I am thinking of getting another Big Bore Rifle. My last was a Browning Safari in .458 win mag but there was always a sense of wanting more. I am sure I will never make it to Africa, at least anytime soon, but I loved knowing that I could launch Feral hogs with the 500gr soft point I was packing...and Texas has many of them.

I keep reading of people purchasing rifles and immediately needing to reinforce the stocks so they don't crack, etc etc etc.

So I am wondering if there is a company that makes a good big bore where I could shoot hot loads of either .416 Rigby or .458 Lott (Those are the two rounds I was looking into..im just wanting more then the 458 winmag) and not worry about the stock cracking on me.

Am also looking for other opinions on calibers if you have something you dislike about the big Rigby or the Lott, post up the caliber you think I should get.

CZ550 Magnum in .416 or .458 Lott is hard to beat from a price standpoint and mighty nice rifles in their own right. Available in both calibers with crossbolts and auxillary barrel lug. I don't know if they are glass bedded from the factory but anyone with experience can do it.

A lot of this really depends on your budget. What price range are you shopping in?

A 416Ruger Alaskan can be had for around $800. A CZ 550 can be had for ~$1000 but, many people will send them off to AHR for a tune up which will run another ~$500.

A CZ custom shop model will run ~$2500 and has the cross bolts and glass bedding, etc. if you're after one of the larger calibers. These also offer larger calibers.

With Hornady offering cost effective factory ammunition, I would stick to those calibers. Good cheap brass and reloading components will follow.

In terms of caliber, I'm leaning towards a 470NE if I go bigger then a 416Ruger. A low pressure big bore has some attractiveness to me for hot weather shooting and easier extraction, especially in a double. The 9.3x74R will get the nod if finances for a big double don't work out.

I would save a bit and buy the Ruger RSM, they are ready to go right out of the box, at least all three of mine have been. But I must admit I have never shot the big CZ, they just don't feel good to me. You might find different though.

If you ever have reason to get this far South you would be more than welcome to give mine a try.

get a cz in 458 lott, have it bedded, xbolted, shortened to 23", put on a barrel band on it, remove slign stud on stock..

there you go.. it will be perfect

What Jeffe said, kinda tough to go wrong with this combo. Alot bang for the buck. Got one myself and is in factory stock condition with no upgrades. Came with crossbolts and some bedding. Rodney.

I like the CZ option too, I'd get Tip Burns to smooth up the action abit, heck I probably have him put on a .423 barrel and run a 404 jeffery reamer in it and have somthing really cool. I like different stuff!

Ed

Another good thing about the CZ option besides being inexpensive, is that it's good foundation to build just about anything else on it if you ever become disinterested in it's current configuration. Rodney.

But he was asking for a rifle out of the box that did not need all the extra gunsmithing....

So I guess Ruger is a sound option.

I have the CZ 550 458 Lott and the 416 Rem and both of them are worry free.

nice looking rifle Rodney!!

The CZ is now available in 450 Rigby.

Rich
Buff Killer

As there aren't that many choices in todays world as far as factory offerings go...the Ruger or CZ are the ones to go with...maybe wait and see how the Winchesters are coming along...

I have never seen a factory rifle that didn't need some "tuning up"...some more than others...

If I were looking for a factory DGR shooter and couldn't do the tune up myself I would go with either rifles and certainly sent it off to a well established smith to have the bark knocked off...but then I have a very high respect for my skin...I don't care how many have extolled the virtues of the Ruger or CZ "out of the box"...I don't believe ANYONE...

I keep getting misunderstood when I state what is obvious to me...I think the Ruger is a very good shooter but isn't Mr. Mean'n'Nasty ready right out of the box and neither is the CZ in my estimation, but "almost"...and the "almost" is what can get you into trouble...I think "tune up" money is well spent if you can't afford a the few extra dollars for a custom shooter.

You would be well served with either brand, but I would go with the CZ 416 Rigby if you have thoughts of possibly wanting something larger, bullet or cartridge wise, in the future...you would then have the choice of the larger case and longer mag length without having to have a lot of smithing done to the rails...or wanted to be able to barrel switch...

In any event I wouldn't even think about the Remington mess...

Just something more to think about.

Luck on your quest.

Thanks Rich, Thats a pic of my bone stock .458Lott that I picked up at a Gander Mountain store in Houston for $869- just a year and half ago. Not a bad deal at all and is a good shooter as is with no modifications needed. Holds six in the well +1 in the chamber if seven round capacity is desired. Barrel is 25" long and has 1 in 14" twist. Duel crossbolts by CZ and some bedding in the stock where the recoil lugs meet the wood. Balance point is about a 1/2" behind or to the rear of the rcvrs barrel ring. My opinion is that this rifle does not recoil harshly enough to need barrel mounted sling swivel. My opinion is that these are a bargain for the money. Rodney.

Here is a possibility. I know this guy and have fired this rifle. Personally, I like the shorted barrel feature! He just had shoulder surgery and is getting out of the big bores.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Aucti...m.asp?Item=122068229

Bugle - I have a CZ 550 Safari Magnum Classic, NIB, never fired that needs a new home. It's in .404 Jeff, so may or may not be the thing you are looking for. PM if interested.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

Buy the Ruger RSM in .416 Rigby, .458 Lott, and/or the .375 H&H. It requires no work after sale. Or buy the new Ruger Hawkeye in .375 Ruger or .416 Ruger both fantastic! Also no additional gunsmithing.

