The Accurate Reloading Forums
Is the .416 Taylor really a DGR Cartridge?
02 November 2006, 22:21
HanselIs the .416 Taylor really a DGR Cartridge?
I own both a .416 Rigby and a .416 Taylor.
based on my loads and Chrono data I think it is a very adequate cartridge. I use as a benchmark the Famous .404 Jeffery firing a 400 grain bullet at 2,150-2,250 ft/sec, a long admired African killing Load for even the biggest dangerous game. Yet, Several on this board have written in the past, That the Taylor round is unworthy of consideration of status as a DGR because you cannot Hot load it to the level as you can the Rigby and Jeffery.
I load my 416 Rigby to 2,400 ft/sec with a 400 grain bullet and a 25 inch barrel. With a 350 grain bullet I load to 2,500 ft/sec. Hotter than the Bench Mark .404J.
In my Taylor I get an avg of 2,340 ft/sec with 400 grain bullets, and an easy 2,430 ft/sec with 350 grainers. All from a 22 inch barrel. My Favorite load is the 350 grain bullets for Elk. But I think the Taylor is every bit the ballistic equal of the larger cased .404J or 416 Rigby in the original revered loads.
Now My Taylor fits in an original Mauser 98 action with little modification, which allowed me more money for the build and components. Mounted with a Williams Peep sight and Standard bottom metal I have 3 down, and can get one in the chamber for a total of 4 rounds that are accurate and fast firing. On the 22 inch Barrel I have a ramp front sight with an Ivory bead. The rifle is stocked in dense walnut with a African Blackwood tip cut in a classic British Express rifle configuration. The rifle is easy to carry for extended field use and is a trim working rifle that to me is handier than the larger Ballisticly similar Rigby.
I welcome any comments to pursue this discussion. Fire suit on!
Hansel
02 November 2006, 22:28
Art S.Hansel
I suspect you can take your firesuit off. I wasn't even aware this was an issue. There are a few people who don't like it because it isn't a Rigby, but it essentially duplicates the factory Rigby ballistics and exceeds the 450/400. Most people, especially the ones who own one, consider it a well balanced medium bore capable of taking about anything. If the Rigby in factory trim is a DGR, so is the Taylor.
02 November 2006, 22:32
jeffeossoYes, if the 404 jeffrey is, with classic loads, and the 450/400 is, then certainly the 416taylor is.
jeffe
03 November 2006, 00:07
fredj338Well, anyone that tells you a 400gr/.42 caliber bullet going 2200fps+ is NOT a DG cartridge just hasn't hunted enough to know the diff. The 42s kill very well w/o the heavy recoil of a .458 class round. I love my .404j & don't feel I need anything bigger to hunt anything that walks this planet.

LIFE IS NOT A SPECTATOR'S SPORT!
03 November 2006, 00:41
465H&HOf course it is. Plain stupid to say it isn't. The best DG cartridge? Well there is where the fir can hit the fan.
465H&H
03 November 2006, 01:15
CanuckYes.
If the 416 Rem Mag is a DGR (and I firmly believe it is, as did George Hoffman and many others) then the 416 Taylor is too. The difference between those two cartridges isn't enough to make a practical or noticable difference, IMHO.
Cheers,
Canuck
03 November 2006, 01:41
WillThe 416 Taylor is definitely not a DG cartridge, and anyone that uses it for dangerous game is a puss.
-------------------------------
Will / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun.
---------------------------------------
and, God Bless John Wayne. NRA Benefactor, GOA, NAGR
_________________________
"Elephant and Elephant Guns" $99 shipped.
“Hunting Africa's Dangerous Game" $20 shipped.
red.dirt.elephant@gmail.com
_________________________
If anything be of note, let it be he was once an elephant hunter, hoping to wind up where elephant hunters go.
03 November 2006, 01:56
Magnum Hunter1Will,
Quit beating around the bush and tell us how you really feel.
03 November 2006, 02:00
WillI forgot to mention it is my favorite bolt-action.
[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=406557&c=500&z=1"]

