School me on .416 taylor

[cajunchefray]

Well I think I’ll go down this road. Found Lee dies for decent price on amazon. So I’ll either get a new barrel or I’ll have some .416 Taylor dies in the classifieds.

Also for anyone looking there’s a few more Lee .416 Taylor dies for sale on amazon right now.

Buyer beware!
The Amazon listing says “416 Taylor “, but read the technical details, they are listed as 6.5x 300 Weatherby.
I only found out about this, here on AH.
It happened to a buyer and he had to send them back.
Check the recent reviews.
Not inexpensive but get the Redding dies.

 

[Elkeater]

Buyer beware!
The Amazon listing says “416 Taylor “, but read the technical details, they are listed as 6.5x 300 Weatherby.
I only found out about this, here on AH.
It happened to a buyer and he had to send them back.
Check the recent reviews.
Not inexpensive but get the Redding dies.

You your right. Who does that! And why would you list things that way.

 

[Papa72]

Well I think I’ll go down this road. Found Lee dies for decent price on amazon. So I’ll either get a new barrel or I’ll have some .416 Taylor dies in the classifieds.

Also for anyone looking there’s a few more Lee .416 Taylor dies for sale on amazon right nowI

IIRC, there was a thread here a while back where someone discovered those Lee .416 Taylor dies on Amazon have the same product code as a different caliber Lee die (.308 maybe) so what they received was not .416 Taylor!

 

[Elkeater]

IIRC, there was a thread here a while back where someone discovered those Lee .416 Taylor dies on Amazon have the same product code as a different caliber Lee die (.308 maybe) so what they received was not .416 Taylor!

Ya if you look they are listed as 416 Taylor but the product specs list 6.5x300 weatherby

 

[Elkeater]

I reported it to amazon.

 

[DocHolliday]

Get the Reddings from midway. Quality dies of the right dimensions

 

[1:66 twiste@d]

Get the Reddings from midway. Quality dies of the right dimensions

I just check Midway, out of stock. But I called Redding 2 weeks ago. They will have 416 Taylor dies ready in 8 to 10 weeks.

 

[cajunchefray]

Ya if you look they are listed as 416 Taylor but the product specs list 6.5x300 weatherby

I suspect the Amazon vendor has had just an ignorant mix up by the listing company.

Regarding your original query, the .416 Taylor is a nice balance of power/bullet weight, velocity in a standard size (your Ruger 77MKII) action, or a Model 70/ M98 standard magnum action

I've owned a 416 Taylor, built on a commercial M98 Mauser action with all the proper metal work.
NECG banded front sight, barrel band sling swivel, NECG V adjustable rear sight, 3 position safety, Cerakoted metal, in a Bell/Carlson synthetic stock, 22" barrel.
I bought it many years ago, all set up.

That was the most shootable big bore (really large medium bore) rifle I've owned.

Compared to a M70 416 Remington Safari Express, CZ 550 416 Rigby, and Ruger RSM 416 Rigby, hands down the 416 Taylor was the most "shootable" of all three.
At that time, I was buying, shooting, and then selling many different big bores.

Like a damn fool, I sold it, with dies, Lee Factory Crimp Dies, reformed brass, some bullets, to buy "the next one."

I'm "on the hunt" to find a nice M70 donor action to build another 416 Taylor, but I would build on a Ruger M77 MK II, in a heartbeat at the right price.

Craig Boddington, in Safari Rifles (First edition), wrote that the 416 Taylor is one of those "balanced" cartridges that just works, like the 30-30 Winchester and the 7x57 Mauser.
It is efficient in powder capacity, moderate recoil, and it works.

Powder selection is very important, and worth the search. Accurate 2230, H4895, and possibly Hodgon Varget are good choices.
More data on load data dot com is worthwhile.
Lee Precision makes a Factory Crimp Die, custom order at a moderate price.

The lower powder charges (70 grains 416 Taylor vs. 77 grains 416 Remington with Varget), does make a difference in felt recoil.

Maybe your 12-year-old daughter/hunter can learn to shoot it in a few years on her first Cape Buffalo hunt!

 

[cajunchefray]

I just check Midway, out of stock. But I called Redding 2 weeks ago. They will have 416 Taylor dies ready in 8 to 10 weeks.

Good to know that Redding has more 416 Taylor on the way. Interesting, the continued interest in a good cartridge.

 

[Muskox]

So while I trash talk the 416 Taylor, I personally own two Blaser R8 barrels in 10,3x68 RWS. It has the same default problems, and is worse because of the availability of bullets.

Through I have about 800 RWS, Brenneke and other bullets for the two.

 

[Elkeater]

Maybe your 12-year-old daughter/hunter can learn to shoot it in a few years on her first Cape Buffalo hunt!

