416 Rigby Sell Me On It

[Nicholas Barcomb]

Looking at this particular rifle:
http://cz-usa.com/product/cz-550-safari-magnum-416-rigby-4-rd-fixed-mag/

Thoughts, comments, or ideas. Mostly, the reason for looking at this cartridge is because the 416 Ruger that I would like to get is lacking in a lot of reloading supply areas. I can get the Rigby supplies, but at almost twice the cost, however it is more available currently. Thank you.

 

[woods1126]

My buddy has the same Rigby CZ you are looking at. He purchased the RCBS dies and reloading components. I put everything together for him. We settled on 350 gr. Barnes tsx bullets. I really was impressed with the manageable recoil and accuracy. We were able to get 1 1/2", 3 shot groups at 100 yards, if we did our part. Brass was expensive, but everything else is the same. I say "Go for it" !! Kevin

 

[CAustin]

Nicholas I have the Ruger and last I looked Midway USA had the reloading supplies. Now I don't reload but have been saving the Hornady brass for the day that I do! The Ruger Guide gun is sweet! And deadly!

 

[James.Grage]

I looked at the CZ rifle you are think about purchasing. Nice rifle, however some of them have feeding issues, however CZ will fix the issues you have.

 

[colorado]

I have a CZ 550 that started out as a 375 H&H then grew up and became a 500 Jeffery. I love the rifle. I think the 416 Rigby is a superior cartridge compared with the 416 Ruger. It's tapered, so it should feed better (not that you can't make a 416 Ruger feed, if you can make a 500 Jeffery feed you can make anything feed!), it holds more powder so you can easily attain 2400 fps with a 400g bullet with lower pressures, and it's just so damn classic. I feel that the CZ while at times needing a bit of finish work, is a more solid gun than any of the recent Rugers I've seen. The CZ action is machined from bar stock, it is so damn solid it makes our M70 Classic in 416 Rem seem flimsy. Given that, I don't personally like the CZ "hump back" European stock of the gun in the link, but that's personal preference, some folks love them. My 500 Jeffery

 

[ActionBob]

What about a 416 rem mag? Certaily not as classic as a rigby, but I noticed the factory ammo seems more available and economical....

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I had the same rifle your looking at. I bought it used, but I'm not sure a single shot was ever fired in it until I got it. Extremely easy to develop a load for. Varget/RL15 with 400gr A-Frames or North Fork's somewhere in the 103-105gr range was where I was at, you should of course work up to that from well below. Crazy accurate, probably in the 2500-2600 fps range. Never had any of the issues that you read about concerning feeding. I was not a big fan of the safety though I could live with it. The trigger on mine was junk, perhaps easy to fix, but nonetheless junk. It was a 2 stage type. When not setting the hair trigger, it had quite a bit of creep. When set, it only took the hair of a very small spider for it to fire. Overall though it was a nice gun.

I don't own it anymore however. Simple reason was I hated the recoil. I could manage it and still shoot accurately. But 5-10 rounds in a trip to the range was all I could muster. Now that's partially my own fault, I didn't have to full power load it. One could easily load it down to .404 Jeff velocities and you'd have a very low pressure round.

 

[enysse]

A lot of great advice, I went with the .416 Rem, because it is way more economical to shoot.
And at the end of the day, makes a HUGE difference to me.

 

[slad68]

I looked at the CZ rifle you are think about purchasing. Nice rifle, however some of them have feeding issues, however CZ will fix the issues you have.

Hi Nicholas

I'll give you the advice I received when I looked at a 416, "If you want to shoot a 416 it better be a Rigby".
The CZ is a very nice and reliable gun, I might be wrong but they take up to 5 round as well. This give you that extra 2 that the Ruger does not.

However, I shot 2 CZ's before I bought the 416 Rigby in a Ruger, as James said they do have some feeding issues.
416 Rigby ammo are expensive, I believe more than the 416 Ruger and the 416 Remington, but it is the old classic caliber and there is noting to beat it. I hand load my ammo for around $3,50 a round, be careful when re-sizing the the brass, I made a few mistakes before I got it right.

Unfortunately Ruger do not make the 416 in a Rigby anymore.
You will never regret buying a 416 Rigby.
Good Luck

 

[PeteG]

I'll give you the advice I received when I looked at a 416, "If you want to shoot a 416 it better be a Rigby".

And that about sums it up!!
I went with the CZ 416 rigby and early on it had some issues with the action being a bit rough and the trigger a bit sloppy, but time and patience have sorted these out and it is pretty decent now.
Very happy with the 416 Rigby, the rifle may change if i get the opportunity, but the caliber will remain the same!