Just because some of us personalize our CZs doesn't mean that work is absolutely necessary from a purely functional point of view. That's one advantage I found the CZ has over the Ruger. There are more aftermarket parts available for it. So having a CZ sort of becomes like having a Hot Rod. It becomes an excuse to build something. But then, you spent less on it initially when you bought it, so you can afford to.

I admit, I sent my CZ to AHR. But years ago, when Ed Plummer was still the proprietor, and before these "package deals" were invented. I did it for only one really practical reason; to change the safety. I could see no good coming from having a dangerous game rifle with a safety that differed from my other rifles, which I use more frequently and therefore have built up something of muscle memory.

So I had a model 70 safety installed. I COULD have bought a Ruger RSM in .416 Rigby with a 3 position safety similar to a Model 70. But it isn't nearly as convenient in terms of size and shape. I have a Ruger stainless Mark II which I like very much, but I prefer the Model 70 safety when it comes to "user friendliness."

With a CZ, I can have equipped exactly as I want it. With a Ruger, there's stuff I'd have to learn to live with. Like the safety. I've looked through gunsmith catalogs, and asked gunsmiths to check there sources, to see if there's an aftermarket safety shaped more like the model 70. Apparently not. So you'd better hope it's perfect out of the box, because unlike the CZ you're keeping it as is.

I've read several threads on other forums like 24 hour campfire, started by people talking about how "perfect" the Ruger is out of the box. Then they'll mention some some feature, usually that safety, that isn't and they'd like to do something about it. But then they'll try to convince themselves that, no, no, they really will just hunt with it as is.

So I think they'll get the same urge to change something that I had with my CZ, but that urge is easier to scratch with a CZ.

Also, when you can change things it's only after paying considerably extra for the original equipment items. Ruger charges a premium for its rifle as it has "features" like a quarter rib. The CZ only has an island base for its sight. I changed to an aperture sight. I much prefer apertures on rifles that I actually intend to use with iron sights. So why would I pay extra for a rifle with a quarter rib if I'm just going to do that?

Unlike safeties, there are aperture sights available for the Ruger. But the one XS sight systems makes requires drilling and tapping. It doesn't just mount to the integral scope base, like the NECG sight I bought for my CZ. To be fair, NECG makes an aperture sight for the Ruger, too. But it is a large chunk of steel with an aperture drilled through the middle. It blocks a great deal of your view of the target. Which defeats the purpose. The NECG sight for the CZ is much better. It's a ghost ring sight that reminds me of the Garand or M14 sight. It's protected by two stout wings and does not obstruct your vision at all.

You could have bedding issues with any heavy recoiling rifle with a natural wood stock. Even a Ruger. Why don't you ask Ruger why they're not coming out with an African version of the .416 Ruger in the foreseeable future? I have an AHR laminate stock on my rifle. No bedding issues. If the CZ laminates were available when I bought my rifle, I probably would have gotten one and doubt I'd have had any bedding issues.

But I'm glad they weren't available, because the AHR stock (no longer available) looks like fine walnut and not a plywood plank. Like a Serengeti stock.

The bottom line is that the CZ is essentially a sound rifle. Mine has proven accurate and reliable since the day I bought it. I sent it to AHR to get some work done that I wanted done. It wasn't absolutely necessary in terms of function. It was just necessary to suit me. There are things about a Ruger that don't suit me, but if I bought one I'd either have to learn to live with it or find someone to make parts from scratch.

A CZ in .416 Rigby, as far as I'm concerned, is a great rifle for someone who's wants to buy a dangerous game rifle even though they may not go to Africa until years later. Buy it, spend the money you saved over the Ruger RSM on ammo or reloading supplies and equipment, and shoot the hell out of it. Learn what you like, change what you don't. Find out before you go if something is likely to break or just cause you problems. Fix it.

As far as reliability goes, for most manufacturers anything larger than .375 H&H will develop problems more frequently than smaller rifles. They just don't build as many of them, and while they have experience building largely trouble-free smaller rifles that experience isn't as much of a guide once the cartridges and recoil starts getting big. So buying a dangerous game rifle is a lot like getting a defensive pistol. You don't want to use it for serious purposes until you wring it out by shooting it and proving it reliable. That's any rifle. Several months ago African Hunter reviewed an authentic John Rigby & co. in 450 Rigby that developed reliability issues on the range. As they noted in the review, you wouldn't expect a rifle that costs as much or more than many make in a year to be anything but reliable, but that just goes to show that you don't just take a rifle after dangerous game without making sure it works. You do not want to just buy a rifle and go.

When I take my CZ to Africa in April after elephant, I'll know it'll work. And it's exactly as I want it. Not like Bill Ruger wanted it.

China Fleet, I'm with you. A rifle is a personal thing, it has to feel right and instinctive in your hand. The Ruger RSM felt blocky in my hands. My CZ in 375 H&H felt muzzle heavy. I had CZ dual crossbolt my rifle and put a reocil reducer in it to help with the balance. I had AHR put their 3 pos Model 70 type safety, single set trigger and straighten and fill the bolt, not because I needed it, but because I wanted it. My rifle is being rebarreled to 500 Jeffery now. I didn't know I would want more power until I got the 375 H&H (its' my first big bore), but I had my rifle kinda where I wanted it and didn't want to buya second one. All total I'll have about $2100 in it but it will fit me and suit me. Best of luck with your choice






Chuck

$2100 USD in that What can you sell it for

No plans to sell, how much can you buy a 500 Jeffery for?

Chuck

All the local spots to order big bores are overpriced on everything except the Ruger #1's.

Anyone have any they want to get rid of?

Buglemintoday, Have you decided on a caliber yet? What is it that you might be looking for? Rodney.

Wouldn't mind a Lott or larger