375 H&H, 458 Win Mag, and 416 Rigby in an Encore?

[Dance]

Hi Everyone,

     You can use the 375 H&H, 416 Rigby, and 458 Win Mag in an Encore?  I see some of the custom barrel makers make those calibers, but some don't.  Just wanted to see if the Encore frame would take the beating and if anyone had those calibers, how punishing are they to shoot?
    I am working on my hunting handgun battery, and from the other post I made am getting a 22 match and 35 rem barrel for my regular Contender.  This will go along with the 223 barrel that I have to pretty much allow me to hunt up to elk or moose reasonable with my Contender.  I was going to get a 375JDJ barrel to round it out, but after contemplating the costs figure I might be better off buying an Encore Frame and getting a 243, 30 06 or 308, and either a 375 H&H or 416 Rigby or 458 Win Mag for big, dangerous game.  This would round out an encore frame and allow for varmint to large, dangerous game with the Encore.  I figure the 375 H&H, 416 Rigby, or 458 Win Mag will handle elephant and everything on down reasonable well.
     What do you all think?

[KYODE]

i havn't shot any of those monsters, and kinnda doubt if i ever will. i figure i can take game up to elk in size with my 7-08 encore, or 30-30AI contender, and they are both all i want in recoil. neither are bad at all, pure enjoyable to shoot actually, but i don't see a need to punish myself. :lol:
sounds like you're starting to have a little fun at this. it's a big job to work up the loads for all those barrels, unless you get lucky and find the right combo from the start. report on all your goodies(loads,barrels,etc.)  :lol: i need all the reading material, i can get

[Ladobe]

416 Rigby:  I was invited along for the test firing of the first Encore ever chambered for the 416 (step up 1.5" bull 10" long, no brake).   I've been a handcannon shooter for a lot of years (SSK's and Bower's), but there isn't anything that walks the earth that my 375JDJ's won't handle in spades (pic below), and with a whole lot less punishment and expense than the 416.    I know quite a few custom barrels were ordered in this chambering from this custom maker (like 80) the first year or so after the Encore frame came out - and that most of them only saw a few rounds fired before they were either put up for sale or "retired" to the back of gun cabinets all over the country.   I'd suggest you seek out the opportunity to shoot one before you buy one FWIW.    The 375JDJ is very manageable for the average shooter, especially if it wears one of JD's Arrestor breaks.    Just some food for thought - luck with whatever you decide to go with.

Ladobe  :bye:

(BTW, here's some of my Contender "toys".   Just added the 4 SSK's on the bottom last March and hadn't mounted the scopes yet - T'SOB rings wouldn't work with my scopes.)

[JJFly]

First question, will the Encore handle them.  Yes, all of the belted magnums based on the H&H case full length or some shortened version will work fine.  The 416 Rigby is actually to much if loaded to high pressure, 65,000psi range.  For normal factory loads used in the old double rifles, the Rigby is fine.
Second part, anyone shoot these.  YUP, a good many of us.  I have a 458Win Mag in a bull barrel w/muzzle brake, 16" pistol.  The recoil is stiff, but no worse then the 358JDJ I used to shoot without a brake.  I sling 510gr RN down range at 2015fps and with my 2X scope and holds 3 shots to a quarter @ 100yds.
It draws some attention at the range when you pull a shell out of the box, more when you pull the trigger.  I wonder what the 458Lott would get for attention?  Dang, now you have me thinking!  :-D

One more thing, the 510gr slug penetrates a 2 1/2 foot oak stump and another 9 inches into the earth from 40yds away.  I recovered the bullet with a shovel.  So yeah, anything that moves on the planet and cooks on the grill is "Fair Game".

[Dance]

Wow, looks like a really nice set-up Ladobe.  

     Neat JJ, sounds like I should pick between the 375 H&H and the 458 Win Mag and leave the Rigby out for now.  The thing that I was thinking was that with either the 375 H&H or the 458 Win Mag it would be easy to pair up a rifle in the same caliber to get dual duty out of the dies and casting equipment I would get for the Encore.  

    There are loads of good guns in 375 H&H with the Winchester 70 Stainless being a decently-priced, quality gun.  This seems like a good caliber in that you can download it fairly easily to take smaller game while having the ability to load stout loads for Elephants, Alaskan Brown Bears, Cape Buffalo, and whatever else roams the earth.

     Then again, the 458 Win Mag is a great caliber providing loads of power, although it doesn't seem to have the range of downloading abilities that the 375 does. I got to look at one of the Savage 458 Win Mag rifles, and they are pretty neat. looks like a quality gun without the high-price many of the others place on this caliber.

     Lots of thinking to do on what calibers to get and what rifles I can get to pair up with them. Will have to go to the gun shop tomarrow and have a chat with the owner.  He always tells me that I am his best customer for some reason............

