CZ 550 - .416 Rigby good choice for dangerous game?

[bassasdaindia]

the 416 Rigby in a CZ 550 is a fine choice but you can expect the CZ 550 to need a little work before it runs perfectly. also, if ammunition price is a concern then 416 Rigby may not be the best choice as its certainly not cheap.

for a first time buyer i would actually recommend the Winchester M70 in 416 RM. the 416 RM cartridge is fantastic and is much more cost effective then the 416 Rigby cartridge. the Winchester M70 rifle tends to run only slightly more then the CZ 550 but is a much nicer rifle out of the box (the CZ can get there with work).

in summery, any of the 416 cartridges will serve you well for both DG and PG.

-matt

my thoughts as per my post as well .

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

these topics are all personal , one thing I can tell you though is that the .416 is a fantastic caliber .

I own the Rigby , Remington and the Ruger and my choice with regards to price of rifle , price of ammo , as well as an out of the box rifle would be the Winchester Mod 70 in 416 Remington.

Make no mistake I like them all , but that would be my out of the box choice.

I checked Hendershot's custom ammo (https://hendershots.net/custom-ammo/ ) and you can see for yourself the price range. I then checked for a 400 gr Swift A-Frame, the cost is $110 for the Ruger, $150 for the Rem and $200 for the Rigby for a 20 round box.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

My vote will go to the .416 Rigby. I have one in the CZ 550, and love it. As mentioned, some work needs to go into it to make it feed smoother, but once that has been done, you have an excellent working rifle.
Remember, your rifle is a tool, not a show piece.

 

[ActionBob]

I have to second @Bullthrower338, for about 1.5x the price you can get a great used RSM and in my opinion those must have been designed from the ground up around the 416 Rigby cartridge. Classy, beautiful, best looking wood ever put on factory guns, accurate. In 416 they function flawlessly (in my experience, I have 3 and it is something not everyone has and they don't make them anymore.... but you can find them.

On the other hand if you have big hands and like a large thick stock with a great cheek piece, the CZ American stock is tough to to beat. I find the wrist to be a lot thicker and something about it makes recoil more manageable. And with luck you may find a good looking grain in one.

Or if you really want something special, don't know if it is still there but a 416 Rigby in a customized Winchester M70 at Cabelas in Roger's MN has to be the best feeling and fitting big bore I've ever picked up. I think it is at about $4500.

This all is assuming you want to stick to a 416 Rigby.

 

[ActionBob]

I haven't done the math, but if you want to to reload only one caliber thus the cost of all the equipment, press, etc, not just dies has to be spread out over the loads for that one caliber, including a work bench, space in your house or wherever, if your busy, time is worth some thing unless you want another hobby.... Getting to the point, when all costs are added up over the few hundred rounds you will shoot a big bore.... is it really cheaper to hand load?

I think most dedicated hand loaders only figure the cost of the brass, bullets, and powder. Those as well as labor are variable costs, the rest is fixed cost.

 

[The_Wanderer]

416 is a big step up from a 3006! I own both as well as a 375H&H. My suggestion would be to consider going to a 375H&H first. It is classic caliber and will give you a good stepping plat form into larger calibre's. I personally chose the Model 70 over the the CZ as I am not much of a tinkerer with rifles. It shoots well, the recoil pad is superb and the fit finish out of the box, in my opinion is better than the CZ. The only thing the CZ has, that I wish the Mod 70 did was offer a 5+1 mag option.

Now having said that I purchased a second hand RSM in 416 rigby with custom Circassian walnut stock(fitted by the previous owners) WOW what a gun I love it and the cartridge, something about a true classic Big Game cartridge that his hard to beat! I have changed the recoil pad to a big soft Limb saver and I love shooting her... well standing not off the bench!

Start with a 375H&H then work up to a Rigby... that way you get to enjoy 2 new calibre's, 2 new rifles and 2 new scopes!

cheers
TW

 

[Royal27]

I think most dedicated hand loaders only figure the cost of the brass, bullets, and powder. Those as well as labor are variable costs, the rest is fixed cost.

Next thing you're going to do is say that airfare and taxidermy are actually part of the cost of hunting in Africa and must be considered....

