I am looking for advice on projectiles for my 416 Ruger . The plan is to potentially use the rifle in Africa. The animals on my list would include lion, hippo, Cape buffalo and possibly elephant.
My assumption would be that I would need to use a soft point and solid . Living in Australia Woodleigh projectiles are the easiest to buy, but I would use other brands if felt to be superior.

Mark

NP, Swifts, Barnes? The NPs are never a wrong choice.

Woodleigh hydros for solids. Many good softs as noted by bluefish. Attempt to load them to the same point of impact.

400 grain Swift A-Frames or 350 grain TSXs.

If or when you go after Ele, find some 400 grain Barnes Banded Solids.

No need to look elsewhere.

350gr TSX. For me, single shot kills on 2 buff as well as several plains game.

In your case I would use Woodliegh 450 gr. PP softs and I think he still makes a 450 gr. solid. but there are lots of good softs and solids out there,,bullet failure is all but a thing of the past these days..

Woodleighs are great. Have used 450gr soft and solids and perform really well on the big stuff. Used in a Rigby at about 2250-2300fps, pretty mild. You’d likely get that in your Ruger or could go to the 400gr

I found the 340 gr Woodleigh shot well 2750 fps.

How about the CEB?

I am going use the 416 Rem on a Dangerous Game safari next summer. I used Northfork's and the 375 H&H on my two previous safari's. They performed very well, that being said I would imagine the Barnes TSX, Swift A fRame or Woodleigh's would do a fine job also. I would keep it simple and follow Ray's advice and get some 450 Woodleigh's and go have a great safari.

Woodleigh makes great Bullets and so do so many other companies and it is hard to go wrong with the 416.

I would go with Hornady factory loads, 400gr DGS or DGX bullets depending on the quarry. Good dependable caliber. Anything my 375 can do my 416's can do way better.

https://www.midwayusa.com/s?us...&userItemsPerPage=48

Hey Mark,

Being Aussie I am prone to using what we have and Woodleigh make them as good as anyone. I've used 400gr Hydro's and 400gr RNSP in my 416 Remington Magnum to great effect on our water buff, banteng, cape buff and hippo.....The softs also work on impala

Cheers,
Mark.

While I have my personal preferences, so far I’ve had good luck with pretty much all the premium bullets.

The only caliber I really pushed was my .330 Dakota (a .338 despite the name)

In .470, Northfork, and AFrames worked very well, although the Northforks regulated better at velocity, so that’s all I use now there.

.416, I have used Trophy Bonded Bear Claws, Barnes 400gr TSX, A frames, Barnes Banded Solids, Trophy Bonded Skedgehammer Solids, woodleigh FMJ’s, some old Hornady spire Points, and Hornady DGX, and Northfork solids.

The spire points were target bullets for me, and while I did shoot a cow with one, I can’t find more of that bullet. It’s a cup and core, and did fine.

The DGX and DGS didn’t shoot all that well and the PHs I hunted with didn’t like them much anyhow.

The A Frame and the TBBC both worked well, but didn’t penetrate as far as the TSX. Kind of a what you want thing. I have had the best luck with the TSX shooting well, but I’m using a Rigby mostly, and losing case capacity there is a nonissue. In the Remington, I use the A Frame mostly because I can get my velocity to factory with it, and it works. TBBC is pretty much a factory only loading as I haven’t seen them for sale as components since the 90s. Woodleighs are essentially a well made cup and core. They just work as long as you don’t get too much velocity. I won’t use them in overbore applications, but for 2400 or less they are great as far as softs...solids, they are good FMJs but I just prefer monometal solids (I assume their Hydro solid would be great, but what I have works, so...

BTW, the .330 using a 185 TTSX on a wildebeest at point blank range killed the animal, but came apart... doesn’t matter what it is, hit a big bone fast enough and your bullet comes apart (I think my impact velocity was around 3300 FPS, and the bone splinters and bullet parts dropped him instantly, so it worked...). Not an issue with what you are talking about here.

Thank you for your advice. Rays comments on the premium bullets all being good is from reading on the money.
Many of the brands mentioned are very poorly available in Australia as we are a very small market. I don’t think Northfork even have an importer.
For availability I will work with Woodleigh and my decision will be between 400 grain or 450 grain.

