I recently purchased a .416 Remington magnum because I had heard it is "All of that and a bag of chips." I had previously owned a .270 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, .300 Winchester magnum, .338 Winchester magnum and a .375 H&H magnum. I sold the .270 Winchester and the .30-06 Springfield to help with the purchase of the .416 Remington magnum. I still own the .300, .338, .375 and now the .416 magnum. Over the last couple of months I have been playing with different powder loads, bullet types and primers and still find the .416 to be a very hard kicking rifle that is difficult to be accurate with. (Probably mostly my fault due to recoil) It does not appear to be any flatter shooting with .400 grain bullets at 2380 fps than my .375 with 300 grain bullets at approximately 2600 fps. In fact it appears to be a bit lethargic. It does, however, hit like a ton of bricks at about 65 meters. I can actually hear the difference when the 400 grain bullets hit compared to when the 300 grain bullets hit the same target. The factory ammunition for the .375 H&H is always in the $27.00 - $65.00 range at most gunshops I visit and this includes a wide variety of loads. The .416, on the other hand, is usually in the price range of about $90.00 - $120.00. I can never find this loaded in anything other than 400 grain bullets. When comparing the two between recoil, trajectory, accuracy, price, availibility and lethality on all game animals, what is it that the .416 posesses that the .375 H&H magnum does not? The .416 does not appear to be the all-around gun that I thought it would be. It is, in fact, not something that I look forward to practicing with. I would rather shoot my friends Krieghoff .470 N.E. at the range as I find that to be more of a push than a snap like the .416. Please help me understand what the attraction is.

Thank you so much.

jfm.

This could be poor rifle design. Several options in helping curb your recoil problems. If you never get over the recoil problems I would suggest moving on to a diffferent rifle and possibly a different calliber. A hunter hunting DG with a rifle he can't shoot well and is afraid of is a recipe for disaster. Good Luck out there.

jfm, many here have had similiar experiences to yours. The 375H&H and the 458win are all I care to shoot from a sitting, prone, or semi-prone position on a repeated basis. The 416 mags and the 458Lott seem to have worse recoil in the rifles I've shot. Other folks may be less recoil sensitive.

You may want to consider trying a Sims recoil pad and use a shoulder pad like the ones Bob Allen Co., makes. I couldn't believe the difference the shoulder pad alone made. Next, you can invest in mercury tubes or Mag-na-porting. Just make sure no one is standing to the side of you. The noise and concussion is tremendous. What your going to gain with the .416 Rem is penetration and foot pounds of energy. Plenty to hunt Elephant with. An option would be the .416 Rigby. Loaded to normal ranges the recoil is very managable. Best of luck, David

JFM, You need to start reloading for this caliber, the factory ammo is going to be pushing 2350+ fps. Tune the 416 down to 2200 and you'll take a lot of the abuse out and it will still kill anything on the planet. Down load it even more for practice and you will look forward to taking it to the range. The difference between the 416 and the 375 on big game is VERY NOTICEABLE, the 375 will kill them the 416 will numb-shock them before they expire.

At least you are honest!

I never shoot the 416 crowd off the bench anymore. And even at that most times after 5 or 6 rounds I get a headache. Sometimes more but not very often.

If you are stuck with factory loads you could get one of the custom ammo shops to load some that are going, like someone said, down to 2200 fps. They are noticably milder to shoot. Add all the recoil pads, shoulder pads, recoil reducers that others have suggested and it should be "tolerable."

I'm not one that has to shoot up a box of shells to get warmed up. Shoot your 416 a few times and then blaze away with something else. If you keep at it, though, you could get used to the jarring recoil. Some may try to convince you that a 416 is an all-rounder, but that is only for Africa. And the 375 is the real all-rounder.

I knew the 416 was a great penetrator but I never knew it numb-shocked game. Zowie!

I love my .416 Rem. and it's a tack driver. That said, it's not a lot of fun off of the bench. Have you tried shooting off of a standing bench or sticks?

It's all about physics... If you want to reduce recoil, you have to add weight, or use recoil reducing devices such as a muzzle brake. My 375 recoils like a pussy cat now that I have that
Accurate Innovations stock installed. I can shoot full power loads off the bench all day long and never have a soar shoulder. If I ever burn that barrel, I might get it rechambered in 470 Capstick.

Maurice

Do they have it in Pink?

Only if you are a lady SGraves.... Do not let the color fool you! She shoots like a bitch!!!

That's Discrimination!!!!

Enigma. I went to their website, and they do have some good looking stocks with aluminum inserts for strength.
http://www.accurateinnovations.com/products.html

JFM:

That .416 with a 400 grain bullet packs a lot more punch than your .375. However, it comes at a price in increased recoil. You don't say what kind of rifle you are shooting or how much it weighs. You can try and add some wieght to it like adding a mercury recoil reducer but you best bet is to start handloading for it. In my .416 Remington I always shot full power loads with 400 grain bullets and a max charge of Reloder 15. The loads were running about 2400 fps. I discovered that I could reduce the recoil by using Reloder 19 instead. The velocity was reduced but there was a lot less recoil. You can really reduce the recoil for practice loads using Accurate 5744. By the way, that .416 will shoot just as flat as your .375 but hit much harder if you switch to one of the premium 350 grain bullets. Good luck.

