Max loads 416 Remington mag

[IvW]

Roger that.
Much prefer the Swift and Norma loads for hunting anyway.

The Hornady ammo is about half the cost of the others.
What is your opinion of using Hornady for practice?

At the price use it just make sure it prints same place a the hunting loads.

416 RM, max loads, DG and Hornady are not a good mix...

 

[IvW]

Make sure the rifle functions correctly with the intended ammo as well

 

[Dr Ray]

I'd like to wish you happy hunting in the NT.
It looks like you have a load set up to do so.

With your kind permission @Dr Ray, I would like to piggyback a question with yours.

I am looking to get a 416RM and have heard of pressure issues in the higher temps of Africa.
I don't know what these "issues" were related to or if they were really even issues at all.
As most of you know, I don't reload (at least not yet) and will limit myself to ammo from Swift, Norma and possibly Hornady.
Is there anything or any particular brand/load combination that I should avoid?

Well let’s say that the temperatures in the NT are high and humidity is unbelievable.
I was going to use AR2209 powder (see ADI - Australian Defence Industries conversion to other countries’ powder equivalents).
AR2209 is repackaged and sold in North America as (I think) H-4305.
This powder will produce very low pressure in Remington 416. But!! I found that I’d have a very highly compressed load and with the long Woodleigh bullet I was a bit concerned about crunching the case.
I chose AR2208 ( see ADI equivalent which I think is sold in North America as Vargent but do check please). AR - Australian Rifle are apparently not affected by heat.
Incidental to this it’s the first time I’ve used AR2208. Normally use AR2209.
The load I used for the 400 grain Woodleigh hydro was 77 grains. I experienced no issues and no flattened primers or extraction issues at all.
I suggest that if you are hunting say softer skinned animals such as non-dangerous animals instead of the Woodleigh hydros perhaps the other Woodleighs.
Suggest you reload or use the Remington factory loads with the Swift A Frames.
Ps after using a Weatherby 460, the Remington magnum is “relatively” mild! I suggest though that the recoil is fairly stout.
Reloading the 416 is a bit if a pain as you need to crimp the mouth of the case into the cannelure of the seated bullet.
In all honesty factory loads are expensive but save a mighty lot of hard work to fire a relatively small numbers of cartridges.
It’s not like you’re going to fire more than 22-30 rounds hunting in a year.

 

[bruce moulds]

doc,
you raise a good point re monometal bullets of low specific gravity alloys.
they take up too much case capacity for smaller cases, as they rob powder capacity.
the 416 rem mag is such a case, plenty of capacity for lead cored bullets.
this means you have to use faster than optimum powders with monos to get some ballistics, but can never achieve full potential.
in 416, maybe the rigby is more suited to monos than the rem.
same with the lott vs 458 win mag.
I have found this with 9.3x64 barnes vs swift.
do monos offer any advantage over say a swift aframe for most game?
where a mono in the 416 is actually required, would a 45 cal do better again?
compression of powder is ok if you work up the load, and do not swell the case with excess pressure.
bruce.

 

[TOBY458]

doc,
you raise a good point re monometal bullets of low specific gravity alloys.
they take up too much case capacity for smaller cases, as they rob powder capacity.
the 416 rem mag is such a case, plenty of capacity for lead cored bullets.
this means you have to use faster than optimum powders with monos to get some ballistics, but can never achieve full potential.
in 416, maybe the rigby is more suited to monos than the rem.
same with the lott vs 458 win mag.
I have found this with 9.3x64 barnes vs swift.
do monos offer any advantage over say a swift aframe for most game?
where a mono in the 416 is actually required, would a 45 cal do better again?
compression of powder is ok if you work up the load, and do not swell the case with excess pressure.
bruce.

I was able to get around 2330 fps with Barnes 400 gr TSX, using Varget powder, and compressed loads. Never tried any other powder, because I ended up using Swift A Frame at the same velocity. Barnes loads the TSX in their factory loaded 416 Rem Mag, so it must work ok for that application. But I always felt like I was putting 50lbs of manure in a 40lb sack.