Mark

Mark,
The Australian importer of North Fork bullets is here;
http://www.meplat.com.au/index...tiles/nf-projectiles
I have dealt with him once. A bit spendy for this typical Kiwi but it was the closest to NZ I could get. Nobody in NZ handles them.
Cheers

In my 416 Ruger 400 grain Swift soft point. 4 for 4 on buffalo in Zim. 2 for 2 on zebra. Trophy Bonded 400 grain solids go with me but I have never had to use one.

Good bullets and big critters to shoot them with are the least of your worries mate! Woodleighs all the way. As I said the 340s may work better for you in Oz. LOL!

Just go get em.

quote:

Originally posted by mark smith:
Thank you for your advice. Rays comments on the premium bullets all being good is from reading on the money.
Many of the brands mentioned are very poorly available in Australia as we are a very small market. I don’t think Northfork even have an importer.
For availability I will work with Woodleigh and my decision will be between 400 grain or 450 grain.

Mark

I too am looking for fodder for a Rigby and stumbled across these. So I bought a few of them off GB. I sure hope they work well. From what I have gleaned from AR, they make a nice hole clean through anything they hit.

Barnes 416 Dia 400 Gr BSFB Bullets 50 count bag
Price $15.00.



Qty: 6


Buy Now Available

I prefer the 350 grain TSX bullets in my 416’s

As do I but have switched to the CEB's for all of my dangerous game hunting. Absolutely devastating.

I have used several 416 rifles with 400 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw bullets and Barnes Super Solids.

Shooting several elephants, several lions and many buffalo.

Worked great.

quote:

Originally posted by mark smith:
I am looking for advice on projectiles for my 416 Ruger . The plan is to potentially use the rifle in Africa. The animals on my list would include lion, hippo, Cape buffalo and possibly elephant.
My assumption would be that I would need to use a soft point and solid . Living in Australia Woodleigh projectiles are the easiest to buy, but I would use other brands if felt to be superior.

Mark

Well, if you like reliability and a medium flat trajectory, you won't beat the 416 350 grain TTSX and TSX. Personally, I like the TTSX with its .444 BC. I shoot these at 2800+ fps in a Rigby, but you should get 2600 fps in the Ruger.

Additionally, the 330grain GSC HV is a great bullet. 2600-2650fps should be expected.

quote:

Posts: 3839 | Registered: 10 June 2009

I loaded my 416 Remington witb 370 NF SS softs at +2550 FPS and 400 GR. Hornady DGS solids.
I also took a 470 double with 500 gr NF SS softs and 500 gr. CEB solids.
I never pulled the trigger on a solid my entire trip.
Everything I shot with the 416 and the 370 softs pancaked. Largest was a Zebra and a Kudu.
Shot my buffalo with the 470 NE at 20 yrs with the 500 gr. NF SS softs @ 2200 FPS. Shot through both shoulders and existed. The Buff sat down like a dog at the impact got up, ran 15 yds. and piled up.
MY guide was a huge Barnes TSX fan (good reason: they are very good projectiles).
He wanted all my spare 470's loaded with the NF's at my departure as he shot a 470 double as well.
There is a lot to choose from these days.
I use 450 Swifts in my 458 win mag,
300 gr NP's and 300 TSX's in my 375"s.
Cannot go wrong with all the options. Find one that shoots good in your gun.

EZ

I used the 400gr Swift A-frames im my .416 Rem Mag and killed 3 buffalo no problem.

I used the 400gr Barnes Solid for ellie and again no problem.

These were all factory rounds loaded to 2400 fps MV (per Remington's data).

I would expect the .416 Ruger to meet or exceed the .416 Rem Mag.

BH63

I have ordered Woodleigh 400gn soft points and solids , hoping they will shoot to the same point of aim . While there are other very suitable projectiles availability of the Woodleighs in Australia is the big plus .

Mark

quote:

I would expect the .416 Ruger to meet or exceed the .416 Rem Mag.

The 416 Ruger will match the 416 Remmie, but technically it has about 1.5 grains less powder. Up at the 95-100 grain level, a grain and a half is negligible.

I would prefer the shorter ("standard") action of the Ruger, something I've used in my wife's 375Ruger. For a magnum action, a person might as well handload a Rigby (I've owned 4 CZ's in 416Rigby).

i spoke with Geoff McDonald and they beefed up the jacket on the 400 gn 416 proj as many hunters were complaining they opened up to much/were to soft...so the jacket thickness got doubled so now the 400 gn 416 is a totally different beast