Dear Geezer,

You must get those Dakotas for free or something.

I hear that the hold up at CZ is getting the 450 Rigby ammo production up to speed.

Them must be big bears and moose to need a .450.

Does anyone here have experience with 450 Rigby and/or 450 Dakota in hunting situations? Would really like to know more about these two calibers, I'm considering either of them for bear and moose.

I've been comparing the two...

should be interesting to hear what the geezers have to say...

I always have to laugh about "the performance of a CARTRIDGE" on game.

A 45 caliber bullet at X fps is a 45 caliber bullet at X fps period.

Now if you want to discuss reloading, headspacing...a different story.

I have the .450 Dakota. It works ... real well! Lots of case capacity, low pressures for any reasonable velocity (2200-2400 fps).

I took a CZ 550 and had it rechambered to the .450 Dakota. Brass is relatively easy to find, but a bit pricy. 450 Rigby brass is sure to be a bit more expensive, although I have not checked on it.

I thought about doing the 450 Rigby ... just because of the name and history, but practicality won out. They are balistic twins. Throw in the 460 Wetherby (reloads, not the factory speedboats) and you have three identical rounds.

I put a 3/4" mercury recoil reducer in the stock, this helps the recoil. The design of the CZ 550 stock does nothing for reducing the felt recoil. Vaughan Fulton said to me "Man, that muzzle sure does jump up when you shoot!"

Someday I will replace that stock with the new CZ 550 American stock. Less drop at the heel makes for less muzzle jump.

Rigby or Dakota ... good rounds.

They are, arguably, the best of all hulls for a .458 caliber DG rifle, providing optimum performance at optimum pressures for African hunting. The Rigby may well have come generations earlier and it is interesting to ponder how such would have altered the African hunting scene, as we now know it. Had it come, even as late as the 1950's, the advances in bullet technology would have complimented it well.

Shooting the 450 Dak using Swift A-Frames and Barnes Solids out of a Dakota Rifle at 2400 fps, purchased when you could afford it. A great rifle and caliber. Awesome rifle at 12.5lbs for buffalo if you get the appropiate balance.

If CZ is expecting to make a 450 Rigby, that is an option or have a CZ rechambered for the 450 Dakota round. The 470 Mbogo also sounds very interesting for buffalo, should be a real stopper.

Dak

Saarolos,

I shoot a CZ rechambered to 450 Dakota but had a new very heavy 1-12 twist barrel installed by AHR in Montana. ALso installed their Mod 70 trigger and safety. Plated by ROBAR in AZ. Robar matched the barrreled action to a McMillan synthetic BRNO 602 stock. Weight 11 pounds w Chin Sling and 3 X luepold in QD mounts. Recoil tolerable and rifle very well balanced. I recently shot 37 rounds off hand in one session at 25, 50 and 75 yards.

Yo can shoot a 400 grain North Fork at 2750 fps w 104 grains RL-15 and kill moose or bear w confindence. they expand to about 85 cliber and retain 360 - 380 grains + weight.

Shawn Thomason in Craigmont Idaho chambered my rifle. This was before AHR chambered the 450 Rigby. He rented the dakota reamer from Dakota, but also has the 450 Rigby reamer which he has made quite a few of.

You might want to check price of 416 rigby brass from various manufacturers and compare to midway price of 450 dakota.

As these gentlemen have said, or as Shawn would tell you, it really just comes down to brass.

The Dakota head spaces very well even w virgin brass. I am currently on my 6th and 7th reload w the Dakota brass, and all have been full power or even over pressure loads as I used this lot of brass to work up loads for my rifle. Have not lost a single case in 400 rounds of practice and load development. 400 at 2700 fps, 450 fr at 2550 fps, 500 gr at 2,400 fps from 21 1/2 inch barrel.

Andy

You could buy Oldsarge's Monster Slayer on Gunbroker. It is a modified Brno 602 in 450 Rigby. He posts here and would probably be happy to tell you about his experiences with the round.

Oldsarge:
The Slayer looks "bad" enough, but I just got into a deal with a friend of mine.

Thanks for a lot of good information, folks. Does anyone of you have ballistic data about the 450 Rigby - trajectory, energy and so on...?