Optics for 416 rigby

[ftrovato]

I like to run quick release levers on the off side, away from the bolt and feeding.

Me too. No option for those on the Ruger that I'm aware of.

 

[Dakota Hunter]

I have Schmidt Bender Exos 1-8 on on my AHR 416. I also mounted a Swarovski Z6 1-6i on my Heym Martini 416. I have not had any issues with them.

 

[BJH65]

I like to run quick release levers on the off side, away from the bolt and feeding.

With Talley and and Warne quick release rings with levers there is no option with the CZ 550, levers will be on the bolt side, however Alaskan Arms makes excellent quick release rings for the CZ 550 on the off side. For me personally, quick release levers on the bolt/feeding side don’t bother me since you can easily position the quick release levers away from the the chamber but I can see some folks not liking it.

 

[Hunt anything]

Me too. No option for those on the Ruger that I'm aware of.

Take a look at Alaska Arms, I don’t know if they make quick release for a Ruger but it’s worth a look. I have set that fit my old CZ .416 and they will also fit my Montana Rifle Co. .416.

 

[Raven]

Vortex is a lottery. It is difficult to say how it will behave on a powerful caliber.

Most people here recommend Leupold, and I agree with that. The VX-3, VX-R and even VX-6 series will suit you.

You can try to find a Nikon Monarch African 1-4x20. It hasn't been released for a long time, but it was designed for safari and is therefore durable. Sometimes it can be bought very cheaply.

Trijicon AccuPoint 1-4x24 would also be a good choice for DG. Reliability is important here, not prestige and fashion.

I have on .470 NE is an old Swarovski 1.25-4x24. And I'm not changing it to a new one, because it's does its job perfectly.

 

[ftrovato]

With Talley and and Warne quick release rings with levers there is no option with the CZ 550, levers will be on the bolt side, however Alaskan Arms makes excellent quick release rings for the CZ 550 on the off side. For me personally, quick release levers on the bolt/feeding side don’t bother me since you can easily position the quick release levers away from the the chamber but I can see some folks not liking it.

I've used this rifle in this configuration and going into use I had concerns with the levers being on the action side.
After many rounds in the field, they have been just fine and maybe a bonus when doing the African carry of the rifle over the shoulder. With them being on the same side as the bolt there is nothing to catch on ones shirt when the rifle is over your shoulder.

 

[One Day...]

A few data points...

Just a few considerations, poor English man.

1) Magnification

There is no point whatsoever in putting 8x magnification on a .416 (or any DG rifle for that matter). You will use 3x or 4x in an initial shot, and 1x in a follow up.

What is important here is to have a scope that goes down to 1x, so that you can shoot quickly with both eyes open in a follow up. The upper end used to be 4x, and this was plenty enough, until the recent inflationary trend on magnification. It seems difficult to find a 1x to 4x nowadays, so 1x to 6x is probably the most useful range. Additional money on 1x to 8x is objectively wasted money.

Besides, since DG straight tube scopes generally have a 24 mm objective, using 8x on these only produces a 3 mm light beam to the eye, which, while OK in peak daylight, is very low at dawn and dusk when pupils are dilated up to 7 mm. Ideal light transmission in these conditions dictates cranking down magnification to 3x...

A lighted reticle can be useful, although you are unlikely to use a .416 in a leopard blind...

My best recommendation would be a used Zeiss V4 1-4x24 illuminated. They are floating around, generally for less than $1,000...

If possible, get one without the "tacti-cool" reticle and external ballistic turret meant for 5.56 AR 15. The plain hunting reticle and protected elevation turret is much more adapted to DG...

2) Mounting scopes on the CZ 550

If you opt for a scope with an objective bell, I would suggest you take a look at this post regarding the scope length limitations, toward the end of the post...

Post in thread 'Winchester Model 70 375 H&H vs CZ550 375 H&H'

Mar 5, 2024

Copy/paste from another thread: https://www.africahunting.com/threads/375-rifle-options.54281/page-2#post-600803

The topic has been beaten to death, many times over I would add, but repetition is in the nature of the blogging beast, and you deserve just as much a quality answer as the legions of first-time safari goers who have asked the same question before you...

