Setting up to reload my first big bore (416 Rem Mag) and would like some suggestions on how to streamline the load development process. The issues that I'm concerned about are minimizing the number of expensive bullets I'm sending downrange and how much the recoil will affect test groups.

Prior to this, the heaviest rifle I've developed loads for was a .35 Whelen. I can shoot that off of the bench all day and not have a problem. I suspect the cumulative effects of 416 recoil will be somewhat greater.

That said, does it seem reasonable to develope a load shooting off of a tripod while standing?

I will be using 400 grain A-Frames and have RL-15, IMR 4064, Varget and Win760 on hand.

I do load development off the bench and after that, practice in field positions. Two different goals and the POI is very likely to change between the two techniques when using a big bore.

With a big bore I usually do my basic load development with the cheapest bullet I can find and then fine tune it with what I'll shoot in the field.


A few times I went straight to a particular bullet and started form scratch. Of all the premium bullets I've shot that way the last 5 years, North Fork were the easiest and fastest to find a good load for, followed by GS Custom. But follow GS Custom's on-line loading instructions to get that benefit.

Get you some 400g Hornadys--not the DGX or DGS to work your loads up w/ and practice. They also work well on deer and hogs. Once you finalize your load, you can verify w/ the Swifts and order some NF solids.

I do all my big bore load development by finding some big strong man to shoot the rifle for me, from the bench. I would not do any load development except from a bench rest.