416 Rigby "Elephant Rifle" Explodes onto the Little Screen - YouTube

I've long wanted one of these, not that I ever get to hunt elephant, buffalo, or rhino, its logical quarry. These days, you pretty much can't find much legal rhino hunting, anyway.

But this was the classic bolt action, used by pro hunters who didn't rely on double rifles.

The narrator/shooter is Ron Spomer, who writes for magazines like, "Sporting Classics." I disagree with his advice about loading solid bullets for a first shot on Cape buffalo, but this is otherwise a good video, showing a beautiful rifle. (Unless the extractor has been beveled for it, don't load a round directly into the chamber as he does, lest you damage the extractor.)

For lesser game, the firm offered its very famous .275 (7 mm) rifle and there was a .350 Rigby Magnum in between, much like a .35 Whelen.

Enjoy. This shows what a wealthy sportsman might take to Africa when it was built, in 1938.

Joyously, Rigby began operations in London again this summer, after being missing in action for a few years.

The 416 became my favorite bolt action caliber in either 416 Remington or Rigby. When I could take only one rifle it was the 416 in my opinion a much better all around caliber than the 375 which is on the light side for buff, jumbo, etc.

You are correct the extractor should not be snapped over the cartridge rim and under no circumstances would I mix solids and softs. the solid is the most dependable bullet design for penetration and especially with a blunted nose drives very straight. I have shot several buff using soft points and you sometimes get spectacular performance. most important place the shot especially the first one accurately and use a solid bullet that will drive thru the animal without being steered by distortion to its nose on encountering muscle and bone.

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Len

Thanks for posting.... I notice there is a cut between shots, I would assume to allow the shooter to recover from the thump. Several years ago a fellow was sighting in a C-Z in .416 at our local range. He would take a shot, check with his spotting scope and walk over to "see how my son was shooting" after about the third shot I asked if we where bugging him, and his reply was quick "No I figure I can crawl back to the truck and lick my wounds or check on your boy". Long story short he shot five or six rounds and had more then enough.

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always trust your cape...

I really like the way this rifle is put together. Understated ornamentation and definitely made to be used in tough conditions. Are those called 'leaf sights'?

While I have no interest in hunting large game I always wanted a big bore rifle just to bust up rocks at a distance.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

A gun like that just screams for a gun bearer.
Now where's my Bwana Hat?????

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Forum consigliere

Remember the last words of the explorer-journalist Henry M. Stanley as he lay dying, broke, friendless, and alone except for his faithful African servant. They say Stanley looked at the kindly old man and said, "'Bwana' really means WHAT?!?".

Beautiful old rifle, which clearly kills on both ends.

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Oh well, what the hell.

I don't think it kicks as much as a .458 or a .460 Weatherby.

Yes, those are called folding leaf or folding express sights.

It was a rifle very like this that Ruark's hunter, Harry Selby, used for so many years. It has a reputation for real efficiency.

Selby told Ruark that the .416 was ideal for lions. "I like to see them go all limp (when shot) ", he explained.

Would you wear a slouch hat, a terai hat? Leopard bands on them are deemed gauche, BTW, a little too Hollywood. Or, a sun helmett?

I can help with the language, as long as it's Swahili. To have that gunbearer bring you the heavy rifle, the big one, say, "Letti bunduki m'kubwa kwa Bwana." If you want the light rifle, the 7mm or .30/06, .318, etc., say, Letti bunduki kidogo." If you want tea, it's, Letti chai."

Alas, with Kenya and largely Tanzania, no longer open for safari hunting, these words will no longer be as helpful as when that rifle in the video was made. I don't know many words in the Sindebele-based languages, Zulu, Matabele, etc.
I remember from Capstick's books that leopard goes from the Swahili Chui to N'gwe as you move south from the Swahili-spe king zones. I memorized this, because the leopard is one of my favorite animals.

An important Afrikaans word to recall is, "slang!" Means snake. I don't know if they use the same term for lawyers and politicians. (Sorry, counselor. It was too tempting.)

The Afrikkaans term, "slim" means a sneaky, untrustworthy clever guy. Many Afrikaaners referred to Field Marshal Jan Smuts as Slim Jannie, thinking that he was too pro-British in both world wars. Nonetheless, South Africa was a British ally in those wars, however much it rankled many Afrikaaners. Smuts was then Prime Minister of that nation.

The sum total of all this information and about five dollars will get you a cup of coffee almost anywhere in North America. Noneheless, i like knowing this stuff. I may yet write a bestseller or two and be able to hunt in South Africa or Botswana. Maybe Namibia.

Hmpf. Guess I'd better look up how to say, "elephant" in some applicable language. "Tembo" won't work that far south...

Leonard-

You aren't the Len Bull who used to be with Shaw & Hunter in Nairobi, are you? I corresponded briefly with him many years ago. He didn't think a lot of Weatherbys, as I recall, but surprised me by saying that that Remington bolt actions usually worked well, despite their crummy little horseshoe extractors. Of course he prefeerred the basic Mauser '98 action.

