Anyone else use their 416 on Plains Game?

[Robmill70]

Anyone else use their 416 on PG? (non-DG animals). Only doing PG on my next trip, but thought about bringing my 416 RM along.....

 

[318AE]

I have. Remote trip in Mozambique with buffalo as well. It’s all about whether you shoot it well at those distances and are comfortable with it. Basically, can you place the shots as well as you would with a 300 etc. If you shoot it well, your PH won’t mind a bit etc. Consider solids for the really small ones. It’s not as odd some might think. Bring what you’d like. It’s your safari. How many chances do you get to use your 416?

 

[fourfive8]

+1 No issue when I've used my 416 Rem on combination DG/PG hunts. If you shoot it well and can handle the recoil it will work great. I won't stretch a barrel and I am comfortable shooting mine out to maybe 200 yds. I absolutely did not feel over-gunned on eland.

 

[Red Leg]

My only question would be why?

PG offer the opportunity to use traditional calibers tailored for such game. One of my most satisfying experiences was a PG hunt in Zambia last August where I used a .275 for everything from blue duiker to sable and Lechwe. I couldn't imagine the same hunt with a DG caliber.

But yes, if you shoot it well, a .416 will certainly kill plains game.

 

[Robmill70]

My only question would be why?

PG offer the opportunity to use traditional calibers tailored for such game. One of my most satisfying experiences was a PG hunt in Zambia last August where I used a .275 for everything from blue duiker to sable and Lechwe. I couldn't imagine the same hunt with a DG caliber.

But yes, if you shoot it well, a .416 will certainly kill plains game.

I'm bringing my 6.5x55 also which will kill everything I'm hunting, but l thought it might be fun on one of the bigger animals and like 318 said, how many chances do you get to use it.

 

[JHT]

I’ve shot numerous PG animals over 200 yards with a .416; however, I was on a dangerous game hunt and the PG were lagniappe. I would never take a .416 as my only weapon for a PG hunt for several reasons. Among them: weight, recoil, bullet drop, the cost to feed, and the size holes left in the animal. If it were me (and free advice is worth what you pay for it), I’d take an ought six (Springfield) or a .300 Win Mag.

 

[fourfive8]

Right. So you are on a DG hunt, out of the vehicle walking/tracking I presume? and carrying a big gun like a 416 Rem. Out steps the 60 inch kudu of a lifetime, the kind you just don't pass up, standing in the brush 150 yards away. What, you call your gun bearer to bring up your 300 Win Mag or bespoke 7x57 whatever so you can use the "correct and proper rifle"? Or conversely, you are trying to use a minimalist or more "proper" smaller PG caliber like one of the small 6.5 manbuns on a hunt for impala or springbuck or whatever and out steps the blue eland bull of a lifetime at 90 yards... then hope you can get the job done with the 6.5 long range impala popper- right! hmm? Size of hole/damage? Fast bullets from smaller calibers generally make bigger holes, more damage in smaller PG. Slow bullets from big calibers generally make smaller holes less damage in comparably sized PG. Just the way it works- unless of course you are hot rodding a 416 with a lighter weight, high BC, cup and core trying to stretch the barrel?

BTW that looks like kind of a mess on that shoulder shot on that bushbuck. I shot an impala with the 416 Rem through the shoulders at 90 yards and it punched a neat 3/4" diameter hole entry and exit right though with minimal meat damage and one very dead impala. Did the same thing on a waterbuck just behind the shoulder. Just shooting the same bullets I'd loaded for buff... 370 gr CPSs and 400 TSXs going about 2250-2300 at muzzle. I'm not sure about how inappropriate using that was. BTW, during that hunt we recovered a pretty nice waterbuck (head and part of the skeleton) one of the previous hunters in the area had lost to his 6.5 man bun about 3 weeks prior. The same hunter on the same hunt had plugged an eland with the same man bun. The PH and trackers told me in no uncertain terms they had been extremely lucky to recover that eland after a day and a half of tracking. The PH did not have a lot of good things to say about the choice of calibers. The kicker and almost predictable... the hunter, knowing the marginal nature of his caliber choice, spent a lot of time telling the PH how good a shot he was with that rifle. OhhhK. The PH seemed very pleased with my 416 "overkill" just saying

 

[Goose Cracker]

I'm bringing my 6.5x55 also which will kill everything I'm hunting, but l thought it might be fun on one of the bigger animals and like 318 said, how many chances do you get to use it.

