For Sale .416 Taylor- Frank Wells Custom + 40 New Brass

[JimmyJack54]

$4,750.00 shipped ConUS FFL to FFL

Includes:
40 pieces new brass Quality Cartridge .416 Taylor;
.416 Taylor- Frank Wells Custom rifle on Mark X action. 10.36 lbs., 25” barrel, 23-1/8 to mag-na-ports in barrel, bore is shiny, length of pull 14”, Kick-Eez butt pad. Light handling marks.

I am not a hand loader, thus my reason for selling this rifle. I acquired this rifle seeking to upgrade my dangerous game battery but it was difficult sourcing cartridges. I have not personally fired this rifle due to the lack of available ammo. (I do understand that there are custom loads available, however, I’ve not pursued this option.) I’ve since moved to .404 Jeffery, filling my lower .40 gap with an easier-to-find factory ammo caliber.

If rifle sells, I do have additional .416 Taylor brass available. Purchaser of rifle gets first right of refusal on additional brass.

Please let me know if you have any questions. See photos below and in thumbnails.

 

[Buckums]

Perfect reason to learn how to hand load!! I just started hand loading a few years ago and I’m hooked. You might regret selling that rifle and I promise you won’t regret learning how to roll your own!

 

[AZDAVE]

Once the rifle sells I would be interested in the Brass.

 

[CoElkHunter]

My personal holy grail: a Frank Wells .416 Taylor. I’m playing the lottery tonight. LOL

 

[etsonaut]

Beautiful rifle! I am not a hand-loader either but Hendershots can load you up with your choice of 416 bullets and deliver them to you in a few short weeks.

 

[krish]

Beautiful rifle. GLWS
Krish

 

[Ray B]

Handloading the 416 Taylor shouldn't be an issue- All it takes is to run 458 Win Mag bass once through the 416 full length die and it's ready to load.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

Frank Wells was a renowned custom riflesmith. The .416 Taylor is a sweetheart of a full power cartridge for a standard (.30-06) length action. I posted this on Firearms... .375 and Up forum,

Post in thread '416 taylor'

Apr 20, 2026

The .416 Taylor provides very nearly the same energy as the .416 Rem or Rigby, at lower recoil.
This is due to less ejecta (powder, bullet, and anything else) being pushed through the barrel.

See the table below for a comparison of recoil levels between the .416 Taylor, Rem, and Rigby.
The Taylor has 23% less recoil than the .416 Rigby.
Then compare the at the recoil of the .416 Taylor to the .375 H&H.

The above table shows values of typical loads. Your handloads and especially factory loads with unknown power weights may vary!

• Mark A Ouellette

• 

The .416 Taylor provides very nearly the same energy as the .416 Rem or Rigby, at lower recoil.
This is due to less ejecta (powder, bullet, and anything else) being pushed through the barrel.

See the table below for a comparison of recoil levels between the .416 Taylor, Rem, and Rigby.
The Taylor has 23% less recoil than the .416 Rigby.
Then compare the at the recoil of the .416 Taylor to the .375 H&H.

The above table shows values of typical loads. Your handloads and especially factory loads with unknown power weights may vary!

 

[Certus]

Is Frank Wells any relation to Fred?

 

[Beck]

I don't need this gun, I don't need this gun, I don't need this gun

 

[JimmyJack54]

Is Frank Wells any relation to Fred?

No, not to my knowledge.

 

[dgr416]

Awesone looking rifle

 

[JimmyJack54]

To answer a couple of question I received:

1. If you don’t need/want the brass, I’ll credit you $100 towards your purchase of the rifle.
2. I have an additional 250 pieces of new Norma brass in .416 Taylor that will be available to the purchaser of the rifle. Only if the rifle sells, and purchaser declines brass, will I list the brass for sale.

Thanks for looking, your messages, and the compliments.

 

[Rosch]

Handloading the 416 Taylor shouldn't be an issue- All it takes is to run 458 Win Mag bass once through the 416 full length die and it's ready to load.

Yepp, thats true, BUT You cant take that ammo to Africa!!! You will fail at the first Airport!
You may take the gun but Your ammo stays at the Airport and if this isnt worse enough, a significant fee will be due!!
What a start for a lifetime hunt?

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

Yepp, thats true, BUT You cant take that ammo to Africa!!! You will fail at the first Airport!
You may take the gun but Your ammo stays at the Airport and if this isnt worse enough, a significant fee will be due!!
What a start for a lifetime hunt?

Your statement is true but perhaps you missed @Ray B 's point.

Like any unpopular cartridge, finding proper head stamped brass can be challenging. Of course some of us don't back away from life's challenges.

