Best Sasquatch rifle- Baikal 45-70 dbl vs CZ550 .375H&H vs. CZ 550 .416 Rigby?

"416 Rigby Elephant Rifle Explodes onto the Little Screen" - Product Review with Ron Spomer - YouTube

For those who haven't seen a REAL Rigby .416, here's one in use by well known outdoor writer Ron Spomer.
The rifle was made by Rigby in the 1930's and is beautifully preserved.

Note the substantial recoil. This was not a rifle designed for plinking or for extended sessions of benchrest shooting. It is intended to be sighted-in and thereafter used mainly on large, dangerous game. So ammo cost wouldn't be much of a factor, especially for those who could afford a Rigby rifle! Nonetheless, professional hunter John A. Hunter mentiond the expense of some heavy rifle cartridges. He made that up by selling ivory of some of the elephants he shot.

The main animals the .416 would be used on are Cape buffalo, lion, elephant, and rhino.

The firm offered .275 (7X57mm) and .350 Magnum rifles for smaller game. Doubtless, mamy of you know that users of the .275 Rigby have included Queen Elizabeth II, Jim Corbett, and W.D.M. Bell.

Their .350 Magnum was sort of a British version of the .35 Whelen, but not interchangeable. In factory loads, it threw a 225 grain bullet at some 2600-2650 FPS.

Jack O'Connor had a couple of .416's built for him on 1917 Enfield actions, which are long enough for the big ctg. They were not Bubba'd sporters, as you may well imagine if you read Jack's columns. They were very high grade sporters, on par with his famous .270's. In fact, I think Al Biesen stocked his .416's as well as his favorite .270's.

Lest someone think that I am particularly affluent, the CZs in base wood trim go for about what a Colt 6920 sells for. While not per se a blue collar gun, they are not necessarily out of reach either. I am losing interest in black guns and moving on to big bore ones I suppose.

I had to pay $5 a round for the "inexpensive" Hornady ammunition. Most brands seem to run $10 to $15 a round. This is not quite as prohibitive as it seems given that it is not a platform for high volume shooting. I think something under 150 original Rigby (made by Rigby) .416s were sold over the span of decades. It is thus likely a more popular caliber now than ever as it celebrates 103 years of its existence.

When I was a younger man and still in college, it was easy to find Remington and Winchester (under its then owners) products in .375, .458 and a few .416 Remington magnums. They were a niche market in Michigan at the time. Some took them to Africa, but just as many owners bought them to mess around with. I came very close to getting either a .416 Remington Mag or .458 Win Mag bolt action then and having it fit with a muzzle brake. I forget why I wanted one then.

Interestingly back in the 70s when a "survival" column ran in Guns and Ammo and even Jeff Cooper wrote on the topic (they were called "survivalists" rather than "preppers" back then), it was commonly suggested that one ought consider including a big game rifle in their battery. The Barrett not existing at the time, I believe the rationale was that these rifles could be used to good effect against vehicles.

When legislation was eventually put into effect in the United States to limit sales of so called "armor piercing" ammunition, dangerous game rounds for rifles were specifically exempted. Thus solid bronze...steel core....tungsten carbide...have remained options over the years. These were classically meant to penetrate an elephant skull. Various expanding bullets are sold traditionally as lion stoppers.

Those unfamiliar with such may want to google "big five", "dangerous game rifle", or a term of that nature. Craig Bodington is probably one of more familiar modern gun writers on the topic.

A part of me hopes to poularize the generic term of "Sasquatch rifle" as a generic term for purchasing a large bore rifle, to replace the "zombie gun" as a fad. It would break the monotony.

I already find myself thinking that at some point I ought get one of those Savage carbines in .375 Ruger and a Marlin Guide Gun afterall at some later point. The Savage carbines can also be had in .338 Win Mag. Possibly a handy choice if fishing where large bears dwell...if not quite in Sasquatch rifle territory. (As I envision the term it encompasses .375 and up, things formerly often called "elephant guns" even though some countries had a .41 caliber and up rule.)

Cape buffalo are likely the most common target today, rather than elephants. But "buffalo rifle" has a different historical connotation, another reason I coin the term Sasquatch rifle. While I mean it partially literally, the idea is a big bore rifle one buys that is really good only to harvest animals they are somewhat unlikely to run across...yet purchased anyway.

WC145 said:

Here's your ideal Sasquatch rifle. It is a custom Mosin-Nagant that has been rebarreled and converted to .45-70. It was built by Jim Green, he's the gunsmith from the National Geographic show "Lords of War". Considering the 7.62x54 had a max pressure of 52k you can load your .45-70 as heavy as you like, this gun can take it. Jim milled out a picatinny rail and mounted it scout-style for a long eye relief scope. Perfect for those close encounters in the heavy forests that Sasquatch are known to frequent.

