Now it's time to put in and order for the other components. For now I will Reload for a 416 Rigby and later a 300 win mag. and 480 Ruger. New to reloading!

For a 416 Rigby.
What dies are best?
Which books?
Brass?
Cast bullets?
Reduced loads?
Best place to shop.
Other equipment not in the kit?
.... Many many questions.
Thanks

Well, kazoo, you're certainly starting off at the upper edge of the envelope!

Actually, all the principles of handloading apply equally whether you're loading a .222 or your .416 Rigby.

What type of rifle are you loading for? A bolt-action will impose some restrictions that won't necessarily apply to a single-shot, for instance overall cartridge length may be limited by the magazine.

First, get a good loading manual or two (make sure they HAVE the .416 Rigby included, as some do not), and if you intend to make and shoot cast bullets, get the Lyman Cast Bullet Manual as well. READ THEM, particularly the how-to pages and the parts that explain powders and primers and how to select them.

If you don't have any once-fired brass from your rifle, then I believe Norma is a good brand to start with. The brass is expensive, at $35-40 for 20 rounds, but it lasts well if you don't stress it too much with high-pessure loads.

For Rigby loads with jacketed bullets, I'd begin with one of the Large Rifle Magnum primer types, due simply to the size of the case and the charges used.

My Rigby dies (and about thirty other calibers) are RCBS, and they work fine for me. Lyman and Redding are also perfectly OK.

Bullets can be very expensive, depending on what you want them to do for you. For early experiments, I suggest the Speer 350-grain type will be about as inexpensive as you can easily locate. Their accuracy is excellent in my #1, and the reasonably light weight cuts down on the recoil a bit. I would NOT carry the Speers for elk or anything heavier.

Search on this site for info about cast-bullet loads in the .416. The cost is cut by a HUGE factor when you use cast bullets, especially if you make them yourself. This is not difficult, and you can set up to do it for less than $100. Note that $100 doesn't buy very many jacketed .416 bullets, even the "cheap" ones. My out-of-pocket cost for light .416 Rigby loads (2000 fps/365 grains0 is only about $2.50 per 20, and the cost is almost all in the powder charge, around 50 grains. Heavy loads with cast bullets will be twice that figure, again because I'm burning over 100 grains per round.

Reduced loads with those Speer 350s are perfectly practical. They're also much more pleasant to shoot, but this is also where the cast bullet's low cost is very attractive. The cast loads are NOT restricted to low velocity, however. I've run many of mine at over 2600 fps (365 grains) with excellent accuracy and zero leading in the bore.

Dunno about the best place to shop. Midway and MidSouth both have sales from time to time. Mostly I seem to buy from Midway, who've been very reliable suppliers for me. You likely won't find much stuff for .416s in local shops, for danged sure!

Many good folks post here, and also, if you go to

www.castpics.net

you'll find a link to "Welcome to Cast Boolits", which you should also drop in on to say howdy.

Enjoy that big rifle. Not many of us have the chance to own and shoot such a fine piece, and I sure do enjoy mine.

Regards from BruceB (aka Bren Mk1)

Bruce,
Thanks for responding with passion. I have begun a journey with this first step. I actually put the cart in front of the horse and bought the reloading kit prior to buying the rifle! I am waiting for the cz550 straight stock to come out before I decide on that one or the Ruger M77 or other makes. I've been hunting for 25 years all with shotgun and handgun. I'm entering the rifle clan with zeal! My gun club has an over 40 bore group that competes during the warmer months so that will be one use. Need reduced loads since they shoot 20-30 rounds in a match... I will hunt deer, occasionally elk and bear, and if I get bit by the bug in the future, may go to Africa. Have a friend in Wyoming that loves his 300 win mag so have plans on getting one also as my "light backup" hee hee hee... I'm excited about the detailed process of reloading and look forward to this new aspect of the shooting sports. Frank

Nosler #5, A-Square and the Hornady manual (don't have that one so I can't tell you the #) all have 416Rigby data. Speer #13 does not, nor does the LEE manual (IMHO LEE's manual is a waste of paper&ink anyway). Saeed & Ricadillie(sp) also have Rigby data on there loading pages.
If you want to try out a CZ "humpback" stocked 416Rigby, you can fire mine some weekend.

For a case of that capacity I would use the federal 215 primer.

Tailgunner,
I know the initiation into the big bores that you're trying to pull ! What do you have, some 400 grainers loaded up to 2700 ? hmmm ? Frank

400gr @ 2300 actually
It's fairly mild that way. If your realy worried that I'm trying to pull a Saeed/T-Rex on you, I'll hand you the manual and some empty brass so you'll know what's in it.