Has anyone hear built one? I don't know how accurate Clymers dimensions are on their sight, but on a quick comparison, my 35 whelen ackley is .460" at the shoulder/body junction, the rigby at that point of the body is .461" in dia. I'd like to have a tad more metal to remove to clean it up, but seems close enough.

I like the performance I'm getting with the ackley whelen, 250 a-frames @ 2700 fps, but pressures are right up there, too high IMHO, but groups turn to patterns when I back off. If I could achieve the same performance with reduced pressure, I'd be a happy camper. The barrel was never stamped, and me thinks the gun would be quite nice in a somewhat obscure classic chambering.

Think about a 358 Norma, I had a M70 35 Whelen in the shop a couple of months ago and stuck the 358 Norma reamer in the barrel. Had a new box of Norma cartridges with the rifle, vola, they are loaded with 250 grain Woodleighs!!!

You might need to fire up that time machine to find 350 Rigby Brass at an affordable price.

Paul,

I think the shoulder on the Rigby would be further forward than the Whelen so a bigger part of the 350 reamer would be about where the Whelen shoulder is.

As we discussed on the other thread 375 H&H cases should be OK, certainly similar to using 404s in a Remingtong Ultra chamber.

Who knows, turning belts of the 375 H&H to get 350 Rigbys would be like what people used to do to 378s to get 416 Rigbys.

Could be the start of something.

Mike

Paul,
Midway says they have it made by Bertram at $62.00 per 20. Pretty spendy but it would have the correct headstamp.

A quick comparison of dimensions shows the 350 rigby apparently has the same body taper as the 375/300 H&H case, but with a sharper sholder, and the belt/rim turned down to make it rimless. I took a 375 H&H case, ran it through my modified whelen fl, now neck die, trimmed to 2.76" and seated a 250 hornady sp to the canalure. Also removed the belt and turned down the rim. I'll have to take some metal out of the feed ramp, but it popped in the mag fine, and fead ~2/3 into the chamber, and very smoothly. I figure case capacity will be on par with the 358 norma.

While the practicle/sensible approach is the 358 norma, with common dies, and easily formed or factory brass, it just doesn't appeal to me for some reason.

My whelen ackley has a few nagging problems, that either a 358 norma or 350 rigby would cure, at accurate speeds, pressure is too high, the nearly straight case doesn't feed as smoothly as I'd like, when the friend of a friend chambered the barrel and polished the bolt face to clean up some pitting, I lost the control feed, cases aren't heald by the extractor.

I look at what the rifle will be when finished, a mauser action, barrel band front sight, barrelband swivel, claro stock w/ skeleton grip cap, 24 lpi fleur de lis pattern, ebony forend tip, and say, what does it call out to be chambered for, 358 norma or 350 rigby? The resounding answer is 350 Rigby!

Shawnee tools has a 350 rigby reamer, and CH4D lists dies, and as noted, Midway has brass. I think 100 375 H&H cases and 20 350 Rigby cases will be all I'll need. I'll check huntingtons, and should be able to order some single cases, figure 5 will be enough to make some dummies, and allow the extractor to be fit.

Go for it Paul. It sounds like it will be a great rifle when it's done. Be sure to post pics. - Dan