.416 Rigby

EasternPredHunter

EasternPredHunter

New member
I have always wanted to hunt the big five in Africa, but I probably never will get the chance. But just for the sake of asking, What do you think about a .416 rigby and 450 grain Woodleigh Weldcore at 2150 FPS for elephant,cape buff's, .......From some reading I did, most people consider it to be more than enough and some say perfect. It seems to be a nice balance of stopping power and not excessive recoil. Alot of the PH's I have seen online use a .375 H&H or a .416 Rigby as back-up. Most of the countries in Africa have a minimum legal caliber limit for dangerous game, and it seems the .375 H&H is the minimum for most countries.

Now, I do understand that when facing these animals bigger is better, but power isn't gonna get you anywhere if you are to scared to shoot it or flinch every time the trigger is about to go off.
 
Originally Posted By: doggin coyotesEvidently the Dark Continent hasn't yet discovered the 17hmr. I am certain it will happen soon!
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Originally Posted By: CatShooter
On the "Dark Continent", if it can bite you, gore you, or stomp you, you need a 505 Gibbs!!!


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I hope I'm correctly sensing the sarcasm
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Originally Posted By: EasternPredHunterOriginally Posted By: CatShooter
On the "Dark Continent", if it can bite you, gore you, or stomp you, you need a 505 Gibbs!!!


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I hope I'm correctly sensing the sarcasm
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If you have to ask...


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Any of the big bore cartridges mentioned will work and have worked historically. The 17 HMR probably not so much.
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You, the hunter, has to decide which one works best for you, and that decision includes available firearms.

Although the 375 is the minimum by law in most places, some people can shoot it better than the bigger "big boomers", and hence it might be the best choice for them. If heavy recoil is not an issue, choose the biggest cartridge you can personally handle in a rifle that you have confidence in and can shoot well.

In the current market, Winchester has their very nice Model 70 Safari Express chambered in 458 Win Mag, 416 Rem Mag, and 375 H&H in a rifle designed for big cartridges. There are other very good rifle choices beside this one, but the Model 70 is readily available where you might have to look for others in limited quantities.

Overall, the bullet is the key, and penetration is what kills big animals. But the hunter still has to be capable of placing the bullet where it will do the most damage. This is where the cartridge choice might come into play
 
I agree on giving the hmr a miss on this trip. Whats the point of paying all that money when every trophy will amount to nothing but hooves and bits of tail?


Depending on where you go the 9.3 (going from memory here) is often legally allowed even though it falls below their minimum. It has a cult following over there. Some calibers make my shoulder hurt just by thinking about them, the rigby calibers do that every time
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Buddy of mine did that trip a few years ago, took his 7mag as one of his 2 rifles and used it on plains game. I cant remember what he took just for his buffalo. Accoding to him even deer and elk sized game appear much tougher than deer nd elk, recommends solids for them over typical hunting bullets. Hewas impressed with the tsx if i remember right.
 
For African plains game, many of the normal hunting cartridges we use in North America work great, and the 375 H&H+ restriction does not generally apply there. But as mentioned, good bullets designed to penetrate heavy bone and flesh are a requirement even for plains game. A plains game hunt in Africa definitely ain't no north woods white tail safari.

Some plains animals are tiny and some are huge. An ideal African plains rifle varies with what you plan to shoot and have permits for. A PH will always come appropriately armed on the hunt for the unlikely surprise intruder if you are in an area where they exist.
 
The .416 Rigby would be great for Africa but the .375 H&H (though barely) makes a good bear and moose gun.Still a little overkill for our critters but a little less so than other big 5 cals.
 
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