Someone was looking for a Ruger .416 Rigby last month. I couldn't find the thread, but there's one for sale on GunBroker with a Leupold 1.5-5X for $1300. There are some of the old Speer Tungsten solids included, too. Those things will out-penetrate about any bullet ever made.

BTW, even though the seller has a "judge" in his name, it is not me and I have no idea as to the condition of the rifle, etc.

Sometimes, if the target is tough enough, those tungsten "pencil leads" inside the bullet will penetrate the brass capsule of the Speer.
Then you get a separated brass jacket, and a tumbling rod and penetration goes all to hell.
Those bullets are not necessary in a .416 Rigby.
Maybe worthwhile in a .416 Taylor.

That's a good price on that rifle. New one will run between $1800 and $2000 now. Add another $400 for the scope to sweeten the pot. Why can't it be a Lott for that price? I already got the 416.

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
Sometimes, if the target is tough enough, those tungsten "pencil leads" inside the bullet will penetrate the brass capsule of the Speer.
Then you get a separated brass jacket, and a tumbling rod and penetration goes all to hell.
Those bullets are not necessary in a .416 Rigby.
Maybe worthwhile in a .416 Taylor.

Never know, you may want to hunt APCs.

John

Good idea.
If all you want to get is a tungsten pencil lead ricocheting around inside the APC, might be useful.
When I shot them at a 1/2" thick mild steel plate at 100 yards (MV was only 2450 fps)
they made a BB-caliber hole through the steel and left a splash of brass on the steel, and sent some brass zinging back at me.
I heard it whistle by about 20 feet overhead.
Gotta admit none of the other bullets I tested penetrated the steel plate.
Yes it was a Ruger RSM .416 Rigby.

DRG says: "Kiss my liberal grits!"

A friend of mine was presengted a floor-plate engraved Ruger .416 Rigby when he left the importers of this rifle into NZ. He subsequently showed us some thick steel rams that he had made and shot at 100 yards with it. There were neat .416" holes in them. He wasn't using tungsten bullets, but he's since drowned, so I can follow this up to be more specific.

He also used to sell inflatable life-vests to duck hunters, myself included, but ironically he didn't have one on himself on the fateful day. I know he was using copper .416" caliber bullets in 350 grain on deer and took the head off a sika with one.

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
Sometimes, if the target is tough enough, those tungsten "pencil leads" inside the bullet will penetrate the brass capsule of the Speer.
Then you get a separated brass jacket, and a tumbling rod and penetration goes all to hell.
Those bullets are not necessary in a .416 Rigby.
Maybe worthwhile in a .416 Taylor.

You just trying to sh*t stir again RIP?
Maybe you could explain why a Taylor at 2250fps would need a tougher bullet than a rigby at 2300 unless you're trying to Wby your Rigby?
Steve.

Shinzo,
Think:
The Speer AGS tungsten core is shorter than any other 400-grain .416 bullet.
This gives the .416 Taylor a greater effective case capacity.
Same reason it is an excellent bullet in 500 grains for the .458 WinMag.
I have one box of the now defunct .416/400gr AGS.
I save it for the .416 Taylor.
The .416/380gr GSC FN is the best bullet in a .416 Rigby, and the .416 Taylor for that matter.
2509 fps there with 105 grains of H4831 (Rigby).
And yes I was doing some

Velocity is key in penetrating steel.
So is thin steel on rams, instead of thick steel on gongs.

350-grains of copper at 2700 fps is how I load the .416 Rigby for 342-yard fallow deer.
That load hit the brisket of a doe at that range and her innards festooned on impact.
Ruger No.1 .416 Rigby that time, with 350-grain Barnes X, old style.
I have that on video.
She staggered a few steps and went down. One shot, one kill.
Good meat.
I had her shoulder-mounted with a spare set of trophy antlers applied to her. Sort of like "The Bearded Lady." Nice chocolate doe. I call her "Cocoa":



And here is "Whitey," her mate, taken with a .454 Casull revolver at 50 yards, at the same Tennessee game farm.



Culling in family units is the way to go, but little "Bambi" got away that time.
I'll bet coming from a white buck and a chocolate doe, Bambi was spotted.
I have two reloading-library-storage rooms.
The Hillbilly Room, and the African Room.
Above is a corner of the Hillbilly Room.

DRG says: "Kiss my liberal grits!"

I'd bet you ten dollars you do NOT want to be inside that APC when that tungsten insert starts bouncing around in it!

Rich

Two to One odds

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
I'd bet you ten dollars you do NOT want to be inside that APC when that tungsten insert starts bouncing around in it!

Rich

Two to One odds

Even the 5.56 AP rounds are pretty nasty once they punch through steel, usually send shrapnel around once it broaches the steel face.

John

Has anyone ever done penetration tests with the tungsten bullett and a traditional lead core steel jacketed solid on soft media. In theory the steel jacketed lead core solid would have a higher Sectional Density which should provide for deeper penetration than the shorter tungsten bullet.?????

Not trying to show anyone up, but rather clear up a misconception. From Chuck Hawk's web page:

Sectional density (SD) is the numerical result of a calculation that compares a bullet's weight to its diameter. To calculate a bullet's sectional density divide the bullet's weight (in pounds) by its diameter (in inches), squared. The higher the SD number the better the SD, and the heavier a bullet is in proportion to its diameter.

So a longer barnes 400g copper bullet in 416 caliber has the same sectional density as a shorter 400g Woodleigh. At that point penetration is all about bullet construction, velocity and nose shape. One of the advantages of a tungsten bullet will be it is shorter for the same weight so it will allow for the stabilization of a heavier bullet.

Regards,

Chuck

I put a 300 grn AGS .375 solid through an inch of tempered steel at 100 yards. Didn't slow it down. It shed the jacket, of course. Maybe an inch of armor plate would stop it, but I would not want to be on the receiving end of that bullet if I were taking cover behind that inch of armor.

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
Shinzo,
Think:
The Speer AGS tungsten core is shorter than any other 400-grain .416 bullet.
This gives the .416 Taylor a greater effective case capacity.
Same reason it is an excellent bullet in 500 grains for the .458 WinMag.
I have one box of the now defunct .416/400gr AGS.
I save it for the .416 Taylor.
nimal:

That makes sense, I'd forgotten about them being shorter, always liked the sound of them, but never saw any out this way, I'd imagine they would have been special order only & as spendy as all hell.
She looks like a bit of a tart your muley fallow crossing thingy.
Steve

Shinzo,

Regarding these antlers taxidermied onto the fallow doe:


I purchased those antlers from a taxidermist in Anchorage, Alaska in the late 1980's.
Said to have been abandoned by a client who never returned to pick up the European mount of them.
Said to have been a Kodiak Sitka blacktail.
If so, that was a nice one.
Sort of like a small muley?
Does not have the prominent fork of the main beam like a mule deer ...

.