Rigby performance specification.

I have a 450 Rigby and have used it on elephants. It is a great dangerous game round a real thumper. It is also easy to reload for and there is factory ammo available for it if you don't reload. Lots of bullet options in the .458 caliber.

Met some PH's in Zim who were not really familiar with the caliber or confused it with a 450 rimmed. Seeing it and shooting it quickly made a strong impression. One even wanted a round to keep for himself. As stated I believe it is on the way up not on the way down. But then again I thought the 350 Rem Mag was the cats meow

How does the recoil of the 450 Rigby compare to 500 Nitro Express??

quote:

Originally posted by Texas Blue Devil:
How does the recoil of the 450 Rigby compare to 500 Nitro Express??

Good question. Mine generated 108 ft-lbs of recoil at max loads. I believe 96-98 ft-lbs was about right for my rifle, with the 500 grain loads I was using.

When recoil reaches that level, I think they all hurt.

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:

quote:

Packs a serious punch on both ends.

Probably one of the main reasons it isn't popular, together with the 505 Gibbs

No flies on the 505!

quote:

Originally posted by Canadaboy:
I just took the plunge and bought a 450 Rigby, so no experience with it yet but i'm looking forward to it.

I don't want to hijack the thread but Spooksar, did you get one of the 550 Safari Classics that Wolverine Supplies has for sale ? If you have a Canadian source for ammo or properly headstamped brass can you PM me ? There aren't many 450 Rigbys here in Canada.

Sorry I took so long to reply, got mine direct from CZ USA. Jamison brass from Mystic precision , dies from Buffalo Arms in Idaho. Tried to order Norma brass from the Canadian importer, nothing yet. I have a lot of odd calibers for Canada and have a few places I use to get brass.

No flies on the 505! [/QUOTE]

Awesome round. 600gn at 2270 gives about 102 ft lbs of recoil in an 11 lb gun. I can hunt with that all day. It flattens pigs and is effective on buffalo. However I have decided to slow my loads down a bit to 2100fps after recovering a few bullets from buffalo, and deciding that they were a little too expanded for optimum penetration. At 2100fps, that will be really easy to shoot. Nearly all shots were at 50m or under, so a slower velocity will guarantee a bit more retained weight and better penetration. However I am going to try a few tougher bullets as well, like the 525gn Barnes at around 2500fps.

I played with one built on a M-70 action. The rifle weight was light for the caliber coming in at about 9 lbs. With full house loads it was a miserable little SOB at the range. I watched the owner kill a full sized bull giraffe with it, and the results were impressive it's a performer if you can handle it.

Saw one in 2004. It is an impressive DG cartridge.

Mike

Like the 460 Wby, it is a great platform for those wanted to up bullet weight to 550 or 600gr in a 458, rather than shoot a 500gr bullet at faster velocity.

quote:

Originally posted by venda axe:
Has anyone had any experience with the 450 Rigby?

Bob

Yes, I have one. Brevex action, I like the round and if I wasn't using a double heavy of some variety, I would want it in my hands. Elephant died quickly using that Hornady DG solid that catches a lot of flak.

Can't go wrong. Load it up until you get enough recoil the suit then check the velocity and I am sure it will be enough.

The .450 Rigby Rimless is quite popular among Section Rangers in the southern part of Kruger National Park, from Kingfisher and southwards