Rigby Big Game Lightweight 350 Rigby

pc3 said:
So does anyone have some "modern" load data for the .350 Rigby ?

I assume its like the .416 Rigby, potentially you could load it to .416 Weatherby ballistics .

IF that's possible then with a 310 gr Woodleigh it would be for all intents and purposes pretty similar to a .375 H&H in power

How fast could the .350 R push the 250gr Accubond in a modern gun ?
Click to expand...
@pc3
The standard Whelen when stoked up ( safely) with a 310 is nipping at the heels of the original 375 load.
I get 2,455fps in my Whelen with the 310, I imagine the Rigby should do 2,600-2,700 fps at full throttle.
Bob
 
pc3 said:
So does anyone have some "modern" load data for the .350 Rigby ?

I assume its like the .416 Rigby, potentially you could load it to .416 Weatherby ballistics .

IF that's possible then with a 310 gr Woodleigh it would be for all intents and purposes pretty similar to a .375 H&H in power

How fast could the .350 R push the 250gr Accubond in a modern gun ?
Click to expand...
I do not have modern data for the 350RigbyM but did look at what loads should safely be possible. I would think you can duplicate the 358Norma mag or do better. I have some 350RM brass about, if I remember, tomorrow I'll see what weight of water it holds. I don't have any 358Norma so if somebody that does could do the same.
 
Rule 303 said:
I do not have modern data for the 350RigbyM but did look at what loads should safely be possible. I would think you can duplicate the 358Norma mag or do better. I have some 350RM brass about, if I remember, tomorrow I'll see what weight of water it holds. I don't have any 358Norma so if somebody that does could do the same.
Click to expand...
Thankyou just considering what makes the most sense when putting together a brace of Rigbys…..the 350 Rigby with modern loads and a 250 accubond I think could be reasonably flat shooting for plains game and perfect for Eland etc.
 
OK, I couldn't wait. Bertram 350 Rigby Magnum case holds 83.5 grains of water. Though the 358Norma is shorter it is not as tapered as the 350RigbyM.
350Rigby, shoulder=.415" Base=.470" Length=2.75"
358Norma, Shoulder =.489", Base=.508", Length= 2.52"

Taylor said the 300 grain from a 350Rigby penetrated as well or better than 300grain bullet from a 375H&H and that is with the old loadings, think of what most would get out of their 35Whelens.
 
Rule 303 said:
OK, I couldn't wait. Bertram 350 Rigby Magnum case holds 83.5 grains of water. Though the 358Norma is shorter it is not as tapered as the 350RigbyM.
350Rigby, shoulder=.415" Base=.470" Length=2.75"
358Norma, Shoulder =.489", Base=.508", Length= 2.52"

Taylor said the 300 grain from a 350Rigby penetrated as well or better than 300grain bullet from a 375H&H and that is with the old loadings, think of what most would get out of their 35Whelens.
Click to expand...
The Magnums was 225 -250 grain , same with br 2 as I saw Taylor wrote it .

The .400-350 was 310 Woodleigh .

.358 NM can load that to 750-780 ms ( depending on action and pressure test )
 
PerH said:
The Magnums was 225 -250 grain , same with br 2 as I saw Taylor wrote it .

The .400-350 was 310 Woodleigh .

.358 NM can load that to 750-780 ms ( depending on action and pressure test )
Click to expand...

Could be wrong but I thought the 350 rigby only came in 225grn....what kynoch loaded ...only ammunition was kynamco/kynoch when I had my 350 made ...last one Paul built just before sold to the california bunch....traded it back to Paul along with my 275 for a replica karamojo bell rifle he had built for a bit if fun.....it was a lovely rifle and I was impressed with the 350 round...only used it a few times but it worked....if ammo had been easier to get...I would probably be using it as my go to rifle now on takeri.....

Ps apologies if I gave already covered some of this in the thread previously...but I ain't going back to read through it all.... ;)
 
spike.t said:
Could be wrong but I thought the 350 rigby only came in 225grn....what kynoch loaded ...only ammunition was kynamco/kynoch when I had my 350 made ...last one Paul built just before sold to the california bunch....traded it back to Paul along with my 275 for a replica karamojo bell rifle he had built for a bit if fun.....it was a lovely rifle and I was impressed with the 350 round...only used it a few times but it worked....if ammo had been easier to get...I would probably be using it as my go to rifle now on takeri.....

Ps apologies if I gave already covered some of this in the thread previously...but I ain't going back to read through it all.... ;)
Click to expand...
Oki

I must have been thinking of some custom ammo maker of some type somewhere . 225 is perhaps of best allround to use . And if one find some Accubond a bullet similar to many good ones .