The reason why many prefer a softnose for the first shot on buff is the fear that a solid will exit that animal and maybe wound another. One can't always get a clear shot at one animal without others behind it.

I would not shoot a buffalo in the heart. A famous vet and hunter named Kevin (?) Robertson has determined that a Cape buffalo can live for about a half hour or more with a mortal heart wound! He believes that it is unique among animals in that regard.

Where would you place your first shot? The shoulder? Then, a solid makes more sense, or if you have to take a frontal chest shot or aim at the base of the horn boss as it charges.

Isn't a .416 a lot of overkilll on most game? I'd sure prefer taking more than one rifle, but understand that it isn't always possible now.

I looked at the rifles taken by Jack O'Connor and Herb Klein on a safari about 1953. Jack wrote up that safari for, "Gun Digest." They had a lot! BTW, although Jack was best known for his love for the .270, he owned several .375 H&H rifles and two .416's. I remember reading that one .416 was built on a 1917 Enfield action.

I liked the scene in, "Something of Value" where the white hunter out after Mau-Mau terrorists as a police reservist shot the terrorist with his .416. He walked over to see the effect. Ruark had him think, the effect of a .416 on a man was "considerable." "I think I'm using too much gun," he reflected, and he went to a .35 Marlin given to him by an American client.

I wonder if that wasn't a flubbed line because he said you want a solid followed by a solid and then didn't explain what he last put into the chamber which would be the first shot. Otherwise, like you said, good video. More than I'll ever see of a rifle like that!!!

No I am not Len Bull and I am not a PH. I did have the good fortune to go on 33 safaris and in the early 80's was involved in some major culling.

I do agree with him on the Weatherby's I had a 460 where the magazine box broke on safari rendering it a single shot when I got home I bought my 1st English double rifle and never again took a factory rifle on a major hunt. I concluded a lot if not all of the production rifles in large calibers were not made to withstand the heavy recoil most lacked a second recoil lug and carried fragile aluminum sights. Most of these guns never saw any real use were bought shot and put in cabinets at any rate that's my opinion.

Keep in mind controlled feed also eliminates jambs trying to double feed.

As far as shooting thru an animal hitting another it is the hunters responsibility not to take that type of shot soft or solid although in culling we would do this intentionally.

My personal position on caliber bullet type is I always wanted to be prepared to totally handle the situation and not have to rely on a back up from the PH.

416 is a bit big for smaller species but again in my opinion the 375 is a bit small for the really large species I would rather ere on the side of an adequate caliber for the dangerous stuff. As far as over kill, dead is dead so in that respect I see no down side to a large caliber. My second gun when practical is a 338 wildcat I designed a 338 Win and 340 wby are also great midsized calibers.

Always aim for a shoulder on the buff missing it you should take out the lungs preferably both and or the heart. I have shot a number of buff head on as well as south to north. Robertson is well respected but I have never seen or heard of a buffalo going for 30 minutes with its heart shot out maybe nicked but it would still have to be pumping blood to stay alive beyond a few minuets. I have seen buffalo with hearts shot to peaces go for a couple of minuets, not a lot but enough to be dangerous at close quarters.

I have a very old native shield made of rhino skin in my collection that has what appears to be a 45 caliber hole in it rumored to be from a Martini?

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Len

I will quite happily take your word for that.

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Oh well, what the hell.

have owned many large rifles. the rigby is not as bad as the 460 weatherby, as long it is in a rifle of comparable weight. would much rather shoot a rigby with a 400gr. bullet than a 460 with a 500gr. bullet any day.

First rifle I built was a 416 Rigby in the late 70s. Made in on a Remington M1917 action. It hurts, I think I made it too light. It does kick a heck of a lot more then my Ruger 77 in 458 WM.

Back then you couldn't get brass. Rigby had the market. I bought my first lathe for the sole purpose of trimming the belt off 460 Weatherby brass and run it through the RCBS, 416 Rigby Size.

The older I get, the less I like recoil. I put a muzzle brake on my Model 70 375 H&H. It makes it a pleasure to shoot. One of my winter projects is to put a brake on my 416 R.

However, I doubt I go to Africa, and I've found that cast bullets and Trailboss powder makes these guns cheap and fun to shoot.

A properly stocked and fitted 416 of about 9 lbs @ about 2400 fps is not a hard gun to master certainly no harder than a 375.

Calibers that really are difficult to get used to are 378 & 460 Wby due to both bullet weight and velocity. The most violent caliber I ever hunted with was a 460 blown out and necked to .510 using a 707 grain bullet it just plain hurt. There are a couple of other wildcats out there that are even more punishing.

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Len

for recoil a 510 wells comes to mind. shot a 500 a-square and didn't like it one bit, even in an a-square rifle. in my opinion, one of the best is the 458 lott. not much worse than a 458win mag, but a lot more power. I have used trailboss and lead bullets in almost every big gun that I have owned. excellent for getting someone used to a big gun.

