They still say coming soon.

Yep, and the price has risen. Must be harder after all to make .416 Rigby brass. My Federal nickel plated brass from factory loads is still doing good service, but showing wear now.

it was supposed to be out in fall 05 for ~$75/box.WHAT HAPPENED???is it ever going to debut?

I have received a couple of boxes of Rigby ammo from Hornady but have not had time to fire them. Hopefully this means Hornady is still moving along. I am still waiting for their 375 H&H ammo but am assured they are in the pipeline.

Midways says 11/30, and 70bucks

ONE HUNDRED BUCKS less than of the price for federal 416 rigby , 170 bucks

or just 10 bucks MORE than the hornady 458 winmag loads,

and exactly the same price as 458 lott loaded ammo

and if that's the case, we'll soon be seeing 74¢ rigby brass

I wonder how the brass will hold up to reloading? el jeffe you were saying the Norma DG brass is soft and has been below par as of late. I hope the Hornady quality is better!

quote:

Originally posted by .366torque:
I wonder how the brass will hold up to reloading? el jeffe you were saying the Norma DG brass is soft and has been below par as of late. I hope the Hornady quality is better!

Good brass is one thing, but a good solid would be nice. Any word on improving that issue?

I think they are having bullet "issues." There was a post here on the the Hunting Reports Forum about subject bullets being too soft and not penetrating sufficiently on buffalo. I think it was Mr. Hornady himself doing the testing.jorge

My experience last month in Tanzania on cape buffalo with Hornady Interbonds confirmed concerns. The bullets are much too soft. I hope Hornady is coming up with a new bul;let for DG that will hold up better and retain weight. The interbonds I used in my .458 Lott lost over half of their weight on heart shots. I suspect if I had gone for the shoulder they wouldn't have reached the vitals. I followed the Interbonds up with Hornady solids (FMJs). They performed just fine.

Interesting report on their use on buffalo. So far everyone that I have recovered from big bears has shown near perfect performance. But we are comparing different animals and different calibers - although 100fps shouldn't make that much difference. I am certainly interested in hearing of more experiences, both with softs and solids.

My experience with Hornady brass has been excellent. My 480 brass has seen scores of loads, from mild to, I gotta back off, and only a few have been culled for neck splits. My 458 Lott brass has been excellent as well.

Having reasonably priced 416 Rigby brass from Hornady will be great!

Phil, sounds as if you had a chance to use some of the hornady 416? Fill us in if you have a chance (maybe your writing it up as we speak for publication). # shots taken, angels, ranges, barrel length, etc...Bye the way, one of the reasons I started playing around with the big boys and eventually found this site was due to the article you wrote on your 505/510Gibbs, loved it.

.458 WinMag,

I suspect the differences in our experiences with Interbond performance are due to the distinct difference in skin,muscle and bone of the two species. The big bears are fearsome creatures but not as heavily constructed as the cape buff. Everything I've read regarding Interbonds on "thin skinned" game has been very positive. I just don't think they're up to the task on heavy, thick skinned stuff like buffalo. Granted, my experience is limited two buffalo but the results on each were identical.

/

Not quite on topic but realated.
I have just gotten hold of some 375H&H 270 grain Hornady in heavy magnum. They are in Winchester cases.

ALF,

my brother worked in a slaughterhouse for a couple of years... I went down on the kill floor several times, and after seeing a couple hundred dairy cows VS some old range bulls hanging...you cannot be serious...? That is equivalent to saying Arnold Schwartzenegger (sp?) and Roseanne Barr have the same build based on live weight and should be able to bench the same amount. If you really believe that you can hunt cape buffalo with a 22lr, since that is what was used for many years in packing plants on ton-plus cattle.

Rich

I sent an email to my uncle - a Ph.d in zoology with a specialization in mammology. He was a long time professor at Michigan State and a field researcher. I posed the mass/density/bones/skin/muscles question along with Alf's comment. I'll share his views.

I too have used the Hornady Heavy Mags in 375 but they are not the same as what Hornady is advertising as their Interbonds but have not yet released in that caliber. The 458's and the 416 Rigby are on Hornady cases and use the Interbond bullets which, from all of my tests and a few bears, have all given perfect expansion and held togeather superbly. I even fired a dozen into a rocky bank to test the overall strength and although they were pretty well bashed flat they still held together.
I would love to see photos of bullets taken from buffalo.

Sorry I'm so slow getting the bullet pics posted. I had to carve out time to find them.