Also, a few one-sentence bullets could capture it all, and these would be enough for those who know both sides of the various arguments inside and out, but people who actually ask for insights generally tend to want...

• One Day...

• 
• 
• 

3) Talley vs. Warnes on the CZ 550

Also look in the above link at the section re. Talley vs. Warnes, the Warnes has the inconvenient of overhanging slightly over the action and can be in the way when reloading quickly...

4) Quick detach levers position

To each their own, but I had initially installed the levers on the left side of my CZ550s so that they would not be over the loading port, but I ended changing them to the right side because I carry the rifle on the left shoulder, under my arm, and the levers were definitely digging in my side.

I have found no issue having them on the right side.

 

[BJH65]

I've used this rifle in this configuration and going into use I had concerns with the levers being on the action side.
After many rounds in the field, they have been just fine and maybe a bonus when doing the African carry of the rifle over the shoulder. With them being on the same side as the bolt there is nothing to catch on ones shirt when the rifle is over your shoulder.

Excellent point. If I sling my CZ 416 Rigby, it’s over my right shoulder, so for me it could potentially snag if quick release levers were on the off side, however I do have several other non CZ rifles with the Leupold QD levers on the off side and haven’t snagged my shirt or coat so far but they’re not DG rifles either.

 

[poor English man]

A few data points...

Just a few considerations, poor English man.

1) Magnification

There is no point whatsoever in putting 8x magnification on a .416 (or any DG rifle for that matter). You will use 3x or 4x in an initial shot, and 1x in a follow up.

What is important here is to have a scope that goes down to 1x, so that you can shoot quickly with both eyes open in a follow up. The upper end used to be 4x, and this was plenty enough, until the recent inflationary trend on magnification. It seems difficult to find a 1x to 4x nowadays, so 1x to 6x is probably the most useful range. Additional money on 1x to 8x is objectively wasted money.

Besides, since DG straight tube scopes generally have a 24 mm objective, using 8x on these only produces a 3 mm light beam to the eye, which at dawn and dusk dilated up to 7 mm. Ideal light transmission in these conditions dictates cranking down magnification to 3x...

A lighted reticle can be useful, although you are unlikely to use a .416 in a leopard blind...

My best recommendation would be a used Zeiss V4 1-4x24 illuminated. They are floating around, generally for less than $1,000...

View attachment 664478

If possible, get one without the "tacti-cool" reticle and external ballistic turret meants for 5.56 AR 15. The plain hunting reticle and protected elevation turret is much more adapted to DG...

Thanks One day.
Good info.

 

[ftrovato]

A few data points...

Just a few considerations, poor English man.

1) Magnification

There is no point whatsoever in putting 8x magnification on a .416 (or any DG rifle for that matter). You will use 3x or 4x in an initial shot, and 1x in a follow up.

What is important here is to have a scope that goes down to 1x, so that you can shoot quickly with both eyes open in a follow up. The upper end used to be 4x, and this was plenty enough, until the recent inflationary trend on magnification. It seems difficult to find a 1x to 4x nowadays, so 1x to 6x is probably the most useful range. Additional money on 1x to 8x is objectively wasted money.

Besides, since DG straight tube scopes generally have a 24 mm objective, using 8x on these only produces a 3 mm light beam to the eye, which at dawn and dusk dilated up to 7 mm. Ideal light transmission in these conditions dictates cranking down magnification to 3x...

A lighted reticle can be useful, although you are unlikely to use a .416 in a leopard blind...

My best recommendation would be a used Zeiss V4 1-4x24 illuminated. They are floating around, generally for less than $1,000...

View attachment 664478

If possible, get one without the "tacti-cool" reticle and external ballistic turret meants for 5.56 AR 15. The plain hunting reticle and protected elevation turret is much more adapted to DG...

2) Mounting scopes on the CZ 550

If you opt for a scope with an objective bell, I would suggest you take a pick at this post regarding the scope length limitations...

Post in thread 'Winchester Model 70 375 H&H vs CZ550 375 H&H'

Mar 5, 2024

Copy/paste from another thread: https://www.africahunting.com/threads/375-rifle-options.54281/page-2#post-600803

The topic has been beaten to death, many times over I would add, but repetition is in the nature of the blogging beast, and you deserve just as much a quality answer as the legions of first-time safari goers who have asked the same question before you...

