.416 Taylor

Coldswede

AH senior member
Joined
Apr 12, 2017
Messages
52
Reaction score
35
Media
2
Hey guys i thought i would ask some advice here. I have been scouting a beautiful .416 Taylor mauser 98 but im a bit worried about felt recoil and how available brass is.

My biggest gun at the moment is a 8x68s propelling a 200 grain bullet at about 900+ m/s and i find it completley fine shooting standing and kneeling. How much more will the Taylor kick?

I love my 8x68s but brass is not exactly something you just go out and buy, finding brass and reloading dies for it took some effort and wasnt painless. For the guys out there how hard was brass and dies to get and has there been any issues to get a hold of continuously?
 
If you're in the USA, Lee makes dies for it, and you simply run a piece of 458 Win Mag brass in the die and you're all set. I just bought a set of those dies a few weeks ago, and it works like a charm. However, I don't have a 416 Taylor. I was planning to build one but found a 416 Ruger and bought it instead. The 416 Ruger and Taylor have similar ballistics, so recoil should be close. To me, it's about like shooting a heavy shotgun load from a lightweight shotgun. Pretty stout, but not painful, unless you shoot several times in a row with thin clothing on. If you've ever shot a 375 H&H, the recoil is not terribly more than the 375, but it is noticeably more.
 
You could ask @mdwest as he just built one. I will answer most of what you asked. The brass is available and it is basically 458WIN MAG brass necked down, making it very easy to form brass. On pass through your sizing dies with a well lubricated 458WM brass and you have 416 Taylor. mid-south has brass in stock https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/dept/reloading/rifle-brass/416-taylor CH4D for dies https://www.ch4d.com/products/dies/caliber-list?filter-col=caliber&filter=416+taylor. Recoil will be more than your 8x68 but many factors will apply like weight of the rifle, specfic load etc but the most important part of recoil management is correct fit of your rifle.
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2019-02-01 at 11.36.31 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2019-02-01 at 11.36.31 AM.png
    512.3 KB · Views: 275
  • Screen Shot 2019-02-01 at 11.36.33 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2019-02-01 at 11.36.33 AM.png
    417.9 KB · Views: 252
  • Screen Shot 2019-02-01 at 11.36.43 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2019-02-01 at 11.36.43 AM.png
    1.4 MB · Views: 228
  • Screen Shot 2019-02-01 at 11.36.44 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2019-02-01 at 11.36.44 AM.png
    2.2 MB · Views: 220
@AZDAVE is correct.. I just finished an M98 416 Taylor build (that I blame him for! :) ).. I'd be happy to help any way I can..

you can neck down 458 WM brass (easiest option) or neck up 338 WM brass (still not hard.. but a little more difficult).. or if you need 416 Taylor head stamped brass, its pretty easy to come by.. midwayusa stocks it.. so does brownells, midsouth, and others.. 458 WM brass is plentiful and reasonably cheap if your intent is to mostly use the gun outside of Africa..

Im using Lee dies and have loaded about 100 rounds at this point with no problem (about 1/2 of those used Norma 416 Taylor brass.. the other half I used once fired Winchester 458 Win Mag brass)..

I shot my 416 T side by side with a 416 Rem Mag and a 458 Win Mag last weekend.. the 416 T was noticeably the lightest in the recoil department.. shooting 400gr TSX over a 65 grain charge of H4895 (a good north american load I believe) I could honestly tell no difference in recoil between it and my 375 H&H.. with a charge of 71 grains of H4895 (now reaching optimum Africa velocities.. roughly 2450fps..) it was only just barely heavier in recoil than the 375 H&H.. and still absolutely manageable and a pleasure to shoot.. shooting off sticks or from the standing it would be no problem putting 30-40 rounds down range at all (I shot about 10x last weekend along with a few from the 416 RM and the 458 WM and had no issues)..
 
I had a 416 Taylor for quite a few years. As others have said, resizing 458 is pretty straight forward. Upping 338, I did by fireforming with cornmeal and a wax cap. Both 458 and 338 will last a lot longer if you anneal them first. Reloader 15 was my standard powder. I shot a lot of Hornady 400 grain and Speer 350 grain loads. Bullets don't have to be high end to punch paper and groundhogs. The heavier bullets generate a bit more recoil. Stock fit is vitally important! If the stock fits, recoil is easily manageable, if not, it can be punishing and you will have a hard time being accurate. My gun fit me and I could easily shoot 20-30 full house loads sitting at the bench. I had one for a short time that didn't fit and I would be done with 5 or 6 off sticks standing up.
For light loads 5744 and Trailboss are good to have around. RCBS also makes dies.
Wish I had not sold mine.
Bfly


Two good references are John Woofers article in Rifle, something like The 416 Taylor in Africa, and Ken Waters Petloads on the Taylor.
Check Norma for factory loads, at one time they listed the Taylor.
 
Last edited:
I own a Parker Hale mauser action in 416 Taylor. It has no more felt recoil than any of the 30 cal magnums. I have bought Norma brass with the correct head stamp as well as made brass from 458win, 358norma, 338win and 416 Hoffman brass. My best load in my rifle has been 70grs of Reloader15 pushing 400gr projectiles. You never feel recoil or hear the shot when shooting at fur!!
 
You can just buy 416 Taylor brass now. Qual Cart and Norma. You can form it if you're on dire need or happen upon a bunch of cheap 458 brass (unlikely). But no need to screw around forming when you can just buy Norma for a bit over $2 ea
 

Forum statistics

Threads
53,632
Messages
1,131,597
Members
92,716
Latest member
sports0266
 

 

 

Latest profile posts

Early morning Impala hunt, previous link was wrong video

Headshot on jackal this morning

Mature Eland Bull taken in Tanzania, at 100 yards, with 375 H&H, 300gr, Federal Premium Expanding bullet.

20231012_145809~2.jpg
 
Top