christmas is coming... for 2008... and it's time to get started after the first of the year on the next project....eddystone enfield action, shilen barrel, #5 contour, 22", iron sights. barrel band front sling, haven't decided on stock yet... but wanting to get a few things ordered... south texas hogs are pretty tough to kill...

Question:
.404 jeffery??? or .416 rigby???

Choices:
.404 j
.416 rigby

 

I voted for the Rigby based on the action choice. If you had chosen a Model 70 action I would have voted for the 404J.

416 Rigby, just 'cause

quote:

Community Statistics

416 Rigby.......

416 Rigby! Of course I am prejudiced a bit, I own one. Just so much easier to get components for, and 404J dies are about ten times as much.

JMHO

Rich
DRSS
Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost...

I'm bucking the trend....I vote 404 Jeff. I own one and in a solid action, it can be loaded up to 2300+ fps with the 400 gr bullets easily. The number of available bullets is not as great, but with Swifts, NF's and Woodleighs available...so what. Plus you use less powder, blah, blah. PLUS....not everybody owns a Jeff.
Can you tell yet that I like my rifle?

Of course you wouldn't be wrong with either choice.

Gary
DRSS
NRA Lifer
SCI
DSC

The .416 Rigby for the same reason Wink stated.

Why not go 'whole hog' and build a .450 Rigby?

George

i'm still sitting on the edge... ive got 2 .416's ... a rem mag safari express crf m70 and the .416 taylor that tip burns is building for me... haven't got the talyor yet, but maybe before christmas.....450 rigby??? gotta dig out the 'ol cartridges of the world and see...

quote:

Originally posted by GeorgeS:
The .416 Rigby for the same reason Wink stated.

Why not go 'whole hog' and build a .450 Rigby?

George

Better yet, go whole hog +...

450 Dakota!

As a matter of fact I saw a guy selling in classifieds as new custom Redding dies in 450 Dakota

While both are cool from an historic perspective, I would go .404J........ That big 'ol Rigby case takes up too much damn space in my opinion -- but, if you're going that route, might as well make it a .450.........

I think you'll find the Jeffery can be taught to feed more easily.... or does a gunsmith disagree?

.416 Rigby! Best big bore case design

Buliwyf -- is that the best or the biggest?? LOL!!

I'm not a Rigby hater, it's just that the dern case takes up a LOT of magazine space......other than that, it is waaayy cool......

Ha Ha Whitworth

I think the Rigby case is a "very modern" bolt action design with slight body taper, sharp shoulder, and a plus with long neck (especially for handloaders). No question about it taking up space, but offers lower operating pressure or can bush a 400-gr pill to around 2600 fps if need be.

Dang it! Buliwyf! Go study the .416 Rigby and the .404 Jeffery cases.

The .416 Rigby has a great deal of body taper, and the .404 Jeffery has very little body taper. We have been over this many times before.

The .338 Lapua Magnum retains the same large amount of body taper as the original .416 Rigby.

The abrupt ~45 degree shoulder semi-angle of the .416 Rigby is the only slight impediment to its feeding slickness. The .338 Lapua corrected this with a shoulder semi-angle of 20 degrees for machinegun use, etc.

The gradual slope of the 404 Jeffery shoulder (~8.5 degrees) and the long neck, combine to more than counteract its minimal body taper and make it a slick feeder.

Get it right Buliwyf!

They are both great cartridges, Ginger and Mary Ann. I must have both, no voting here by me.

However, the best of all big game cartridge designs ever is the .395 Tatanka. It is a .395/.416 Rigby-20-Degree, a .395/.338 Lapua Long. The .398 Lapua Magnum is not bad either.

Jim, if you are set on a Shilen barrel, then it will have to be a .416". Cause they DO NOT MAKE A .423" BARREL. I know, cause I asked last Saturday at the Swap Meet.

Now they do make .411" barrels, I saw some.

Keith.

i know that tip has another .416 shilen barrel like the 1 the used on my .416 taylor... so what are my choices for the .423???

Pac-Nor and Kreiger for sure. Looks like McGowan and Lothar-Walther too. Not sure about Douglas.

416 rigby, because: brass and bullets, better selection, and cheaper; slightly better ballistics, if loaded per convention, with lower pressure; and the equivalent of 416 wby, if loaded to max (although why one would do so, i cant say)

I also voted 404j. Like RIP said, it will feed slicker than a Rigby case. The Rigby case may be a better "fit" for the big Enfield, but I still vote 404j because it's what I shoot. Brass quality is the same, & cost close enough. Bullet selection is better in the 416 but there are enough good bullets for the 404j to make sure she doesn't go hungry. You can run vel. high enough w/ either to get a nose bleed. The 404j also looks old school sexy.

I get the feeling that in fact there is total agreement here, you need both. Since you're converting an Enfield, turn it into a Rigby. You'll still "need" the 404J but action choices abound. I've got one of each and I enjoy shooting my 404 Jeffery more than the 416 Rigby.

I have the 404 , and its aversatile cartridge with hard cast lead bullets, and with good jacketed bullets, but the action depends on what to make of it , so for an M70 or an M98 , the 404, for larger actions, the 416.

Wink,
Was your Dad a US Army LT, Infantry, WWII?

Does anyone recall that one-of-a-kind rifle built for Bill Ruger, the .416 Ruger?

The cartridge was a .416 Rigby with the shoulder changed to 20 or 30 degrees, something like that.

Anyone could put a .416 pilot on the .395 Tatanka reamer and fix their .416 Rigby to have a 20-degree shoulder. The neck of the .416 Rigby is plenty long enough for this.

It will shorten the neck to about caliber length and increase the case capacity of the .416 Rigby.

This is called the .416 Ripper. It corrects all deficiencies of the .416 Rigby.

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
Wink,
Was your Dad a US Army LT, Infantry, WWII?

Yes, he was. If you have a copy of "First Infantry Division in World War II" from Turner Publishing, 1995, you will see his bio on page 162.

Junior,
Give my Best Regards to Senior. The entire human race owes him eternal honor.