New improved 416 Rem

[Greg Nolan]

After much discussion and a whole lot of financial wrangling I think I've found the answer to my short barreled 416 problem. The options included selling the 22" S/S Rem 700 and buying a 24" Winchester and adding a muzzle brake or buying a 416 Wby with LOTS of power and a muzzle brake included or sending my 416 off to have it rebarreled to 26", fluted Rem mag barrel contour and a muzzle brake installed. I like Stainless and I have a XCR stock on hand for the contour and I can sell the 22" ported 416 barrel (hopefully) and the Kevlar heavy barrel stock. E.R. Shaw quoted me $630 out the door. The Winchester is $1100 plus and the Wby is $1700 plus and I'll need a bunch of new Wby brass (about $60 per box of 20). Trying to sell the Model 700 to help pay for a different rifle could take months and I may take a loss on it.
I think I'll go with E.R. Shaw unless someone has a different Idea to consider.
What think you all of this choice?
Greg

 

[FOTIS]

Glad you decided!

ER Shaw is OK but their quality is not outstanding. Accuracy wise expect accuracy you would get from a decent factory rifle.

My buddy's 260 Remington shoots barely under 1" at best after quite a bit of reloading.

 

[JD338]

Greg,

Spend once and cry once, go with the Weatherby and don't look back.
List the 22" 416 Remington as the perfect Brown Bear rifle and list it on 24 hour campfire.

JD338

 

[Elkman]

greg

I have an ER Shaw on my Remington 721, 35 Whelen, the first load shot around an inch and I have never changed it since. I hope to spend some time this next summer on some more load development.

 

[Guy Miner]

Greg - the .416 is an important rifle - if you're hunting with it, it's likely because you're hunting something large, maybe dangerous, and probably expensive. Alaska, Africa, somewhere...

I'd make sure that it was The .416 I wanted. Or whatever big-bore I chose.

Ports and muzzle brakes are something I truly dislike. The noise and blast are ferocious, and I just plain don't like them. Yes, they reduce recoil and muzzle rise. But a well-designed stock, a top-quality recoil pad and a rifle heavy enough for a .416 will also soak up a lot of recoil. I'd rather go the traditional route, instead of the muzzle brake or ports for any hunting rifle I'm using.

As I have no problems with a Rem 700, I'd likely just keep yours and get a new barrel installed without the ports. Likely a 24" tube, although I'd consider shorter. Get the 24", and if you decide to shorten it a bit, that's easy to do later.

If you're more of a Winchester guy, swap off the Remmy for a Winchester Model 70. They're both good guns. Or a Ruger .416 Alaskan, although it too has a fairly short barrel. I kind of like short barreled rifles for most hunting. Very maneuverable in tight places.

First thing I'd do though, before counting pennies, is to figure out what I wanted in a .416, since it's such an important rifle. Then I'd work on making that happen.

Good luck with your decision! Guy

 

[SJB358]

Greg - the .416 is an important rifle - if you're hunting with it, it's likely because you're hunting something large, maybe dangerous, and probably expensive. Alaska, Africa, somewhere...

I'd make sure that it was The .416 I wanted. Or whatever big-bore I chose.

Ports and muzzle brakes are something I truly dislike. The noise and blast are ferocious, and I just plain don't like them. Yes, they reduce recoil and muzzle rise. But a well-designed stock, a top-quality recoil pad and a rifle heavy enough for a .416 will also soak up a lot of recoil. I'd rather go the traditional route, instead of the muzzle brake or ports for any hunting rifle I'm using.

As I have no problems with a Rem 700, I'd likely just keep yours and get a new barrel installed without the ports. Likely a 24" tube, although I'd consider shorter. Get the 24", and if you decide to shorten it a bit, that's easy to do later.

If you're more of a Winchester guy, swap off the Remmy for a Winchester Model 70. They're both good guns. Or a Ruger .416 Alaskan, although it too has a fairly short barrel. I kind of like short barreled rifles for most hunting. Very maneuverable in tight places.

First thing I'd do though, before counting pennies, is to figure out what I wanted in a .416, since it's such an important rifle. Then I'd work on making that happen.

Good luck with your decision! Guy

Man, that is great advice Guy. Wished I could think that clearly under times of duress in buying and selling rifles!!! That 416 Ruger looks like a good one, but I am betting the new Winchesters are pretty sweet also. Good luck with whatever you do and I think the new Vias brakes are "quiet" so maybe that will help with your decision. I am sure muzzle blast is still incredible, but with a 416 unbraked, it still has to be pretty serious. Scotty

 

[widgeon]

Please take this for what it's worth, as I am certainly no expert and I may have missed a previous thread.
How much is there to gain by adding 2 inches of barrel? 100-200 fps? It seems like the idea of a .416 is "large, dangerous game" which is generally taken inside 150 yrds. seems like a big expense for a minor gain. Like guy, I tend to prefer shorter barreled guns for better maneuverability.

Found this online, hope it helps...
Jack O'Connor wrote in The Rifle Book that, "The barrel shorter than standard has a velocity loss which averages about 25 foot-seconds for every inch cut off the barrel. Likewise, there is a velocity gain with a longer barrel." He went on to illustrate this using a .30-06 rifle shooting 180 grain bullets as an example, so his estimate was obviously for rifles in that general performance class.

Other authorities have tried to take into account the different velocity ranges within which modern cartridges operate. The Remington Catalog 2003 includes a "Centerfire Rifle Velocity Vs. Barrel Length" table that shows the following velocity changes for barrels shorter or longer than the test barrel length:

MV 2000-2500 fps, the approximate change in MV per 1" change in barrel length is 10 fps.
MV 2500-3000 fps, the approximate change in MV per 1" change in barrel length is 20 fps.
MV 3000-3500 fps, the approximate change in MV per 1" change in barrel length is 30 fps.
MV 3500-4000 fps, the approximate change in MV per 1" change in barrel length is 40 fps.
The 45th Edition of the Lyman Reloading Handbook also has a table showing Center Fire Rifle Velocity Vs. Barrel Length. Their figures apply to barrels between 20 and 26 inches in length and agree with the Remington figures. The Lyman table shows the following approximate velocity changes:

For rifles with muzzle velocities in the 1000-2000 fps range, the change in velocity for each 1" change in barrel length is 5 fps.
For rifles with muzzle velocities in the 2001-2500 fps range, the change in velocity for each 1" change in barrel length is 10 fps.
For rifles with muzzle velocities in the 2501-3000 fps range, the change in velocity for each 1" change in barrel length is 20 fps.
For rifles with muzzle velocities in the 3001-3500 fps range, the change in velocity for each 1" change in barrel length is 30 fps.
For