.416 Taylor Reloading Data

casper1988

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I recently acquired a Colt Sauer Grand African. The barrel has been changed from the original .458 Win Mag to .416 Taylor. I have seen the post with the Ken Waters data and am using that for 400 gr bullets. I've also read there is a reloading manual published by Woodleigh Bullets that has a fairly good section on .416 Taylor. Unfortunately, it seems the book is out of print and I have not been able to find a copy for sale. If anyone has a copy of that manual and wouldn't mind uploading pictures of the pages with .416 Taylor data, it would be appreciated.

Thanks,

casper1988
 
Hello Casper1988;

Your question has been posted many times in the Forum in the past and needs only a search engine action.

Here's what you're looking for:


 
Last edited:
If that's the case, I might proceed like that. Now the next challenge is that the projos I have are 410 woodleighs... Which means I don't really have data for this and the 416 rem mag project I'm going on. I suppose I can use 400gr data and load down a bit at least. Curious if anyone has any woodleigh data for these in either caliber??
I do have experience loading 410 Woodleighs and used it on a Cape Buffalo in 2022 with good success.

First off, the "Pet Loads" by Ken Waters is good information but it is in essence, Ver. 1.0 of information and has been updated by additional information (i.e., the 2.0) found in the book, "African Dangerous Game Cartridges'" by P. Walt. I've attached the page excerpts from the 416 Taylor chapter for your benefit but for others' with 416 Taylors as FYI.

There is a section on Page 5A for 400 grain bullets

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Although not the Woodleigh manual you were specifically looking for, "African Dangerous Game Cartridges'" by P. Walt does have the essential information (see Page 5A in the above posted attachments). My bad also, in that you were not looking for the Ken Waters data as you indicated already had this information, but I unnecessarily reposted anyway. Next time I'll look closer at what people actually post!
 
Casper,

My 416 Taylor rifle is a 24" barreled syn stocked rifle with all metal cerakoted, an all weather, all game anywhere rifle, it wears a 1.5-5 Leupold in steel Talleys also cerakoted and drilled for 8-40 threads.

It has a British crown on the 98 Mauser action with no other marking other than the bottom metal marked Parker-Hale, with that in mind i knew it was of modern steel, so safe and plenty strong for max load search, I also didn't care for the limited available load data and powders used decades ago.

I looked the case over as powder column relates to neck size, then studied powder burn rate charts, with a bit of extrapolation, I picked CFE-223 powder, extremely dense well packing powder, flat safe pressure curve, plus it helps clean the copper fouling from your bore.

I worked up to a safe 77.5grs of CFE-223 under all manner of 400gr bullets, 400gr Hornady round nose softs and solids, as well as 400gr partitions, all bullets get a firm roll crimp from the Redding dies, FED-215 primers used throughout load development.

Brass used is A-Square, Jamison, Quality Cartridge and first annealed, then ran into a set of 358 Norma mag dies, the necked on up to 416 with the Redding dies WW-Super 338 WM brass, the necked up 338 WM brass is short, but mighty fine for practice shooting with the cheaper Hornady bullets.

Even with all brass makes, with the first three being proper head stamped cases, the velocities were never more than 20 fps e.s.....................all loads average a true 2409 fps, that's exactly what I was after with this project, primer pockets remain tight, easy load and extraction, a real powerhouse load in a very effective chambering.

Start at 74gr CFE-223 under 400gr bullets and work up.
 
Hello Casper1988;

Your question has been posted many times in the Forum in the past and needs only a search engine action.

Here's what you're looking for:


Thanks for the great information on the history of the .416 Taylor cartridge. I'll give it a read later tonight and get educated!
 
I do have experience loading 410 Woodleighs and used it on a Cape Buffalo in 2022 with good success.

First off, the "Pet Loads" by Ken Waters is good information but it is in essence, Ver. 1.0 of information and has been updated by additional information (i.e., the 2.0) found in the book, "African Dangerous Game Cartridges'" by P. Walt. I've attached the page excerpts from the 416 Taylor chapter for your benefit but for others' with 416 Taylors as FYI.

There is a section on Page 5A for 400 grain bullets

Attachments​

  • Page 5A.jpg
    Page 5A.jpg
    742.5 KB · Views: 127
  • Page 5B.jpg
    Page 5B.jpg
    910.2 KB · Views: 121
  • Page 4.jpg
    Page 4.jpg
    852.1 KB · Views: 117
  • Page 3.jpg
    Page 3.jpg
    781.9 KB · Views: 113
  • Page 2.jpg
    Page 2.jpg
    887.2 KB · Views: 93
  • Page 1.jpg
    Page 1.jpg
    705.3 KB · Views: 106
  • African Dangerous Game Cartridges (ADGC).jpg
Great information - exactly what I was looking for. Tried finding your manual online and can't find anyone that has it for sale.... Thanks for taking the pics and posting them.
 
Casper,

My 416 Taylor rifle is a 24" barreled syn stocked rifle with all metal cerakoted, an all weather, all game anywhere rifle, it wears a 1.5-5 Leupold in steel Talleys also cerakoted and drilled for 8-40 threads.

It has a British crown on the 98 Mauser action with no other marking other than the bottom metal marked Parker-Hale, with that in mind i knew it was of modern steel, so safe and plenty strong for max load search, I also didn't care for the limited available load data and powders used decades ago.

I looked the case over as powder column relates to neck size, then studied powder burn rate charts, with a bit of extrapolation, I picked CFE-223 powder, extremely dense well packing powder, flat safe pressure curve, plus it helps clean the copper fouling from your bore.

I worked up to a safe 77.5grs of CFE-223 under all manner of 400gr bullets, 400gr Hornady round nose softs and solids, as well as 400gr partitions, all bullets get a firm roll crimp from the Redding dies, FED-215 primers used throughout load development.

Brass used is A-Square, Jamison, Quality Cartridge and first annealed, then ran into a set of 358 Norma mag dies, the necked on up to 416 with the Redding dies WW-Super 338 WM brass, the necked up 338 WM brass is short, but mighty fine for practice shooting with the cheaper Hornady bullets.

Even with all brass makes, with the first three being proper head stamped cases, the velocities were never more than 20 fps e.s.....................all loads average a true 2409 fps, that's exactly what I was after with this project, primer pockets remain tight, easy load and extraction, a real powerhouse load in a very effective chambering.

Start at 74gr CFE-223 under 400gr bullets and work up.
With the rifle, I inherited some IMR 3031 and have loaded about 50 rounds with various bullets. Anxious to get to the range and try them. I'll pick up some CFE-223 and give that a try. Really like your numbers - sounds like the right solution. Thanks!
 
Great, sounding like you're in for some great fun with a new rifle, IMR-3031 should be a fine powder with the Speer 350gr mag-tip bullet, have read of folks using it on the great bears and moose in Alaska, so more than plenty tough enough bullet for all U.S. game.

I used that bullet for practice walk shooting offhand/off sticks, off the side of trees a lot in the early days on the way to torching the throat in my Ruger RSM 416 Rigby, pasture and hillside rocks, dirt clods and tree stumps never had a chance, guess I thought I had to fire a million rounds getting ready to hunt Africa someday.

BTW, if you neck up 338 WM brass, as said, it is short, I did not crimp those bullets, they have never moved seated on the compressed load of CFE-223.

I'm certainly no ballistician, but, thought was, anytime I can get enough of a much slower burning powder in a case, the velocities achieved must arrive with lower and certainly acceptable pressures.

CFE-223 is a slower burning powder than all the standard 416 Taylor powders.
 

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