.416 Remington Magnum - Performance

Performance

The .416 Remington Magnum was designed to emulate the performance of the .416 Rigby and by all evidence meets this design criterion. When loaded to within the pressure specification stipulated by SAAMI and the CIP, the cartridge can easily exceed this design criterion by about 100 ft/s (30 m/s). Held to within the respective pressure limits imposed on each of the cartridges by these organizations, the Rigby cartridge has little to no advantage in performance over the .416 Remington Magnum. In fact, to match the .416 Remington at its maximum pressure mandated by the CIP of 4,300 bar (62,000 psi) the .416 Rigby cartridge will require to be loaded to 3,600 bar (52,000 psi) exceeding the maximum pressure by 350 bar (5,100 psi). Factory manufactured ammunition for both these cartridges launch a 400 gr (26 g) bullet at 2,400 ft/s (730 m/s) while handloaded ammunition is able to drive the same bullet at about 2,500 ft/s (760 m/s).

When Ruger entered the .416 caliber (10.36 mm) fray, they did so with a cartridge shorter but internally fatter than the .416 Remington Magnum which was based on their .375 Ruger necked up to .416 in (10.6 mm). The cartridge was a co-development between Ruger and Hornady where Ruger developed the rifles and Hornady the ammunition. Compared to the .416 Ruger, the Remington cartridge has a greater case capacity and a higher S.A.A.M.I. recommended pressure level. This means that the Remington cartridge should perform better than the Ruger cartrdige. The Hornady's .416 Ruger ammunition matches both the Rigby and Remington .416 cartridges it does so working close to its maximum pressure level using a specially blended powder unavailable to the public. Those who handload their ammunition will have some difficulty reaching the performance of the factory loaded ammunition while staying within the maximum average pressure rating of the cartridge. Data published by Hornady provide a velocity for the 400 gr (26 g) of 2,300 ft/s (700 m/s) for the .416 Ruger, 2,400 ft/s (730 m/s) for the Rigby, 2,450 ft/s (750 m/s) for the .416 Remington Magnum and 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s) for the .416 Weatherby.

The .416 Weatherby Magnum on the other hand is capable of a greater performance level than either the Remington, Rigby or Ruger cartridges. Factory ammunition is loaded to 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s) with the 400 gr (26 g) bullet. The .416 Weatherby Magnum uses a slighter more voluminous case than the Rigby cartridge and works at a higher C.I.P. pressure than the .416 Remington Magnum. The .416 Dakota uses a modified Rigby case and is able to attain 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) using better quality brass than the Rigby cartridge at a higher pressure.

Factory loaded ammunition generates 5,115 ft·lbf (6,935 J) of energy at the muzzle. This exceeds the energy generated by most .458 Winchester Magnum factory ammunition which launch a 500 gr (32 g) bullet at 2,050 ft/s (620 m/s). Many experienced African hunters consider the .416 Remington a more flexible cartridge than the .458 Winchester Magnum.

Comparison of the factory loadings of the .458 Winchester Magnum, .375 H&H Magnum and the .416 Remington Magnum

Cartridge	Criteria	Muzzle	50-yard (46 m)	100-yard (91 m)	150-yard (140 m)	200-yard (180 m)	250-yard (230 m)	300-yard (270 m)
.458 Winchester Magnum Hornady 500 grains (32 g) DGS 85833	Velocity	2,140 ft/s (650 m/s)	2,007 ft/s (612 m/s)	1,879 ft/s (573 m/s)	1,757 ft/s (536 m/s)	1,641 ft/s (500 m/s)	1,531 ft/s (467 m/s)	1,429 ft/s (436 m/s)
	Energy	5,084 ft·lbf (6,893 J)	4,472 ft·lbf (6,063 J)	3,921 ft·lbf (5,316 J)	3,428 ft·lbf (4,648 J)	2,990 ft·lbf (4,050 J)	2,603 ft·lbf (3,529 J)	2,267 ft·lbf (3,074 J)
	Bullet Drop	−1.5 in (−3.8 cm)	0.3 in (0.76 cm)	0 in (0 cm)	−2.8 in (−7.1 cm)	-8.4 in (21.33 cm)	−17.3 in (−44 cm)	−29.8 in (−76 cm)
.375 H&H Magnum Hornady 300 grains (19 g) DGS 8509	Velocity	2,670 ft/s (810 m/s)	2,508 ft/s (764 m/s)	2,353 ft/s (717 m/s)	2,204 ft/s (672 m/s)	2,059 ft/s (628 m/s)	1,920 ft/s (590 m/s)	1,787 ft/s (545 m/s)
	Energy	4,749 ft·lbf (6,439 J)	4,191 ft·lbf (5,682 J)	3,688 ft·lbf (5,000 J)	3,234 ft·lbf (4,385 J)	2,823 ft·lbf (3,827 J)	2,455 ft·lbf (3,329 J)	2,127 ft·lbf (2,884 J)
	Bullet Drop	−1.5 in (−3.8 cm)	−0.1 in (−0.25 cm)	0 in (0 cm)	−1.5 in (−3.8 cm)	-4.8 in (12.19 cm)	−10.2 in (−26 cm)	−17.9 in (−45 cm)
.416 Remington Magnum Hornady 400 grains (26 g) DGS 82674	Velocity	2,400 ft/s (730 m/s)	2,269 ft/s (692 m/s)	2,143 ft/s (653 m/s)	2,019 ft/s (615 m/s)	1,901 ft/s (579 m/s)	1,787 ft/s (545 m/s)	1,678 ft/s (511 m/s)
	Energy	5,116 ft·lbf (6,936 J)	4,574 ft·lbf (6,202 J)	4,077 ft·lbf (5,528 J)	3,622 ft·lbf (4,911 J)	3,208 ft·lbf (4,349 J)	2,835 ft·lbf (3,844 J)	2,500 ft·lbf (3,400 J)
	Bullet Drop	−1.5 in (−3.8 cm)	0.1 in (0.25 cm)	0 in (0 cm)	-2.0 in (5.08 cm)	−6.1 in (−15 cm)	−12.7 in (−32 cm)	−21.9 in (−56 cm)

It is evident that the .416 Remington Magnum is a ballistically superior cartridge that the .458 Winchester Magnum and has a trajectory close to that of the .375 H&H Magnum. While the .458 Winchester Magnum retains4,000 ft·lbf (5,400 J) to about the 65 yd (59 m) the .416 Remington Magnum carries that energy level beyond the 100 yd (91 m) mark. The cartridge is flatter shooting than the .458 Winchester Magnum. When zeroed for 100 yd (91 m) the .416 Remington Magnum drops about5.0 in (13 cm) at 200 yd (180 m) and will be about 22 in (56 cm) low at 300 yd (270 m). The .458 Winchester Magnum in contrast will be 6 in (15 cm) low at 200 yd (180 m) and 30 in (76 cm) low at 300 yd (270 m). This ability to retain a usable energy level to farther ranges makes the .416 a far more flexible cartridge and therefore a more useful cartridge than the .458 Winchester Magnum.

As with any big bore rifle cartridge recoil is a consideration. In a 10 lb (4.5 kg) the .416 Remington Magnum will generate about 54 ft·lbf (73 J) of recoil energy at velocity of 18.6 ft/s (5.7 m/s). In comparison a .458 Winchester Magnum firing a 500 gr (32 g) bullet at 2,150 ft/s (660 m/s) will generate about 61 ft·lbf (83 J) of recoil energy at velocity of 19.7 ft/s (6.0 m/s) in a similar weighted rifle.