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I think I am going to go with the CZ 550 (in ref to my earlier post) but I think I am going to go with the 416 rigby instead of the 375 H&H. my question is what all tuning should I have done to the rifle before taking it after DG. | ||
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Trekker The most important "tuning" is that of mating yourself to the feel of the rifle. Short course is practice, practice and more practice. The rifle will tell you it's likes and don't likes. You will know what it needs to work for you. That is what matters. You may need to alter any of the many facets of measurment or dimension, still only to fit you and your pointing, sighting/aiming, shooting, reloading, carryiing of the rifle. Oh yes, practice till you have no concerns, only ability.  Member NRA, SCI- Life #358 28+ years now! DRSS, double owner-shooter since 1983, O/U .30-06 Browning Continental set. | |||
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That won't be a problem, I normally put about 500 rounds and about 6 months worth of what I call "bonding time" with any rifle before I ever take it out after game. This rifle in particular will probably be with me for several years before it or I make it to africa. | |||
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TREKKER, Take it to the range and check it for accuracy and function-feed,etc. Then I would take it to a gunsmith familiar with big bores in your area for restocking and reinforcing-cross bolts, smoothing of the action, maybe put on a new pad or Hg inserts, etc. Depending on the condition of the rifle, you need some work to get the CZ 550 ready for dangerous game hunting. I assume that is what the 416 Rigby is going to usd for. Maybe you need to talk to AHR-Ed Plummer in Montana (American Hunting Rifles) 406-961-4944 as he has done a lot of CZ 550 upgrades and does terrific stock work, but he starts with his own actions. Dak | |||
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Keep a close eye on your stock as they are well known for cracking. DC300 | |||
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If you are goin to shoot this rifle that amount, you'd better start reloading. I'd select a good Hornaday soft point in 416 because they are inexpensive. I'd also keep my loads light because there is no benefit in becoming afraid of excessive recoil; heavy loads shorten brass life; Rigby brass is expensive. I'd ship your rifle down to Walt Sherman here in Tallahassee with a request to bed and reinforce the stock. (850 878 9563) He'll fix it so that it will not break, and get the max accuracy out of it. If you send him brass, and bullets he'll develop at least one load for you that is decent. Most inportantly, he'll find a good seating depth for your rifle. He'll get it back to you soon, and won't charge you eight prices. I'd practice "rapid" fire drills once you get it back from Walt and it is broken in. I have a 375HH 602, and it has never faltered. I'd run round through it very quick and see if any feed problems, ejection problems arise. Good shooting and you are going to like your new rifle. Kudude | |||
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While the 416 is a great round the 375 is nuch mor practical....you may wish to reconsider Mike Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I'd second Mike's recommendation if you are fairly new to big bores. A 416 Rigby is a whole different world than a 375 H&H. It is way more expensive even to reload and it's recoil is a quantum leap over a 375. Also if you chose the 375 you could get it chambered in several other less bulky and heavy rifles than the 416. Just a thought! Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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I'll second some of the others. I can't imagine getting a .416 until you already have a .375. It is more useful in general and the difference in recoil is definitely noticeable. A shot not taken is always a miss | |||
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I am not an old Africa hand, just a old rifleman / hunter The following is what I did to my CZ 550 getting ready for Africa. Much of it is the advice from this board. ( some I ignored) I am also somewhat obsessive. 1. Glass/ steel bed Do this before you shoot it 2. Trigger job CZ trigger needed little work 3. Rails etc polished and checked for 100% feed CZ had no failures out of the box but was a little rough. 4. Install Packmyer sporting clay recoil pad. 5. Adjust length of pull to suit me most rifles come from the factory to long in my opinion. 6. Adjust angle of butt to suit me. 7. Adjust barrel legend to suit me 8. Change front site to Larger brass front post from NEG sites 9. Install ghost ring rear sight 10. De horn entire rifle many sharp edges 11. Fill hole in bolt 12. Shoot about 100 rounds from field positions. 13. Carry deer and pig hinting two seasons. 14. Pick up and handle at least once a week. Doyle  "He must go -- go -- go away from here! On the other side the world he's overdue. 'Send your road is clear before you when the old Spring-fret comes o'er you, And the Red Gods call for you!" Rudyard Kipling - 1887 - The Feet Of The Young Men | |||
