Tinktink12 vs the 450 Rigby

skydiver386 said:

I've created a monster.

Click to expand...

tinktink12 said:

View attachment 806196View attachment 806197
@skydiver386asked me to post pictures he took on my phone to show proof I actually shot the 450 Rigby with a 500 grain bullet that so many of you whine about! And notice I am also still smiling!!!!!!

Click to expand...

Hedge774 said:

Excellent! Do you plan on hunting a hippo in water or land?

Click to expand...

AZDAVE said:

Nice shooting @tinktink12

My wife went from her first animal ever (impala) in 2013 to elephant in 2025 with everything in between.

Hippo is a fun hunt. Look forward to reading your hunt report.

Click to expand...

AZDAVE said:

We will be at the SCI AH dinner. see you there

Would love to make it to the big bore shoot but have previous commitments.

Click to expand...

skydiver386 said:

I've created a monster.

Click to expand...

skydiver386 said:

I want to preface this thread by saying it wasn't my idea.

Tina and I have a Safari scheduled for May 2027 with @DIVAN SAFARIS and she asked what I was most interested in hunting there. My current affliction is Buff and Lechwe, followed by Eland. She asked if she could hunt Hippo in addition to the Tiny 10?

Well hunting the big stuff requires a little more horsepower than the 257 Roberts she's used to. I have numerous rifles in 375, 416 and 458, so when she asked my what I'd hunt one with I instantly replied one of my 450 Rigbys, but anything 375 H&H and up would be fine.

She shot my CZ550 in 375 H&H, but didn't care for it. Shooting the big 450 Rigby her impression was that it kicked LESS. I have a 416 that might be a good choice, but it's currently in Gunsmithing for some work on the bolt handle, bedding, etc.

Our last 2 range sessions she's fired the 450 and feels comfortable off the sticks with it. I'm very proud of the progress she has made in both her marksmanship and hunting skills.

I have the feeling there's a big Hippo in her not to distant future.

Click to expand...

PCC600 said:

Funny you mention the recoil on a 450 Rigby . I have a 450 and 416 both Rigbys and I am convinced the 450 is much the nicer rifle to shoot and very accurate . Experienced shooters who have used these 2 rifles agree .

Click to expand...

skydiver386 said:

My experience with the 450 is that rifle weight is by far the biggest factor. The rifle that Tina is shooting in the photo above is a CZ550 built by the CZ Custom shop that was purchased from @krish and weighs just under 13 pounds. It has a much thicker and heavier barrel than the stock factory.458 bore rifles.

I have another CZ550 that I recently purchased from a member that was originally a 458, rechambered to 450 Rigby. It's weight is just under 9.5 pounds. The difference in recoil of these 2 rifles firing the same loads is significant.

The lighter rifle would be much nicer to carry on a long tracking hunt, but would BITE YOU if shouldered it wrong and got your eye close to the scope.

Tina wants to work up gradually in recoil and I think this is the smart way to do it. Eventually we will use the 500gr Barnes TSX at 2300-2400fps. I this is plenty of power for Hippo on land.

Click to expand...

skydiver386 said:

My experience with the 450 is that rifle weight is by far the biggest factor. The rifle that Tina is shooting in the photo above is a CZ550 built by the CZ Custom shop that was purchased from @krish and weighs just under 13 pounds. It has a much thicker and heavier barrel than the stock factory.458 bore rifles.

I have another CZ550 that I recently purchased from a member that was originally a 458, rechambered to 450 Rigby. It's weight is just under 9.5 pounds. The difference in recoil of these 2 rifles firing the same loads is significant.

The lighter rifle would be much nicer to carry on a long tracking hunt, but would BITE YOU if shouldered it wrong and got your eye close to the scope.

Tina wants to work up gradually in recoil and I think this is the smart way to do it. Eventually we will use the 500gr Barnes TSX at 2300-2400fps. I this is plenty of power for Hippo on land.

Click to expand...

skydiver386 said:

I want to preface this thread by saying it wasn't my idea.

Tina and I have a Safari scheduled for May 2027 with @DIVAN SAFARIS and she asked what I was most interested in hunting there. My current affliction is Buff and Lechwe, followed by Eland. She asked if she could hunt Hippo in addition to the Tiny 10?

Well hunting the big stuff requires a little more horsepower than the 257 Roberts she's used to. I have numerous rifles in 375, 416 and 458, so when she asked my what I'd hunt one with I instantly replied one of my 450 Rigbys, but anything 375 H&H and up would be fine.

She shot my CZ550 in 375 H&H, but didn't care for it. Shooting the big 450 Rigby her impression was that it kicked LESS. I have a 416 that might be a good choice, but it's currently in Gunsmithing for some work on the bolt handle, bedding, etc.

Our last 2 range sessions she's fired the 450 and feels comfortable off the sticks with it. I'm very proud of the progress she has made in both her marksmanship and hunting skills.

I have the feeling there's a big Hippo in her not to distant future.

Click to expand...

skydiver386 said:

She has shot the Norma 500gr round nose solid, aka the Hippo box bullets at 2100fps.
View attachment 806869
She has shot a few of the Norma 500gr flat nosed solids, aka the Elephant bullets at 2500fps, but those are hard to find, so I don't want to shoot them as range ammo.
View attachment 806870
She has also fired my handloaded Barnes TSX 450gr at 2350fps.

She can tell a noticable difference, but isn't scared of any of them, and understands proper shooting form to handle the recoil.

I have ammo loaded by Jarrett when they built a 450 Rigby for me loaded with 500gr A-Frames at 2500 that we could use, but I think I'll keep those stashed for my Buff.

Click to expand...