.416 Rem

[GiesJ]

What are your opinions on the . 416 Rem? Someday I wish to hunt the big bears of AK and think this is a fine caliber. What is the recoil like? I understand that my . 340 WBY is about 38-39 ft-lbs and the . 416 is about 58. :--) Off the bench that is ouch! but this would also be an ideal gun for a trip to Africa - someday long after the previous someday of AK Brown Bear.



Thoughts and opinions would be appreciated. The rifle is an older Sako with QD Swarvski (sp?) - THANKS,

J

 

[MGordon]

I also hunt with a . 340 WBY. I helped a friend sight in a . 416 WBY, not something you want to do a lot of from the bench. I think the . 416 would be great for Africa, put not really necessary for any North American game. Your . 340, particularly if you hand load, would be more than enough for brown bear. Of course if your like me, you can always use another rifle.



For some more info on the . 416's, check here.



http://www.chuckhawks.com/416.htm[/URL]

 

[GiesJ]

MGordon -

thanks for the reply. I actually was on the site that you have listed earlier today. Great Info. Also great to see a fellow 340 man. I know the 340 will do just about anything I ask of it (except in Africa where I may have minimum calibers to worry about), but thought if Africa ever did happen it would be better to shoot a buffalo with something I have confidence thru experience.

we'll see, mostly I was just curious as to what everyone else's experience is,

thanks again

jason

ps - what model is your 340? I'm shooting the SYnth/Stainless with 3. 5*10.

 

[WDaniels]

GiesJ,

The . 416 is a good caliber and would take any bear in Alaska. I personally have an Ackley improved . 375. It will take anything here also. It has more ft lbs of energy than the . 458 by a good deal. But a good rule of thumb to remember is "Don't choose a caliber that will kill effenciently when everything goes right, instead choose a caliber that will kill effenciently when everything goes wrong. "

You can put a decellerator(spelling) on the rifle to make the recoil tolerable. Even magnaport it if you like. (I personally don't like these)

 

[MGordon]

GiesJ



Several years ago, in a moment of weakness, at a Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep banquet, I bid on a custom rifle. It’s stainless (with muzzle brake), synthetic stock, Winchester action and a Ziess 3x9 scope. It took almost 8 months for delivery, but it was worth the wait. I always liked Weatherby cartridges, but have never been to excited about their rifles. This kind of gave me the best of both worlds.

 

[GiesJ]

MGordon and WDaniels -

thanks again for the replies. I am in that "moment of weakness" stage and cannot decide if the 416 is just way too much. It's teflon coated with 2 different custom muzzle brakes. I figure I handle the . 340 off the bench without a brake of any kind so, the 416 with a brake shouldn't be that bad. Remove the brake for hunting and I'm set.

we'll see cause this will crap out any funds for a comp box or injectors.



Anybody else have an opinion on the 416? it's an open sighted gun with a QD 1. 5x4 scope.



TIA



Jason

 

[Okie-Go]

I shot a 375 Hand H several years ago. It is hard to believe something more powerful but I know they are out there. I have a 300 weatherby that does a god job on big wild boar and Large whitetails. It thumps fairly good.

 

[csutton7]

the 338 calibers are used a lot for the big bears, so your 340 would be fine, but going bigger wouldn't hurt none and if you plan to go to the big "A" the 416 would be a good choice-depending on where & what you hunt the 340 may be ok in Africa, but it sounds like you might be after a couple of those critters that have the ability to make you a warm pile of flesh, so most countries, if not all have the 375 minimun for the big 5 -- I say buy it, that's why I have a 458 in the safe--just in case---chris

 

[CMNS PWR]

If you are worried about recoil, DONT. In the thick of things with the adrenaline flowing, you wont feel a thing. I personally have the . 416 Rigby Dakota African loaded to the hilt. I would not trade it for anything in the world. In a properly balanced gun, recoil is quite tolerable in the . 416 series.

The 375 H&H is a fantastic caliber for large game. It is my preference on most larger plains game of North America. Heck, load it way down, and use it for deer.

I will say that the . 340 Weatherby packs quite a punch. It is comparable to the . 458 Winchester.

