First Dangerous Game Rifle - Struggling to decide

I did give it a hard look, but boss said no... I think 2k is about my limit on the first DG rifle.

Happy wife, happy life!

There is an as new-in-box 550 in 416 Rigby on Guns International right now that would leave you with plenty left over to buy the Boss something nice..
 
I’m setup to reload, but now no powder/primers to be found...
 
Happy wife, happy life!

There is an as new-in-box 550 in 416 Rigby on Guns International right now that would leave you with plenty left over to buy the Boss something nice..
Yowza, that is good!
“Hey Boss!...”
 
I’m setup to reload, but now no powder/primers to be found...
Yea it’s hard right now...just asking cause your budget made me remember something. @Kycrawler has a very nice looking 416 Ruger in the classifieds with scope and a lot of bullets and brass for I believe 2k. It’s a sweet package deal I would have jumped all over if I hadn’t just bought my 375. I think it’s on page 3 right now in classifieds if still available
 
@CBH Australia - They want ~$1700 for the one here in town
I have paid less in Australia with or currency. But that's before any increase.
I think most of late that I glazed over on
usedguns.com.au have been $2000+

A fair spoke in pricing recently.

I have my .375H&H I'm not using it but I ain't selling it.
I’m setup to reload, but now no powder/primers to be found...
They will come back, a mate might help out since you won't need tons
If you get the right rifle you will know what components to chase.
 
I’m disappointed that the CZ 550 production ended, but there is one left in the Rigby at my local(ish) gun dealer.
Have you read some of the issues surrounding factory CZs? Might not be such a good buy if it requires a lot of time spent at gunsmith to be functional. I have never owned a CZ but it concerns me if an entire gun smithing business was set up to work on them.
 
I am a big fan of 9.3x62 and 375 H&H or 375 Ruger. Those are calibers with which you won't actually mind practicing, and are adequate for everything, though kinda light for ele.

This is always a function of engineering economics. Get one of those 3 now, practice regularly for a while, then step up to a 416/404/458 when you start thinking about your ele hunt. It absolutely doesn't matter the KE or momentum of the bullet you are shooting if you can't shoot it accurately. There is no shame in not being able to handle the recoil of large mediums.

Next to the price tag of an ele hunt, the price of a rifle is trivial.
 
Have you read some of the issues surrounding factory CZs? Might not be such a good buy if it requires a lot of time spent at gunsmith to be functional. I have never owned a CZ but it concerns me if an entire gun smithing business was set up to work on them.
I have, and because of that I have considered a weatherby vanguard in 375 H&H ...new they are only $1100. However I have done a fair amount of simple machining/gunsmithing.
 
I do like the 375 H&H from a practicality perspective, and I like the idea of taking it elk hunting.
I was just wondering if it was enough of a step up from my weatherby in terms of recoil to see any gain any big caliber experience.
 
I have, and because of that I have considered a weatherby vanguard in 375 H&H ...new they are only $1100. However I have done a fair amount of simple machining/gunsmithing.
One suggestion I would make on the Vanguard rifle...not sure in the .375 but all of the Vanguard actions I have seen are push feed. For the same price up to about 1250 or so you should be able to find a Model 70 Alaskan or Safari Winchester and will have a much smoother action that is a CRF design...much better IMO for DG
 
I had looked at the Rem, but other than ammo price, what would make me pick it over the Rigby? Maybe that’s enough...
The 416 Rigby cartridge is well over a 100 years old and was designed around the very temperature sensitive, early smokeless powder- Cordite. That is why it is so big. It fits better in the larger magnum action. The 416 Remington hit the market in 1988 and fits in a standard long action. There is no ballistic difference between the two and all the regurgitated stories about the Rem over-pressurizing in hot conditions are over cooked, so to speak. To my knoledge the only loads that did that were the very first Remington factory loads. Current factory loads show no issues. If reloading, 400 gr bullets over a modern temperature insensitive powder like Varget to 2350-2400 fps works exceptionally well.

Early in my search for a good buffalo rifle/cartridge combination I tried both the CZ 550 in the 416 Rigby and the Win 70 in the 416 Remington. Hands down, the smoothest, most reliable to feed and cycle and easiest to handle was the Win 70. Now I have two Winchester 70s in 416 Remington.

Nostalgia and history of course favor the 416 Rigby. Practicality, utility and cost favor the 416 Remington. The apples to apples comparison of course for factory choices in these two calibers for similar priced CRF rifles would be the CZ 550 and the Win 70. Unless you go up a magnitude in price for a custom rifle, the CZ 550 is the common choice for the Rigby. It appears that AHR is restricting new work on the 550s and CZ recently dropped the model. But there are a ton of 550s out there in the used market and quite a few need a little TLC from such as AHR. With AHR pulling back, it may have a bearing on the decision??

My best suggestion would be to handle and even shoot a few big rifles/calibers first if possible before making the decision. A side by side comparison of different actions can be an eye opener. And for caliber choices just go all in and get a 375 HH, 416 of some flavor and a 458 Lott. :)
 
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@Whacker - I hear you on the push feed, but I have yet to notice a difference between my weatherby and my M1903A3 sporter...but then again I haven’t tried to shoot them while being stomped into a greasy spot.
 
@Whacker - I hear you on the push feed, but I have yet to notice a difference between my weatherby and my M1903A3 sporter...but then again I haven’t tried to shoot them while being stomped into a greasy spot.
The biggest difference from a reliability standpoint is cycling the action out of shooting position. If the rifle remains straight up and down then either should cycle reliably with no issues. The CRF design comes in to play when you fire a shot off and have to cycle the action as you either retreat or reposition and the rifle comes out of shooting position such as the ejection port facing the ground as you are cycling. The CRF design should still reliably capture the round as it exits the mag well and cycle it into the chamber as the push feed design has no grip on the cartridge at this point and is very prone to jam.
 
@fourfive8 - I am a sucker for slick action rifles (like my wby, but when my bolt sticks I want to weld it shut).
I imagine reloading is similar to other belted mags. Do you know if the shoulders like to collapse (like a 450 rigby, or so I am told)? Also, I imagine magazine capacity is similar to the Lott or other .532” cases
 
My first DG rifle was and is a nice old Ruger M 77 Safari Magnum in 416 Rigby. I made the decision between the 416 and 375 based mostly on a comment in one of Kevin Robinson’s books where he said that the difference between a Buffalo shot with a 416 and a 375 was a “noticeable” difference. I decided if push came to shove I wanted a noticeable difference.Push didn’t come to shove but, my Buffalo went down with me neck shot and never moved again. May have done the same with a 375 but I didn’t have to find out.
 
...My best suggestion would be to handle and shoot a few big rifles/calibers first if possible before making the decision. A side by side comparison of different actions can be an eye opener. And for caliber choices just go all in and get a 375 HH, 416 of some flavor and a 458 Lott. :)
Sadly, Kentucky is the land of small bores, so trying one out is unlikely... but I would love to have a safe full of only DG calibers
 
375 caliber...pick your flavor H&H, RUGER, WBY...etc.
This is the perfect place to start and will do it all.

There are a lot of very nice rifles out there for reasonable prices.
But if you have time before you go DG hunting, save your money.
Do more research and let the right deal find you.
A DG rifle that you will bet your life on isn't the spot to be pinching pennies.
 

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