I am interested to find out if anybody here has had any problems with case extraction on the 416 Remington made by Remington. Its kind of a broad question as I experienced this twice with different guys hunting with my PH tutor. It was in the days when I was still trying to figure out the difference between sh*t & wild honey so I dont remember paying attention to which exact model it was.
I remember the rifles were made by Remington, for some reason I think they were Model 700 ?? But that may be because I have read so much about this model since then.

It is also possible that the owners were using hot loads - I dont remember whether they were using handloads or factory ammo.

any tips on how to tell the difference between sh*t & wild honey would also be appreciated

Live to Hunt, Fish to Live

Basically, if a .416 Remington rifle has the words "Remington Model 700" on the receiver, it's 'shit'.

If a .416 Remington rifle has the words "Winchester-Trade Mark-", and "Model 70" on the receiver and barrel, it's 'wild honey'!

AD

Nicely phrased AD!

There were also some excessively hot Rem factory loads in the 416 caliber because Rem thought it could push the pressure limits to achieve 2400 fps. Once loaded down to where it ought to be, the 416 Rem does not experience pressure problems. However, the unreliable nature of the Rem 700 design coupled with shoddy quality control remains, relegating a Rem 700 in .416 to being a gun for the shooting range but not for African hunting.

Likewise, Winchester has had LOTS LOTS LOTS of quality control problems in their model 70's the past 10 years.

Therefore both a production Rem 700 and a production Win M70 are born of cow pies. The difference is that a competent gunsmith can fix the Winchester, but the Rem 700 is eternally hopeless.

Allen: you couldn't be more on point than if you would have pointed out the differences between kerry and Bush! PERFECT! jorge

I was assembling parts to build a .416 Taylor when I learned from George Hoffman that Remington was going to introduce their .416. I ordered one from their Custom Shop.

After a longish delay the rifle arrived. I had also ordered 5 boxes of factory ammunition (a mix of solids and softs). I took both to a local range and did some test firing. On shot number one, the barrel band departed the rifle. On shot number three the extractor failed.

I only own two Remington rifles now, a M721 (my first centerfire rifle) and a M700. Both use after market or modified triggers.

jim dodd

It is one thing to use a Remington rifle for something such as whitetail or varmit hunting.
Anyone who would use a Remington Rifle with its failure prone tiny extractor for dangerous game anywhere in the world deserves what they get. I just hope the PH or others don't become collateral damage.>John

Hey Baboonbreeder! great username! I've taken alot of Baboons in Africa. About the >416, (note my user name), I own a Remington, bought it when it first came out, I have no trouble with any ammo in it. have used Remington ammo but now all I use is Federal. In the last 6 years I've taken Hippo, elephant, Croc,2 Cape buffalo,2 Eland,2 Zebra, & Warthog with it, I will use nothing else! I'm going back next year for Lion, yes with the 416 Remington. You might want to contact there shop in New York, maybe they can help..
As always, Good Hunting!!!!!!
widowmaker416

Brand loyalty or brand bias, whichever you want to call it, is always a good way to stir things up a bit.

There was guy on another similar forum that caught me off guard with his semi-annual "All 1911 45ACP's Suck", I took the bait and we all had a good laugh.

IMO, any production rifle, whether Win., Rem., Ruger, etc., etc. can come out of the box a piece of junk. Same thing with automobiles, hence the "lemon law". Anyone looking for a reliable, accurate, cheap big bore rifle is in for a long journey.

Hey!! RHS! well said! Agree with you 100% Remember - - - always hunt with what you are comfortable with and what you trust!!!!! A proven tool!!! Nothing less!!!!!!!
Always Good Hunting!!!!!!! widowmaker416

I have seen more than a few Remington extractors fail in Africa, so I won't use them..I use Mausers and pre 64 Winchesters myself..but to each his own...

I have been loading my 416 at just a tad over 2400 FPS in my mauser and I have never had any problems with it..If one has problems with a 416 Rem, its because he is putting to much powder in it..My std. load has always been 78 to 79 grs. of Rl-15 for 2400 FPS give or take.....

