format_quoteIntroduced in 1989, the 416 Remington Magnum is merely a necked-up, 41-caliber, version of the 8mm Rem Mag (a 1979 offering) with no other changes. It might best be described as Remington’s belated attempt to salvage some of the development costs of the 8mm Rem Mag project, which was a dismal marketing failure because Remington saddled it with inefficient bullets so (despite working at significantly higher pressure and having much greater case capacity) it would not do anything the 300 Winchester Magnum would not do. This was true both with available factory loads and any feasible handloads using bullets then offered
So, Remington introduced a round loaded to more realistic pressures for use in Africa and using bullets of an appropriate diameter for serious dangerous game hunting. The original loads were claimed to duplicate 416 Rigby ballistics and might well have done so. However, African hunters soon reported issues with pressure spikes when using the 416 Remington Magnum on hot days. This was exactly what was not needed to promote sales. (Refer to the discussion under the 458 Win Mag to see that there truly is nothing new under the sun.)
As with its predecessor, the 8mm Rem Mag, the 416 Rem Mag was a dismal marketing failure. But, loaded with the best modern components, such as the Woodleigh 400-grain HSB, and a temperature-stable propellant, such as RL-17, to give 2450 fps, pressure is relatively mild. Such a load in the 416 Rem Mag duplicates factory loads in the much larger and longer 416 Rigby.
Because it uses far less propellant, which significantly contributes to recoil, it does so while generating 12% less recoil (which is no small matter). Such a load will not generate potentially gun-jamming pressure when used at high ambient temperature.
As was a host of standard belted–magnum cartridges, this case was derived from the circa 1912, 375 H&H.
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