Also, a few one-sentence bullets could capture it all, and these would be enough for those who know both sides of the various arguments inside and out, but people who actually ask for insights generally tend to want...

• One Day...

• 
• 
• 

3) Talley vs. Warnes on the CZ 550

Also look in the above link at the section re. Talley vs. Warnes, the Warnes has the inconvenient of overhanging slightly over the action and can be in the way when reloading quickly...

4) Quick detach levers position

To each their own, but I had initially installed the levers on the left side of my CZ550s so that they would not be over the loading port, by I ended changing them because I carry the rifle on the left shoulder, under the arm, and they were definitely digging in my side. I have found no issue having them on the right side.

I took 12 or 13 animals with my 416 out to a few hundred yards last fall in Moz. Some as small as several Tiny 10 Antelope up to Eland.

I had a 1-4 Leupold & a 3x9 Leupold with me.
Thank goodness I listened to my PH and brought the 3x9.

I hunted buffalo the old school way with a double... 416 was my small gun. ;-)

We all have our own experiences and ways to hunt I guess...

 

[One Day...]

Thanks One day.
Good info.

You are welcome. I edited the post to add a few things. Check it above

 

[Phil Giordano]

On mine, I have a Schmidt Bender 1-4, at 4x I can shot 'minute of buffalo' groups up to 150 mt, something I guess is good enough for any DG.
Just a couple days ago, I received this old Swar as a gift, from a good old friend. Mint, never used, 100% conditions.
It's a 1,5x fixed scope, steel tube, you see.
I know it's probably to little magnification by today's standards, anyway it's a good piece of equipment for a close quarter, DG hunt for sure.

Curious about some opinion...

 

[One Day...]

I took 12 or 13 animals with my 416 out to a few hundred years last fall in Moz. Some as small as several Tiny 10 Antelope up to Eland.

I had a 1-4 Leupold & a 3x9 Leupold with me.
Thanks goodness I listened to my PH and brought the 3x9.

I hunted buffalo the old school way with a double... 416 was my small gun. ;-)

We all have our own experiences and ways to hunt I guess...

Agreed, and nothing wrong using the .416 on PG. I have actually used a .458 Lott in that role , but I would argue that you are making my point, since you had both 1-4 and 3-9 scopes

I bet you had the 1-4 on the .416 when you used it as a backup

 

[BJH65]

A lighted reticle can be useful, although you are unlikely to use a .416 in a leopard blind...

My best recommendation would be a used Zeiss V4 1-4x24 illuminated. They are floating around, generally for less than $1,000...

View attachment 664478

If possible, get one without the "tacti-cool" reticle and external ballistic turret meants for 5.56 AR 15. The plain hunting reticle and protected elevation turret is much more adapted to DG...

Excellent information. It’s getting harder to find Zeiss, Steiner and Meopta 1-4 lighted reticle scopes without the dang ballistic turrets which I dislike too, I would always worry about accidentally turning the ballistic turrets even though they are lockable I think. Same with Leupold too.

On my last safari, I used my CZ 416 Rigby with an older 30mm Leupold Vari-XIII 1.5-5x20mm with illuminated reticle, no turrets, taking Cape buffalo cow, Kudu, Impala, and Warthog at ranges from 50 yards to 80 yards, all taken with scope set at lowest setting 1.5 power and never turned the red dot on either.

 

[One Day...]

On mine, I have a Schmidt Bender 1-4, at 4x I can shot 'minute of buffalo' groups up to 150 mt, something I guess is good enough for any DG.
Just a couple days ago, I received this old Swar as a gift, from a good old friend. Mint, never used, 100% conditions.
It's a 1,5x fixed scope, steel tube, you see.
I know it's probably to little magnification by today's standards, anyway it's a good piece of equipment for a close quarter, DG hunt for sure. View attachment 664481View attachment 664482
Curious about some opinion...

I would feel absolutely perfectly equipped with the Swaro 1.5 on a DG rifle

I still have an older (West Germany) S&B 1.25-4 on a Mauser 98 rifle, and love it, although I will soon sell the rifle because I never use it anymore now that I converted to the Blaser R8 .257 Wby / .300 Wby / .375 H&H / .458 Lott.

