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Did the post about the Rigby post getting pulled get pulled? I’m loosing track.
I'm working up some loads this weekend
I won't mention the specific details but I'm using data for Alliant powder (download the manual online for free!) http://www.alliantpowder.com/resources/catalog.aspx and Speer 350 gr. bullets. I like them in the .416 GNR and you can get surprisingly close to normal Rigby rifle speeds in the Encore Handgun .416 GNR, using the lighter bullets rather than straight 400 gr. slugs. The bullets are tough though, being designed for the rifle. Gary used them in Africa, I think Puffy did too (350 gr. Speers).
They are faster than 400 gr. but notably behind the new data for 300 gr. just out for the .416. We'll see.
I'm loading smaller batches as with charges in the 100+ grs. per throw it gets expensive, comparatively. Consider you can load 2-3 Raptor or .30-30 based GNR rounds for ONE Rigby, powder wise. At $35 per lb. (* local current vendor price) that's only about $0.60 per charge FWIW. But it is a real blast to shoot.
My Rigby story,
My son picked up a 416 Rigby barrel for the Encore at Cabelas some years back. He scoped it with a Leupold 2-8 and loaded up some of those 350gr Speers. A local deputy used to stop by and always ask "got any new guns to shoot." I showed him the Rigby and he was pretty excited when I said lets go out and shoot it. At about 50 yds from the target I handed him a roud and as he chambered it he asked "how much does it kick?" As I was replying get a good grip, BOOM. He was staggering around and saw blood dripping. A nice scope eye and a finger layed open from the trigger guard. After some washing up and bandaging he went on his way (on duty). The next morning I got a call from the under sheriff and I guess they had laughs back at the office. He never stopped in to shoot after that either...
Son shot a moose in Maine and a couple of deer with it after that.
It's difficult to find those Encore tubes!
They originally sold for about $350 and were a bargain. I forget if they had a factory brake or not but I remember they were quite long which made for a normal length gun on the short Encore chassis. Like 28" maybe! What outstanding performance potential. The Rigby has a pressure standard of 42K CUP and that's really easy on the Encore even with such a huge case head diameter. Just don't get silly and go past that in that chassis. *Last one I saw for sale was asking $600 used!
There is a .416 Weatherby which is basically the Rigby with a belt, straight sides, shoulder angle change, and the trademark long throat chamber. However you cannot simply load the Rigby hotter as lots of engineering went into the Weatherby modifications. But you can exceed the 42K in a sound modern bolt gun if you chose to do so. I just don't see a rational need.
Great story! Gary is waiting to see how I fare with 375 gr. bullets at 2,000 fps and the 10X Leupold. Same basic eye relief as the 1.5-5.5X so I don't see the big deal. The Reeder brake really helps but physics are still in play off the bench, it has some "push".
The Weatherby runs at a much higher pressure.
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Yeah! The throat is about 1/2" deeper to the rifling too
that lets the bullet move out with little pressure before engaging the rifling, in effect giving the "case" more capacity and lowering pressure. (basically custom chamber throating)
That's why you are NEVER supposed to shoot Wby factory ammo in any other gun w/o those special throating characteristics. Doug sent me a link to an African PH who was really enjoying poking fun at WBY rifles he had personally experienced fail in the hands of clients. Citing safeties that failed after days of bouncing around in dusty trucks and having to beat bolt handles open with tight lugs due to too high pressure rounds in the heat.
I read of Jack O'Connor whom is reputed to actually and sincerely have liked the .416 Rigby rifle. He took .460 and .378 Wby. empty cases and lathe turned the belts off to FL re-size them into perfect Rigby boxer primed cases. Back in that day the only ones you could most likely get were Kynoch and they were Berdan primed! Just a note I read. It is interesting.
Called freebore
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You knew. Can you imagine a custom rifle
that did not have that and you just plonked in a 60K psi WBY round immediately touching the riflings?
Hey I know you like "special" new fangled things. Check these out, I've never tried them. Load them pointing either way or add the tip! LOL
I have read that same thing but it has never
been proven true with us. We have built quire a few Weatherby cartridges in custom rifles and never had that problem. I built a custom Ruger #1 in 378 Weatherby that Kase used in Africa on 3 or 4 animals plus shot 2 or 3 boxes of ammo in it before we went to Africa and no sign of high pressures.
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We have built 2 or 3 460 WBY rifles on the Remington long magnum action and never had that problem. we built several 300 WBY rifles on the Ruger #3 that we bought a large batch of when they were discontinued. They were in 30-40 Krag and rechambered to 300 WBY. So I personally think a lot of those stories were just WBY telling them so people would buy WBY rifles rather than a custom one using WBY ammo. The stories could be true, but we have never seen those problems crop up.