Click to expand...

Oh yeah... I remember building that rifle. I've done a few others since then. "Bubba'ed" ? OK... First time I've been accused of that one. Well... If that's the case, then I've also butchered a few surplus Mausers that were dogged out as well. Opened up,the magazines to accept .35 Whelen, rebarreled to that caliber, installed double set triggers too. Oh.... And recently was given a surplus 1903 action... No barrel. Engraved it, new barrel in .30-06 with flip up 3 leaf express sights, slapped a new stock made of fancy Claro walnut and carved a new buttplate from moose antler.

Horror of horrors ! I'm in the process of converting a double barrel 12 gauge SXS shotgun into a rifle chambered for either .45-90 or .450 Express #2..... I kind of like those older sporterized classic custom hunting rifles built on old surplus actions. Like the ones by Griffin and Howe, H and H, and Ludwig Wundhammer, etc, etc, etc

Riflecrank said:

Oh yeah... I remember building that rifle. I'm in the process of converting a double barrel 12 gauge SXS shotgun into a rifle chambered for either .45-90 or .450 Express #2.

Click to expand...

I'd like to know the barrel length and what it'll do off a bench. Not that I could duplicate the groupings.

Watched the video and went to your website. Though I didn't see a price on the conversion.

Are inserts still available for the threaded choke SXS in 45-70?

Nicksterdemus said:

I'd like to know the barrel length and what it'll do off a bench. Not that I could duplicate the groupings.

Watched the video and went to your website. Though I didn't see a price on the conversion.

Are inserts still available for the threaded choke SXS in 45-70?

Click to expand...

There might be somewhere. But actually I'm scrapping the barrels and reusing the monoblock from the shotgun. Ream and thread the monoblock, then screw a new pair of barrels down into that. Solder in new ribs, rework the extractors, bush the firing pins. The only SXS shotguns strong enough to do this with have two lugs on the underside of the barrel and a 3rd locking point on top in the form of a Greener style crossbolt. Even then you got to use lower pressure cartridges.

I like the sound of that better than the inserts. Not to hi-jack the thread, but what length brls & roughly what would a conversion run?

It's DNA says it's half human and half ape?

Your going to shoot the ape half or the human half. They have families like us. If you shoot one run forest run.

I think you should stick with the .375, and work up some custom +P+ loads especially for 'Squatch. Load max +20%, work your way higher, and back off 5% when you get some signs like case bulging and blown primers...

I can't believe in this day and age of Zombie loads, there isn't an off the shelf "Squatch" load....

Maybe so.....

BearBio said:

Anything in the lower 48 can be stopped with a good 30-06 load. Might be marginal on P.O.'d grizzly and moose. A 45-70 lever, a 348 (my pick) would all do as well and wouldn't be as tough on your shoulder.

I had the Remington (Baikal)-heavy gun.

Heck, my wife's 7x57 Mountain Rifle suffice (Mrs. Jack O'Connor took 17 head of African plains game with 19 shots)

Click to expand...

But for a brown or grizzly sasquatch you'd better have something bigger. And remember that NO pistol is equal to a rifle.

And if you shoot one in your home, you'd better make darn sure it was self defense.

"Best Sasquatch rifle-"

This maybe over-kill!!??

I own a Marlin 1895 .45-70 so I would use it, but upgrade my ammo to Garrett Hammerheads 540gr. Super Hard Cast gas checked, shooting 1550 fps.

The Sasquatch is really not that big and I would not hesitate using my 44 magnum Model 94 Winchester.

Older thread rises again. I ended up with the CZ550 in .416 Rigby. I ended up selling it later. Mine had the Kevlar stock and was overall a beautiful rifle. Since the original thread, I came across failure to stop stories involving the .270 (lethal to the shooter), .30-30, .30-06, etc. Though the .30-06 allegedly had a few successes too.

I still have the ammo for the CZ. Maybe I will get another one later. Used, but seeming unfired, the CZ550 cost me just over a grand. I had heard the wood stock ones had problems with splitting some years back, hence I got the Kevlar stock model.

Around the same time frame, a CZ550 in .505 Gibbs could be had for about $3000.I regret not getting that one. Then, and more so now, I can not afford the Heym Professional Hunter double rifle in .470 NE which I thought might be the best choice.

GatorFarmer said:

I of course ought have typed .458 Winchester Magnum. Having the various .416s floating around like sugar plums in my head, I had the words Remington and Magnum stuck on the brain.

Anyway...I made a deal on a used CZ550 American with the Kevlar stock, getting it for about the cost of one of the woodstocked guns new. I theorized that it was relatively unlikely that a .416 Rigby rifle had seen enough rounds fired to sustain serious wear. The Kevlar stock will be uglier, but ought be durable.

I will have the rifle whenever Buds ships it. I am thus far not a fan of their shipping times, but it will get here when it gets here.

