Reeder Custom Guns - Project Reeder Thunderstick continues how we may

stretch the legs of a .416 Rigby do-it-all? I found Barnes and Hawk both sell 300 gr. bullets and Hodgdon has lots of data up to a bit over 2800 fps. I have some Speer 350s but they drop about 200 fps and I figure my 18" barrel will lose around 250 fps to begin from factory list. Several loads use over 100 gr. of slow powder. My 2450 fps 400 gr. loads in a Ruger Express went 2250 in this BRNO. It should not be much worse than a .338 or Doug's .340 Wby. with the brake. Doug saved the day with a Leupold scope for me that has a consistent 4" eye relief even at 10X. (As long as the gun does not jump back 6" I'll be OK) The ultimate goal is to keep it on a pie plate at 300 yds. from sticks!

We plan on doing some target shooting at 200 meters soon. I thought it a fun size comparison next to Puffy's old BB94.
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Keep the updates coming as I am enjoying this saga. That 300 grain bullet is rolling along pretty quickly.

We'll sight in at 200 and see what it does. The speed is what it is. I could load the Rigby past the manual 42K CUP as that was for the last century, the BRNO can handle more. The .416 Wby. is the same as the Rigby just loaded to the higher pressure. BUT I don't want to clap my shoulder blades or get scope eyelashes. A projectile speed of 2700 fps would be dandy.

The 416 Rigby is a dangerous game rifle, not a 300 yard target gun. You lost me somewhere.

my first 416 Rigby (Ruger No 1) was trialled with the original Barnes 300 grain bullets (no bands/grooves); I comfortably made 2900+ with minimal case head expansion. pig sized targets out past 300 meters were in danger (used once on a 400 meter metallic silhouette pig, one shot, pig down, and holed) I had to buy a new pig for the range...
Doing it again I'd keep the velocity down...

Then again, so are you! 200 is more reasonable. To each his own. When I was in Africa I kept thinking “ I should have listened to Gary” I am am amping up for the next one (that came out “pimping up” the first time I typed it). Doug

416 Rigby was and is a dangerous game rifle intended for shorter distances. I tell all my guys going to Africa with me, if they are going for big dangerous game with a large caliber rifle, sight it in for 100 yards. Shooting a 416 at 300 yards would be like me trying to make my 450 GNR with a 500 grain bullet a 250 yard shooter. Ain't happening.

But Scotty (and Maybe Huey) still thinks the 50/70 is a dandy bison round out to 300. May we all live long enough to be proven right.

Speer 350 grain Grand Slam pointed bullet while hunting Waterbuck. The only shot I had was across a steep canyon. I was lying flat on my stomach on a big flat rock. John just said "he's way out there but it's the only shot you are going to get". I laid the horizontal crosshair flat on the Waterbuck's back. At the shot he jumped straight up and hauled ass. He ran maybe half a mile. It got dark before we could track him. When we found him early the next morning the bullet had dropped about 18 inches hitting him low in the chest in the heart but he still ran half a mile. Later on John ranged it at a bit over 250 yards, too far for a 350 grain bullet out of a 13" barrel. That shot and the Waterbuck was on the video I sent to most of the guys that went on the last hunt.

That is why I tell folks to practice practice with your gun and don't take those shots way out there that the gun and cartridge isn't designed for. I was very lucky on that shot. it has nothing to do with skill, it was pure luck.

new bullets (Hornday, Nosler, Calhoon etc.) available to do things with different calibers. I'm just having some harmless fun. There are 30 gr. .22 slugs to add zest to Hornets and BEEs, make your .223 act like a .22-250. In 6mm they start at 55 gr., 180 gr. .338 bullets that shoot like a lazer, and those new .416 300 gr. pills that have never been around before.

I'm pretty good, for me, even off-hand to 100 yds. with a rifle. Hold my own with the pistol. But I have never really shot much past 200 yds. ever. Not getting silly, hunting ranges, not sniper stuff. Just wanting to play with something different. I was going to drop some trade worth $1000 for a .338 but said heck, maybe the .416 can do that too! I'm going to buy bullets and powder and just see!

Check these out for the .450 GNR, it bet it would add some range for those going to SA! These are third party seconds and a deal. But HAWK makes some too. These only weigh 350 gr. so they should add some velocity and flatten trajectory notably. Would beat a flat nosed .45-70 slug for sure. Super cheap!
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/771880521

350 gr. .458's
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Handgun...off sticks, kneeling, sitting etc. I didn’t put the time in and when I got there I wasn’t confident and ended up using a rifle(even though I have taken many game with a handgun). It is such a big investment and I wanted to get game on the ground, especially my first time. If I had used a handgun I would have have about three top ten animals. No regrets really but I wish I would have put in more range time with the handgun. Just my experience.a mans gotta know his limitations!

have never experienced the hunting you will in Africa. Throw all the rules and things you have been told out the window. Just practice off sticks, on one knee, lying on your stomach, on both knees, offhand, every possible way you can shoot a gun. There will be a time that you will be glad of that practice. Probably 85% of all my shots in Africa have been offhand, standing on my hind legs, including 3 of the 4 animals I took on the last hunt. Practice doesn't make perfect, but it sure helps.

in camp, all of them were dangerous game hunters. Kase and I asked them what calibers they liked and what actions and what barrel lengths. One of their favorites was the 416 Rigby and the barrel lengths on all the rifles mentioned were 18 to 20" max. They said if they needed to use the gun to keep a dangerous game animal off the client the range would probably be considerably less than 50 yards so any velocity loss would be minimal. For our second hunt in '93 I built the BRNO in 416 Rigby for Kase and put the 18" barrel on it. One has to look at barrel length with some common sense. If a 24" barrel does 2400 fps at 100 yards with a 400 grain bullet, and around 2000 fps at 40 yards or less, you have to remember very few shots at dangerous game are at 100 yards. Most are at much less than 50 yards, most at 25 yards or less. So that 24" barrel does 2000 fps at 40 yards. And the 18 to 20" barrel does the same at the same range. So you are not losing any velocity at all. You have just been brain washed by all the BS you read in the magazines.

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Is still widely thought to be true. I remember a 20" barrel .50 BMG they were testing at 1500 meters, holding it's own with those with 4' of barrel. The reduced velocity was it's only element of sacrifice for outstanding tactical portability the others simply could not compete.

The only thing I have to keep telling myself is that the 18+2" rifle barrel is not that much longer than my hunting handguns and I'm trying to burn 100+ grs. of powder. By doing my Handgun Hunter magic I can maximize the performance by pulling back just a little to the med. side of slow powders. Plus the heavy bullets are more efficient in handgun barrels, so a carbine holds true too.

I'll play with lighter bullets and see. It may be folly and I just stick to 400 gr. and deal with the slightly higher trajectory. I know where it shoots and I'm not shooting 400 yds. anyway. But If I can get the 300-350's sailing I can take note of the sight in at 200, 3" or so high at 100 yds., and 10" low at 300. Pretty good for a charge stopper.

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