Hello guys!

I got a CZ 550Mag in .416 Rigby for a veeery good price, it is the Lux - model with really beautifully grained walnut stock and I could not resist to buy it!

Altough I have reloaded various calibers I have absolutely no experience in reloading this wonderful and classic cartridge. Sure, I got some good advice from friends that shoot them, most of them in the range of the 400-grainers and for them I have some good and approved loading data.

My intention is to load some of the 350 grs. Speer Mag Tip for all around here and mainly for practice, they are cheap and I see no sense to use my expensive 400 grs. AGS for punching paper and red stag....

A friend told me that he was loading the 350 grs. Mag Tip with 96 grs. of IMR 4895 and got 2760 fps with absolutely no signs of excessive pressure. That seems to be very fast. Could it be that he made an error in giving me these data?

As I said before.....I have no experience with this cartridge.... do you think this is a safe load?

Thanks for your help, guys!

Your friends load sounds about right and would be a high high pressure load to boot! You are better off using IMR4350, Rel 19, or IMR4831. With IMR4350 I would start out around 94gr and work up to 102gr max.

4895 would be a bit fast burning for the .416 Rigby. Use H4831, 4350's, and RL19 and 22. It will likely work better and with less pressure. This super old cartridge will normally group like a varmint rifle, a very big varmint rifle.

I use the 350 gr Mag Tip as a practice bullet too. For the real deal I use a 350 gr Barnes X. Has worked fabulously well on Gemsbock, Hartebeast and Cape Buffalo.

My load is 98.0 gr of IMR 4350 on Norma cases w Fed 215 primers. My CZ 550 Safari Mag provides 1 1/2" or better groups at 200 yards. From the 26" bbl it moves the Barnes at almost 2700 fps.

The 4895 load sounds suspicious to me ... 4895 is much faster than the 4350s. I would have to verify it against good reloading manual. My A-Square manual does not show this powder (4895). Neither do my Hodgdon or Barnes manuals. Proceed with caution!!!!

Listen carefully: Any 400gr bullet of your choice Hornadys are fine for practice, and A Frames for serious work. 90.2gr of IMR4350, Fed 215 primers and Norma brass yilds 1/2" groups@ 2400 fps out of my 24" Ruger RSM. Another great coice is H-4350 starting with 94gr and going as high as 98 with 400gr TSXs. jorge

108 grs of 7828 with the 350 TSX gave inch or less groups at 2850. Not a traditional load but pretty deadly.

H 4831 is one of the classic powders for the Rigby. With the 350 gr bullets of various descriptions I would start out at the high 80's or low 90's and work my way up to desired velocity/recoil levels. You will find a load that will top out on one or the other if I don't miss my guess. I found that the Rigby is as far up as I want to go as far as recoil is concerned and I really don't neet to hot rod it. It has plenty of muscle. You can load the Rigby up to near Weatherby velocities but why. The 350 gr speer bullets are more fragile than most 400 gr. bullets. 2500-2600 is plenty of speed for any small ungulate that needs a perforation. For sheep loads I use a 325gr Barnes or North Fork and about 103 gr of H 4831 SC. I can't remember the velocity right now but it's trajectory is about like a 30-06. Plenty flat shooting out to most hunting distances. I think Jack O'Conner's load was 105 gr of H 4831 and a 400 gr bullet. It is a good load for DG and shoots very accurately in my rifle also. Good hunting.

Just to keep things safe. Muzzle velocity achievable with 350 gr pills in the 416 Rigby will be around 2750 fps with powders in the following burn rates (H414, various 4350s, Rel 19, the 4831s, Rel 22). The chamber pressure will be in the 60,000 psi to 65,000 psi range at that muzzle velocity (2750) with those burn rate powders. You can go a lot higher than that, but the pressure get real high (I have personally gone to 80,000 psi strain gaged and seen no traditional pressure signs). So consider yourselves warned. The Lyman reloading manual provides data for the 350 gr bullet, you should invest in one of these manuals.

Thank's to everyone, guys!

Your input was very helpful in taking my decision and I think you are right sugessting me, not to reach for speed, 'cause there's no need for it. Thank you all for enlightening me. I think, I'll make a load for practice with the 350 grainers for practice as well for normal hunting, the ballistics will be similar with the .30-06 if I load it to approx. 2650 fps!

Once again, thank you for your input!

here is a link to the Speer web site http://www.speer-bullets.com/pdf/ReloadingSupplementalDATA/416rigby.pdf

Also, for sheer big-bore plinking fun don't forget the RCBS 350-grain cast gas-checked bullet over 50-52 grains of XMP5744 at 2,000 fps, and close to an inch at 100 in the Rigby. Pleasant and cheap to shoot if you just want to play, yet plenty o' spank for deer, hogs and handling practice.

Hey Bill,

thinks there's enough mustard in that jar for those trophy bull chucks that infest the Baker City-La Grande area?



Rich

You can only do well with these guidelines for the .416 Rigby:

Light bullet: 330 to 350 grainers
H4350 Extreme @ charge of 95 to 100 grains,
for velocity around 2650 to 2750 fps.
Tune to your rifle.
A 330gr HV or 350gr TSX would be great for PG hunting.

Heavy bullet: 370 to 410 grainers
H4831SC Extreme @ charge of 100 to 105 grains,
for velocity around 2400 to 2500 fps.
Tune to your rifle.
370gr SP/FP/CP, 380gr FN, or 400gr TSX would be great for DG.

I used 350 grainers at 2700fps to take fallow deer at 342 yards, and water buffalo at 50 yards.

The 380-grain GSC FN at just over 2500 fps is one of those "Ultimate Penetrators" that could make Texas Heart Shots on elephant a possibility.

Like RIP, use H4831SC 105 grains with a 370 North Fork for 2530 fps. and sub-MOA accuracy. I have some lighter bullets, but haven't found a reason to use them yet. Anything you need a .416 for needs a 370-400 gr.

My two MOA loads for the .416 Rigby follow. 370 grain North Fork with 104 grains H-4831SC and Fed 215M primer, around 2450 to 2500 fps. 370 grain North Fork with 98 grains RL-22 and Fed 215M primer, virtually the same speed as former load. I have shot all the 400 grain bullets offered, nothing compares to the North Fork accuracy. Good shooting.