Lee now says they can make die sets for the .416 Rigby, including the factory crimp die. Of course, it is the custom set-up job with the one-time set-up cost of at least $ 150. Have any of you out there already ordered a Lee factory crimp in .416 Rigby? Is there any way for me to avoid the set-up cost?

I have a Lee Factory Crimp Die in .416 Rigby. I had to send them a case or two, or maybe even a dummy round. They charged $15 or $25 or whatever they said on their web site. I gues the $150 would be for set-up for making a complete die set, but RCBS and Redding & Lyman make those already. I have RCBS.

Wink,

You have only one way to avoid it.
Do as I did: send them a dummy round and they will make the crimp die that will cost you $25.

B.Martins

I had Lee make one up for me also. Cost me 25 bucks and it works great. I use an RCBS die, because Lee did not amke them at the time. That factory crimp die eliminates all guess work, improve my accuracy and you need the crimp in that caliber, at least in my opinion. jorge

Thanks for your reply. Did you have to send them a cartridge as well? I can understand sending cartridges for wildcats. I would think a factory loaded cartridge would be something they might keep a sample of on-hand.

Dear B. Martins, I notice you are in Europe as well. Sending a cartridge from France to the USA is so much trouble to do legally that I guess I will have to wait for an occasion to do it all during a next trip home.

A dummy round has no powder and no primer, so it is just a piece of brass, a piece of copper, and maybe a piece of lead. Just to be sure you can drill several large holes in the brass case.

Wink,

Sorry to be so late to respond. I was going back looking for some data and saw your post.

I, like others, sent them two 'dummy rounds', and they made me the crimp die for $25. Nothing new here.

What I wanted to add is this.................
I am shooting 370gr. North Fork bullets at 2525fps. I got this with 105 gr. of H4831SC. After I used the crimp die at 1/2 turn, I now use 102.5 gr of powder and get the same velocity. Extremely accurate rifle. I feel that is a PLUS with-in it's self.

Good luck with the die. It's needed in this caliber.

Cheers,

Sam

Sam, I really do want to purchase a factory crimp for this cartridge and guess I will not be able to get around sending them a dummy cartridge. I also would like to try the North Fork bullets but I think I will have to wait for my next trip to the USA to get these items. Unless of course a sympthetic AR member is coming through Paris in the next few months.

Wink

Only if there is a sympathetic demoiselle.
JCN

Wink,

I have an extra Factory Crimp die for a 416 Rigby. If you email me with your address, I'll send it to you.

I'm not especially happy with France right now, but I'll be gracious and help out a fellow Rigby enthusiast whatever their nationality.

Regards,
Forrest
forrest@bruch.com

Looks like you got one at the perfect price. If that fails or if others are interested in it, could you not just use the 416 Remington die? You can adjust the length at will, and the crimp on the neck is .416 for both. Midway has them for about $8 usd. Good hunting. "D"

WINK,

Send a ticket for me and Charlie and I will GIVE you a die and several boxes of North Fork bullets.

Now that's an offer you just can't refuse.

Seriously, if I can assist you in any way, let me know.

Sam
eclemmons@hotmail.com

Dear JCN, I suspect a man of discerning taste. I married a French women myself (well sort of French, born in Algeria, raised in Argentina, married to me in Burkina Faso) who managed, and manages, to follow me all over the world (Burkina Faso, Djibouti, where our three daughters were born, and Madagascar). She is taken. If however some qualified candidates come forward I will let you know.

Wink

Forrest, I will take you up on your offer. To soothe your conscious, let it be known to all that I am an American citizen and don't mind saying it on a forum the entire world can read. Both of my grandfathers were Colonels in the US Army, my father a Lieutenant in the 1st Infantry Division in WWII (The Big Red One)and did D-Day at Oran, Battle of Kasserine, D-Day at Gela in Sicily, D-Day (in the morning) at Omaha Beach, Battle of the Ardennes, liberated two concentration camps and on VE day was a Captain in Czechoslovakia (I won't list the decorations). My maternal uncle is Maj. Gen. JP Maloney (ret.) US Army. My sister is married to a Captain (naval aviator)presently at the Pentagon and my brother is a former US Coast Guard officer. It turns out that Africa called me early and I was a Peace Corps Volunteer (public service is a tradition in the family) in the Central African Empire. I still work in Africa and leave tomorrow for the Congo, Tanzania and Kenya. I'll be back mid-September. Thanks again for the offer, you are very generous.

Wink

Sam, I'll tell you what; since it looks like Forrest is going to help out with the crimp die, I will treat any AR member coming through France (who happens to bring bullets in .416) to to an evening of excellent food, excellent wine and the good company of myself and the French gun writer John C Frost (pen name)who is my frequent shooting and hunting buddy. If you want to talk about hunting in Africa and wondered how you were going to spend transit time in Paris, you now have an option. Now, Frost is in South Africa until end of September and I should be back from Tanzania around 15 September. When is your next stop here?

WInk

Wink,

We aren't due back until May 2006. With the current flight & gun situation in South Africa, we are looking at going through Europe. Exactly where, I don't know yet.

What is the poop on guns in transit and the French? I would suspect that it is alot worse than England.

Can we not send you bullets? I would be happy to if it's a possibility.

Stay safe in Africa.

Cheers,

Sam

Sam, I will check on the rifles in transit situation for France. There are many big game hunters who leave from Paris or transit through Paris for hunts in West and Central Africa and I know of no horror stories. Should you wish to stay for a few days in France and bring your rifles into the country with you, the main consideration will be caliber and the resulting administrative classification of the weapon. For instance, 30.O6 Springfield, .308 WInchester, 8 X 57 Mauser, .303 British, etc. are all classified as weapons of "war" calibers and a special licence is needed to import them. If your caliber was used as the standard caliber by an army, then it will not be possible to import it temporarily. Leaving it under bond at the airport will cost a fortune as they give them to Brinks who charges an arm and leg for the storage of firearms. However, if you are coming through with a .375 H&H or .300 WInMag, no problem if you have a ticket onward to another country. I have never had a problem going through customs in Paris with my firearms. Have some proof of ownership, such as the receipt of purchase, it's all they will ask for, other than checking that the caliber is allowed.

Wink