Which 40 cal Dangerous Game Caliber

[IvW]

404 JEFF and close second 416 Rigby, the only two I would consider in 40 caliber.

 

[cpr0312]

404 JEFF and close second 416 Rigby, the only two I would consider in 40 caliber.

+1

 

[lwaters]

If money were no option I would choose the 404. I think the rigby would be easier to do. I'm in no hurry I'll check gun stores. If the 416 is like the 375 ruger it's easy to reload for and have lots of brass

 

[Pheroze]

Don't ever let a couple bucks stand in the way of owning a classic cartridge. If you are a hawk on Gunbroker, brass is to be had at good prices.

100% agree.

Unless you live in Africa, 99% of ownership of a 40cal is really in the way it makes you feel. Pick the cartridge that speaks to you, and have fun. Spend a ton of time, and too much money, learning about it. That's the really joy in ownership.....400 H&H is a great option btw

 

[CAustin]

Speaking of 45/400 @tarbe did you get yours home yet!?

 

[cls]

How about the 416 Taylor?

 

[lwaters]

+1

If money were no option I would choose the 404. I think the rigby would be easier to do. I'm in no hurry I'll check gun stores. If the 416 is like the 375 ruger it's easy to reload for and have lots of brass

 

[lwaters]

If I came across a model 70 in 416 rem is it better to rechamber and rebore the barrel or just buy a 404 Jeffery barrel. To me it just sounds like your not gaining anything.

 

[lwaters]

How about the 416 Taylor?

It would work off the 7mm-338 actions. Kind of a belted ruger . Would have to beef up the stock .

 

[matt85]

the best 40 caliber rifle on the market for under $1500 is easily the Winchester M70 in 416 RM. I have been using one for the last couple of years and have had a chance to compare it to many other rifles. the action is smooth and reliable, the trigger is crisp (albeit a touch heavy for my preference), the gun is well balanced for a factory gun, and to top it all off the gun is very accurate.

416 RM is a widely available cartridge that is relatively inexpensive while still be very powerful. I personally hand load using a 300gr Barnes TSX at around 2700fps and have taken a fair bit of game with this load (including the warthog in my avatar).

-matt

 

[lwaters]

I know it seems crazy to take a nice model 70 in 416 RM and start messing with it to gain really nothing. Actually May be loosing

 

[neckdeep]

I picked up a custom pre-64 Win Model 70 with a Supergrade Stock, chambered in 416 Rem. It was very well put together and shoots great. I used a 375 H&H on my first safari with great success, but the 416 will get the nod on the next trip. I had some 370 gr NF's and it shot a one hole group at 100 with 3 of those. I like the Rem in this setup, lighter than Rigby's I have been around. I handled a Heym in 404 Jeffery at the SCI show, if you want to drop the coin those are sweet. I about bought one in a 375 but it seemed a bit heavy with the barrel contour similar as the bigger caliber's. Lots of good deals on big guns right now. Have fun looking.

 

[Dr Ray]

I have the Ruger Guide Gun in 416 Ruger! It's a 400 gr bullet that can do a lot of damage. You reload so you can top that cartridge with your favorite bullet and hunt anything that walks. You're fellow reloaders may have some better ideas but I have very much enjoyed my 416.
If you have a place we can shoot down around Manhattan I would be happy to bring mine down on a trip to Junction City and we can go shoot it!

What brand of rifle do you have?

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

If I came across a model 70 in 416 rem is it better to rechamber and rebore the barrel or just buy a 404 Jeffery barrel. To me it just sounds like your not gaining anything.

I agree. I was looking at a used CZ550 in 458 WM that had a really nicely figured wood stock. It sold for $715 on GB. Thought it might make a good 404J conversion. Put when look at the ballistics, not much difference to justify the cost. A brand new Winchester Mod 70 in 416 RM, as-is, is hard to beat.

 

[CAustin]

@CTDolan has a nice 458 Lott up for sale.

