I'm thinking of getting one. Does anyone have an opinion, pro or con? Would I be better served with a 470 NE. Any advise is appreciated.

I believe this to be the best possible client gun that there is. a 400 gr at 2400 is the same as the rigby, with low pressure, and positive extraction.

It would be a hard tossup for me, if i didn't already have 100 pieces of 470 brass and a set of dies. I am waiting for the day.

if it was my choice, and i didn't have the supplies, it would be a searcy deluxe in 500/416... auto ejectors and a single sight.

Ray says Butch said it kicks as much as the 470.

So, call Butch and talk to him.. his field grade is a far better gun than a like priced other name, and that other name is NOT fitted to you, for that money, btw.

so, a Searcy Deluxe, in 500/416 (that SPECIFIC brass might be hard to find, but 500 AINT), about 10.5#, right LOP, single standing sight, and you get ejectors and a case for 12,500... made to order. I would ask for a 100yard regulation.

Sounds just about perfect... you can hunt ANYWHERE in the world with it, and be properly gunned.

jeffe

DDugan
I think the 500/416 is an excellent choice I looked at a Krieghoff in 470 and a Heym in 458 this past week. [They were owned by different people and not for sale, both heading for Africa] Both were fitted with a scope in Quick Detach mounts. The Krieghoff had their recoil reducer in the buttstock
Both handled pretty good. [Not as good as a British Double, but good.]
If I was buying a new made double in 470 or down I would DEFINATELY have a scope in QD mounts fitted. I have one on my 9,3 and have found it very handy.
The Krieghoff also had an extra set of fitted 20ga. bbls.

[ 07-22-2003, 03:45: Message edited by: N E 450 No2 ]

Is the 500-416 a Standard round? I haven't seen it listed anywhere. Or is it a more or less Standard Wildcat to use the availible 416 bullets instead of getting a 450-400? Would it look like a 416 rigby flanged?

I like the caliber, I don't care for the kriegoff doubles....they are just not pointable, they are awkard, ill fitting to my frame and that atrocity of a safty is a wreck looking for a place to happen...

I would opt for a std. grade Searcy in whatever caliber I wanted...They start at about $8 K....

A buddy in San Antonio has a 500/416 Kreighoff.
He is well please with the rifle and caliber.

My opine, the 500/416 is a great double rifle round. Large flanged lower pressure case with a great .416 bullet that penetrates. It has a bit too much recoil for me.

The 500/416 will become a standard as soon as more folks report the positive results of the round.

Rusty
We band of brothers!

[ 07-22-2003, 16:33: Message edited by: Rusty ]

Rusty
Has your buddy tried loading his 500/416 down to 2150 fps to see what it does to the regulation?
Would be a good experiment.
Say HI to everyone down there for me.

DDugan, I think your first question has been answered ie. the 500/416 is a very good caliber for a double rifle. Having said that, as far as I know, right now, you have only two choices for a rifle: Kreighoff or Searcy. I have a Kreighoff and love it. Now, I have no experience with other makes of double rifles so I cannot compare the handling, however, it does have the manual cocking device (Ray referred to it as the safety) that resides in the same location as the safety on a typical double rifle or shotgun. This is very different from other guns and takes some getting used to. Because I have no experience with other double rifles, this was not a serious problem for me, however, the cocking device does take a significant amount of thumb pressure. In addition, of course, there is NO safety, so when the gun is cocked it is always ready to fire. This also might take some conscious effort for those not used to this. I don't think that you can use the cocking device as a safety because of the effort required to cock the gun. I guess I am saying that these are things that one could get used to, unless one has spent a lot of time with, or indeed, has other double guns that one hunts with on a regular basis.
I love my Kreighoff, perhaps because it is mine!
peter.

DDugan
The Krieghoff cocking device is a lot like the way a Blaser Bolt rifle works. Once you practice with it a while it will become second nature. I have talked to several people that have Krieghoff doubles and they all like the cocking feature.

I checked Midway and they have 500-416 Brass for $2.13 ea.

Is there a site that shows the case dimensions?
The only thing I've seen so far is 3 1/4"

I can mail you a jpg of the drawings that were verified to be correct by Krieghoff. They are in metric though.

First double I missed by a couple of hours was in this caliber.

I have been very impressed by the .416 Rigby and this is supposed to be roughly equivalent.

Mike

Would you mind sending the case drawings to me too please?

Cheers, Franz

I have reloaded the Bell brass in 500/416 without a problem. I believe that is what Midway is selling. I do have to watch case length however, and have purchased a trim die.
Peter.

I own a Krieghoff 470 NE and love it. It is very balanced with the recoil reducer, and I did try a few rifles before settling on the Krieghoff. The cocking feature is extremely reliable, safe, and the coil springs on the hammers give me more confidence than the leaf springs of other makes. Excellent rifle and well worth the amount of money spent. My advise would be to try out several makes and models before you invest and settle for the one that suites you with the features that you want.

You can buy B.E.L.L. Brass directly from
Mast technology

Their brass is the best I've found.

Rusty
We band of brothers

Gentlemen:

Thank you for all of your good advice.

Dugan