Man this is like my dream combined with my worst fear. She has been asking consistently to hunt buffalo the next time we go over. We saw some up close and both kids were thoroughly impressed. Kids are gonna break my budget! Other animals they saw and are now interested in are golden wildebeest, black impala, saddleback impala, black wildebeest, mountain zebra, clipspringer and the springbok varieties.

 

[Riflecrank]

Great cartridge, great choice of rifle for re-barreling. Here is mine:

Doing it again I might choose a 1:12" twist, as George Hoffman opined was best for his .416 Hoffman.
Their is also now a Bell & Carlson Medalist stock that is only a few ounces heavier than the Tupperware. Or the holy grail of beater stocks, the Zytel Canoe Paddle stock if you can find one in the parts bin.
Alaska Arms has a drop floor plate for it too, to add an extra round to magazine, and just a few ounces more.

If you want lighter weight, the No. 4 Sporter Contour is as skinny as you can go, for 24" length.
Shorten it more for greater muzzle diameter.
No. 4 or No. 5 sporters are the only choices within reasonableness, IMHO.

James Watts claimed he did a .416 Watts Short with 2.5" case, gave some dummies to Jack O'Connor
who passed them onto Robert Chatfield-Taylor who got the cartridge named for him. See the Cal Pappas book on James Watts.

Just be sure your reamer and the handloading dies match.
Their is also a .416/.338 WM out there that Bob Hagel championed.
Here is the match used for my rifle:

Here are the Ken Waters "Pet Loads" and the Bob Hagel loads following below.

Ken Waters:

Bob Hagel:

My rifle is an oddball for having 26" barrel, but it makes it easier to get 2400 fps with 400-grainers
or 2700 fps with 300-grainers. A real African Sheep Rifle if ever there was one.
That is all we expect from a .416 Rigby or a 404 Jeffery without overdoing it.
A 24" barrel is enough to do that.
Wiser now, I would use HODGDON VARGET EXTREME to replace the RL-15, grain for grain, starting low and working up.
Less lot-to-lot variation and better temperature insensitivity.

My "R-P case" was .458 WIN MAG simply run into the FL die.
The fire-forming load is good to go hunting.
Later I got some Quality Cartridge brass with proper headstamp, seemed identical to the R-P.

 

[9Point3]

I built a 416 Taylor last year for buffalo. Dies and brass are fairly easy these days. Just do an internet search on 416 Taylor dies or email Redding. Raven Rocks Precision sells Norma headstamped 416 Taylor off their website.

I am using IMR 4064 per the Pet Loads posted above.

Good luck if you choose the build route.

 

[RAVEN ROCKS PRECISION]

We have norma actual head stamp 416 Taylor brass if you want/need some, as well: https://ravenrocksprecision.com/product/416-taylor-brass/

 

[Elkeater]

So it sure seems like almost all of you really enjoy this cartridge. I started adding things up with the higher cost of dies, plus a new barrel, a chamber job and all that plus doing the cross bolts myself I think it’ll be fairly reasonably priced.

The more I look at the cartridge the more I like it. Seems like a solid buffalo option. And a good option for a 1 gun safari.

 

[Boyd Brooks]

My Taylor likes 70 grains of Reloader 15 pushing a 400gr projectile. I have not cronoed this load, but it is very accurate in my rifle.

 

[Riflecrank]

Raven Rocks Precision is a great company to buy from.
Easy internet ordering and prompt delivery.
They are on the ball.
They have lately been supplying me with Norma .458 WIN MAG brass and Norma .500 Jeffery brass.
Better get some of that Norma .416 Taylor brass in case you ever travel through customs with a .416 Taylor.

For home use, any .458 WIN MAG brass necked down is easy.
Reasonable that the Norma .416 Taylor brass is more expensive.
Unreasonable that the less expensive Norma .458 WIN MAG sells out so quickly.
Norma seems to be making it more often lately.

Redding dies are tops, given the choice of Redding or RCBS I would take the Redding.
But my RCBS dies have done very well by my .416 Taylor.

 

[Riflecrank]

75 grains of RL-15 with Ye Olde Hornady 400-gr RNSN was sub-MOA for three shots at 100 yards from my Shilen No. 5, 1:14" twist, 26" barrel, just under one inch, center-to-center.
Starting load of 69 grains RL-15 gave about 2275 fps MV and it was also an accuracy node for my rifle, just under one inch for three shots at 100 yards.
If a 450/400 NE 3" will kill all, then so will the starting load for a .416 Taylor.

I never met a .416 Taylor that was not very interesting/accurate.

 

[Altitude sickness]

3 CEB solids and 3 CEB Rapters at 100 yards, I adjusted the turrets and this group moved to the bull.

 

[John Telford]

We have used CFE 223 with good results.
71 gns @2340 fps Hornady 400.
I built one for my 16 year old son to use when he gets of age as an Apprentice. In my opinion it’s possibly more versatile than the .375h&h?