While reading this excellent thread (thanks to all of you for educating us less knowledgeable) https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/760101804/m/348106027 and some others, I found nothing but good opinions about 450/400 (3†I am assuming). However, looking further I found that nominal bore dia for it is .408. In that case this round is still illegal in some African countries where the minimum bore is .416†for elephants, rhino, etc. If I am considering round in that range, I would rather go with something rimmed that will have .416†bore. Am I missing something? Thanks.

I think a few staes specify .40 cal rather than .416! The .450/400 was a rifle I used often as a kid and wish I had managed to buy it of my uncles estate. Currently I have gone one better and got a Krieghoff 500/.416 With 96grns of H1000 it gives a 410grn bullet 2120fps and it regulates... So I can download it slightly to have the old balistics if I want (like for target practice) or I can load it up to full .416 rigby performance for field work.

Onty,
If you decide to build one, let me know and I will sell you a set of RCBS dies. I built one some years ago when bullets were hard to get and I still have the dies for a 450-400-3" opened up to take a .416 caliber bullet..It was a nice rifle.

Ganyana,
I shot a 500-416 sometime back and I thought it would be a really neat round and it is, but I got the impression it recoiled about like my .470..

However, your suggestion of loading it down sounds interesting. I am a fan of the 40 calibers in both doubles and bolt guns, seeing little need for larger calibers.

quote:

Originally posted by Onty:
While reading this excellent thread (thanks to all of you for educating us less knowledgeable) https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/760101804/m/348106027 and some others, I found nothing but good opinions about 450/400 (3†I am assuming). However, looking further I found that nominal bore dia for it is .408. In that case this round is still illegal in some African countries where the minimum bore is .416†for elephants, rhino, etc. If I am considering round in that range, I would rather go with something rimmed that will have .416†bore. Am I missing something? Thanks.

Exactly where is the .416 minimum for Elaphant, rather than .400 cal!

There are many bullet choices for .411 diameter rifles:

210 grn pistol bullets, 265 grn cast, 300 grn Hornadays,

400 grn G S CUSTOM, NORTH FORK, WOODLEIGH...

imho, the 500/416 loaded to 450/400 is a perfect answer to an unasked question. If one can afford to BUY a double, then the price of bullets, as long as they ARE available, should be okay.

i think it's a great ground, and if you take the 400gr at 2200fps you can be in about the same pressure...

the ONLY advatange, to me, is .416 bullets...
but that doesn't mean a thing

quote:

Originally posted by Onty:
I found nothing but good opinions about 450/400 (3†I am assuming). However, looking further I found that nominal bore dia for it is .408.

No. The British standardized nominal bore at .410" in 1913 for both case lengths, and there it remains. CIP standard today for both is still .410".

Yeah, I know, a lot of the British guns are .408", and confusion still reigns. Ruger and Heym guns are .410", as is Hornady's ammo. The lost boys in Kali use .411", and Woodleigh makes the same softs and solids in both .408" and .411".
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"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."