( I almost shot through some soft scrap steel on 450 meters years ago with that bullet and .358 Nm, also 215 now defunct PbP copper HP . Northfork make some that looks like PBP did , license deal done there by looks of it . )
 
Aussie_Hunter said:
I don't know if it's just me but this new offering from Rigby doesn't really make sense to me? The Big Game rifles are chambered in exactly that, big game calibres- 375H&H, 416 Rigby & 450 Rigby. Rigby then offer the Highland Stalker in smaller calibres suitable for plains game etc but also chamber this model in the good ole 9.3X62 which alot of us already know is the legal minimum in quite a few African countries for DG.

  • The new Big Game "lightweight" is chambered in 350 Rigby, which won't be legal for DG in the majority of African countries.
  • Is a smaller calibre than the 9.3X62
  • From my research and understanding this cartridge produces slightly less energy than the 9.3 though with modern powders the ballistic performance can probably be improved.
  • Typically uses a lighter weight projectile than the 9.3
  • Given the calibre, bullet weight and powder charge I can't see the 350 Rigby producing a significant amount of recoil (doesn't need to be chambered in a heavy rifle)
  • The new "lightweight" big game model in the 350 Rigby chambering still weighs around 9.3-9.5lbs, compared to the Highland Stalker in 9.3 which weighs around 7.8lbs and in my opinion is the perfect configuration and weight for the 9.3 chambering
So with all that being said, why chamber a lightweight version of the big game model in 350 Rigby? Wouldn't it have made more sense to chamber the Highland Stalker in 350 Rigby? Most of you already know I'm a Rigby fan boy and that's never going to change but yeah I am really struggling to understand this new offering. Also just to be clear my questioning of this new offering has nothing to do with the cartridge itself, it's the configuration of the rifle that doesn't make sense to me.

What's everyone else's thoughts?

Below from the Rigby website.

View attachment 580683

Big Game Lightweight​

Chambered in .350 Magnum, the Lightweight features a slim profile 24-inch barrel, with the stock profile reproduced to mirror the vintage pre-war models housed in the Rigby Museum, with no cheek piece and larger hand-chequered panels. The rifle weighs 430grams less than the standard Big Game.
Click to expand...
I’d buy that model In a minute just for the nostalgia and the Old School cool factor. Plus, it would be a hoot to shoot.

Need it? Nope. … My Remington M660 in .350 Rem Mag duplicates or betters the Rigby Mag’s signature load, which sent a 225grn .358” SP bullet @ 2600fps from a 24”barrel. The M660 can do that from a 20” tube, with max loads running 2700+fps.

And who cares if the .350 Mags aren’t DG-legal “in the majority of African countries”?

DG critters are what I own a .404 Jeff for.
 
Last edited:
pc3 said:
Thankyou just considering what makes the most sense when putting together a brace of Rigbys…..the 350 Rigby with modern loads and a 250 accubond I think could be reasonably flat shooting for plains game and perfect for Eland etc.
Click to expand...
@pc3
The Whelen with 225s shoots as flatter than my son's 308 loaded with 150gn SST at 2,900fps and with 250 hotcores sighted 3" high at 100 is about 24" low at 400, zeros around 250 from memory. So flat enough for me out to the ranges I shoot.
Bob
 
PerH said:
Oki

I must have been thinking of some custom ammo maker of some type somewhere . 225 is perhaps of best allround to use . And if one find some Accubond a bullet similar to many good ones .

( I almost shot through some soft scrap steel on 450 meters years ago with that bullet and .358 Nm, also 215 now defunct PbP copper HP . Northfork make some that looks like PBP did , license deal done there by looks of it . )
Click to expand...

333 Jeffery and 318 Westley Richards came in 250 grn recipes amongst other weights...
 
PerH said:
The Magnums was 225 -250 grain , same with br 2 as I saw Taylor wrote it .

The .400-350 was 310 Woodleigh .

.358 NM can load that to 750-780 ms ( depending on action and pressure test )
Click to expand...

Correct, my mistake just relying on memory, about 30 years since I read his book.
 
spike.t said:
Could be wrong but I thought the 350 rigby only came in 225grn....what kynoch loaded ...only ammunition was kynamco/kynoch when I had my 350 made ...last one Paul built just before sold to the california bunch....traded it back to Paul along with my 275 for a replica karamojo bell rifle he had built for a bit if fun.....it was a lovely rifle and I was impressed with the 350 round...only used it a few times but it worked....if ammo had been easier to get...I would probably be using it as my go to rifle now on takeri.....