I am in the process of having a . 500 Schuler (. 500 Jeffrey) built by Sterling Davenport. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 85 pounds of recoil in a 11. 5 pound gun. That'll wake you up on a Monday morning!

Oh yeah, muzzle breaks... ..... I dont use them.

 

[WDaniels]

Cmns Pwr,

If you want something that big, why don't you get a . 450 Watts. It is a 375 case blown straght out and filled with one hundred and something grains of powder and a 45 caliber 500 grain piece of lead in the end. My boss has one and he lightened it up as light as he could(7. 55 lbs). The thing is so violent that it will give nose bleeds and has given more than one person who shot it a mild concussion. I think that he said that he computed the recoil somewhere in the very high 70's or 80's. Foot pounds of energy is well over 6500 lbs at the muzzle. Too big for me! It's suppose to better than the 505 Gibbs cause it doesn't need the extra long action.

WD

 

[CMNS PWR]

7. 5 pounds? Guess he is a glutton for punishment! I have read articles on the . 450 Watts. Very impressive. Next in the works is a . 585 Nyati. Using 150g. of IMR 4350 and a Barnes monolithic solid 750g. projectile, it whips out an impressive 10,130 lbs at the muzzle! That is up there with the . 460 Weatherby, the most wicked thing I have shot offhand..... yet

Take a look here for some . 577 T-Rex videos:

http://www.accuratereloading.com/videos.html

 

[A Johnson]

I have the . 416 Rigby in a Ruger #1 and really like it. I wish I would have purchased the . 416 Remington in the #1. Reason is the availability of brass for reloading. I suppose my Rigby reloads(400grns@2460fps) are a bit hotter than factory . 416 Remington but basically in the factory guise the Remington and Rigby are the same, this was the load that shot the best for me thats why I use it, would be plenty happy with 2400 fps.



As far as recoil, for me its plenty. I can shot about six shots off the bench accurately and thats it. I really prefer to shoot it sitting and use a good 1" sling and then its not too bad to shoot ten- fifteen rounds and I'm still able to keep groups in a 6" bull @ 200Yds, which I figure is about max range due to trajectory.



I'm 5'10" and 230 lbs, I think people with a bit better height to weight ratio handle the recoil better, I'm ok as long as I don't fight it and try to roll with it.



I have shot 1 Elk and 1 black bear with it. I was impressed with the sledgehammer effect on the bear, but the Elk I might as when have taken with a thirty thirty as I slipped 2 in his lungs and there was no reaction due to not really hitting any bones.



At any rate I figure you'll be happy with a . 416, hey it's another rifle right?



A Johnson

 

[WDaniels]

Cmns Pwr,

I use 88 grains of IMR4350 in my Ackly improved . 357. I use a 300 grain bullet an it launches it just under 2900 feet per second. A . 585!! Over 10,000 ftlbs at the muzzle!! UNBEALIVEABLE. Just one question, what are you going to do with all the recovery time your gonna need after they reposition your right shoulder back into place from your left shoulder?



A Johnson,

You hit a elk with a . 416 and it didn't skin, bone, filet, and wrap it? Man that must have been some kind of elk. Even if it didn't hit bone that bullet should have rocked his world.

WD

 

[A Johnson]

WDaniels, I shouldn,t have said there was no reaction, he got mighty sick and at the second shot about 5 seconds later he just kind sat down, I must admit this was the first lung shot animal that didn't go anywhere for me. The bullets were the 400grn Hornady and there was two exit holes about the size of a silver dollar. I asume this was due to good bullet construction.

The bear was facing me sitting on its haunches eating an inground yellowjacket nest, the bullet hit the sternum, and the spine and continued on into the dirt. The bear was flipped over backwards and it looked like someone doing a backflip off a high dive. How much of this was due to the energy and how much to just the crazy things wounded animals do? I don't know ,but it looked impressive.



I never have been real impressed by energy numbers, yes I know it counts but just take your 44 magnum , set up a piece of fire wood step back thirty yards a hit it dead center, it will fall over but it doesn't go flipping thru the air and kill everything on the way, like someone shot in the movies. (Hows that for a run on sentence!)