Dave

Thank you for your replies and yes I did forget to mention my rifle type. It is a Winchester model 70 I bought from my brother. By the way, I do reload for this caliber and I have been reloading mostly 400 and 350 grain bullets at what my reloading manual tells me is near maximum. I figured power is why you buy a .416 in the first place. My .338 with 230 grain loads and my .375 with 270 grain loads at approximately 2800 fps each seem to be more conducive to accurate shooting than the .416 with 350 grain loads. I still find the .416 to be uncomfortable with 350 grain loads at about 2700 fps. It may be that my limit is under the .416 magnum level but still I can shoot that .470 N.E better than my .416 R.M. Will, I also get headaches after shooting that puppy off the bench and it seems to affect my arms also as they ache a bit after about 10 rounds or maybe even less. I'm not talking about just where the butt hit me in the shoulder but both arms actually ache. I feel this rifle may be bad for my health even though it would probably be worse for the health of whatever I shot with it. This thing may soon be sold for something bigger that kicks less and is more conducive to accurate shooting for me. Perhaps a .470 N.E.
Thanks again for your replies and take care.

jfm

Try this when shooting off a bench. Get a 25 lb. bag of shot and wrap the bag in duct tape. Place the bag between the butt of the rifle and your shoulder. Really helps with recoil. Kind of a poor mans lead sled. It makes a big difference.

jfm,

Why do you want to push 350gr bullets at 2700 fps. You are adding extra stress to the bullet and noticeable more recoil.

For all normal african hunting you will not need to push a bullet more than 2400 fps and that will shoot flat enough for up to 250 yard shots.

It's not the power that kills the animal but the hole! The 416 makes a bigger hole than the 375.

What else do you need out of it ?

Lets get some facts on paper, please...

what rifle are you shooting?
what does it weigh?
do you reload?
are you shooting standing or off the bench?

comparing the ammo prices won't help you with recoil

First, get you some speer 350gr mag tips, and find a VERY light starting load. hodgdon says 350gr bullet and 77 gr of i4895 for 2425.. heck, i can load DOWN from there, and I would even think a couple grains lighter...

in any event, this load is going to kick like a 375 with 300gr at 2500, more or less... and it will tell you RIGHT NOW if the recoil "problem" is in your head or your shoulder.

Honestly, the 416 taylor, rem, ar, or rigby, 400gr at 2400fps more or less, is within most peoples ability to master, you just have to WANT to.

NEVER shoot it from the bench, unless you WANT a beating. It will deliver it, in spades, until you have figured out how your mind needs to take recoil.

Remember, there's guys that can stand up to mike tyson's right hand (and nibles) but if he hit an untrained and unseasoned guy, he would probably KILL him due to impact and being unhardened.

Get up from the bench and stand!!, shoot at 50 yards, shoot 5 shots a session, and when you can put them in 3" every time, step up to 10 shots, then 20... at 20, move over to the 100 yards, and while you will NOT be happy with your shooting, it's a good way to start.

yeah, sure, 416s kick more than 375s.. but not more than the 375 kicks over a 30-06

and i bet most "Grown men" have been punched harder in the shoulder, as a joke, than the 416 kicks

jeffe

I have both rifles. Both built by the same gunmaker. Given my experience with these, I would think your issue is gun design. Yes, my 416 kicks more than my 375 but not be much. Last Sunday, I shot the 416 40 times and the 375 30 times with no adverse effect. The gun that I have that will put a mark on my shoulder the fastest is a 270 Winchester. Definitely design in that case.

Unless you are sighting the rifle, shooting off the bench isn't at all helpful to improve your skills with either. After all do you think a buff is going to wait for you to set up your bench rest. PRACTICE USING HUNTING POSITIONS.

Although I shot my rifles a lot last weekend, I can guarantee that it would have been a different story had I shot off a bench.

I have shot hundreds of animals with both. I always shoot factory ammo. In my experience the 416 packs a lot more power on impact.

Jeffeoso, I am shooting a model 70 I bought from my friend. It weighs right in the neighborhood of 9.5 lbs. I reload 400 and 350 grain bullets. I have been shooting off the bench and standing. I still think this rifle kicks pretty badly. Maybe it's a poorly designed model 70. I say this because all of my other rifles are model 70's and they are pussycats to shoot. I guess it doesn't really matter any more as I have a buyer for it and will keep my .300, .338 and .375 magnums and will most likely purchase something a little bigger with more thump and less recoil. I guess the .416 magnums are just not for me. Thanks everyone for your suggestions. They are very much appraciated.
Take care,

jfm

Jfm, Where are you located?

I may be interested in your .416 if you are close and want it off your hands.

Even if it recoils too much for me...I will bring it to the range every time in hopes that someone comes up wanting to look Macho!

Justin

quote:

Originally posted by Buglemintoday:
Jfm, Where are you located?

I may be interested in your .416 if you are close and want it off your hands.

Even if it recoils too much for me...I will bring it to the range every time in hopes that someone comes up wanting to look Macho!

Justin

In the post just above yours he says he has a buyer. No real surprise -- a popular model and a hard-to-find caliber.