[/url]
-------------------------------
Will / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun.
---------------------------------------
and, God Bless John Wayne. NRA Benefactor, GOA, NAGR
_________________________
"Elephant and Elephant Guns" $99 shipped.
“Hunting Africa's Dangerous Game" $20 shipped.
red.dirt.elephant@gmail.com
_________________________
If anything be of note, let it be he was once an elephant hunter, hoping to wind up where elephant hunters go.
03 November 2006, 03:26
Canuckquote:
The 416 Taylor is definitely not a DG cartridge, and anyone that uses it for dangerous game is a puss.

Only a real nutbar would take on a half dozen ele with one, eh?
Cheers,
Canuck
03 November 2006, 03:31
vapodogquote:
Originally posted by Will:
I forgot to mention it is my favorite bolt-action.
[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=406557&c=500&z=1"]

[/url]
It means something when a man that has first hand experience posts on the subject.
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03 November 2006, 03:41
Idaho SharpshooterActually, if I owned one it would be...in anyone else's hands it is a bit on the marginal side...for anything bigger than elephant anyways. If I get the rifle free, or ridiculously cheap, and a good price on a complete Big Five hunt; then it and I are headed east of Idaho. If I have to pay for a quality DGR I would opt for a little bit bigger caliber. As best as I can see, the MV and ME are plenty good enough for anything short of Ice Age hunting, and my time machine is stuck in 2006.
Good looking rifle,
Rich
03 November 2006, 04:00
boom stickwill...
where in yer opinion does a d.g. cart begin in terms of cal, weight and velocity?
9,3 ______, ______
375 ______, ______
411-416 ______, ______
423 ______, ______
458 ______, ______
475 ______, ______
510 ______, ______
thanks

03 November 2006, 05:08
Michael RobinsonHansel,
Yes.
And BTW, I think you and Gretel have been smoking too much of the "birdseed" if you ever thought that this question would be the least bit controversial.
Save your fire suit for the next time you try to push a witch into an oven.
Or better yet, just use a .416 Taylor on the old bitch.
Mike
Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer.
03 November 2006, 05:24
Willquote:
Originally posted by mrlexma:
Hansel,
Yes.
And BTW, I think you and Gretel have been smoking too much of the "birdseed" if you ever thought that this question would be the least bit controversial.
Save your fire suit for the next time you try to push a witch into an oven.
Or better yet, just use a .416 Taylor on the old bitch.
Welcome back.