A Johnson

 

[CMNS PWR]

Mr. Johnson, it would be just the energy of the bullet. I remember my father taking a trophy Marino sheep a few years ago. A direct head on shot in the chest sent the sheep into a back flip. He was only using a . 300 WBY with 180g Noslers I believe, nothing too powerful.

Speaking of that caliber, I am very dissappointed in that shell. I took a Axis deer (buck) in Texas on this same hunt. I too got a direct chest-on shot from about 80 yards. That little bugger ran over 150 yds before dying. I guess it was just the adrenaling maknig him run With a direct heart/lung shot, I expected that deer to stop "dead in his tracks. " Didnt work out that way. Needless to say, we sold that Weatherby about a month later.



On Edit: Sorry for being off the . 416 Rem topic fellas.

 

[Bigsaint]

I have a . 416 Rem in a Ruger #1 Tropical rifle. The recoil isn't bad to me, but I'm used to playing with the larger calibers. Recoil tolerance varies greatly from shooter to shooter. Some may complain about the 7. 62 while others are very happy shooting a . 300 win. mag all day long. I'd bet the recoil is fairly stout in the Sako action, depending on the drop of the stock of course.



Another option is to get into reloading and tailor a round that you can handle and shoot well for that rifle. Just my $0. 02.



Scott W.

 

[HillCountrykid]

I have'nt shot a 416 to compare to, but I have a 378 Weatherby and the muzzle energy looks pretty similar. So the 416 can't have a whole lot more recoil. I'm about 5'9" and 135 lbs. soaking wet, and I shot 17 rounds the first time I shot it. The first couple of rounds were'nt too good because I was flinching. I calmed down after 2 or 3 shots. I got a throbbing headache, but my shoulder did'nt really hurt. After that rifle my 300 Win seems like a toy.



It's fun to take these large caliber rifles and watch everyone's reaction after the first shot. No crack, just BOOOM.



Brian

 

[WDaniels]

A Johnson,

Yes I know that the . 44 has a large energy factor for a hand cannon. But take a look at the bullet. It is designed to immediatly open upon contact. If you are using hollow points like most everyone does. The bullet doesn't go in far enough to do enough damage to display all the flippings ect that rifles do. Get a harder bullet designed to penetrate and then open and then you will see those type of things. Hollow points are made for one thing. People! and thats it.

WD

 

[csutton7]

most animals will not drop in their tracks from a straight heart or lung shot(no bones)--they'll run anywhere from 40yds to 150yds---but if you clip some bone that shocks the spinal cord then down they go---just my findings in the world of hunting----I've magnaported my 338 and 300 and it helps a lot with muzzle jump and some with the recoil, but if you want to tame the recoil a whole bunch you'll need one of those multi holed brakes of some kind----as stated earlier when hunting the recoil is unnoticed and the sound diminishes, so you need to decide what you want more sound & less recoil or nothing when just shooting--just my 4 cents----chris

 

[A Johnson]

Originally posted by Bigsaint





Another option is to get into reloading and tailor a round that you can handle and shoot well for that rifle. Just my $0. 02.



Scott W.

Scott, I did just that, used a 350 grain RCBS cast bullet, and a Lyman 400 grn . 408 dia. cast, paper patched up to . 417-. 418 . Loaded these as a reduced load, even made up some with blackpowder, they really worked very well and let me shoot alot to help get used to the rifle. Now that I own a house and cows and all that work I don't have the time for it. Oh well was fun while it lasted.



WD, I have loaded and shot pretty much a representation of every bullet available for the 44. I have settled on an NEI 290 grn . 430 diameter, flatpoint, cast with linotype for pretty much everything.

By the way if anyone is considering bullet molds, I was skeptical of aluminum molds untill I bought this one. I was able to stop in at NEI on the way home from work, the guy had backorders coming out his ears, he stopped and asked what I wanted, I told him and then he procceded to make my mold while I waited, showing me all the steps it was really a neat operation.

I keep thinking he might need an apprentice, but I'm too shy to ask. A Johnson