 

[MS Hitman]

I went the Ruger RSM route with my .416 Rigby and am satisfied. My plinking load is 30.0 grains of Trail Boss behind a 350 RCBS cast bullet. I shoot Hornady 400 grain FMJs mostly for jacketed bullet loads.

You do not state your location, but if you live where I can ship to, I'll be glad to send you 20 cast bullets to get your component acquisition started.

 

[8x68]

I have a CZ 550 in 416 Rigby. It's a great calibre and very accurate too! If you haven't fired a DG rifle be prepared to get the "fillings jiggled!" Of all the 40 cal and up rifles I have I think it thumps the shoulder the most except maybe my BRNO 458 Lott.

 

[reinhardtR]

Thanks for everybody's advice! I kind of have an idea what to do but I should probably just mention that I'm from South Africa. I'm going to attend a 7 month PH course next year. There's a CZ 550 in 375 at our local gun shop which I think would be perfect to start out with. Maybe some of us would hunt together in the near future

 

[The Engineer]

Another good reason to handload in addition to the SIGNFICANT cost savings is you can develop a light fun shooting load. I have a Heym 416 Rigby Express rifle that shoots minute of angle with the following loads - Norma cases, 215 primers, 42.0gr of 5744 powder and either the 350gr Speer or Midway 400gr "seconds" bullets. Muzzle energy about like a 308 Win. and, especially with the Midway 400gr seconds; a really cheap load to plink with or bust a few Baboons to protect the thatch. I don't know if 5744 is available in SA but I would bet an equivalent powder is available.

Good luck with you quest to become a PH.

 

[D.Unger]

Love the .416 Rigby, not only for the performance but the history. The Remington is as good and probably more practical in many ways but it lacks the nostalgia. I had my CZ re-stocked as well as some metal work like a 3 position safety, barrel band, action job and it has served me well. Loaded with North Fork 400 gr softs and Barnes flat nosed solids it's a tack driver. One thing I have grown to love about the CZ is the trigger, its fully adjustable and the set trigger is great for load testing and critical shots like on hippo and croc.

 

[reinhardtR]

@D.Unger Wow the barrel band really looks nice beautiful rifle. It's true what you said about the history. You know the saying "No other R except for Rigby". There are a lot of calibres that can do the job just as well as a rigby or remmington but there is something about the rigby that draws you to it. It's like having a .303 British which you inherited from your grandfather, you will never sell it but if you know what you're working with you can hunt any of the plains game even at longer distances

 

[Rule 303]

I have a CZ550 in 416 Rigby, love it. Very accurate and puts all 400 to 450 grain projectiles into the same group. This suits me fine. I use 400 Grain Woodleigh Weldcore and 400grn Hydros.
Do not shoot it off a bench get some tripod shooting sticks as the felt recoil is somewhat lower than off the bench. Hand load and you can start with reduced loads and lighter bullets until you get use to it. I have used 66grains of AR2206H (H4895) behind 445 grain cast pills (1930fps) for practice so use this load with lighter bullets to start with and work up as you get use to the recoil.

 

[wislnwings]

Add me to the list of CZ 416 Rigby owners. I love mine and it is one of the rifles I'll never part with.

 

[bassasdaindia]

Love the .416 Rigby, not only for the performance but the history. The Remington is as good and probably more practical in many ways but it lacks the nostalgia. I had my CZ re-stocked as well as some metal work like a 3 position safety, barrel band, action job and it has served me well. Loaded with North Fork 400 gr softs and Barnes flat nosed solids it's a tack driver. One thing I have grown to love about the CZ is the trigger, its fully adjustable and the set trigger is great for load testing and critical shots like on hippo and croc.
View attachment 156351

Great boss on that Buff and nice looking rifle as well , my CZ 550 416 Rigby looks very similar.

 

[D.M.V]

I own several CZ rifles my 550s are in 375 H&H and 416 Rigby I have a 527 in 223/5.56 to compliment my AR and several vz 24 Mauser's. The Czechs build great guns. My cz pistols are some of my most prized possessions as well. You can go wrong with them

 

[D.M.V]

 

[D.M.V]

They have those bitchin stock express sights as well

 

[D.M.V]