This is the battery I used in April 2021. 416 RM and 6.5x55. Worked really well.

I used my 416 for waterbuck and bushpig. It does leave a big hole.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

Last year enroute to Zim for elephant, I spent a few days at Tally Ho Safaris in Limpopo. With me I has my Heym 88B .458 Win, and a pre-64 M70 in ,458 Lott by Roger Beisen. At Tally Ho I shot warthogs with the 88B along with a 116 yard kill of a giraffe. I used the Lott to kill wildebeest, duiker, sable, and a 150 yard zebra. While these were not 300 yard open country kills, there was satisfaction in using big bores on African game, even if it was small.

During that trip I realized that a double rifle in .416 caliber, with quick detachable scope, accurate to and past 200 yards with one barrel, would be the ideal rifle for traveling to and hunting Africa. Time will tell...

 

[PeteG]

Anyone else use their 416 on PG? (non-DG animals). Only doing PG on my next trip, but thought about bringing my 416 RM along.....

I have used my 416rigby on a number of small plains game, for practice and just because I can.
open sight hunting on foot for skittish plains game and being disciplined enough to get close for a good shot all adds to the fun of the hunt.
My situation is different though as I can do this often and at reasonable cost.

 

[Luvthunt]

Too much gun is far better then too little. It is my approach that there is never too much gun.

 

[browningbbr]

You have received a number of informative responses. I'll add my two cents:

I've shot puku, sable, hyena and a couple of other non-DG animals with my 416. The carcass damage was no greater that what I have experienced with a 300 mag shooting 168gn TSX.

I hope you get all of the answers that you require. Good luck.

 

[JHT]

Right. So you are on a DG hunt, out of the vehicle walking/tracking I presume? and carrying a big gun like a 416 Rem. Out steps the 60 inch kudu of a lifetime, the kind you just don't pass up, standing in the brush 150 yards away. What, you call your gun bearer to bring up your 300 Win Mag or bespoke 7x57 whatever so you can use the "correct and proper rifle"?

Not at all. I've been in this exact scenario except my kudu wasn't 60 (like yours which is beautiful BTW) - he was 54. I'd shoot him with the .416 as I did this one:

 

[Green Chile]

Too much gun is far better then too little. It is my approach that there is never too much gun.

Agreed and conversely, there is definitely not enough gun!

 

[Green Chile]

One of the reasons I picked up a 416 Rigby is to be prepared for the mentioned scenario of something stepping out that you just can't turn down, while hunting something bigger. Also, that's why I'm putting really good optics (Z8i 1-8x) on a 416.

 

[mdwest]

I considered taking my 416 Taylor on a PG hunt in 2019.. but ended up not doing it..

The intent was to start the trip with a DG hunt for buffalo, and then to finish things off with some PG.. and I really didnt want to take 2 rifles with me (the wife was also with me and was also bringing a rifle... her LOP is WAY too short for me (5'3" vs 6'4" in height).. so I would have been dragging 3 rifles to Africa if I took something in addition to the 416..

When it was all said and done, we ran into issues with taking the guns across the pond.. and it just became easier to use camp rifles than to fight the system on that trip.. so I just used the camp 375 H&H for the entire trip (a really nice CZ550 topped with a swaro optic that was perfect for all of the hunts conducted)..

In the future I suppose I'd make the same decision though.. the 416 T will definitely drop anything in Africa, to include any/all PG... Its a bit recoil intense and heavy to drag around for an impala or a wildebeest.. but.. its not like I couldnt use the extra exercise..

 

[SFRanger7GP]

I will let you know how it works out next month. We are taking Rigby's in 275 and 416. I plan to use the 416 on buffalo and any of the larger plains game. Smaller plains game, I plan to pop off the scope on my wife's 275 and use the bolt peep sight.

Safe hunting

 

[Green Chile]

Any photos of your 275 and 416 Rigby? What a nice combination.

 

[spike.t]

I have used my 416rigby on a number of small plains game, for practice and just because I can.
open sight hunting on foot for skittish plains game and being disciplined enough to get close for a good shot all adds to the fun of the hunt.
My situation is different though as I can do this often and at reasonable cost.

..you been out here poaching again when I was in town?....

 

[spike.t]

I would just take it use it and enjoy...mmm....just seen its not a proper 416...so take something else...