#1... Just did a gun deal for a 416 Rigby and some reloading supplies. Included was some Speer, Hornady, and Barnes bullets. Just holding the different weights and different manufacturers of the bullets in my hand I was surprised by what I saw!

The 400gr. Hornady and the 325gr. Barnes were roughly the same length even though the Barnes was 75gr. lighter, the Barnes had a great aerodynamic shape (ballistic coefficient) for such a light weight " big bore" bullet (it wasn' t short and stubby) AND THUS a higher potential velocity and MAYBE longer (flatter) reach. In spite of copper being less dense than lead, Barnes bullets seem to be legendary in terms of penetration and expansion and weight retention (military steel core bullets are lighter than lead also but obviously penetrate very well). At first blush, this almost seems too good to be true. What' s the catch -- what am I missing? The 416 Rigby has had very little ammo through it (46 rounds) and has a brilliant bore, so I think I prepping it for Barnes shouldn' t be too much problem. Any thoughts on the Barnes Bullets thing?
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#2... I have an embarrassing " problem." I need to get into reloading in order to have as " much fun" as I want with the Rigby ($100+ per box factory = ouch!). I reloaded once when I was 15-17 and lord knows I was probably close to disaster then and just didn' t know it, so I don' t count that experience for much. What formal resources (besides a mentor) are available to learn proper reloading (especially die adjustment) -- NRA? Schools?

I have a ton of reloading equipment that was gifted to me because I' m the " gun guy" and now it' s time to put it to work!

Thanks For Any Help,
EKM

EKM,
Check out http://www.reload-nrma.com. They have a list of certified NRA reloading instructors on the site. An instructor in my area was open to being a mentor - supervise my reloading efforts the first time through. I was concerned about die adjustment as well. I had to defer the reloading bench plans until I finish with a house project, so I haven;t had the opportunity to take him up on the offer yet.

I mention that with the understanding that you' re looking for more than a mentor. I do think that some of the instructors offer more structured training but have never had cause to look into it further.

Cal,
Thanks, they had 10 instructors right here in the Denver Metro Area. That was right " on target" -- good advice.

Anyone?
Any explanation of the Barnes bullets lighter density construction, better ballistic coefficient discussion in the first post?

EKM

elkcampmaster.... after reading your 1st post a few times it seems to me that you have answered your own questions.

Copper being less dense lead.... ie, the 400 grain Hornady(lead core) being about the same length as the pure copper 325gr X. A given wieght bullet one of copper and the other of lead..........the lead core bullet will always be shorter due to it' s heavier density. Case in point, if you have a 400 gr Barnes X spitzer compare it to the Hornady 400 gr RNSP or the 400 gr FMJ, you will see that the Barnes is about an 1/2 inch longer....again, this is due to the copper' s lighter density.

To achieve a high ballistic coefficient the bullet has to be... as you said ...aerodynamicly shaped, this is where the X bullets usaully shine. But as a general rule the lighter weight bullets will have a smaller BC and naturally the heavier bullets a higher BC. That said, some people get caught up with using a lighter weight bullet because they can be driven faster, but when the ranges get to be long, the slower, heavier bullet with the higher BC will overtake the lighter one with velocity and retained energy. Using the Barnes X bullets though allow you to drop a given bullet weight and still get the same if not better results as using a lead core bullet.

The X bullets do have a reputation for penetration, this is due to being all copper, which the X bullet will retain its original weight well ie ...no lead to shed and typically will have a small frontal expansion diameter, they do not expand nearly as big as a lead (bonded or not ) bullet. When you as this up, that' s what give you the deep penetration the Barnes are known for. In my experinces with them , yes to do work but dont have the shock/kill effect and a regular bullet.

In my 416 Ribgy, I like the 400 grain Hornady RNSP for anything I want to take in NA. They are very accurate in my gun, below should be a picture. When I hunt Africa, I think I will try the heavier contructed Swift, Nosler or Barnes bullet.

Yes, the factory ammo does cost a little more . When reloading for it, you will find that it' s a pretty easy cartridge to load for. Once you find a load/powder it likes try buying either 5-8 lbs kegs of powder. Loads using over a 100 grains eat up a pound of powder in a hurry.



stay in the gun.............AA

if the picture doesnt appear, look at the " HD hanger to accurize a #1 Ruger" post on this forum

Double A,

I thought I had a general grasp of the facts, but seemed to good to be true.
Usually when something is looking to good to be true, there is usually a catch. Thanks for supplying what appears to be the trade off.

Would it be accurate to say that those wonderful looking Barnes X bullets with the four petals all fanned out to a tremendously wide diameter is NOT what happens in real hunting situations?

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

I prefer speer bullets, but I wouldn' t put the Barnes down either. The .416Rigby' s are rather inherently accurate, quite impressively so, so nit-picking the B.C.' s on them is time better spent shooting in my opinion. I had a CZ that would punch snowmen at 200yrds with almost any bullet I fed it (with due load development of course). I' ve always wondered why I could do that with that STOCK rifle, when I' ve spent so much on bores half that large to get to STRUGGLE for that kind of accuracy.

Your rifle will either like Barnes bullets or hate them but in any case get some Barnes CR-10 bore cleaner, best stuff out there and you will need it!!! Barnes bullets tend to copper up the bore. My experiance with the Rigby and Rugers chambered for it are that they will shoot Barnes bullets fine. As for help reloading, give me a call and stop by the shop I will help you work up a load, you do the shooting!!! Believe it or not that rifle/cartridge works great on deer, minimal meat damage and I do not care what angle, you can get the bullet into the vitals and out, one other pluss, you have the woods to your self, that is why I hunt with that sort of rifle amoung other reasons. You can reach me at 207-938-3595 or at [email protected] I could probably help you out with loading questions that way also.

I have been reloading for about five years now. I know this is not a long time but I do reload for several rifle and pistol cartridges. Single stage and progressive. When I first started reloading a friend helped me out and I started out slow. A few thoughts on equipmeant. Get two case tumblers one for cleaning the other for polishing. A digital powder dispenser will be REAL handy and fast. Try Stoney Point case leanght gauge, this really helped my accuracy for reloading.

The Barnes bullets are very good, you don' t have to worry about their performance. I dug a .375 caliber Barnes fired from a H&H out of the shooting range hill and it looked like the expanded bullets you see in magazines, and it retained most of its weight.

Sierra makes videos on how to handload. Like Judson mentioned get some CR-10 and clean the barrel very very good before shooting Barnes X Bullets, this will give you the right indication if your rifle likes them via your groups. Good luck with your new rifle