[JJFly]

Dance,

If I may...
I would suggest a 375H&H for a couple reasons.  First, the factory available ammo is so easy to come by.  If you're on a trip and something happens to the luggage carring your ammo (like that never happens right?) 375H&H can be had nearly everywhere.  This helps, because my second point is many different bullet weights shoot to the same point of impact.  So even if you don't get the exact same load you're still on target.
375H&H has a trajectory of a 30-06 but the energy @ 300yds the venerable '06 has at the muzzle.  Yes it is true, look at the ballistic charts.  I've developed loads for the 260gr Nosler BT(waiting on the Accubond bullets now!) in my 375H&H and I've got 300gr Speer Tungsten Solid loads for the "MEAN STUUF" too.  You'd be hard pressed to do better.  The 375H&H 300gr RN Weatherby loads shot an incredible .66" for three 3 shots @ 100yds.  Accuracy is excellent in this old favorite.  One last thing I can say from A LOT OF TESTING ON GAME.  375H&H does much LESS meat damage to your deer than the HOT Mags (I've got a 7mm Mag too).  The bullets are constructed heavier and so they don't open as violently.  Don't take this to mean 375H&H doesn't kill.  I smacked a good size doe once hunting in N.C. @ a hair over 250yds using Winchester's 300gr Silvertip ammo, I watched her legs go over twice as she rolled from the impact.  She did NOT get back up.  I've never used more than one shot with the H&H, nor have I had to chase my game down with her.  Shot a buck "Texas Heart Style" and sent him @$$ over tea kettle.  375H&H has PLENTY of power!
The 458Win Mag is still a good choice but velocity and bullet expansion become issues past 100yds so if you're talking plains game or a longer shot on a big bear...  I'd rather have the 375H&H on my side.

[Dance]

Sounds like I may only really need two barrels for an Encore.  Probably just a 308 and a 375 H & H.  I figure the 308 can be used for varmints to mid sized game and the 375 downloaded for midsized game and all the way up for elephants.

[JJFly]

Dance,

You've obviously not been exposed to the TC bug.  Once bitten, you'll find yourself uncontrollably drawn to purchase more barrels.  You'll find yourself buying barrels in calibers you already have or in the same bullet diameter.  There is no cure for this sickness.  There isn't enough money to curb the desire either.

Just 2.... Ha Ha Ha... I said that once.  Now, well... I just got a new safe because my Washington 25 ran out of room for those "2" barrels.   :lol:

Hi, my name is Jeff and I'm a TC 'holic.  :grin:

[KYODE]

hello, my name is KYLE, and i too am a TC "aholic"

[Ladobe]

Hello - my name is Larry, and I am a resurrected TC "aholic"... sold my 90ish TC factory barrels and now only have custom barrels (mostly wildcats).   BTW, that didn't work either!!!   Their numbers are creeping up too - and fast.   :wink:

Ladobe  :bye:

[daveb]

I'm looking forward to my third Encore barrel.  I ordered a 375 H&H from Virgin Valley with their intergral brake.  My goal is to take it and my 338 WinMag barrel to Africa in the next three years.  I'm thinking the same way you do Dance about the Encore pistol and rifle battery in the same caliber.  Good shooting!

[470NitroExpress]

Why bother with the small calibers like .375 and .416, those are for varmints :grin: . Try the 470 NE. Picture of mine below:

[Dance]

How does the 470 Nitro Express shoot?

I like the idea of the wildcat cartridges and a lot of them seem to fit the bill for large game hunting, yet the problem I see with them is how uncommon they are.  I figured on a standard caliber like the 375 H&H or the 458 Win Mag it is easy to get brass, reloading componants and shells from anywhere. If you go on a hunt and lose the ammo somehow your whole hunt could be ruined because of having an uncommon caliber and not being able to find replacement ammo.  Even if your hunt is only 30-50 miles from home imagine the problems finding speciality ammo at a local gunshop or walmart.
This isn't to say i don't think the wildcats and uncommon big calibers are really neat and wouldnt be a blast to own, shoot, and hunt with.

[Turk]

Kyode,

What load do you shoot in your 7-08.  Also what is the max hunting range from a rested shot?

Thanks,

Turk

Please remember to pray for our troops.

[KYODE]

41.5gr of h4895,120gr nosler balistic tip, rem 9 1/2 primer, 2.87" oal(going by memory on the oal?) chronoed 2800fps. very accurate! last season i was shooting the same load with 40.0gr h4895 and took a button buck at 250 yards. i had a perfect sandbag rest. from a makeshift rest it would have been much harder to do. the type of rest and your abilities will be the most limiting factor.

[jawtc]

I have a 15 in. full custom SSK in 416 Rigby for encore. Love it. Not bad on recoil either for what it is. Although I have a 411 JDJ and that is like a mouse compared. Nice pics guys. Been a long time since I posted.

AWTC