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So most would suggest the 375 H&H over 416 rigby? My original plan was to go with the 375. I've always wanted to have both. Ever since I was old enough to say Cape Buffalo. The 375 would be the wiser choice since I know I won't be able to resist using it for everything from coyotes to pigs, and I'm sure the Rigby would destroy a lot of meat on these 90 pound deer here in South Carolina. I also have another question about the CZ. Is there blueing fairly rust resistant? I've noticed a big difference between some manufacterers. I will probably be having a clear dura-coat finish put on all my guns in the near future anyway. The humidity here is murder, and for the first month and a half of deer season the average is 97 degrees f with 100% humidity. Also do the mercury tubes make a difference? I've fired a few rounds through a 375 and that wsn't bad but they would be a definite consideration on a 416. | |||
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I hear you on the murderous heat early in the season. Did a hunt early season in the lowcountry and the heat index was 104!! I was more concerned about sweating all over my rifle than the effects of the humidity. Needless to say the rifle got a thorough cleaning that night. I'd go with the 375. And yes Merc tubes work  | |||
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I would agree with all those recomending the 375. I have carried one in Africa for more than a decade as a plains game hunting rifle and safety rifle on expeditions. While the 375 is the minimum "stopping" calibre here in Africa, the many other values of the cartridge, I believe, outweighs its "small" size. As mentioned by others in replies to you, the cost of ammunition is much less - reloaded or factory. Many of my colleagues carry 458's or 416's in the bush and simply cannot afford to shoot the weapons as often as neccessary for individuals who will be encountering DG. Secondly, the 375 offers enourmous versatility. You can download to very nearly a 30-06 equivilant at around 220gr and upload to a 380 gr solid moving at around 2100fps giving the 375 effectively the "stopping" power of a 416 rigby. Using the lighter rounds with less powder means that you will shoot that gun more as it won't hurt you as much and that is the key. Shoot a large calibre a lot - period. There are some individuals that argue that the 375 stops 'differently" than the larger calibers - not neccessarily "worse" just different...(for example ranger's experience here indicates that a brain shot buffalo or elephant charging drops in a "different" way when shot with the faster, more narrow 375 than with the larger calibres - I have promised Adriaan Louwe - who does much of our DG training here - that we will conduct some experiments on this matter in the future to see if shock is delivered differently). Nevertheless, I think all who work around DG would agree that the key is shoot often and shoot well and be confident of shot placement. Therefore, given the range of shooting you seem to be intent upon, the 375 is a tried and tested calibre and I would support the recomendations of the others. By the way, have you considered the Ruger as an alternative to the CZ? | |||
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Trekker111, For a .375 H&H, instead of all this fine tuning and tweeking which can add a thousand and up to your price, you might benefit by taking a hard look at a http://www.dakotaarms.com model 97 using a McMillan synthetic stock. It holds 3 in the magazine plus 1 in the chamber. For a few hundred more, check the McMillan stocked rifle from Washington state's WFF HEIN http://www.rifleactions.com - it holds 4 in the mag plus 1 in the chamber. These two should really be "right" upon delivery to you. Both are controlled feed, the DAK is a round bottom action and the HEIN is a square bottom action, which is argued to be stronger/more acurate. If you decide on the .416 Rigby, in the HEIN it holds as many as in the .375 version, (5 total rounds in the gun) and the price is unchanged. You can't get a model 97 DAKOTA in .416 RIGBY Jack OH GOD! {Seriously, we need the help.} | |||
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Another vote for the .375 before any bigger round. If you were to be restricted to one rifle to hunt the world with, the .375 is the choice of generations of very experienced riflemen and hunters. 500 rounds through the .375 (and I'd go for the M70 or a good Whitworth, if you can find one) will make it an extension of your body, especially if you forget the silly bench once you've sighted it in. Then, when you feel ready to go hunt that which hunts back, skip the .416's and go to a .450 Something. I personally like the Rigby but there are a great many good things to say about the Lott, the Watts and the G&A. Who knows, you might win a lottery or end up on the favorable end of some long, forgotten, rich uncle's will. Then you can have Butch Searcy build you a .450 NE double!  Sarge Holland's .375: One Planet, One Rifle . . . for one hundred years! | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting African Big Game Hunting Another rifle question from the uneducated
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