Partition 416 : any opinion?

[Phil Giordano]

'Morning Friends, I plan to find a good recipe for my 416 Rem - I will start in autumn but I'd like to ask an advice to you all well in advance.
I have Norma 203B, Norma Brass, Fed 215 and.... Nosler Partitions 400 gr.
Now : I know it's not the first bullet that comes to mind talking about African Buffalo. A Frames, Woodleighs, Barnes come first. As you know, all impossibile to find by now (and I guess for a long time) at least here in Italy. I'd like to know if any of you have any good/bad experiences with them in that caliber/weight/velocity combination - to say : any of the 416 firing that bullet.
I have great confidence in Partitions in 30 and 338 cal, but I know African DG is a totally different game.
Any opinion?

 

[Gemsbok45]

Straight on shot with buff just not enough penetration.Partitions are not my choice for DG. Leopard fine but after that,I want something tougher.

 

[Billcollector]

2 one shot kills with 400 gr Nosler partitions in 416 rem mag this year in Uganda for Nile buff. One was a frontal shot. Both bullets were recovered and performed perfectly. One shot was 50 yards the other 80. Originally was looking for SAF, but couldn’t find them.

 

[BeeMaa]

I wish Bruce Moulds was alive to give you his input... Rest in peace.

In short...you should be looking for a BONDED premium bullet not a Nosler Partition. Swift A-Frame, Barnes TSX, Federal TBBC or a Woodleigh SP for DG.

 

[krish]

Nice to know from who has used it.
Thanks
Krish

 

[CoElkHunter]

Northforks might work well?

 

[318AE]

I used the .416 400 gr partitions many years ago, with good results. There are certainly better options today, if they are in fact available. Be careful with shot placement, and you will be just fine. I would use the “old school” soft and solid arrangement, with a properly chosen first shot with a soft, and a solid in the magazine, given the second shot is likely to be at a poor angle.

 

[C.W. Richter]

More accurate than Swifts (just, as you say, not ideal for DG.) Fine for NA game and PG. I have some great handloads worked up for 'em and plan to use in AK and for bison oneday. They group similarly enough that I always had a few on-hand if we came across a giant eland (or giraffe,) but I let my son take the eland w/ his 375 last time.

 

[One Day...]

The 400 gr NP will kill them very dead, thank you very much!

Sure, it is fashionable nowadays to poo-poo the Nosler Partition because indeed the A-Frame or the mono-metals will typically retain a lot more weight and penetrate deeper, but let us not forget that from 1948 to the 1980's knowledgeable hunters through the world worshiped at the Nosler Partition altar and the NP killed very well, thank you very much for asking, and still does.

Heck, even if the 400 gr .416 NP looses its entire front core in a frontal shoot, and ~30% of its weight in the process (the front core in DG caliber NP is not as big, proportionally, as it is in the PG calibers), its rear core will still penetrate with 280 gr, which is about what an A-Frame or TSX .375 H&H slug will do, and there never was a fly on THIS recipe

As to a side shot, a 400 gr NP will outperform any day of the week and twice on Sunday a 1911 Kynoch soft (original Rigby load), and THAT killed buff very dead too.

Let me take a parallel: does a F22 outflies a F16 or F15? Heck yes! But it does not remove anything to the lethality of the F16 or F15, does it?

So, yes, the A-Frame and monos, represent progress over the NP, but go in peace and slay your buff with a 400 gr .416 NP Phil, there will have been a whole lot of folks less adequately equipped than you will be

 

[krish]

More over np moved their divide further front on DG bullets.
Krish

 

[Phil Giordano]

Thank you everyone for the inputs
Obviously I listen to you all very careful, since I lack the experience on African DG - that said, I am a bit more on the side of One Day, since I guess that a caliber (416) very effective "then" is or it should be even more effective today with a bullet like a NP. That said I am also pretty sure that a SAF is even better, but - as I said - my focus is to know if a Partition is a doable option. It seems so...

 

[Phil Giordano]

The 400 gr NP will kill them very dead, thank you very much!

Sure, it is fashionable nowadays to poo-poo the Nosler Partition because indeed the A-Frame or the mono-metals will typically retain a lot more weight and penetrate deeper, but let us not forget that from 1948 to the 1980's knowledgeable hunters through the world worshiped at the Nosler Partition altar and the NP killed very well, thank you very much for asking, and still does.

Heck, even if the 400 gr .416 NP looses its entire front core in a frontal shoot, and ~30% of its weight in the process (the front core in DG caliber NP is not as big, proportionally, as it is in the PG calibers), its rear core will still penetrate with 280 gr, which is about what an A-Frame or TSX .375 H&H slug will do, and there never was a fly on THIS recipe

As to a side shot, a 400 gr NP will outperform any day of the week and twice on Sunday a 1911 Kynoch soft (original Rigby load), and THAT killed buff very dead too.

