416 Rigby vs 416 Weatherby -- beltless vs belted

[Hueco]

I am looking at another rifle. The CZ 550 Magnum caught my eye a while ago. Now that I have one big-bore, I want another. Looking at ballistics, I think I've narrowed it down to the 416 Rigby and the 416 Weatherby. The Weatherby shoots a bit flatter, and that would be nice. But my question is this -- what is the advantage of beltless magnums? I've heard a lot of "beltless are better" stuff, just never heard the reasons for that. I am not really going to be doing any serious hunting (maybe feral hogs and coyotes). I just want the rifle for play. And are there any other calibres in teh 416 class I should consider?


Hueco

 

[RobCon]

[I have used the .416 Rigby rather extensively in Africa. Mine is a Ruger Express which is stock except for a Decellerator pad and trigger work. Ammo is a bit more expensive than the Remington and about the same as the Wby. The CZ like the Ruger is a true controlled-feed action which is preferable for dangerous game. Federal ammo uses the outstanding Woodleigh softnose and solid bullets in the Rigby caliber and it is superb ammunition. Last summer I took a 1600 lb eland in Zimbabwe with one .416 Woodleigh softnose thru both shoulders at @150 paces. Remember that the Rigby was designed to produce its ballistics (410gr@2375fps) at low pressures, around 35000 psi.If you wish to handload, Midway carries Norma and Bell brass. I bought 100 Norma cases years ago and they work fine. I recently bought some of Bell's .470 Nitro brass and have no complaints. One final point:the Ribgy holds 4 rounds vs. 3 in the Wby. With buff one never knows.


Hueco[/B][/QUOTE]

 

[Jeff, CA]

Beltless rounds headspace on the shoulder, whereas belted rounds headspace on the belt. Belts are necessary for proper headspacing with the gentle shoulders of the .300 & .375 H&H magnums, but with today's sharp shoulders, they aren't.

However, belted rounds are still manufactured to headspace on the belt. Because of this, they usually have generous clearance at the shoulder. Beltless rounds, on the other hand, have their shoulder forced into the chamber's shoulder at the moment of firing. This tends to automatically center the case in the chamber, and is the reason beltless rounds have a reputation for being more accurate than belted.

Note that by adjusting your sizing die so it doesn't move back the shoulder of your belted case, you can make it headspace on the shoulder, and you get the accuracy benefit of the beltless case. If the headspace is not excessive to begin with, it's perfectly safe.

BTW, Roy Weatherby first developed his big case by adding a belt to the Rigby case. The more things change...