460 Weatherby, Ryan Breeding

[grand veneur]

Looking at a rifle like this, one can assume the builder is not very familiar with the cartridge 460 Weatherby Magnum. The case of this cartridge is not huge, but it still holds a considerable amount of powder that has to burn somewhere, preferably inside the barrel rather than outside. Therefore, 26" is an optimal barrel length for this cartridge.

As for reduced loads, these are very easy to make because the original Weatherby cartridges were overloaded and hardly suitable for hunting. A 100% non-compressed load with a progressive powder give a muzzle velocity of 2400 fps to 2500 fps, a value that is only theoretically achievable with the much-praised cartridge 458 Lott or similar. In practical hunting situations, all of this might not matter so much, but then you don't need a rifle caliber 460 Weatherby Magnum, especially not one like this we are discussing here.

Here is a reasonably usable factory load, but in a rifle with a 26" barrel.

 

[Wildwillalaska]

I've been unable to receive correspondence with RB Rifles through the years.

However, I do appreciate the frank & brutally honest, opinions. I have no experience with the 460, or muzzle breaks.

Thank you!

Daniel, I’d encourage you to reach out to Ryan’s wife Toni, she is the books, correspondence, calls side of the business. She is extremely conversant. If you send a text to the cell number on their webpage, she should get back to you pretty promptly.

Both of them are such wonderful human beings. She Facebook messages me semi-regularly, sometime about rifles/actions, other times kids, vacations etc., and I haven’t bought a single rifle from them yet. I met both of them through a pre-owned 505 Gibbs I bought that wasn’t clearly marked but looked like one in his gallery. They were both so amazing in quickly confirming that not only Ryan built it, but confirming for whom, when, that it had killed a polar bear and bongo, maybe the only Breeding rifle to make that kind of transition. Truly enjoyed conversations with Toni, yet when Ryan called me out of the blue to check in and chat about loading for the rifle, realized quickly he’s as much a special gem of a person as Toni.

Ryan Breeding is a true artist in metal and precision. He does favor shorter barreled guns, but would say most his rifles are in that 22-24” range. He builds true bespoke guns though. If someone commissions it, he can build it, even if a 18” 460 Weatherby.

I’m not a Weatherby fanatic, I just look at any 460 Weatherby and imagine what it could have been as a 450 Rigby…even though they are such close ballistic cousins, I just can’t get along with Weatherby shoulders.

@Daniel Cary, I do hope you reach out to the Breedings again. Not just beautiful, precision artful rifles, but wonderful folks behind them. And they’d happily build you one without the Weatherby shoulder or horrid looking muzzle device. Think build time is 12-24 months depending on actions, but they usually have a spec rifle or something around that is either immediately available or on shorter delivery timeline.

Cheers,
Will

 

[Rifleman97]

Some responses have suggested downloading this cartridge. I am not a hand loader, but is this safe in such a large capacity cartridge? I thought there was a significant risk of hangfires?

Going to check my reloading manuals for what they list for safe minimum loads. (I don’t hand load yet, but have been gearing up and researching it).

Couple of things regarding downloading this cartridge

1. The case capacity is within a grain or two of the 450 rigby, which is essentially a downloaded 460 weatherby

2. Hangfires are only a risk if you use a small amount of fast burning powder with no case filler. If you use corn meal, or whatever else people more experienced than myself on here recommend, you’ll be fine. The risk of hangfires is due to the powder being too far from the primer, and detonating rather than igniting. If you put in powder charge, then fill with case filler the remaining bit, then seat the bullet, there’s no risk of hangfire as all the powder remains seated up against the primer.

 

[Green Chile]

There might be someone who could run that rifle well but I don't know them. That's a shame too as Mr. Breeding's work is so nice. This is the first Breeding rifle I've seen that I don't like or wouldn't want to use. I would love to own one of his regular DG rifle builds.

 

[grand veneur]

Couple of things regarding downloading this cartridge

1. The case capacity is within a grain or two of the 450 rigby, which is essentially a downloaded 460 weatherby

2. Hangfires are only a risk if you use a small amount of fast burning powder with no case filler. If you use corn meal, or whatever else people more experienced than myself on here recommend, you’ll be fine. The risk of hangfires is due to the powder being too far from the primer, and detonating rather than igniting. If you put in powder charge, then fill with case filler the remaining bit, then seat the bullet, there’s no risk of hangfire as all the powder remains seated up against the primer.

If you have to reload the cartridge 460 Weatherby Magnum to the level of the cartridge 45-70 Government, you should before consider whether it would not be better to get a rifle of a smaller caliber.

 

[Rifleman97]

If you have to reload the cartridge 460 Weatherby Magnum to the level of the cartridge 45-70 Government, you should before consider whether it would not be better to get a rifle of a smaller caliber.

I wasn’t suggesting to load to 45-70 levels, I was suggesting to load to 450 rigby levels, as the 450 rigby is plenty for Buffalo. Although you can download it to Buffalo bore 45-70 levels if you wanted for practice with less likelyhood of developing flinch.

 

[grand veneur]

I wasn’t suggesting to load to 45-70 levels, I was suggesting to load to 450 rigby levels, as the 450 rigby is plenty for Buffalo. Although you can download it to Buffalo bore 45-70 levels if you wanted for practice with less likelyhood of developing flinch.

