416 Rigby loads with Northfork CUP points, how hot is hot enough?

[mooze]

Loading for a CZ 550 in 416 Rigby that I have had for a couple of years. My go to hunting bullet in Canada is a GSC monolithic, 255 gr that flies flat and does everything here ( and likely in Afrika , if I ever make it). My plan B load ( as GSC does not exist anymore ) is a load of 97 gr H100V behind a TTSX in 350 gr.
I bought some NF 400 gr cup points and now have a load with 94 grain H100V at 2500 fps with a spread of +/- 5 fps that shoots 3 MOA below the GSC load at 100y. Recoil is quite tolerable. I could easily load this down to 2250 to 2400 fps, but should I ? Any downsides to a load like this?

 

[Rifleman97]

I don’t see why more velocity is a bad thing if recoil is tolerable. Usually people don’t say a bullet is too fast unless the construction of the bullet might not handle it (hornady bullets out of a 257 weatherby at 3600+fps) or if recoil becomes unbearable due to the sheer energy of getting a bullet up to those speeds (416 and 460 weatherby)

North fork cup bullets are incredibly well built, especially for those velocities. And if you think the recoil is manageable, then I’d stick with it.

 

[BryceM]

The old “tried and true” recipe for the .416 Rigby is 400 grains at 2400 fps. With modern actions it’s often safe to load it hotter, but to me there isn’t any practical benefit. It’s not a cartridge that is suited to long range shooting and with good bullets it already has plenty of penetration, even for pachyderms. About the only thing you get for sure is more recoil, which is an enemy to good marksmanship, admitted or not.

 

[flatwater bill]

No specific answer to your question, but I am considering using my 416 Rigby for a one gun safari. I am working up a load for 300 grain spitzers that should make a good plains game load to 200 yards or so. I must be pretty recoil sensitive because my 400 grainers at 2450 are intolerable, and I have loaded them down to about 2330.............JMO...........FWB

 

[DLSJR]

@mooze, I load my 416 Hoffman, which is just a slight tad bigger case than the Remington, with a 400 grain bullet right at 2,400 fps. I’ve loaded it as hot as 2,510 but the jump in recoil wasn’t worth it, so I backed off a bit and find it more pleasant to shoot and it kills everything very efficiently. I’ve shot buffalo and dry land hippo with that load and it’s really good.

Your Rigby driving a 400 grain bullet at around 2,400 will kill anything very efficiently.

 

[Luvthunt]

As I understand it the orginal 416 Rigby was a 410 gr bullet at 2350. Some folks do not believe that was accurate and vel was less. Point is it did all that was asked

 

[dchamp]

I too have a CZ550 in .416 Rigby. My load for the 400gr North Fork SS was 94.5gr RL 22 @ 3.65”oal getting around 2370fps. The North Fork CPS was 93.5gr of RL 22 @ 3.66”oal getting around 2240fps. Primers were GM215M for both. Both shot just under MOA at 100yds. I have only shot paper with it so far.

 

[BryceM]

So, despite my comment above , I just looked at my load data. I’m using a 400 gr TSX (and BBS) in front of Fed 215 primers and H4831SC powder. It chronys at 2480 and shoots about 1” at 100 yards. Same POI at 100 with both bullets which is nice. This is with a CZ 550 and Leupold 1.5x5 scope, IIRC.

 

[Tex .416]

..
I bought some NF 400 gr cup points and now have a load with 94 grain H100V at 2500 fps with a spread of +/- 5 fps…

Smoking!

 

[mooze]

Smoking!

actually no, it is at the upper range of what Barnes quotes and that is within the Rigby pressure constraints, smoke yes, but at normal pressure.

 

[Tex .416]

actually no, it is at the upper range of what Barnes quotes and that is within the Rigby pressure constraints, smoke yes, but at normal pressure.

Was just having some fun. Fully concur it is not near the pressure limit at all for the Rigby.

 

[Nhoro]

I am not a great fan of pushing the boundaries of a cartridge. In the heat of the african sun, loads can increase in pressure and you have a stuck case. Bullets can also fail at higher velocity. Also you can start to get overpenetration ie bullets exiting on elephant and softs exiting on buffalo. So I don't think you need to push boundaries. The Weatherby calibres don't have a great rep in Africa and they push the envelope.