No .416 love?

BC Bigbore

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I was recently reading an old article about the then newly released .416 Remington Magnum and realized that there doesn't seem to be much interest in this super duty war club! I know that many, many CGN'rs regularly shoot their .375 H&H's and comment how they don't recoil much and it's very easy to learn to shoot them. Now I realize we don't have many Rhino's and Hippo's around here in Canuckistan, but why not much interest in the .416 clan? Some dudes seem to think moose & elk are virtually bullet proof and require African cartridges to put down a little freezer bull...lol. So why don't more choose the over .40's to put the smack-down on a moose or elk or even bear for that matter? Just wondering...:)
 
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I think most find the recoil to much, but I think the 416's are a fantastic bear/moose round. they shoot flat enough for work out to 250yds or so with a 350gr at 2500fps or better. I use the 416's quite a bit,the only thing better is the 458's..... :)
 
The 416 Rem is a potent round. I made a few of them when they first came out... heavy loaded 400 grains have a lot of recoil...

It's considerably over kill for North America.

I think a shorter version using 350 grain bullets would be more likeable.
 
I love the 416 Rem Mag.
Had a 416 Rigby for a while but never really liked the rifle itself.

Here's a small bull shot in 2009.
400 Hornady's work well.:D



416Moose-1.jpg
 
Edit to add: One reason I don't waste time on all the .375 baffle-gab, is cuz I've already got a .416.



IMHO the .416RM is the very best moose-grizzly cartridge going, and perfect for anything in Africa, if you are so inclined.

Mine is a ZKK-602, in a McMillan stock. I had the barrel length trimmed from the factory 25-1/2" to 23-1/2", had a talley barrel band installed; the action is glass-bedded into that McMillan stock. The scope is a Leopold Var-X III 1.75-6X.


It's a superbly balanced, smooth shooting rifle. Recoil: on the bench you notice the difference, but when shooting at game, I am unaware of it, do not feel it at all...

Don't tell me any BS about over-kill, to me there is no such thing; dead is dead.


I will never sell it, this rifle is with me to the end.


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Bull moose, shot at 250 yards with a 400gr Hornady IL, RN.


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Black bear, May 29 2010. Shot at 28 paces with 400gr Hornady IB.
 
I too am a fan of the .416 bore size, however my max-loaded .416 Taylor is a bit of a handful, especially off the bench. Dennis has a good suggestion that I have already tried, ie. shorten the case. I have built a 10.6x51 or .416x2" on a Rem 660 with 23" #5 Montana barrel, wt. about 8lb with scope. See article by O.A. Winters on same in "Wildcat Cartridges", combo edition. With 300gr. Barnes, I have chrongraphed MV at 2270fps. and expect 350gr. Speer to run about 2100. Relatively easy to load for, just run .458WM through a .416x2" trim die and cut excess with a hacksaw. It will be joining me on my moose hunting trip this fall.
 
The 416 Rem is a fantastic round!

I have one of those Guntech built.
It shoots sub MOA and will cut the 100 yard aiming point on a cold bore shot every time....Amazing for such a huge cannon!
I love the rifle.
The rifle was originally 8 pounds scoped and ready to go (my mistake).
Recoil was horrifyingly fast and the rifle would do its best to tear your head off your neck under recoil.
Everybody that shot it (except me) considered it unshootable.
At 8.5 pounds it was a complete pussycat and everybody likes it....Amazing what 1/2 pound will do for you!

I am upgrading to 416 Ultra, but that is no slight on the 416Rem.
The Ultra version is simply a preference for lower pressure loads at the same velocity. Increased velocity is not required with a 416.

Load the Rem with RL-15 and it will push the 350X bullet to 2700fps....Which is what the 30-06 does with the 180 grain bullet...Only bigger...
OK...A lot bigger!
Unless you consider the 30-06 a 250 yard round I think the 416 Rem will easily reach a lot further...This ain't no crappy 458Win.

How does it work?
Well...A good buddy of mine owns one.
He maintains he feels like the hand of God walking in the bush..Waiting to crush the life from some poor critter.
While that might be getting a bit carried away, after smashing a few critters you will see what he is getting at.
Smash is the right word here.

Overkiller?
Whatever! :D
 
I really need to add a 416 to my collection.

100% agreed on the 'no such thing as overkill' sentiment; even though it does seem to be pretty trendy these days to use the smallest possible cartridge to kill something. I've packed my 378 out white tail hunting before, as well as my 338. Dead is dead. And surprisingly to some, meat damage is usually a lot less than a smaller hyper-velocity magnum.
 
Crap, I guess all the smaller cartridges will have to be discontinued if a 416 Rem Mag isn't considered overkill for the vast majority... All you guys who consider your various 338's adequate better look at making them bigger... :D

If you don't think a 416 Rem Mag is more than what one needs to kill an animal in North America, please explain that theory...

I am not disputing your choice of caliber... it is an excellent caliber... not something for all shooters though.

If dead is dead, how much deader is it with a 416?
 
I think it's more a question of ammo and reloading component expense, especially if just plinking or punching holes in paper.
 
I don't think a 416 is needed but if you have one and like the bigbores, no reason not to use it.Dead is dead alright but everything I've shot with the 416's and larger has simply dropped at the shot.I can't believe anyone would call a 458 crappy, it's an excellent BB, with 350gr x's @ better than 2600fps.
 
I shot a moose and a deer with mine, 416RM w/ 350gr Speer's @ 2550 fps. They ran about as far after the shot as the ones I killed with my 7mm.
 
I shot a moose and a deer with mine, 416RM w/ 350gr Speer's @ 2550 fps. They ran about as far after the shot as the ones I killed with my 7mm.

Very strange Todd, the animals I've hit with my .416s have dropped on the spot. I know all animals will react differently to a hit but the .416s seem to make a big difference. Does an 06 kill better than a 243?
 
Crap, I guess all the smaller cartridges will have to be discontinued if a 416 Rem Mag isn't considered overkill for the vast majority... All you guys who consider your various 338's adequate better look at making them bigger... :D

If you don't think a 416 Rem Mag is more than what one needs to kill an animal in North America, please explain that theory...

I am not disputing your choice of caliber... it is an excellent caliber... not something for all shooters though.

If dead is dead, how much deader is it with a 416?

Way deader!!
 
I've got a .416 Rigby, which I bought used from Pickles, and restocked. I got a couple elephant with it, one buffalo, a wildebeast, two impala with one shot amoung other things. If you are planning on clobbering something big it's about as good as anything, but for little stuff like moose theres not a whole lot of sense to it. Not that very much about hunting makes sense in the first place.:D If the .416 kills better than the .375, I've never seen it. Quite the opposite in fact, with half the ammo costs, half the recoil and a more versatile all round caliber.
 
We all have different experiences,I have shot a fair amount of game with the 416's and 458's and have never had a moose or bear take a step after impact. I've had 3 of 416 ruger alaskans the recoil isn't to bad.Itdoes about 2500fps with the 350's out of the short 20" tube
 
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The bear I shot last year ran about 100 yds, but it was about the easiest blood trail to follow, that I've ever seen.

The hole that 400gr slug left in the bear was impressive, the outcome inevitable.


FWIW, most recoil tables list ~15-18 ft-lbs more recoil for the .416RM over the .375H&H.
Something in the 45-48 ft-lb range for the .375H&H compared to 60-64 for the .416RM.
 
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