In order to load this cartridge to the level of the cartridge 450 Rigby, it is often enough to use a slow burning powder with a load density of 100% but not compressed. I have reloaded the cartridge 460 Weatherby Magnum for 30 years and have hunted with it.

 

[ftrovato]

I've admired this rifle on GI for sometime now but dont need another big bore or I would buy it.

I think it would be dynamite with premium bullets loaded to 458 Win Mag velocities.

 

[375Ruger416]

Thank you for the info! I have been researching reloading supplies for the past several months and am about ready to pull the trigger

 

[Rifleman97]

In order to load this cartridge to the level of the cartridge 450 Rigby, it is often enough to use a slow burning powder with a load density of 100% but not compressed. I have reloaded the cartridge 460 Weatherby Magnum for 30 years and have hunted with it.

You’re absolutely right. But if you do the math, a faster burning powder with a little case fill has less recoil than a slower burning powder alone, if recoil reduction is the sole purpose of the downloading.

 

[colorado]

Is this a Ryan Breeding custom rifle? Is it built on a GMA Magnum Mauser Action? If so I'd have Ryan put a 24" 505 Gibbs barrel on it. Then you'd have something!

 

[coyote wacker]

The rifle looks like it would be a great dangerous game rifle. Myself have always liked and used shorter barrels, 18"- 20" is my liking. But I tend to hunt tighter cover open plains type hunting just not my style.

 

[grand veneur]

These are all toys. In practice a rifle that is 5 inches longer makes hardly any difference and the African bush where most hunted is far away from extremely dense.

 

[Flbt]

If the barrel twist would handle heavy for cal bullets.
Maybe get the speed of a 458 Winchester but with 700gr bullets instead pd 500gr.
That might be interesting

 

[grand veneur]

What do you need 700gr bullets of caliber .458 for hunting?

 

[Flbt]

What do you need 700gr bullets of caliber .458 for hunting?

What do you need a 900gr 60 cal for hunting.
Because you want it?

 

[roklok]

Is this a Ryan Breeding custom rifle? Is it built on a GMA Magnum Mauser Action? If so I'd have Ryan put a 24" 505 Gibbs barrel on it. Then you'd have something!

No it is built on a 1917 Enfield action, it and the P14 Enfield (and Remington 30) make an excellent basis for a DG rifle chambered for BIG cartridges. Art Alphin of A-Square made a business on building his Hannibal rifles on these actions.

 

[Daniel Cary]

Daniel, I’d encourage you to reach out to Ryan’s wife Toni, she is the books, correspondence, calls side of the business. She is extremely conversant. If you send a text to the cell number on their webpage, she should get back to you pretty promptly.

Both of them are such wonderful human beings. She Facebook messages me semi-regularly, sometime about rifles/actions, other times kids, vacations etc., and I haven’t bought a single rifle from them yet. I met both of them through a pre-owned 505 Gibbs I bought that wasn’t clearly marked but looked like one in his gallery. They were both so amazing in quickly confirming that not only Ryan built it, but confirming for whom, when, that it had killed a polar bear and bongo, maybe the only Breeding rifle to make that kind of transition. Truly enjoyed conversations with Toni, yet when Ryan called me out of the blue to check in and chat about loading for the rifle, realized quickly he’s as much a special gem of a person as Toni.

Ryan Breeding is a true artist in metal and precision. He does favor shorter barreled guns, but would say most his rifles are in that 22-24” range. He builds true bespoke guns though. If someone commissions it, he can build it, even if a 18” 460 Weatherby.

I’m not a Weatherby fanatic, I just look at any 460 Weatherby and imagine what it could have been as a 450 Rigby…even though they are such close ballistic cousins, I just can’t get along with Weatherby shoulders.

@Daniel Cary, I do hope you reach out to the Breedings again. Not just beautiful, precision artful rifles, but wonderful folks behind them. And they’d happily build you one without the Weatherby shoulder or horrid looking muzzle device. Think build time is 12-24 months depending on actions, but they usually have a spec rifle or something around that is either immediately available or on shorter delivery timeline.

Cheers,
Will

Will, thank you, foremost.
I had only tried via email, (while on a lengthy quest) for a custom. I'm sure a simple call could've helped. They do seem to do beautiful work!

Matt Roberts & I have pitched so many ideas back & forth through the years .. I ended up doing nothing.

 

[Daniel Cary]

The "cheese grater"

There is also a "mint" RB 585 fyi.

 

[TTundra]

Some responses have suggested downloading this cartridge. I am not a hand loader, but is this safe in such a large capacity cartridge? I thought there was a significant risk of hangfires?

Going to check my reloading manuals for what they list for safe minimum loads. (I don’t hand load yet, but have been gearing up and researching it).

Yes, the 460 is extremely versatile. Shoot 300gr at 2700 and alot on between to 600gr at 2450.

My choice as it has same POI is 500 gr at 2500 for both solid and soft. I've said here before, the 460 gets a bad rap from either inexperience, ignorance, or the Mark V/brake. A well fitted rifle and experienced big bore shooter fields a very formidable rifle. Certainly the most versatile of any of the 458 chamberings.