 

[ChrisG]

If you just want practicality and availability, ie... a gun that will put heavy game on the ground fast. I would go with the Ruger or Remington. I have a M77 hawkeye African with the blued steel and walnut stock. A CRF Rifle for under $2000 including a great scope it is all you would need. I can load mine with a 340 grain Woodleigh to around 2525fps, or a 400 grain solid at 2,300 fps. It will drop anything that walks and do it at lower pressure and shorter action than the .416 Remington Mag. The action length doesn't bother me but the pressure thing does, mainly because I don't like straining the action on my rifle if I can help it.

Now if you want game stopping power AND nostalgia and romance, you can't beat the Jeffrey. It was the working man's rifle of an era that is now long gone. The .416 Rigby also has quite the pedigree but it is the Ferrari of the mid 40's. It was a wealthy man's medium-large bore. Either of those could be had for under $3000 with a scope if you look around. The downside is that brass alone is more than twice the price of the Remington and the rigby and both of these burn an average of 20% more powder. People might say "well you don't need to constantly be shooting full power loads out of them." To that I would say, "Then buy a smaller gun.

So to sum up. The Ruger/Remington is inexpensive and high quality with a whole lot of hitting power but very utilitarian and has almost zero romance

The Rigby/Jeff are oozing romance but cost a fair bit more... Don't even get me started on factory loads for these two.

If cost were not a concern, I would personally own a Jeffrey rifle made in .404 with it's bluing worn away about 5inches from the end of the barrel (by a white huntershand while over the shoulder), the wood reoiled so much that it was almost black, and the checkering worn to the point that all the little diamonds were round and shiny on top.

But I don't, so I own a .416 Ruger.

 

[lwaters]

I'm leaning towards the ruger African myself. I alreadyhave a 375 Alaskan

 

[Gert Odendaal]

The answer to your question IWaters:

Which 40.cal dangerous game caliber? Is quite easy to answer.
The .423 caliber in a 404 Jeffery configuration. It always have been the caliber for dangerous game since every Nature conservation parks board African game ranger in Africa was able to use it every day to put down dangerous game. It was the tool of their trade,an inexpensive rifle that was easy to shoot , had a low recoil and was deadly.
The only thing that has changed today is : it became the most popular caliber ever and it is applied as an all rounder , shooting from small game through to dangerous game.

 

[ChrisG]

I'm leaning towards the ruger African myself. I alreadyhave a 375 Alaskan

For what they are, it's one of the best big bores for the price. The only modifications I've done to mine so far is, I hacked off the threads and recrowned the barrel to make it look and feel like a proper safari rifle. That brake was OBNOXIOUS looking. I never even shot it with it on because I hate feeling my sinuses jarred free more than the recoil of the rifle bothers me.

The other mod was to put an actual recoil pad on the thing. It comes with equivalent of a flip-flop sole on the backside to mitigate something like 60 ft.-lbs of recoil.

 

[dchamp]

Here is my 2 cents worth of thought. If you want a single shot or dbl. rifle get a 450/.400 or a 500/.416. Now for a bolt action, if you want something different look at the 400H&H or .416 Taylor. The .404 Jeffery, a great cartridge, buy it new. There is more to modifying a Model 70 than just swapping a barrel. The bolt face will need to be enlarged and chances are the magazine will hold one less round and may need adjusting for proper feeding.

That leaves the .416 Rigby, Remington & Ruger. The Rigby is the most traditional and IMO has the nicest looking cartridge but takes the most powder, but it has least pressure. The Rigby also requires a larger than normal magnum action. The Remington to me is a less expensive option than the Rigby. The only complaint I seem to hear about the Remington is over pressure issues because of heat and causing bolt stick. I have shot my .416 Rem in 90f + temperature using factory ammo with no problems, but thats only my experience. I cannot say with certainty about others experiences. I look at the issue this way, if you load your ammo with the appropriate powder to the low side of the pressure curve you should not have any problems. I have both the .416 Rigby and Remington and like them both and wouldn't hesitate using either one.

I don't have nor have I ever fired a .416 Ruger but would like to. Since you already have the .375 Ruger it makes since to me to go ahead and get the .416 Ruger if you want a 40 caliber. You know the platform, already have brass the you can modify and use and it will do the same as the others. Also it looks to be the least expensive. The only downside I see is the limited amount of manufacturers making ammo for it.