Ps apologies if I gave already covered some of this in the thread previously...but I ain't going back to read through it all.... ;)
Click to expand...
@spike.t
From memory the 350 came in two loads
A 225 gn at 2,600fps and a 300 at 2,300 fps
I could be wrong.
Those loads are a lot slower than the Whelen does with new powders but with the Rigby's case capacity I could easily be given a boost in a modern rifle to easily outdo the Whelen.
Bob
 
Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:
@spike.t
From memory the 350 came in two loads
A 225 gn at 2,600fps and a 300 at 2,300 fps
I could be wrong.
Those loads are a lot slower than the Whelen does with new powders but with the Rigby's case capacity I could easily be given a boost in a modern rifle to easily outdo the Whelen.
Bob
Click to expand...
I spoke to Anthony George yesterday and he said AR22013SC would be the ticket for the .350 Rigby and likley you could move it along a little faster safely.

I figure someone on here has worked with the round in a modern gun. In saying that 225gr at 2600 fps is dealing with anything short of DG.

I do think it may be capable of a 250gr pill at 2700 fps given the case size.
 
pc3 said:
I spoke to Anthony George yesterday and he said AR22013SC would be the ticket for the .350 Rigby and likley you could move it along a little faster safely.

I figure someone on here has worked with the round in a modern gun. In saying that 225gr at 2600 fps is dealing with anything short of DG.

I do think it may be capable of a 250gr pill at 2700 fps given the case size.
Click to expand...
Modern .358” projectiles today enjoy a versatile span of weights and profiles.

For Rigby’s .350, an outfit like Hawk Bullets offers .358” projectiles in 225grn, 250grn, 275grn, and 300grn. Round tip, flat-point, or spitzer profile.

Bullet Selection | Hawk Bullets

The World's Largest Selection of Bullets. .351 SL 33 WCF 348 Winchester 50 Beowulf 38-55 9.3mm 8mm 32 Remmington 270 Caliber Cal 280 Ross 50-110 38-40
hawkbullets.com hawkbullets.com

I would look at Woodleigh also.
 
pc3 said:
I spoke to Anthony George yesterday and he said AR22013SC would be the ticket for the .350 Rigby and likley you could move it along a little faster safely.

I figure someone on here has worked with the round in a modern gun. In saying that 225gr at 2600 fps is dealing with anything short of DG.

I do think it may be capable of a 250gr pill at 2700 fps given the case size.
Click to expand...
AR2209 would be worth trying as well. I run 2209 in my 338/358RUM, a far bigger case I know, but looked at the reloading manuals for 358NM and 2209 is very good in that cartridge. May have to try AR2213SC in the RUM but I think it will be too slow in it.

Of the Auusie powders the Whelen performs best with BM8208 and AR2206H until about the 250 grain mark.
 
pc3 said:
I spoke to Anthony George yesterday and he said AR22013SC would be the ticket for the .350 Rigby and likley you could move it along a little faster safely.

I figure someone on here has worked with the round in a modern gun. In saying that 225gr at 2600 fps is dealing with anything short of DG.

I do think it may be capable of a 250gr pill at 2700 fps given the case size.
Click to expand...
@pc3
If the Whelen is capable of 2,700 with a 250 grainer safely then the Rigby with its much larger case capacity (91gn of H2O compared to the Whelen 72-77 gn depending on case brand) I would surmise the bigger Rigby case is capable of even better with the right powder and similar pressure
Bob
 
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Rule 303 said:
AR2209 would be worth trying as well. I run 2209 in my 338/358RUM, a far bigger case I know, but looked at the reloading manuals for 358NM and 2209 is very good in that cartridge. May have to try AR2213SC in the RUM but I think it will be too slow in it.

Of the Auusie powders the Whelen performs best with BM8208 and AR2206H until about the 250 grain mark.
Click to expand...
@Rule 303
Of the powders we could get in Australia until the pricks stopped importing it CFE223 was the best.
Fortunately I got wind of it and every gunshop I went to I bought what they had because no one had heard of it. I ended up with enough to do me my life and half my son's, 20 pounds of it along with five pounds of superformance.
Cheerin
Bob
 
Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:
@pc3
If the Whelen is capable of 2,700 with a 250 grainer safely then the Rigby with its much larger case capacity (91gn of H2O compared to the Whelen 72-77 gn depending on case brand) I would surmise the bigger Rigby case is capable of even better with the right powder and similar pressure
Bob
Click to expand...
Bob I don't know where you got the 91 grains of HO2 for the 350 Rigby Mag. My Bertram cases only hold 83 grains of water.
 
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