Many .416 Taylor rifle owners accumulate sufficient head stamped brass for hunting Africa, https://ravenrocksprecision.com/product/416-taylor-brass/

Since the above brass is a little expensive at $3.80 each, we form .416 Taylor brass with a single stroke of reloading press from .458 Win brass. The latter brass costs less than half of the proper head stamped .416 Taylor brass. In a pinch one could also shorten and form .458 Lott brass in the Taylor!

Presently I can't find .450 Nitro brass other than a single source at $6.21 each. That price is for a batch of (100).

Bertram 450 Nitro Express 3 1/4 inch

450 Nitro Express 3 1/4" Brass, New, Unprimed, Bertram

deserttechmunitions.com

Not bad but I sure wish I could form practice brass for this cartridge from more common, less expensive brass!

Additional facts,

The .416 Rigby is king of the .400+ bores all the way to just below the .450's.
That king with its large cartridge case and 100 grains of powder produces the most recoil at 65 ft pls compared to 50 for the Taylor.

The Taylor at 50 lbs recoils provides almost 5000 ft lbs of energy!
The much beloved and easy on the shoulder 450/400 at 48 lbs recoil produces only 4100 lbs energy.
Another old time favorite the .404 Jeffery at 2300 fps MV produces 52 lbs recoil and 4700 energy.

Those that don't like the .416 Taylor have never shot a .416 Taylor!

 

[Rosch]

Like any unpopular cartridge, finding proper head stamped brass can be challenging. Of course some of us don't back away from life's challenges.

I learned allready many times, that some people in here hunt more for challenges than for game!
My religion has changed with the years from „head-through-wall“ to „like-it-easy“!
Spending endlos time and money searching for scarce reloading components to get Your gun speaking, is in my opinion a waste of time!
Select a more common gun and a well supported calibre, buy a biiiiiig lot of good shooting and well doing ammo and spend the most of Your time out in the field/bush not infront of the PC!

 

[Boyd Brooks]

An awesome rifle, if I didn’t already have a 416 Taylor. You could be set up to reload for probably under a $1000.00, and it is a great hobby, just saying. Good luck on the sale, or your new hobby!

 

[Rosch]

@Mark A Ouellette​

To Dislike a post which just reminds on basic and common sense, says a lot about You! If You like the 416 Taylor, kiss it, hug it and go crazy with it! Its still a cartridge where right marked brass is hard to get and so no option for the hunter who likes it easy!
Buy a 416 Remington and all this Problems disapear like smoke in the wind!
Same power, same bullet, same speed! The buff will not know it for sure! So why the effort and trouble??

But I see You are a Gold Member, a so called VIP. I bet Your world is anyway another then mine!

 

[JimmyJack54]

I learned allready many times, that some people in here hunt more for challenges than for game!
My religion has changed with the years from „head-through-wall“ to „like-it-easy“!
Spending endlos time and money searching for scarce reloading components to get Your gun speaking, is in my opinion a waste of time!
Select a more common gun and a well supported calibre, buy a biiiiiig lot of good shooting and well doing ammo and spend the most of Your time out in the field/bush not infront of the PC!

If you are not interested in purchasing the rifle, or do not have positive things to say about the listing, or caliber, I would appreciate you refraining from commenting on my Classified listing. You are certainly entitled to your opinion on the .416 Taylor, or any other matter, but I find it would be more appropriate to state it outside of this listing.

I was forthright in the OP that my reason for selling this rifle is that I’m not a hand loader and have other options that, like you mentioned, fall in the “like-it-easy” category. For example, I took my .458Lott on my last DG hunt. When I originally purchased the rifle I did account for properly head-stamped .416 Taylor brass for hunting Africa, and have accumulated 290 pieces, which I’ve offered the purchaser of the rifle so they aren’t “Spending endlos time and money searching for”.

 

[TucsonFX4]

I learned allready many times, that some people in here hunt more for challenges than for game!
My religion has changed with the years from „head-through-wall“ to „like-it-easy“!
Spending endlos time and money searching for scarce reloading components to get Your gun speaking, is in my opinion a waste of time!
Select a more common gun and a well supported calibre, buy a biiiiiig lot of good shooting and well doing ammo and spend the most of Your time out in the field/bush not infront of the PC!

Your post deserves a thumbs down. This is a for sale ad and you are telling folks to not buy this gun.

How happy would you be if someone stood beside your car for sale and told everyone there is a better/cheaper/faster option down the road??

If you don’t want it or to support it, don’t post and move on.

Op, GLWS. It is beautiful!