I picked up ten boxes of early 416 Rem Mag ammo. The 350 grain Swift load has always worked fine. The 400 grain Barnes Solid load gets sticky at summer time temperatures (100 - 110 F), which kind of defeats the purpose. I now load all my hunting ammo. If you use 78 grains of RL 15 or 76 grains of Varget in a fully sized case behind any reasonable 380-400 grain bullet you will get 2350 - 2400 fps at very reasonable pressures - safe function and easy extraction. I test my big bore ammo in the Idaho desert during July and August.
I have a Sako in 416 Rem Mag that has never missed a beat. I tried a Remington 700 once and did not like the balance or the sights, it functioned ok. I am going to have a Winchester built up in the next year. I will get an action and send it to someone like Dennis Olson, Mark Penrod, or John Ricks for a complete rebuild and blueprint. Then a Krieger, Pac-Nor, or Lothar Walther barrel. Finally a Legend stock by McMillan. It will cost $1,500 - $2,500, but it will be 100% dead nuts reliable.
More and more I use my 416 for everything from deer and elk (with lead bullets) on up. It is the great cartridge of the last 50 years.
Consider any mainstream commercial rifle as a starting point. Invest in some quality gunsmithing and you will have some of the sweetest honey ever made.
JCN

I have a friend who has all custom made rifles all in Rem actions and all left handed...Every rifle from his big boomers 510 Simba, 460 ASquare, 416 Rem....All have been changed to Sako extractors and all work flawlessly....

Mike

No offense, but I knew a guy who had a souped up Chevy Vega. It was really fast. But it was still a Vega. Another guy had a souped up Pinto.

baboonbreeder

In 1996 I got two 416 Remington fitted with synthetic stocks for our hunting operation in Mozambique both a fitted with Leupold 1.5-4 scopes in Leupold quick change mounts. At the time all you could get commercially was 375 or 458 in CFR and I was very sceptical about the Remington�s. I was totally disappointed by the performance of the 458 calibre but happy with the 375 performance at the time, but Mozambique requires a minimum of 400 calibre as backup gun. I was running out of 416 Rigby shells for my gun which is a excellent backup calibre for our purpose.
Since I got the Remington their accounted between them for over 120 buffalo, some hippo�s elephant, sable croc�s bush pigs, warthogs, lion. The only problem so far on one off the guns a front sight got knocked off. We also got 416 Taylors, 375 H&H, 9.3x64, 9.3x62 and some 458. all in Control feed Mauser / Bruno actions.

We never experience a extractor failure on the Remingtons or any other malfunction however the open sights which come factory fitted is an disgrace. The Remington action is smooth, the trigger is fine the two rifle�s a accurate and reliable. The rifles working under the worst condition possible in the flood plains of the Zambezi Delta. The first batch ammo we got with the rifles have been Remington 350 grains swift and worked well. Today we using 400 grains Hornady, Rhino and Barnes all with very good results.
I would not hesitate to hunt any thing on this planet with one of this Remington�s.
In fact I going to use one next month to sort out some crop raiding elephants.

IMO You do not need a custom build rifle to hunt at all, all you need is a rifle in which you a confident, fits you well, and you are able with to put the bullet where it counts.

Rather spend your money on ammo, more shooting praxis with the gun and on a decent scope and mounts. The rest of the money use for hunting.

Here's a bolt-gun done RIGHT:



www.champlinarms.com/gundetail.cfm?id=1544



AD

Mac and Dan,

I agree with the CRF rifle.. I am just stating about the extractor change and that is all...with the big boomers or anyway changing to a larger extractor...

Mike

Well thanks everybody...yes yes my personal favourites are up there with the mauser actions & pre 64's...having said that by far the most accurate big game rifle I have had the pleasure of shooting was a SAKO...again I didnt pay too much attention to the particular model but that gun was just wonderful!!!
and in closing, I must admit that whilst I have a beautiful Mauser .458 which has whispered once or twice in the long grass...my absolute favourite - you could even be so bold as to call this girl my mistress is a Browning Medallion A-Bolt in .375 H&H - another model which has had its fair share of extraction problems.
I found that using RWS ammo or heated up hand loads was an almost bulletproof method of jamming the bolt. I worked with my gunsmith buddy to work out the right load and have used that baby since then many many many times without any argument. She is a lovely girl and I wouldnt sell her for all the money in the world...although (whisper now...) "i might consider trading her for a nice double"

Thanks for your opinions and enjoy everything,

Live to Hunt, Fish to Live!

PS: AD if you look at this, I like that 416...just not too sure about that thing on the side of the breech opening? Is that mounted on the rifle??

My 416 Rem from the Rem custom shop has operated flawlessly since new. My 416 also puts 350 X bullets and 400 Solids all in one ragged hole at 100 yds. It's made a couple of trips to Africa and taken 2 Buffs and an assortment of other game..