Let me take a parallel: does a F22 outflies a F16 or F15? Heck yes! But it does not remove anything to the lethality of the F16 or F15, does it?

So, yes, the A-Frame and monos, represent progress over the NP, but go in peace and slay your buff with a 400 gr .416 NP Phil, there will have been a whole lot of folks less adequately equipped than you will be

Thank you OneDay for the extensive explanation on that topic.
It seems that a 416 NP will retain 70/80% so in a 400gr bullet it should be enough (and more).
The F16/F22 example is plenty clear ...

 

[Phil Giordano]

More accurate than Swifts (just, as you say, not ideal for DG.) Fine for NA game and PG. I have some great handloads worked up for 'em and plan to use in AK and for bison oneday. They group similarly enough that I always had a few on-hand if we came across a giant eland (or giraffe,) but I let my son take the eland w/ his 375 last time.

View attachment 477476

Yes, in my experience too any NP I shot from my rifles is very accurate - not yet shot one from my 416 anyway...
I know them have a good reputation in AK - better than they have in Africa for sure...

 

[Phil Giordano]

2 one shot kills with 400 gr Nosler partitions in 416 rem mag this year in Uganda for Nile buff. One was a frontal shot. Both bullets were recovered and performed perfectly. One shot was 50 yards the other 80. Originally was looking for SAF, but couldn’t find them.

Good news for me Bill! Same caliber/same bullet - so I can start to work on a recipe with a bit more confidence...

 

[Phil Giordano]

I used the .416 400 gr partitions many years ago, with good results. There are certainly better options today, if they are in fact available. Be careful with shot placement, and you will be just fine. I would use the “old school” soft and solid arrangement, with a properly chosen first shot with a soft, and a solid in the magazine, given the second shot is likely to be at a poor angle.

Thank you so much. Good to know you used them with good (and safe) results.
I have olso some Nosler Solids, they seems very well done and at Nosler they promise very close point of impact. We'll se...

 

[Phil Giordano]

I wish Bruce Moulds was alive to give you his input... Rest in peace.

In short...you should be looking for a BONDED premium bullet not a Nosler Partition. Swift A-Frame, Barnes TSX, Federal TBBC or a Woodleigh SP for DG.

I also know you're a very experienced hunter - and I agree on the fact that there are better options. I have great respect of your opinions. As always also, where you hit him is a paramount.

That said, my intention was (is) to understand if a well placed 400gr @2400 would do a good job on a buff.

May I ask you about Bruce Moulds?

 

[Phil Giordano]

The 400 gr NP will kill them very dead, thank you very much!

Sure, it is fashionable nowadays to poo-poo the Nosler Partition because indeed the A-Frame or the mono-metals will typically retain a lot more weight and penetrate deeper, but let us not forget that from 1948 to the 1980's knowledgeable hunters through the world worshiped at the Nosler Partition altar and the NP killed very well, thank you very much for asking, and still does.

Heck, even if the 400 gr .416 NP looses its entire front core in a frontal shoot, and ~30% of its weight in the process (the front core in DG caliber NP is not as big, proportionally, as it is in the PG calibers), its rear core will still penetrate with 280 gr, which is about what an A-Frame or TSX .375 H&H slug will do, and there never was a fly on THIS recipe

As to a side shot, a 400 gr NP will outperform any day of the week and twice on Sunday a 1911 Kynoch soft (original Rigby load), and THAT killed buff very dead too.

Let me take a parallel: does a F22 outflies a F16 or F15? Heck yes! But it does not remove anything to the lethality of the F16 or F15, does it?

So, yes, the A-Frame and monos, represent progress over the NP, but go in peace and slay your buff with a 400 gr .416 NP Phil, there will have been a whole lot of folks less adequately equipped than you will be

...And also I would add that yes, it probably will loose a big portion of the front core - but in so doing, it does a looot of damages! I'm definitely on your side One Day.

 

[Luvthunt]

Ditto on One Day. Was the day that NP was the King and perhaps not top dog today but not the clown some people profess to claim.

 

[Phil Giordano]

Ditto on One Day. Was the day that NP was the King and perhaps not top dog today but not the clown some people profess to claim.

Totally agree

 

[BeeMaa]

I also know you're a very experienced hunter - and I agree on the fact that there are better options. I have great respect of your opinions. As always also, where you hit him is a paramount.

That said, my intention was (is) to understand if a well placed 400gr @2400 would do a good job on a buff.

May I ask you about Bruce Moulds?

Bruce was a longtime member here that passed away way to early. He was a great guy and a wealth of knowledge. We shared a mutual distain for the NP, that’s why I mentioned him. I don’t believe his profile is active any longer.

Best of luck with your upcoming hunt.