Casting for .416 Rigby

[njc110381]

Hi guys. I've just put a deposit down on a .416 Rigby CZ550 Aramid and would like to set myself up to cast for it. I'm just after some advice as to what I need? I have the lead pot, but that's it. Could you all offer your thoughts please? Especially those who have loaded for this calibre.

I've read good things about the RCBS 416-350 so will probably try that unless there are better options? I've found gas checks but how do I get them on and sized fairly cheaply? For my .45-70 I've been using a Lee die, but I can't see anything basic like that to size at .417? Do I need to buy the whole RCBS lubrisizer tool, or is there something I can use in my press like the Lee sizer?

What's a good simple lube for faster rifle loads? I've been pan lubing my .45-70 boolits in a mix of vaseine, candle wax and lithium grease, but I'm not sure if that will work for faster rounds? So far I've only pushed the .45 to around 1400fps.

Any words of wisdom would be very much appreciated. I've had a dabble at this casting thing but I'm no expert! Factory bullets are expensive for the .416, especially to throw at a gong at the range.

[njc110381]

I think I've figured out the sizer issue. I'll buy a .410 Lee die and hone it out. The price on their custom service is good but once I get it to the UK it'll be quite expensive.

[elk hunter]

If you intend to shoot primarily cast bullets in your 416 I would recommend that you purchase a lubricator-sizer and a good quality bullet lube, I use the 50/50 Alox/beeswax type and find it works well for me. For low velocity loads 1600 fps or less lead with a Brinell hardness of 12 or so will generally work, for higher velocities a much harder alloy of 22 or so will be needed for satisfactory results or you can heat-treat your bullets. Do a search on this forum there is a wealth if information and experience available and buy a book on bullet casting and loading such as the Lyman manual to get more basic information.

[njc110381]

Thanks. I had considered buying the Lyman book. It gets referred to a lot so must be worth a read.

I'm slowly learning about different alloys. So far I've only tested my results using a variety of pencils, but that seems to give a half decent guide to hardness. I have some printers type that I mix in with my lead and I water quench.

My issue with the likes of the RCBS Lube-a matic type tools is that they cost in excess of £300 here - $425 US currently for that one! I was hoping to find a cheaper way to do it as I don't plan on shooting thousands of rounds.

[murf205]

You could powder coat in a toaster oven and use the honed out Lee push through die and keep the $425 in your pocket. I put my checks on with a pair of small Channell Lock pliers and push them through the sizing die base first-gently- and they seat very well. You would be surprised at how soft the PC'd boolits can be without leading. Also, all of the CZ barrels I've dealt with had a mirror smooth bore, a big plus for your project. Good luck and keep us posted.

[njc110381]

Is powder coating a fairly simple process? I started to look into it for my .45-70 but never actually got as far as doing it.

[smoked turkey]

Powder coating is a completely different animal than sizing/lubing/gas checking for any caliber. I have done some of it and it does have lots of advantages. That is probably the least expensive route for you at this time since you apparently do not have the necessary equipment for the lubing process. I can speak with some knowledge on the lubing process. First you should do some of the necessary and least expensive things to determine what your sized boolit needs to be to work best in your new rifle. That includes doing a chamber cast (such as with cerrosafe) and this will tell you a lot of things regarding your chamber area. For instance you need to know the diameter of the neck area and the leade area from the end of the cartridge neck to the start of the rifling. Then knowing the groove diameter of your barrel for good a good fit of the cast boolit in your bore. I use the Hornady OAL gauge to determine what the OAL of the loaded round should be to just be off the rifling say 0.003 or so. Actual shooting will help you determine what load and OAL is best for your particular rifle. I use an RCBS lubing set up with a lyman sizing die set-up to size my boolits and set the gas check. I would recommend a neck expander plug from NOE such as the 0.418x0.414 for setting up the case to receive the cast boolit. There is lots of good reading in the stickies for what I have described. Bruce B also has a lot of info in the stickies because he did a lot of work with the .416 Rigby. It is a pretty long road to do it right, but it is all part of the process towards accuracy and enjoyment from your Rigby. Hope this helps some.

[wmitty]

njc

Didn’t know y’all had armadillos over there, but the .416 should do the job. I’m using a .375 myself and it’s marginal on the large Texas boars.😜 You can tumble lube with bens liquid lube or paper patch and not need to use a gas check. Haven’t tried powder coated yet but there’s three options. PP on the 350 gr shouldn’t be too difficult if you’re inter..ested and should have you shooting quickly. Keep us posted!

