404 Jeffrey vs 416 Rigby

[BWB]

Wanting a dg rifle in either of these 2 calibers. Which would you choose and why?

 

[Betterinthebush]

.416 Rigby

History, nostalgia.

ETA: I’ve only got experience shooting it. It’s going on its first field trial in ‘27 for dry land hippo. So, I’m no authority.

 

[RR 314]

Wanting a dg rifle in either of these 2 calibers. Which would you choose and why?

Yes.

 

[Aaron N]

.416 Rigby

History, nostalgia.

Well the 404 is older than the 416, and has done more heavy lifting in Africa whilst not being placed on a pedestal by Ruark.

In all honesty, there’s no wrong choice!

 

[Rare Breed]

I have owned both and you can’t go wrong with either. The 416 Rigby will give you more options and sources of ammo than the 404 and much cheaper to shoot

 

[Wyatt Smith]

416 has a better case design in my opinion.

 

[Jefferry404]

With the proper action, 416 Rigby

 

[Tintin]

Both have nostalgic charm aplenty.

One plus for the .404 Jeffery is that it can be built on a standard 98 action.

lots of previous discussions here, eg

Thread '404 jeffery vs 416 Rigby'

Feb 9, 2014

this was asked in an after thought in another post recently and my knee jerk reaction was to vote for the 404 Jeffery. however I just sat down with my reloading manuals and took a look at both cartridges. it would seem at least according to the info I have that the 404 Jeffery and the 416 Rigby are nearly ballistic twins which a slight edge going to the Rigby due to the smaller diameter bullet. now according to my books they both push a 400gr bullet at around 2300 fps give or take 100fps depending on type of powder used. my major flaw here is that I don't have any real world experience...

• matt85
• Replies: 257
• Forum: .375 & up

• 

 

[deewayne2003]

I sold my .416Rigby to start a .404J build.

If I had to do it over again I would keep the .416Rigby - much better bullet choices and brass availability.

 

[Green Chile]

416 due to components availability and it's easier to find ammo if needed on short notice. I also like getting good numbers without leaning on it. 400 TSX at 2400 are easily done with room to spare. I don't like loading anything (especially for DG) to the max.

 

[ftrovato]

First beautiful gun I found in either caliber would get the nod for me...

 

[cmk]

Both solve the same task, but the Rigby can give you a little more oomph/energy/KO-value etc. Whether that is really needed on a DG hunt is a different question. If a situation calls for something bigger than the 404J, the answer probably isn't the 416Rigby, but something along the lines of 458 Lott, 470 NE, 500 Jeffery or 505 Gibbs.

Component availability is probably better for the .416, as there are a handful of cartridges that uses .416 bullets, but only the Jeffery uses .423 (apart from the 10.75x68, and a few others that are quite obscure/obsolete).

 

[Tex .416]

416 has a better case design in my opinion.

Definitely.

I sold my .416Rigby to start a .404J build.

If I had to do it over again I would keep the .416Rigby - much better bullet choices and brass availability.

This. Vastly better ammo and components options.

 

[BWB]

I appreciate the replies. I find I’m somewhat recoil shy so probably wouldn’t load either past about 2200 fps.

 

[Tintin]

In my experience shooting both of these (similar weight rifles), the 404 recoil feels a bit softer and a little less ‘sharp’. That said, the .416 Rigby is still comfortable to shoot with very manageable felt recoil.

 

[Green Chile]

I appreciate the replies. I find I’m somewhat recoil shy so probably wouldn’t load either past about 2200 fps.

That's ok too. The double rifle's successes were mostly based on 2150fps.

 

[ChooChoo404]

I have yet to shoot mr rigby

Jeff is a kind gentleman so long as you give him his due

and if memory serves, you need an electron microscope to see any difference on the other end

 

[Aussie_Hunter]

When ordering my Rigby Big Game rifle, I went with the 404 Jeffery. I haven't had any issues finding reloading components and the 404 still has plenty of horsepower, I'm running 450 grain RNSN Woodleighs at an average of 2263fps. The recoil of the 404 in the Rigby Big Game rifle is very mild in my opinion.

 

[Badboymelvin]

404 for me... just something about this cartridge that captivates me.

I don't own one or have fired one, but I do have a 425 Express that shoots the same bullets at the same velocity and what it can do just impresses me so much.

The 404 would do the exactly the same thing except with more history and dare I say it more class...

Russ

 

[uplander01]

The main benefit of the 404 is that it can be made into a smaller nimbler rifle as it doesn't need a magnum action. But from every other angle the 416 is better IMO....more component availability, more horsepower if you want to load it up, a little better sectional density for penetration. I have both and this is what I've come up with after some use. 416 Rigby is on a GMA barreled action done by Dennis Olson, 404 is on a pre-64 M70 done by Griffin & Howe. From my experience the 416 is a bit easier to work with on the loading bench as well, sizing brass and not dealing with headspace issues in particular.