I have received a .416 barrel I won on auction with a P-14 receiver. The following are Douglas' dimensions. It seems to me the No. 4 is too light for a .416 Rigby or Weatherby, but would be perfect for one of the shorter .416 wildcats. This is their Sporter Barrel.

4 26" .875" .650" 1.200" 1-1/4" 2-1/8"

I am looking for opinions from sumbuddy who know?


[ 07-23-2003, 14:19: Message edited by: Roger Rothschild ]

I talked to John Ricks last week about this very subject. He suggested a #5 contour to help absorb recoil and give the rifle a better balance.
IMO, your assumptions are correct.

Doesn't the new 400 H&H use a .416 barrel? That would be a nice round.
Terry

.416 Remington?

Roger,
That's about the same thickness as the cz 416 barrel.. which is 1 size to small, imnsho
jeffe

Roger,

If you want to get rid of it and get a heavier one let me know. We might be able to work something out.

Jim

My .416 is .650 at 24" and it is just right for me, its not a heavy gun at 9 Lbs., the recoil is not severe...

In .416 bore I prefere .675 at the muzzle, but thats just me.

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the replies. What worries me is at "F" the barrel is 0.875", with the Rigby or Weath. and their long cases, the wall isn't going to be very thick. 0.875" - 0.416" = 0.359"/2 = 0.1795" which isn't much. I am probably overeacting.

I'll add my two cents. I recently built a .416 Taylor with a No. 4 Douglas at 22". It is just about perfect. For a larger 416, I think it would be too light.

Roger,
Your original thickness calculation has an error, and should be 0.2295". If the barrel is 4140 material, with a minimum steel yeild of 75 ksi, and the gas pressure is below 65 ksi (max magnum load), then the barrel will be acceptable-but with a safety factor of only 1.25.
If it's a newer production barrel, the yeild strength and safety factor would be a lot higher (therefore safer).

Hotshot

I have a Douglas #4 on my Rigby. It's 24", on a magnum Mauser and is about right. It looked small before we barreled it up.

personally I would worry more about the P14 than the barrel- I know they are"strong", but remember they were built and designed to be wrapped around a 303 British. Lay a cartidge on the barrel shank and see where it "fits" for MY peace of mind I want the entire cartridge from the base to the shoulder in the fat part of the extension- call me chicken, but I would rather error on the side of TOO safe. The Rigby would be the "better" choice IMHO due to the lower working pressures than the Weatherby.

Roger,
Just a few facts on the CZ .416 Rigby of most recent production that I have:

Muzzle diameter of the 25" barrel: 0.672"

Length of the untapered shank portion of the barrel (not including the threaded portion): 1.25"

Then a gradual taper to the straight taper portion. The barrel O.D. at the end of the Rigby chamber (2.900" from breech face) is still about 1.030". The untapered shank portion is about 1.250" O.D.

The routine sub-MOA accuracy of the CZ's tells me with certainty that this barrel profile is adequate, but it is the minimum weight I would want on a .416 Rigby.

Your barrel is lighter overall. I sure as heck wouldn't make a .416 Weatherby out of it, but it would be fun to see how a featherweight .416 Rigby could be made from it, sticking to the classic ballistics of less than 40Kpsi. Accuracy would be my only fear with a barrel as light as yours, but it might work. Might be neato.

To add another post: I used a Shilen no.4 sporter contour on a .416 Taylor. It is 0.700" at the 26" muzzle and has just over 2" of untapered shank beyond the threaded breech. It is great.

An example of how the different barrel makers' profiles differ.

I used a Douglas no.3 sporter contour on a .375 H&H. It was 0.625" at the 24" muzzle. It made an accurate featherweight.

We should ask fla3006 about the accuracy of his featherweight .416 Rigby.

I guess I was wrong about my barrel. It's a Douglas, 24", sporter taper but is 0.75" at the muzzle. On a similar subject, I just bought a Shilen #4 barrel off eBay, .458 caliber, haven't received it yet. Does anyone know if it's heavy enough for a 458 Lott on a Remington M-30 ?

[ 07-27-2003, 22:50: Message edited by: fla3006 ]

fla3006,
In the past, I considered bullet diameter plus 0.250" to be my minimum muzzle diameter. By this rule of thumb, .458" + .250" = .708"

However the two CZ .458's I have had rechambered to Lott and 45 Lapua are 0.671" and 0.673" at 25" barrel length by my measure, and they are good.

My custom barreled 45 Lapua is 0.750" at the muzzle and 22" of barrel.

A lot of the classic big bores were very slim barreled.

I would say your barrel is fine for any .458 you want to do on it. The Shilens have pretty long untapered shanks.