What is good or bad about the .416 WBY?

I've booked my first trip to Africa. Cape Buffalo in Zimbabwe. I ordered .416 Weatherby on order from Weatherby at the SCI show. After getting home and looking deeper into that cartridge, I can't find much positive information about it.
I'm thinking about changing to the order to .375 H&H (they do chamber their DGR for that cartridge). Or cancelling the order. Or just change it to a an American elk/deer cartridge Their Back Country 2.0 is a nice rifle.

It seems like Weatherby rifles and cartridges not popular for African hunts? Though ideally suited with today's bullets. Except for the recoil.

I have a model 70 in .416 Remington. That doesn't seem overly popular either? But it shoots pretty well.

Thanks for any input.

TD

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Stick with your .416 Remington Model 70 for the buffalo it’s an absolute hammer and has plenty of power without the punishing recoil of the Weatherby. As for the order, change it to a lighter caliber in the Back Country 2.0 for your elk and deer hunting back home. You'll get much more practical use out of it that way.
 
Here are my thoughts. Owned both a 378 Weatherby and a 460 Weatherby, never owned a 416.

1. Recoil with factory ammunition is stout and fast.

2. Not sure if it possible to order one without a muzzle brake, but I would not even consider doing one without it. Both my 378 and 460 had factory brakes. I would own a 378 again, and a 416 WBY. I would not consider the 460 too much for me. You really need a muzzle brake and a break-o or similar mercury tube system in the butt.

3. I never killed anything with either one of them. I guy I bought both from had used them on elk. He said they were dramatic on elk.

If you want a heavy and very dramatic killer, I don't think you can go wrong with a 416 Wby as a client rifle. I can't see a PH using one as recoil is severe enough and ammunition is expensive enough that I can't see it being a good option. When more manageable caliber are available.
 
I've booked my first trip to Africa. Cape Buffalo in Zimbabwe. I ordered .416 Weatherby on order from Weatherby at the SCI show. After getting home and looking deeper into that cartridge, I can't find much positive information about it.
I'm thinking about changing to the order to .375 H&H (they do chamber their DGR for that cartridge). Or cancelling the order. Or just change it to a an American elk/deer cartridge Their Back Country 2.0 is a nice rifle.

It seems like Weatherby rifles and cartridges not popular for African hunts? Though ideally suited with today's bullets. Except for the recoil.

I have a model 70 in .416 Remington. That doesn't seem overly popular either? But it shoots pretty well.

Thanks for any input.

TD
The .416 Remington is perfectly adequate for anything that walks on this planet. The .416 Wby's recoil is terrible, and you have to be careful about bullet selection - the added velocity effects bullet performance, and not always in a good way
 
I have a 378and 416wby, I had a 460 but lost it in a fire. Hand loaded with 450 grain bullets at 24 or 2500 it would be awesome. My custom 416 has a lot of recoil, more than my 460 did . I have also shot A wby rifle in 416 and it had much less recoil. None of these rifles had muzzle brakes.
 
The Weatherbys are great rifles; my own .375H&H is pictured in my Avatar. The questionable issue is whether the 375 WBY is any better at killing DG than the 375 H&H. The Wby and its brand specific calibers, was created for a niche of hunters who wanted faster shooting ammo than the established calibers on the market. Any better? Dead animals can't talk.
 
No experience with the 416 WBY. But I recently picked up a used WBY DGR rifles im 375h&h at a gun show in Fairbanks. So far everything I put through it shoots cloverleaf groups. I have 3 other Winchester model 70s in 375, a 416 rem mag, CZ 416 Rigby and a custom Mauser 404 Jeffery they all shoot 1” but not like the WBY.
 

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If you are a handloader its easy to load the 416 WBY to perform exactly like the 416RM or the 416 Rigby. That reduces the recoil as well. The cartridge is a good one and downloaded a bit is no different than the other 416s.
 
That is a classic debate, and you hit the nail on the head—a faster caliber won't make a dead animal any deader! The choice between the classic .375 H&H and the extra velocity of the Weatherby is almost like playing a high-stakes Penalty Shoot Out game where you risk higher recoil for just a bit more flat-shooting edge, hoping that single shot makes all the difference. For DG, reliability and placement trump speed every time. Do you find the extra kick of the Weatherby affects your quick follow-up shots at all?
Oh yeah......
 
My son’s weatherby dgr in 375h&h is a bery very nice feeding and extremely accurate rifle. No need for controlled round feed. None needed. Its a great great rifle
 
I don't know about the good, but the bad is that it's a Weatherby.
 

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