That video is well done, and that old rifle is a beaut!

I've had my .416 Rigby for almost year now, this one:

Confession: How a Gang of Old Scribes Got Me a .416 Rigby

I've gotten to the point where I can shoot it very well and with little discomfort. Technique is everything (especially when you're 5'7" and 160 lbs.) It's a hoot to put three gallon jugs of water at 50 yds and pop them as fast as possible.

I owned a .460 Wby for a couple years. It spent 18 of those 24 months at Weatherby for broken stock replacement. Even with proper technique, that thing was a thumper. I never really got around to enjoying that rifle and cartridge.

I have observed over the years that smaller shooters as a rule handle recoil better than a larger heavier individual, your body weight does not don't have as much resistance.

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Len

Went out with a friend one time. He had Weatherbys in both 460 and 375.

The 375 was nice. You KNEW you shot a gun, but it weren't THAT bad. Bought one a year or so later.

That 460, on t'other hand. I shot it. Looked at it a minute, then shot it again. The second shot was to prove to ME that I was not scared to shoot it again. I had no desire, then or now, to shoot it a third time.

Couple of years later, I was given the chance to shoot a CZ 416. One was enough. I was quite willing to admit, "That HURT, and I don't want to shoot it again."

Now, it might be the weight difference - CZ might be lighter. Might be the stock design. But the only 416 Rigby I've shot kicked WAAAAAAY more than a 460 Weatherby.

The 375 I bought is also a CZ, and it kicks more than the Weatherby did, also.

Might have posted this movie before, but it's my son-in-law shooting that 375. I told him to pull it into his shoulder, but he did not listen. He handled shot 3 much better than shot 1.

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I always take precautions

Some time back I bought a CZ 550 Safari Rifle in .416 Rigby. I only took it to the range once, mostly because at 4 bucks or so a round I couldn't bring myself to shoot up all of my expensive ammunition. It was a beast but it was fun. Sadly, after I tore my right rotator cuff up in a martial arts class, I determined that it was going to be very unwise for me to ever shoot that rifle again so I sold it. I will always wonder if I was wrong. Last weekend I killed some feral hogs with a Marlin Guide Gun in .45-70 and a custom built 98 Mauser in .35 Whelen. I had no real problems with those two but I recall the WHOMP of that .416 and, well, yeah, I probably need to avoid that in the future - my shoulder has never had surgery and it's reasonably okay but the .416 could alter that situation - it does rock your world!

***GRJ***

Thanks. I was vacillating between getting a Winchester or a CZ .375. I think the CZ stock design makes it recoil more. Good to know!

I handled a CZ .416 in a store. Felt good, but if it kicks that badly, I'll pass on it. Probably, I'll never really need anything heavier than my .270, which is a Win. M-70 Fwt. Classic. Very nice rifle.

The Sako Safari Grade .375 looks and handles well and should deal well with recoil. Not sure if they still make it. It looks a lot like a London-made gun; not the usual Sako stock style.

A lot of that is probably because he's a 22 shooter. Didn't seem to understand "pull it in". By the third shot he's figgered it out.

CZ makes two stock designs. A US shape and the one on that gun. I've heard it called "hogback". It's suppose to make the gun recoil less. I don't know. Haven't shot a CZ with a US stock, so can't really compare. Both of those 550s Safaris - my 375 and the 416 - are hogbacks.

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I always take precautions

Okay, what's the deal here? That's a movie. I've posted it before, on other boards, and it always went to my photobucket account and played that boy gettin' beat to hell. Now it just shows a jpeg.

Is that THIS BOARD having problems, or Photobucket having problems?

Cuco, Elephant Gun Video by therealalpo | Photobucket@@AMEPARAM@@http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b67/therealalpo/Guns/Cucoelephantgun.mp4@@AMEPARAM@@17.photobucket.com/albums/b67/therealalpo/Guns/Cucoelephantgun.mp4

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I always take precautions

Have NO use for a .416 in Ohio BUT that is a gorgeous rifle.

I had a Rigby, a Dakota, but sold it off for a M70 416 Remmy and am pleased. Six of one, half dozen of another though the Rigby does require a larger action, moot in my view. I await retirement a few years off to give my M70 a go on buff and such. Thinking the 400 gr TSX at the moment.

Beautiful, a classic rifle. Cabela's is closing out a line of double rifles. I don't recall the brand but they are less than half price and nicely engraved. If I had $2100+ I would have brought home a .500 Nitro Express.

I was in the Lone Tree store three weeks ago or so and they were still $5k plus! Might have to go look at them again. They are Sabatti, and while some were real stinkers, some weren't.

Yes, go on back. They only had about 5 left. The engraving looked great and they had old-time quality north/south screws. And it was also at the Lone Tree store.

Several years ago, I was in a Beretta Gallery and they had a new .470 double of their make for $45,000.

The better doubles are not for any but the really wealthy. If you can't drive a Rolls-Royce or a Ferrari, forget the double rifle. Alas...