458 Lott instead of 416 Rigby?

[Green Chile]

458 Lott has an edge for body shots on bull elephant, so if you plan on hunting a lot of elephant (esp. in dense foliage with low visibility)... that gets my vote.

.416 Rigby is more versatile and has less recoil.

In heavy cover, I would choose the Lott. However, body shots on ele with 416 Rigby are no problem. I had a one shot kill at 40 yards on a big bull in Sept. He physically buckled on the shoulder shot and was down in 40 yards with the NF cupped point solid. Penetration was over 5 feet. For penetration, it's hard to beat the 416 Rigby with a proper bullet. Also got 5 feet of penetration with same bullet on a massive eland that week...back to front, full length through rumen and front shoulder.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

In heavy cover, I would choose the Lott. However, body shots on ele with 416 Rigby are no problem. I had a one shot kill at 40 yards on a big bull in Sept. He physically buckled on the shoulder shot and was down in 40 yards with the NF cupped point solid. Penetration was over 5 feet. For penetration, it's hard to beat the 416 Rigby with a proper bullet. Also got 5 feet of penetration with same bullet on a massive eland that week...back to front, full length through rumen and front shoulder.View attachment 575925

View attachment 575926

Great looking tusker and eland !

Actually, once you step up to the .400 calibers… you seldom see any noticeable difference between them and any of the .450 calibers (in terms of terminal ballistic effects on big game). You’d have to step up to .500 caliber before you noticed any visible difference in terminal effects on body shots taken on big game.

 

[Green Chile]

At what point do you think there is diminishing returns on penetration with larger calibers? I don't think my 500 NE would out penetrate my 416 Rigby. At some point, the larger front area slows the penetration but obviously puts a terrible slap on game.

 

[Safari Dave]

The .416 Rigby is a much more versatile chambering, and will do the job on anything.

I consider the .458 Lott, a "stopping cartridge", and I'm still kicking myself for not getting a CZ chambered in it for just $700 a few short years ago!



I would put a scope with QD mounts on the .416.


I would use open sights on a Lott.

 

[BeeMaa]

@Green Chile - The fiddleback in the timber of your 416RIGBY is amazing. It looks like a Dakota 76 African with upgraded wood...if I'm not mistaken. I'm having a hard time telling if the bolt lever is swept back or straight from the angle of the photo.

As far as diminishing returns on caliber vs frontal area, I believe the right formula is sectional density (ratio of an objects mass to its cross sectional area) at the right velocity of around 2000-2500 fps. Having the right amount of mass to keep that bullet going is the key. I know that most like a SD above .300 to maintain straight line penetration.

Then the only limiting factor is your shoulder and recoil tolerance. The largest "shoulder fired" cartridge I know of is the 950JDJ shooting a 3600 grain bullet with an impressive SD of .570...although I have yet to see anyone shoot this from anything but a bench with a rifle weight of 85 to 120 lbs. I believe the practical limit is the 700NE with a 1000 grain bullet at 2000 fps and a SD of .292.

Lastly is how often are you likely to need something like this? Are you a PH tasked with protecting clients from buffalo, hippo and elephant on a daily basis? Or a client that will hunt them from once to...how much space do you have for trophies?

I think the .416 to .458 cartridges are the sweet spot for most client hunters looking for more punch than the (still very capable) .375/9.3mm choices. Your Dakota is a beautiful example of that.

 

[Green Chile]

Thank you. Yes it's an upgraded African Dakota. I've shot and hunted with larger calibers but I think the sweet spot (as you said) is around the .416 for bullet weight and penetration in that 400 grain range. That gives you a SD of .33. A .30 caliber 200 grain bullet has a SD of about .30 and is very respectable on performance. To get more SD in a larger caliber requires a lot more recoil and gun weight to handle it. That's why the .416 does so well. It's the balance of it all in a size that can be carried and shot by most.