This is also the scope (without rail this time) I had on my CZ550 .416 Rigby shown here in its early configuration. I ended up replacing the Alaska Arms rings because the recoil lug was on the moving clamp and it did not retain perfect zero, and the levers dug on my side when carrying the rifle on the left shoulder under my arm. The Talley rings were perfect, with recoil lug on the main body, no overhang over the port as the Warnes have, and levers unobtrusively on the right side. This rifle is gone now, replaced by my R8...

But I will admit that the 1980's S&B pale - from a light transmission perspective - compared to the Leica Magnus on my .458 Lott R8 barrel. 40+ years of coatings evolution have delivered real progress...

I would have prefered a less expensive 1-4x, but they only made a 1-6x... although, as ftrovato hinted, a bit more than 4x is welcome if you press your "stopper" rifle into impala-for-the-pot duties on the way back to camp (and it was certainly easier than using my .470 primary rifle)

But generally I bolt on the .257 Wby or .300 Wby barrel when the DG part of the hunt is over, and I have Zeiss V4 4-16x on these, which I also consider too much, but here again one buys what is available...

To me, the perfect magnification range was the old 1.6-6x but nobody makes them anymore, and I must admit that on small antelopes like this Vaal Rhebok at 400+ yards, I did crank up to 12x...

 

[ftrovato]

Agreed, and nothing wrong with it, but I would argue that you are making my point, since you had both 1-4 and 3-9 scopes

I bet you had the 1-4 on it when you used the .416 as a backup

Open sites were used for back up hence the quick release rings.

But to your point, that is why I rescoped with 1x8 for next year.
So I dont have to remove the optic.

 

[cperso]

Leica Amplus6 1-6 ×24 illuminated

 

[Hunt anything]

Excellent information. It’s getting harder to find Zeiss, Steiner and Meopta 1-4 lighted reticle scopes without the dang ballistic turrets which I dislike too, I would always worry about accidentally turning the ballistic turrets even though they are lockable I think. Same with Leupold too.

On my last safari, I used my CZ 416 Rigby with an older 30mm Leupold Vari-XIII 1.5-5x20mm with illuminated reticle, no turrets, taking Cape buffalo cow, Kudu, Impala, and Warthog at ranges from 50 yards to 80 yards, all taken with scope set at lowest setting 1.5 power and never turned the red dot on either.

I think the Leupold comes with a voucher for the ballistic turrets, at least my VX 6’s did. I went ahead and ordered one for my 3-18x42 on my 7mm Remington mag and my 1-6x24 for my .375 Ruger since they were free. They are the same size as the the turrets that they replaced. I’ve only used the one on the 7mag to dial in a mule deer at 457yds. I bought the 3-18 in 2013 and the 1-6 in 2014.
They may have changed the style since then but I don’t know.

 

[ftrovato]

On mine, I have a Schmidt Bender 1-4, at 4x I can shot 'minute of buffalo' groups up to 150 mt, something I guess is good enough for any DG.
Just a couple days ago, I received this old Swar as a gift, from a good old friend. Mint, never used, 100% conditions.
It's a 1,5x fixed scope, steel tube, you see.
I know it's probably to little magnification by today's standards, anyway it's a good piece of equipment for a close quarter, DG hunt for sure. View attachment 664481View attachment 664482
Curious about some opinion...

Nice. You dont see 1 1/2 fixed optics these days. For me that just takes care of the complication of old eyes and 3 sight planes associated with open sights.

 

[Phil Giordano]

I would feel absolutely perfectly equipped with the Swaro 1.5 on a DG rifle

I still have an older (West Germany) S&B 1.25-4 on a Mauser 98 DG rifle, and love it

View attachment 664484

But I will admit that it pales - from a light transmission perspective - compared to the Leica Magnus on my .458 Lott R8 barrel. The 40+ years of coatings evolution delivered real progress...

View attachment 664488

I would have prefered a 1-4x, but they only made a 1-6x... although, as ftrovato hinted, a bit more than 4x is welcome if you press your "stopper" into impala-for-the-pot duties on the way back to camp (and it was certainly easier than using my .470 primary rifle)

Your old SB is the same I have on my 416 and I love it too!