I've been working on loads for my 416 and wasn't haveing much success till I figured out the scope, a Leupold 1.75-6 with less than 100 rounds on it, had gone south. I tried my iron sights and was rewarded with a 3/4" 3 shot group at 100 yards, this was just luck as the next few went into 1"- 2". These were 80 grains of Rel 15 under 400 Grain Nosler Partions.
I mounted a Weaver 3-10 Grand Slam on the gun while I shipped the Leupold back for repairs. I had some loads waiting evaluation; 80 grains Rel 15 under 400 Swift A-Frames and 82 and 83 grains of Rel 15 under Barnes 350 Trippleshocks.
After I shot up my 83/Trippleshocks getting the scope dialed in, I preceded to try the other two loads. The Swifts were dead on at 100 yards with a 1" 4 shot group. The next up were the remaining tripplexs, I had 3 left and all of them touched each other at 100 yards and were 2.5" high- dead center. I'll have to drag out the chrono and do some developement but this is a very promising state of affairs. I think I'll take the 82 Tripplexs deer hunting this week and see how much meat they tear up.

I predict you will be able to eat right up to the hole as Elmer Keith used to say.

I have used a 400 grain Barnes X bullet (416 Rigby @ 2450fps) on a lot of plains game ia Africa and those big bullets really don't tear up game like you would think. I even used one on a duiker and it didn't tear it up (these things weigh less than 20 pounds).

I have used the Nosler 400 gr. partitions in my 416 Rem on many buffalo and a better bullet cannot be found...It will penetrate completely at any decent angle...Its an exceptional buffalo bullet..I have also recovered a few from lengthwise body shots all expanded perfectly, but not as much as many bullets, which I like...If I want massive expansion then I will use Woodleighs 450 gr. bullets, another great buffalo bullet..Then we have the cup point from Northfork that takes the place of both solids and softs, a one bullet do everything for the first time in history.

Ray,
The Northfork is next on my list, after hearing your rave reviews my curiousity is peaked, I've also got a few hundred cast bullets to play with. The point of this exercise is to see which bullet/load this rifle likes then pick from the best of the lot. It gives me an excuse to shoot this thing a bunch, and I want plenty of practice under my belt when I hunt with Pierr'e next year.

Hey Lewis,

Your findings and accuracy are the same as mind with the loads you mention. I really like the Reloader 15 for this cartridge.

At my range, I get a kick out of hitting the 300 yard gong with the 350 grain TSX load off the shooting sticks.

BigBullet

BigBullet,
What are your 350 TSX loads and have you run them over a chrono? I'm curious to see if our loads are stepping out at the same velocity.

I use 80 grains of Reloader 15 for both the 350 TSX and the 400 grain NP. With the 350 grain bullet I get 2465 fps and the 400 gets 2345 fps. I don't see any reason to go faster.

BigBullet

Good luck on your tests...I would bet dollars to donuts the Northforks will give you the best accuracy of any bullet..They have consistently proven to be the most accurate bullet that I have ever used in my big bores with few exceptions...I am talking about the soft points.

If you want convential lead core bullets I'm with Ray on this one. You can't beat North Forks.

I'd shoot Northforks long before I'd ever again shoot barnes. Don't like barnes.

I used 370 gr. North Fork soft points in my 416 Rem. Mag. in the Tanzania this season, and performance was superb. I shot a very big, old "dugga boy" Cape buffalo in the spine from about 40 yards. out, and he dropped right down, without fuss. That bullet wrecked everything in its path, and was found just under the hide on the opposite side. I can't imagine better performance, and I don't think I'll be using any other soft point in this rifle in the future, either..........

AD

I think all you guys should try the Woodleigh 450 gr. RN or PP soft point in your 416s on buffalo at least once, they are an awesome bullet and make huge exit holes and if you recover one its the size of a quarter....

It would be hard to pick between the Northfork, Nosler, and Woodleigh 450 gr. in the .416 all awesome bullets...I do seem to see a reaction when the .450 hit them, they flinch and buck and sometimes switch ends..but they all kill about as quick.

Well it looks like the pool of trail bullets just got a bit larger. I was going to try the cup points as a solid but it looks like the soft points will have to be added to my list. Which soft point weight would y'all recomend, 370 or 400( I haven't checked to see whats available)?

350 Grain Swift A Frames for plains game/North American game.

400 grain Swift A Frames for the bigger stuff.

Like Allen said, 370 grains for the .416 North Fork Soft Point.

I have started hording these too.

They are far from conventional, however, with grooved, solid copper shank and bonded lead nose core with jacket tapered there to perfection, like an improved Original Jack Carter Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. The grooving and dimensional consistency will make them accurate in any rifle (or the gun is hopeless) and they foul little.

The .423/380 grain would be equivalent in a .404 Jeffery. I used one of those at an MV of 2525 and hit a 3 year old bison bull behind the left shoulder, quartering slightly at about 80 yards. There were geysers of blood from the entrance hole as the bull staggered a few steps with a shattered off-side right shoulder, both scapula and humerus shattered right in the glenohumeral joint. He went down fast as a few shakes of his tail. The lungs were shredded and the great vessels were clipped off the top of his heart.

That is one devastating soft point, the best in the Universe. Couldn't be any better for big game inside of 200 yards, and we should all strive for closer when we go a stalkin'.

It does not have a great ballistic coefficient, but varmints and smaller game can be taken with "conventional" bullets or sleeker wonder bullets, like the .416/350gr Barnes TSX or GSC .416/330gr HV, for the .416REM.

North Fork .423/340gr and GSC .423/320gr would be the varmint bullets for the .404 Jeffery.

Then there are the North Fork CUP and FP solid, and GSC FN solids for the .416 and .423:

RL-15 in the .416 RemMag and Varget in the .404 Jeffery has been my habit so far.

Hey Ron,

I had a rare burst of energy today and ordered some NF 416-370 SS, and 416-370 FPS bullets.

That "geyser" shot sure is impressive to see, eh? Kind of like the first time you cleanly cut the great vessels with a knife while hog hunting with hounds and all the blood empties out around your hand in just a few seconds. Gives you pause to think.

bro charlie.

With my Rem 416 I like to shoot the hornady 400gr bullets when sighting in at 150yds. They shoot real tight groups. I haven't shot any animals
with them yet but I might.