Both of the Interbonds I put in buffalo last month were heart shots. Neither struck the shoulder or leg bones. In the pics, you will see the 500 grain Interbond next to a 500 grain Bear Claw out of the same buffalo for comparison. In the first pic, the Interbond is on the left. In the second pic, it is on the right. As you can see, the Interbond lost over half its weight. I doubt it would have made it through a leg bone and still produce adequate damage to the vitals. As it was, the heart was like jelly. Interbond on cape buffalo? Never again.

I believe what I see. Thanks for the photos and input. Has anyone here tried the solids?

Phil,

All of my other rounds on the buffs were Hornady FMJs - three in one buff and four in the other. All shots were broadside and all bullets exited. I have no complaints with the solids.

Russell

some good news on the Hornady 416 Rigby availability...
The mailman brought me a new Natchez Shooters Supply catalog today. They list the Hornady 416 Rigby ammunition.
Solids and Softpoints..........retail $70.15, our price $66.64 per box of twenty....in stock. They DO NOT have any brass, just the loaded stuff.

Rich

Wonder when they'll be migrating north?

366Torque,

how far are you from Idaho, like the Boise area?
Come down when 465H&H and Lawndart and I get our @#%& together and host a DGR shoot like the vintagers. You can order up what you need and haul it home.

Rich

According to Yahoo maps and driving directions, I'm 20 hours and 6 minutes away.

Idaho Sharpshooter thank you ! That really sounds like fun!! You got the cannons and lawndart has the 9.3x70 Expert. I like it!!

Hunter formerly known as Texas Hunter

Thanks for the info & pics on the Hornady Interbonds. I just got hold of a couple of packets here in Aus (375 SP I/Bs - 300grain) and I was looking for feedback on how they performed on buff.

Think I will stick to practising with them (they were cheap enough ) and use good ol Woodleighs for the real thing after looking at those photos!

mlg

MLG I use the .375 300 gr Hornady RN and after hitting a thin skinned small target of around 80-90 pounds from the rear found the bullet under the hide of the chest and it only weighed 80gr from memory, opens up like an old bannana, alright for pigs etc. but to soft for buff, load a woodleigh.

MLG, are you sure you have the new Hornady Interbonds rather than the Interlocks? I agree that the older Hornady 375's were not premium bullets - but they usually shot very well. My experience with the new Interbonds, in both the 416 and 458, have been very favorable. We have not recoved any so far from even big bears as they exit, leaving very large, bloody holes.
I have been anxiously awaiting the new 375's but was told by Hornady they were not avaliable.

Phil: Go to the Hunting Reports threads, I think it was Terry Carr's report where he relates the Hornady guys were there along with Boddington testing the IB bullets in 416 on Buffalo and they were not very good in the penetration department. Also the picures depicted here are IBs and not Interlocks. Look at them closely. jorge

only one report on the interbonds. One zebra range about 100 yrds. 458 lott factory ammo. The bullet hit on the point of the shoulder quartering towards . The result was a big exit wound about the last rib on the off side. That is the first zebra I have ever seen just die in its hoof prints.

jorge, I did see the report and believe the photo - however I have examples of Trophy Bonded, Partitions, GS soft points, Hornady steel jacketed solids, Barnes X, Woodleighs and numerous other factory bullets that also all failed to expand, disentagrated or were badly deformed but they were all the rare exceptions to the performance I have learned to expect from all of those brands. An example of one isn't very convincing. I'll reserve judgement till a few more results are in.

The .416 Rigby Interbond had some serious problems in Zim this year. Failed to penetrate on a buffalo (and a bush pig). Just ask PH Mike Payne what he thinks of the Interbond. It about got him killed.

Regards,

Terry

quote:

We have not recoved any so far from even big bears as they exit, leaving very large, bloody holes.

Phil, How big are these bears (estimated weight) ?

I've just got to believe Cape Buffalo require a tougher bullet than even the really big bears. I may be wrong but intuitively, it just seems it should be that way..

The very biggest bears weight 1200 to 1500 pounds. Which is not far from what a Cape Buffalo weighs. I have taken bears that three of us could not roll over.
I think the bear's musculature is as tough - probably not the bones. Both are amazingly tough and can certainly pack the lead when it's poorly placed. Bears are smarter and buff probably harder to stop.
A buff can kill you, but a bear can kill you faster and then eat you.

Damn! I've got to get up there to hunt a bear like that before I die!