03 November 2006, 05:36
10at6What is the lightest Lilja contour one could build a .416 Taylor on? Looking for a thumper for elk in the timber and a nice to pack rifle.
03 November 2006, 06:33
Willquote:
Originally posted by boom stick:
will...
where in yer opinion does a d.g. cart begin in terms of cal, weight and velocity?
9,3 ______, ______
375 ______, ______
411-416 ______, ______
423 ______, ______
458 ______, ______
475 ______, ______
510 ______, ______
thanks
I'm flattered that you ask, but I don't know anything! Not that I have always followed my own opinion, but it starts with the 416's.
-------------------------------
Will / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun.
---------------------------------------
and, God Bless John Wayne. NRA Benefactor, GOA, NAGR
_________________________
"Elephant and Elephant Guns" $99 shipped.
“Hunting Africa's Dangerous Game" $20 shipped.
red.dirt.elephant@gmail.com
_________________________
If anything be of note, let it be he was once an elephant hunter, hoping to wind up where elephant hunters go.
03 November 2006, 07:20
HanselGents:
I was not stirring the pot or trying to be controversial on this one...I was just taking a pulse. And in good humor preparing for the Flaming that seems to follow anyone who offers anything other than a .404J, Rigby, or other monster done in "classic DGR style" from several highly opinionated posters.
As for me, everything I point my Taylor at seems to die...and, it is trim fast handling rifle. That is good enough for me!
I am a happy man and enjoy the company of fellow hunters and shooters...even when we in respectful disagreement agree to disagree as gentlemen.
Hansel
03 November 2006, 07:28
tomo577you are one of those bolt people who are tempting fate by "getting one up the spout "
all bolt action rifles are to be loaded from the magazine.
period, no discussion.
right is right when no one is right and wrong is wrong when everyone is wrong
TOMO577
DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY
03 November 2006, 07:31
GeorgeSquote:
Originally posted by tomo577:
you are one of those bolt people who are tempting fate by "getting one up the spout "
all bolt action rifles are to be loaded from the magazine.
period, no discussion.
I disagree. When hunting DG, I fill the magazine and put the last one up the spout. Things get a little exciting when you've walked up on
mbogo at 20yds. It's no time to run short of ammo.
George
03 November 2006, 07:37
Idaho SharpshooterI gots to side with Geeeeorgeeeeeeeee here...I think.
Rich
03 November 2006, 07:38
Michael Robinsontomo, you are so west of Erie that you are in one of the Great Lakes way over your head. George knows well whereof he speaks.
Hansel, you are a gentleman, if not a wise and unfairy-taled chooser of internet monikers, or poster of BB threads.
Will, thanks, and I didn't realize that I had ever left.
Mike
Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer.
03 November 2006, 07:46
MJinesShot my .416 Taylor this weekend. My Rigby is shooting a 400 grain bullet at 2350 fps. The Taylor is shooting a 400 grain bullet at 2360 fps. I used the Rigby two months ago to kill three buffalo. Would I use the Taylor on dangerous game . . . in a heartbeat.
Mike
Mike
03 November 2006, 17:14
truvelloshooterquote:
Is the .416 Taylor really a DGR Cartridge?
The 404 Jeff made its mark in Africa with a 400 gr bullet (SD=.319) at 2,125 fps (original load) with FMJ bullets. Based on this the 416 Taylor, that exceeds this historical/traditional velocity qualifies as a DGR. Considering that we have today an array of Solid FN bullets, that are far better than those FMJ bullets, the answer is a definite YES.
If you can achieve 2,340 fps with 400 grainers in your Taylor, you surely have an ideal situation. I know of someone that loads with a SA powder and he only gets 2,220 fps, and he is as happy as a lark. A 400 gr bullet in .416, with an SD of .330 at 2,340 fps is serious medicine for any buffalo. This same job gets done with regular monotony in a 9,3x62, using a 286 gr bullet at 2,250 fps (with SA powders).
Chris
03 November 2006, 19:06
HanselGents:
Thank you!
To load my rifle I fill the Magazine with 3 rounds, then holding down the top round I slide the bolt forward till it rides over the base of the first round. Then I place the base of the up the spout round to the forward 1/3rd of the Magazine box and depress it so the extractor rides over the base (As a Mauser was designed) and engages the extractor cut on the shell as I slide the bolt forward to chamber the round. Then I just chamber as normal.
Give it a try and after you get the hang of it on your CRF rifle you will find it quick and easy to do. It also avoids the need to bevel or weaken the Extractor to snap over the rim. A lot of Mag box Cartridge combos have enough tolerance in them to allow this manuver.
BTW: this was shown to me by my Father (now dead) who was raised in South Africa, and hunted Africa game during the Golden era of Arican hunting.
04 November 2006, 02:53
MacD37
.............YES IT IS!.............................

....Mac >>>===(x)===> MacD37, ...and DUGABOY1
DRSS Charter member
"If I die today, I've had a life well spent, for I've been to see the Elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!"~ME 1982
Hands of Old Elmer Keith
04 November 2006, 03:31
jeffeossoquote:
Originally posted by tomo577:
you are one of those bolt people who are tempting fate by "getting one up the spout "
all bolt action rifles are to be loaded from the magazine.
period, no discussion.
right is right when no one is right and wrong is wrong when everyone is wrong
Tom,
Do you carry a double rifle empty?