I ordered 2 boxes of .416 Rigby ammunition to get me started. Hopefully the Hornady offerings are of good quality. They sell for half or less per box than Federal and other loads, the Norma and Kynoch offerings being particularly expensive. At $5 a shot, the Hornady is not plinking fodder either....One box of full metal jackets and one of dangerous game expanding bullets.

The possum that lives in the ditch and the raccoon that sometimes is in the trash can will never know what hit them. If I get proper reloading equipment perhaps I can figure out some squirrel loads.

Minor complications are that I have absolutely no where nearby that I know of where I can shoot the rifle. I also need to find someone with an errant Sasquatch raiding the chickens who wants to be rid of it. Perhaps I will give the rifle a name and pitch a reality show... Ponders.

I actually have a theory...that one of the reasons no one shows up with a frwshly shot Sasquatch in tow is that no one who takes the shot ever survives, ending up either a trail snack or a forest bride.

There may be some validity to this, as in most parts of the country it is unlikely that anyone is wandering the woods with a rifle meant for large predators. It could be that bullets meant for deer or even worse for varmints simply disintegrate without reaching vitals. Thick pelt...likely a thick sloping skull, heavy bone structure, well muscled...shrug. Maybe even the .416 is a bad idea. Still, something that I have been meaning to get, so that is taken care of.

Now where can I get a shirt with shell loops and an Aussie bush hat?

Click to expand...

Gator Farmer, I COMMEND YOU ON YOUR RESEARCH EFFORTS, BUT I THINK THAT YOU MISSED OUT ON A CHEAP AND VERY VERSATILE SOLUTION. THE MARLIN GUIDE GUN IN 45-70, STUFFED WITH GARRETT'S +P HAMMERHEAD AMMO, WOULD DO THE TRICK. RANDY DID A GREAT DEAL OF R&D TO PRODUCE AMMO THAT IS PERFECTLY SAFE AND RELIABLE IN MODERN LEVER GUNS, AND WILL TAKE OUT BIG GRIZZLY BEARS. IT IS USED FOR PROTECTION, BY SEVERAL AGENCIES WORKING IN THE HABITAT OF SUCH ANIMALS. HERE IS A LINK. BE SURE TO READ RANDY'S COMMENTS…...…Garrett Cartridges Inc.
IN ANY EVENT, WHAT'S DONE IS DONE. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR CHOICE. I SINCERELY HOPE THAT YOU NEVER HAVE OCCASION TO USE IT AGAINST A SASQUATCH, UNLESS IT IS IN SELF DEFENSE. IN THAT CASE, I HOPE THAT IT SERVES YOU WELL…….

I'm from NY; a suppressed .22 behind the left ear is probably all that is needed....

All I know is I have no reason what so ever to have a double rifle, but I really want one!

Ive got a bil that swears he saw one somewhere around Rock Springs about 6-7 year ago.It was at night,so you might need to get a powerful light.Good luck [emoji1]

I suggest you shoot each of the cartridges you are considering before buying.

Although one might get the impression from internet discussions that 375 and 416 are easily handled by anyone who isn't a wuss, the truth is far different.

Most shooters find the 375, and certainly the 416, decidedly unpleasant.

The 45-70 is much more manageable but will work just fine for any of the 'game ' OP fancies in the American southeast.

I've had a Marlin 1895SS in 45-70 for a long time. With modern ammo from Garrett, Cor Bon and Buffalo Bore I stopped reloading.
I'm told by people with the experience that ammo from those manufacturers will stop any North American animal, Kodiak bears included.
The only large animal I have taken with it is an elk. One shot, dropped on the spot.
The rifle is heavy enough to help lessen the pain of those heavy cartridges. I find it is an easy rifle to carry, too.

I'm with the guy who asks why shoot a Sasquatch. I'm for sitting around the fire with one, trading stories. Last I heard, there isn't a single report of them hurting anyone.

Assuming for a moment that Sasquatch exists, even at 8 or 10 feet and several hundred pounds, you are still dealing with a thin-skinned primate with a pretty exposed boiler room and a large brain.
None of the wilder stories where people supposedly shot them and they kept coming so far have the slightest bit of credibility. Bluntly put, all bogus.
If you had to shoot one in self-defense, you'd be dealing with a body mass the size of a large grizzly but considerably more vulnerable because it's bipedal and has a much larger less protected brain.
Lots of grizzlies have been killed with a .30-06 with the right shot placement. Sasquatch's existence is (unfortunately) unlikely enough, but it's even less likely that there is some sort of Terminator under the fur.
A .45-70 with hardcast bullets, Alaska's popular bear medicine, should be plenty.
And if you find yourself in a situation where you keep shooting at a charging Sasquatch and it keeps coming, buy a more expensive brand of whiskey next time.