 

[Nicholas Barcomb]

CAustin,

Bubble burster, Midway is out of Hornady brass for the 416 Ruger with no backorder. Hornady is also the sole producer of 416 Ruger brass/ ammunition.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/21...rass-416-ruger-box-of-50?cm_vc=ProductFinding

For the 416 Rigby, there are two, albeit a little more expensive.
http://www.midwayusa.com/find?sortby=1&itemsperpage=24&newcategorydimensionid=20060

Not saying that Midway is the sole proprietor of goods, but they usually have the best price for most items. I could also buy loaded ammunition, but after those start to get tossed, where do I get new brass for less than $60 USD/ box. I've already got a paper weight with a scope and stock in a Marlin 17, HM2 (they no longer make ammunition for this rimfire and it shot like a dream).

ActionBob & enysse,
Have shot magnums before, don't have a use for them personally. I absolutely abhor the "magnum belt" that could have the propensity for hanging up at the most in-opportune moment. I also don't like the idea of sizing off of the belt, where sizing should be measured at the shoulder of a cartridge for good solid chambering.

woods1126,
Could you explain the "manageable recoil" with the European style stock. I have shot Bavarian FS rifles in other calibers and the recoil was incredibly smooth, not sharp or jerky as with the straight American style comb, or brutal like the Weatherby raised Monte Carlo.

Everyone,
Thanks for the advice. If there are anymore specifics on the cartridge or rifle(s), perfect.

 

[Voodooracer]

I really enjoy my ruger guide gun in 416 ruger, although it took some work to get it to feed right. Ruger customer service did an excellent job with the repairs and now it feeds like butter. The only downside to the cartridge is that only hornady loads for it, I wish it were more popular but it is what it is I suppose at this point. I found that hornady will do seasonal runs of the 416 ruger and for many months it will be unavailable unless you reload. I wish it would catch on and be more popular but cèst la vie

 

[colorado]

And that about sums it up!!
I went with the CZ 416 rigby and early on it had some issues with the action being a bit rough and the trigger a bit sloppy, but time and patience have sorted these out and it is pretty decent now.
Very happy with the 416 Rigby, the rifle may change if i get the opportunity, but the caliber will remain the same!

I agree with you about the trigger and the safety. I had AHR replace the trigger with a single stage match trigger, install an M70 type 3 pos safety and straighten and fill the bolt. Back when I had it done, it cost me $500 which was well worth it to me.

 

[Wheels]

>
416 Rigby, Sell Me On It


Sorry but I can't.

404J is the only way to go.

 

[enysse]

ActionBob & enysse,
Have shot magnums before, don't have a use for them personally. I absolutely abhor the "magnum belt" that could have the propensity for hanging up at the most in-opportune moment. I also don't like the idea of sizing off of the belt, where sizing should be measured at the shoulder of a cartridge for good solid chambering.

Well a little history lesson here: Until Remington started selling the .416 Rem, the .416 Rigby was dead in the water (obsolete), I agree it has a ton of history and you can load it down, the CZ is a wonderful rifle. I honestly don't understand why everyone wants to spit on the .416 Rem and say it's no good. Maybe I should let it go and enjoy the cheaper ammo. I guarantee the animals will never know a difference.

As far as belt on a cartridge, that really personal opinion, a lot of cartridges have belts....IMO, I have had zero problems with the ones I own. All this engineering talk about one being very superior over the other to me is BS. Yes, not having a belt can add power space and whatnot, but at the end of the day, the shooter behind the gun determines how well it functions.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I wish I could edit my first post in here. I got to thinking again about the powder I used. It was NOT RL15 or Varget. I used H4831.

 

[Cable68]

>
416 Rigby, Sell Me On It


Sorry but I can't.

404J is the only way to go.

Thanks to Ruark writing about Selby, the 416 Rigby got the glamour, but the 404 Jeffrey was the workhorse.

 

[woods1126]

Nicholas, when I say "manageable" I guess I meant not too bad. It was a good hard shove. I have a 7 lb., 375 H&H Remington KS Mountian Rifle that is ported. Shooting the CZ 416 Rigby was more pleasant to shoot. But we were shooting 350 gr. bullets. The 400 grainers May be a different story. Kevib

 

[colorado]

My left handed son has a LH Model 70 Classic (CRF) Stainless 416 Rem that I bought him. It's a nice rifle, and doesn't kick too much. I'm sending it to Duane Biebe for some new bottom metal so we can get 4 down. My CZ in 500 Jeffery only holds 3 down, but that damn well better be enough or I don't know how to shoot.

 

[enysse]

My left handed son has a LH Model 70 Classic (CRF) Stainless 416 Rem that I bought him. It's a nice rifle, and doesn't kick too much. I'm sending it to Duane Biebe for some new bottom metal so we can get 4 down. My CZ in 500 Jeffery only holds 3 down, but that damn well better be enough or I don't know how to shoot.

Well if you don't have the animal down in 4 shots, you have an expensive club in your hands until you can reload. But honestly are you ever going to run into that situation? With that much power, I don't see it happening.