[murf205]

Is powder coating a fairly simple process? I started to look into it for my .45-70 but never actually got as far as doing it.
Yes it is simple. If you read the stickies or look up powder coating in the search box, it will take you through the process. The 1 thing that I would recommend is that you get your powder from Smoke 4320 here on this site. I used some Harbor Freight cheap powder in the beginning and it worked but Smokes product offers a lot smoother and more even coating.

[SvenLindquist]

If you really want to keep it simple, get a plain base mold, tumble lube the boolits as shoot them as cast.

Unless you plan to hunt with cast, you don't need "fixed" ammo that will cycle thru a magazine.

[rbuck351]

Buy an RCBS lubesizer from someone on the S&S forum here and have them it ship it to you. Shouldn't cost more than $150/$175 US. Still a bit to shellout. PC is relatively inexpensive but should work well. The least expensive is to pan lube. A little messy but the cost is next to nothing and if you are not going to shoot it much, cast and lube a hundred and you will be good for quite a while. I have used the rcbs 416 boolit and found it to work well.

[Taterhead]

Congratulations on the new rifle!

Powder coating is effective, inexpensive and simple to do. Also devoid of lube mess and smoke.

If NOE will ship to the UK, then their die and sizing bushing can be specified in .417". No honing required. Be sure to order the die body and pusher too. I use the NOE sizer die with several different sizing bushings. Great concept.

When I use gas checks, I place them on the as-cast bullets and run them through the NOE sizer. That crimps them on. Then PC them. PC will add a little diameter, so I size them again. Then they can be heat treated if desired. That won't hurt the PC.

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=564_104_404&products_id=2668&osCsid=kfhni9g57pdfcm8tdcihtg2hf2

[njc110381]

Thanks guys. A lot of good suggestions to start with there. I searched and read every .416 Rigby post on here over the last few days - didn't think to read up on powder coating and lube posts not related to that specific calibre!

Of all the replies though, this one immediately made me think "why didn't I think of that?!"...


Buy an RCBS lubesizer from someone on the S&S forum here and have them it ship it to you. Shouldn't cost more than $150/$175 US.

I wouldn't mind paying that plus shipping, it's far more affordable.

[murf205]

Thanks guys. A lot of good suggestions to start with there. I searched and read every .416 Rigby post on here over the last few days - didn't think to read up on powder coating and lube posts not related to that specific calibre!

Of all the replies though, this one immediately made me think "why didn't I think of that?!"...



I wouldn't mind paying that plus shipping, it's far more affordable.

If you find one here on the forum, MidwayUSA has the RCBS .417 sizer on sale for around $15 and it will fit a Lyman or RCBS sizer.

[Hardcast416taylor]

If you want to look at other .416 molds try looking on Accuratemolds.com. Their on line catalog has many different style molds or you can talk with the maker himself about a `special` size. Page 12 and in the middle of the #42 size molds are for use in the .416. Lately I am using #42-330C in my .416 Taylor and my .416 Russian Express. This mold drops a boolet of about 335 grains using my 50/50 + Tin alloy. I size down to .417" for my shooting. Good luck to you and the Rigby.Robert

[njc110381]

If you want to look at other .416 molds try looking on Accuratemolds.com.

Thanks. I came into this thinking I had the RCBS and maybe a couple of other choices, now I've just looked at two pages of options! I'm so confused! Cool that they make moulds that cast more than one type at the same time though, so I could pick two in one mould...

[murf205]

237125This is a quandary that can cost you money, but look at the independence you will have in the end, not having to be dependent on manufactures or silly regulations. As far as Accurate Molds option to have 2 different cavities in 1 mold, I have just such a mold and it has been a real blessing as some rifles prefer one or the other at different velocities. I use the plain base for lower speeds and the gas check design when it is time to step on the gas a bit.

[15meter]

If you really want to keep it simple, get a plain base mold, tumble lube the boolits as shoot them as cast.

Unless you plan to hunt with cast, you don't need "fixed" ammo that will cycle thru a magazine.

Unless you have a Mauser action, they have a reputation for breaking extractors unless fed from the magazine.

[15meter]

And this is the boolit I got to feed in both a high end custom Mauser and a Ruger in 416 Rigby.

Tried NOE's 416 mold could not get it to feed, too big a meplat.

I had Accurate make a mold copied from a solid that fed very well.

http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=42-365S-D.png

Yea, I know dredging up an old thread, but at times I'm kind of slow........