.416 rem mag ammunition choice

[PeteG]

Hi all,

Just a quick one to hear some experienced opinions.

I have just ordered a .416 rem mag in Win mod70. As I have mentioned in a previous post, we have had some issue with PMP
ammo. Although I have not lost total confidence, it has got me wondering what ammo do you guys out there use??

The main reason for the .416 is to hunt buffalo and lion out here.

We dont get much choice of ammunition out here and wanted to know from people who have experienced many different brands and
types, what do you recommend and why?

Is there a vast difference in the impact on animals of similar types/manufacturers?

What would your recomendations be for dg hunting?

I use 220gr PMP soft points in my .300 win mag and they work nicely.

Thanks
PeteG

 

[James.Grage]

Peter

The 416 will do what you are looking to do. That is a good choice.

I am not sure what types of ammo you have a available to you. I do not go with the off brands for hunting or shooting. There quality control is not where it should be. and stay away from china made ammo. To many stories with pictures to back them up of handguns, shotguns & rifles being blown up.

When purchasing a new rifle i purchase a box from the various manufactures and give them all a try. Usually i order from, Midway, Cabela's and Sinclair they have what you need and always have sales.

Try to find what ammo was used to test your rifle at the factory and you will be ahead of the ball game.

I am sure you do this however, Put the rifle in a holder and give it a go.

I look to Federal, Remington, Hornady. I shoot a 5 shot group with each maker and clean the rifle for the next group. Different rifles tend to like different makers and bullets.

 

[PeteG]

James,
Thanks for that. I have never owned a rifle from new so this is new ground for me with regards finding the right/best ammo combination.
I have heard conflicting stories about "breaking in" a barrel. Any ideas/advice no this?

I will definately stay away from anything with the words "made in china".

Do you reckon there is much of a difference impact wise between the 400gr and 450gr softs and solids?
Norma do the woodleigh softs and solids that I can probably get in from Namibia, but I see that their ballistics are "lower" than for eg Federal.
Looking at numbers,
Federal 400 gr @ 2400fps
Norma 450gr @ +- 2150fps

There is a difference on numbers with the muzzle energy etc, having no experience with big calibers like this, I am in a grey area here! My father owned a .458 win mag and he reckons I should go with the heaviest grain possible.

I have compared ammo for my .300 win mag and have gone with the 220gr as opposed to the 165/180gr, I find the heavier bullet more effective. I dont intend shooting a million miles, in fact most of our shooting here is up to 200m so bullet drop is not an issue. If need be, I know I can go further, but prefer not to.
Would the same apply along the lines of the .416 ammo?? I dont intend using it for much other than buffalo, the .300 is more than adequate for everything else. So bullet drop and range is not an issue on this one either, it will most likely be used at under 50m.

Again comes back to what works best I suppose regardless of grains and fps!


Regards
Peter

 

[spike.t]

hi peter what .416 rem ammo have you found in lusaka, and whats the price, and what bullets is it loaded with? i managed to find 10 rounds of obscure manufacture .458 lott and i think they wanted a bit over $200 for the 10 rounds, so i presume the .416 is going to be similar. 400gr has always worked well in .416s.

 

[Mike70560]

Pete,

Remington, Federal, Barnes, Winchester, or Norma will all work fine and will be very dependable.

Out of my 416 Remington the Norma with the 450 grain bullets chronographed at a little less than 2075 FPS. Although similar velocities are generated by most of the Nitro Express rounds I felt the 416 Remington was capable of more.

Other brands of factory ammo with 400 grain bullets chronographed around 2380 FPS out of my rifle.

If these brands of ammo are available you may consider which bullet each is using to make your decision. It is the bullet that does all the hard work.

I like the Barnes TSX bullets. These bullets are loaded by Barnes, Federal and maybe others. My first two buffalo were killed with 400 Grain TSX bullets from a 416 Remington. Both expired very quickly.

Next in order would be the Swift bullet. I have used them with good success. Federal and Remington both load these bullets.

The Trophy Bonded Bear Claw is a bullet with a good solid reputation and is also sold in Federal ammunition.

Winchester uses Partitions and Norma uses Woodleighs. These bullets will work without a doubt but I believe the other bullets are superior.

Good luck with your search.

 

[PeteG]

Mike,
Thanks for the input, it sounds like most people recommend the 400gr as opposed to the heavier 450gr.
I will try whatever I can get here and see where to go from there. If it makes any difference, I may try talking nicely with one of the firearms dealers here and import ammo specifically for me.
There are a bundle of laws than need to be skirted and adhered to, for e.g. I am only allowed 100rounds a year for my .300 and above! although this can be solved it is an irritation when you want to enjoy a rifle.

Spike.t,
I got a price from a chap a while ago, I think they were for Hornday rounds, the softs were K90,000 / round and the solids K112,000 / round. In real money that equates to $17.30 ea for softs and $21.54 ea for solids.
Quite pricey, but thats the price we pay for living way out here.

Was chatting to a friend of a friend yesterday and he says there are a few guys around who have .416 rem mags and they all manage somehow to get ammo, either from hunters leaving stuff behind or by other means...
So i should be ok, may not always have the best of the best, but I will manage.

Thanks a lot for the comments

 

[spike.t]

Mike,
Thanks for the input, it sounds like most people recommend the 400gr as opposed to the heavier 450gr.
I will try whatever I can get here and see where to go from there. If it makes any difference, I may try talking nicely with one of the firearms dealers here and import ammo specifically for me.
There are a bundle of laws than need to be skirted and adhered to, for e.g. I am only allowed 100rounds a year for my .300 and above! although this can be solved it is an irritation when you want to enjoy a rifle.

Spike.t,
I got a price from a chap a while ago, I think they were for Hornday rounds, the softs were K90,000 / round and the solids K112,000 / round. In real money that equates to $17.30 ea for softs and $21.54 ea for solids.
Quite pricey, but thats the price we pay for living way out here.

Was chatting to a friend of a friend yesterday and he says there are a few guys around who have .416 rem mags and they all manage somehow to get ammo, either from hunters leaving stuff behind or by other means...
So i should be ok, may not always have the best of the best, but I will manage.

Thanks a lot for the comments

peter the hornady should be good. he doesnt have any in .458lott or 9.3x62 does he, as getting a bit short. i think most of our american friends wouldnt be happy only being allowed 100rnds a rifle, 50rnds a handgun and 200rnds a shotgun per year!!

 

[PeteG]

peter the hornady should be good. he doesnt have any in .458lott or 9.3x62 does he, as getting a bit short. i think most of our american friends wouldnt be happy only being allowed 100rnds a rifle, 50rnds a handgun and 200rnds a shotgun per year!!

spike.t he has ammo coming in tomorrow for the lott, and has PRVI partizan ammo for the 9.3x62.
he will let me know what brand of lott and grain etc, the 9.3 is 400,000 a box of 20.
it is 285gr soft nose. he has about 10 boxes in stock...
pm me and I can give you his number if you like.
he's not the most organized at the best of times, but he does pull through for me and usually brings the ammo to me.

on another note, i'd love it if they would relax the firearms laws a bit, make it easier and cheaper to get ammo in here and use it!

cheers

 

[spike.t]

pm sent. the 9.3 is a lot cheaper than some i nearly bought in november, nearly half the price.

 

[bebo]

In Europa we have "Sologne GPA" cartridges Mono metal (alloy : Cu)
300grs , very fast, long range Vo 2887 for PG cal .416 RM
and of course 400grs but slow : V0 2380 for DG cal .416RM
and a bullet Special "cats" 400grs which fragments (four petals) and the kernel runs across.