.416's w/ 350gr TSX @~2700fps?

[HuskyMusky]

came across a .416 rem load with a 350 tsx around 2700fps

Have a .340wby, thinking possibly insead of the 375H&H, that a 416rem/rigby could do more for me. maybe one day I'll have both, but would the 416 be better for me than the 375.

maybe one day I'll hunt brown bear and africa, but more likely is sitka blacktail, if a father son hunt, I figured one of us would use the 340 and the other a 375...but now maybe a 416?

Whaddya think?

 

[JimP]

I have always loved the allure of a .416 caliber firearm.

But after saying that if I had to choose between a .416 and a .375 I would go with the .375. Even on a African hunting forum that I am on the .375 gets the nod over a lot of the rounds from .40 and on up. The .375 is legal for any animal in Africa and makes a fantastic elk round here in the US and would be a fantastic round for brown bear up in Alaska.

I also have a .340 Weatherby and love it and I would not feel uncomfortable using it on a couple of the Big Five over in Africa but due to caliber restrictions it would be a no go. But with the proper bullet I believe that it would be a fine one. Just as a FYI, the Weatherby rifles and rounds are frowned upon for hunting in Africa. There are a few problems that if they are not addressed can get you into trouble. Plus a lot of the PH's over in Africa and others believe in the old go big and go slow for a round to put down a dangerous animal.

 

[memtb]

came across a .416 rem load with a 350 tsx around 2700fps

Have a .340wby, thinking possibly insead of the 375H&H, that a 416rem/rigby could do more for me. maybe one day I'll have both, but would the 416 be better for me than the 375.

maybe one day I'll hunt brown bear and africa, but more likely is sitka blacktail, if a father son hunt, I figured one of us would use the 340 and the other a 375...but now maybe a 416?

Whaddya think?

A .416 is a good “stopping” cartridge, and with the lighter mono’s....gives it enough velocity to be a viable round for longer shots than once considered reasonable! I don’t think it’s quite as versatile as a “hot-rod” .375 (Weatherby or AI), but much better when things get “personal”! memtb

 

[mallardsx2]

Sounds painful to shoot lol.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

but more likely is sitka blacktail, if a father son hunt, I figured one of us would use the 340 and the other a 375...but now maybe a 416?

Whaddya think?

I don't want to tick anybody off, but using a 340, 375 or 416 seems to me a little bit of overkill for deer sized game. IMHO you don't need anything bigger than .30 caliber. A lot easier on the shoulder and pocketbook.

 

[mallardsx2]

I couldnt agree more. I saw a guy on youtube shooting a doe in PA with a 50 BMG. He needs kicked in the balls.

 

[JimP]

As long as it is legal and you have the rifle why not?

I have killed a number of cottontail rabbits with my .340 Weatherby. I shot one once and my hunting partner asked me why I killed a rabbit with it where it wouldn't have anything left. I calmly walked over and picked up the headless rabbit and took it home for dinner. Was it overkill? Yes, it was but if you can manage head shots why not?

As for using a more powerful cartridge on a animal than you really need, with the proper bullets and bullet placement you will damage less meat with a .50 cal than you will with a 30-06. In Africa you will quite often see hunters shooting game animals that weigh less than your pair of boots with a .375 H&H with very little meat damage.

 

[AKaviator]

I have to throw in with Jim on this one. I've killed a bunch of deer on Kodiak with my .375H&H. I've used several different loads and bullets and none did as much meat damage as some of the lighter rifles I used.
I had a reduced load using 235gr. Speer's that worked well and have taken some with 250gr Swift A-Frames. Early on I used 285gr Grand Slams. All killed deer quite well with minimal meat damage.

 

[memtb]

Since 1982, my only “hunting rifle” has been a .375 caliber. I used the H&H until 1990, at that time I had a fairly lightweight.375 AI built. As mentioned, it is my “only” hunting rifle. It’s used for antelope/deer up to moose, and has taken quite a few varmints as well! Tissue damage to game is very similar to that of any other moderately high velocity cartridge! memtb