Hello, and Happy new year!!
I wonder if anybody can tell me the difference between these two, if there is any.

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Shoot well, and hit hard.

Arild.

According to COTW #9 the Rigby has a marginally wider base and is a bit more tapered with a sharper shoulder. Same case lenght.

460Wby,

I interviewed Art Alphin of A-Square several years ago when I was putting together an article on the .450" bore. Art's outfit did the design work for the Dakota line of cartridges.

He told me that he used the .404 Jeffery case as the basis for all the Dakota cases through the .416, but he did not consider that the .404 would give positive headspace control with factory chamber tolerances and factory ammunition tolerances in combination. He said an experienced handloader could make the ammunition, but not factories in his opinion. Therefore, they moved up to the .416 Rigby/.378 Weatherby head size to design the .450 Dakota. Art went on to say the base case for the .450 Dakota was his Pegasus-Excalibur case with its .580" head. The Rigby case head is .589" according to COTW#9, which also reports the .450 Dakota head at .582". I have a production .450 Dakota case around here some where, but it seems to be hiding.

I hope this helps...jim dodd

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"if you are to busy to
hunt, you are too busy."

Dakota say's in there cartridge info that the .450 is based on the .416 Rigby so they could have played with the head size a little
I show there specs as
.582 head diameter
2.890 trim to length
2.90 max length
52 degree shoulder
2.324 to start of shoulder
2.4 to end of shoulder
.582 start diameter
.560 diameter at the start of the shoulder
.486 diameter at the end of the shoulder
.485 neck diameter
400 grain @2763 fps
500 grain @2470 fps

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If you can't hunt, fish. If you can't fish, Hunt

I got busy and dug up my set of .450" bore dummy cartridges. The .450 Dakota I bought from them; it is part of a set of all the Dakota cartridges. It measures .580" on the head.

The .450 Rigby case I have is one that David Little at KYNAMCO gave me, and it measures .589".

I understand that Norma makes the cases and loads ammunition for Dakota. There was some "stuff" that went on between Dakota and A-Square over who was to build the production ammo. I don't know the details. Perhaps the .450 spec was changed in manufacturing. Maybe someone has a current cartridge they can measure.

jim dodd

------------------
"if you are to busy to
hunt, you are too busy."

[This message has been edited by HunterJim (edited 01-07-2002).]

[This message has been edited by HunterJim (edited 01-07-2002).]

But for all the fiddling around with a few thousands here or there, the load data is the same.

Sarge

So, it's basicly the same then?!
Thanks, folks. I only have the COTW#8.

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Shoot well, and hit hard.

Arild.

Like Sarge has said, they are almost twins! I have a 450 and have made brass from 416 cases in a pinch.