Dangerous Game Double Rifle

[PTP20]

I’ve been a member here for a while, but have not posted for a long time. I’m planning on a plain’s game and buffalo hunt. I have plenty of plains game rifles and want to buy a DG double rifle thinking about a 416 Rigby or a 450 NE I’m sure there are some threads out there if anyone could direct me, or give me some advice, appreciate it!

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

want to buy a DG double rifle thinking about a 416 Rigby or a 450 NE

Yes, there are a lot of threads on double rifles on this AH sub-forum:

Double rifles

www.africahunting.com

Like you, I would like a double in 416 Rigby to make feeding it easy. Instead, I settled on the rimmed cartridge 500/416. It can safely propel a 400 grain bullet to 2400 fps at the cartridge's maximum pressure of 3100 BAR or 44,962 psi.

 

[Rare Breed]

I’ve been a member here for a while, but have not posted for a long time. I’m planning on a plain’s game and buffalo hunt. I have plenty of plains game rifles and want to buy a DG double rifle thinking about a 416 Rigby or a 450 NE I’m sure there are some threads out there if anyone could direct me, or give me some advice, appreciate it!

I would not get either one. 416 better in bolt action and 450 hard to even find reload items. In my opinion neither will hold their value. I have owned 5 DRs. I recommend a 470 or 500 NE for your DR. Just google both and you will find. Do not limit yourself just to the US. 2 of the 5 were international finds

 

[jlb1036]

go with the 470 NE easy on ammo supply and hits really hard on all DG .

 

[Hunter-Habib]

If you want a good double rifle that can easily do double duty for both dangerous game and plains game, then I strongly recommend a .500/416 Nitro Express. A Heym Model 89B with 26” barrels and a non-automatic safety.

My good friend, @Pondoro would much prefer the .450/400 Nitro Express which is also an excellent double duty caliber as well.

I would try to stay away from rimless cartridges (like the .416 Rigby) in a double rifle. In hot African places (like the Kalahari or Zambezi Valley or Rift Valley), these high pressure rimless cartridges tend to frequently get jammed in the breech (caused by the tiny metal pawls overriding the cartridge heads). It actually happened to me once.

When I hunted this Cape buffalo with a Belgian boxlock ejector double rifle (chambered in the rimless .458 Winchester Magnum) in 1978, the extractors failed to remove the expended cartridge cases when I tried to reload after my first 2 shots. Scary experience. Fortunately, the first 2 shots were enough for the brute and he eventually folded without thinking of charging me or my white hunter.

That said, a lot of it depends upon the quality of the individual rifle. I was using a no name Belgium made guild gun. Fellow forum member @Mark A Ouellette owns and extensively uses a Heym Model 88B in .458 Winchester Magnum. And he is fortunately yet to experience a problem.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Another vote for the 450/400.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

That said, a lot of it depends upon the quality of the individual rifle. I was using a no name Belgium made guild gun. Fellow forum member @Mark A Ouellette owns and extensively uses a Heym Model 88B in .458 Winchester Magnum. And he is fortunately yet to experience a problem.

In the vintage shotgun collector world ABC means Another Belgium Clunker.
That is derogatory and not fair since their were a lot a Belgium guns produced across the entire range of quality from low to superb!

Rimless double rifles use spring loaded pawls (fingers) in their extractors. They are a possible failure mechanism. Other than @Hunter-Habib whose word is without doubt, I've never heard of any failures. That doesn't mean that pawls extractors have not failed. We also never read much about the under gunned elephant hunters who never returned from the veld.

The Heym 88 and I presume 89's have dual independent pawls in each extractor. Another example of why Heym has such a stellar reputation!

I have owned Merkels and a Chaupis that had a single pawl in each extractor. They all worked as designed.

All that being stated, if performance is the same between a rimless and a rimmed chambering, for a double select the rimmed version. Rimmed cartridges are designed to function at lower pressures than their rimless counterparts.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

The 450/400 does it all.

 

[rookhawk]

I’ve been a member here for a while, but have not posted for a long time. I’m planning on a plain’s game and buffalo hunt. I have plenty of plains game rifles and want to buy a DG double rifle thinking about a 416 Rigby or a 450 NE I’m sure there are some threads out there if anyone could direct me, or give me some advice, appreciate it!

Welcome.

Be advised, your post is a common one, similar to dozens of others. Only neophytes buy dangerous game rifles in rimless cartridges. Same for single triggers. You cannot give away 416 rigby, 458 Win mag, and similar rimless magnum double rifles. If the cartridge gets stuck, you cannot get them out. If the ejectors break, they cannot extract.

There is a dangerous game RIMMED double rifle cartridge of every conceivable type. Buy a rimmed caliber.

375HH -> 375 Flanged
416 Rigby -> 500/416
404 Jeffery -> 450/400
470 Capstick -> 470 Nitro
458 Winmag -> 450NE

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Welcome.

Be advised, your post is a common one, similar to dozens of others. Only neophytes buy dangerous game rifles in rimless cartridges. Same for single triggers. You cannot give away 416 rigby, 458 Win mag, and similar rimless magnum double rifles. If the cartridge gets stuck, you cannot get them out. If the ejectors break, they cannot extract.

There is a dangerous game RIMMED double rifle cartridge of every conceivable type. Buy a rimmed caliber.

375HH -> 375 Flanged
416 Rigby -> 500/416
404 Jeffery -> 450/400
470 Capstick -> 470 Nitro
458 Winmag -> 450NE

Don’t forget the 416 Rigby No2, being the rimmed version of the 416.

 

[PTP20]

Welcome.

Be advised, your post is a common one, similar to dozens of others. Only neophytes buy dangerous game rifles in rimless cartridges. Same for single triggers. You cannot give away 416 rigby, 458 Win mag, and similar rimless magnum double rifles. If the cartridge gets stuck, you cannot get them out. If the ejectors break, they cannot extract.

There is a dangerous game RIMMED double rifle cartridge of every conceivable type. Buy a rimmed caliber.

375HH -> 375 Flanged
416 Rigby -> 500/416
404 Jeffery -> 450/400
470 Capstick -> 470 Nitro
458 Winmag -> 450NE

Really appreciate the information. That will make a difference now as I look. Thanks!

 

[sureshot375]

It’s not the coolest answer, but honestly take a bolt .375 for your first safari. Double rifles are a handicap, not an advantage when it comes to putting the first shot on target. A double is much harder to shoot accurately than a scoped .375.

I say go enjoy your safari and not add the complication of a double. This is coming from someone who loves to hunt with a double.

If you insist on a double, I think .500/.416 is a perfect client caliber double. It’s great for buffalo and has ideal penetration if you ever decide to go for elephant. If you look you can probably find a decent deal on a used Krieghoff. Anything bigger is a novelty for a client.