Spike Camp

Mounts for a .416 wby.

Mounts for a .416 wby.
« on: August 04, 2012, 08:18:18 AM »
Hey guys, just looking for some pointers from you guys, my step father is retiring from work this year and he has booked his once in a lifetime dream hunt to africa for the ole Cape Buffalo and is taking his .416 wby mag. He asked me to set his rifle up for him and get it sighted in close for him and I was just wondering if QR mounts are a must have for dangerous game or if the standard leupold mounts are fine. He told me he doesnt want the QR mounts because he wants something that will absolutley not move! Ive never heard of anybody having trouble before but just wondering what you guys think? Also i recomended the 350 gn Barnes X for him to take, do you think they would be best or would you go with the ole rounded 400 gn? Ive just got a lot of faith in the Barnes from using them on several different game here, but I know dangerous game is a whole different thing.

eford

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Re: Mounts for a .416 wby.
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2012, 08:28:27 AM »
A good friend has made two hunting trips to Africa and is 100% against the quick release mounts. He's getting ready for a third trip, via Australia / New Zeland for some hunting there, and he is taking a 375 Ruger with fixed rings/base. 

I think your father-in-law has the same concerns about a scope coming loose.  Dual dovetail rings or a solid base/ring with loc-tite on the threadsinto the receiver up might be a solution he likes.
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.

Every man needs to know his limits.

zonie

Re: Mounts for a .416 wby.
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2012, 11:27:56 AM »
The classic bullet for the 416 is 400 gr.  I'd use one of the better 400 grainers look at barnes 400-tsx if you handload or 350 tsx if you don't.

I really don't think any of the better mounts designed for these boomers will fail, but if it makes him feel better use a solid mount.   I don't like dovetails singles or doubles and heres why.  If you have to pull a scope in the field even in an emergency you have to have tools and it takes time.  Dovetails also put more strain on base mounting screws ,  Repeated taking on and off the scope wears them out not that a person would changes scopes that much to ever notice.

If it were me I would buy a set of nutted tacticals with coin slots on a good steel double base.  Yes it has a nut,  but in a pinch I carry a little swiss army knife with pliers not exactly the best tool, and  some  tacticals have coin   also like the old large  thumb screw weavers.  What ever you buy don't buy cheap bases and rings from the  third world with soft steel.   Go out and shoot the crap out that rifle months before his trip and see if he can break anything on the rifle.




NMARKANITE

Re: Mounts for a .416 wby.
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2012, 12:48:29 PM »
These would be by far the choice for me if i were going to top off a 416 Wby or anyother DGR and they have the Alpha Mount in a 3 ring configuration now with 2 rings up front and 1 in the rear! I think that the PH would rather see someone using the round nose solids but ya might check with them as the A Square Triad in a 400 Gr would probably work well also? 
http://a-squareco.com/Triad.html

http://www.nearmfg.com/products.htm
« Last Edit: August 04, 2012, 12:55:49 PM by NMARKANITE »

zonie

Re: Mounts for a .416 wby.
« Reply #4 on: August 04, 2012, 01:30:15 PM »
Near makes beautiful mounts,  pricy, and if they don't make a two piece mount with better access into the load-ejection receiver port  I'd have to pass on that one on a DG rifle with these large dia shells.

NMARKANITE

Re: Mounts for a .416 wby.
« Reply #5 on: August 04, 2012, 02:46:06 PM »

Ron the Alphamount if you look at it is machined for easy access to loading larger rounds in a bolt rifle!  This mount will work just fine on bigger rounds as it has the proper design to allow for this and the machining is done in a way that allows for it also! Richard at Near has done his homework I promise you! ;D This mount is not like a rail mount which does not allow for rapid loading which I really do not think one would have time to do anyway as you should not need to reload if your aim is where it should be to start with! Weatherby does not make a round that will not load with this mount!
« Last Edit: August 04, 2012, 04:57:11 PM by NMARKANITE »

zonie

Re: Mounts for a .416 wby.
« Reply #6 on: August 04, 2012, 05:26:53 PM »
Terry , good info.   I't's not what I would use, but I could see people using it. 

NMARKANITE

Re: Mounts for a .416 wby.
« Reply #7 on: August 04, 2012, 07:13:14 PM »
Ron this mount is expensive and I was fore warned that once you get 1 that it would be hard to keep from getting them for all the Weatherby rifles in the safe! Thank's Curt for the warning but my 338-378 will probably be wearing one in the NEAR future ;D I have yet to find a mount that could come anywhere near the quality of these mounts as I never cared for a ring mount style until I got 1 for my Lazermark 270 Wby! These really look nice on a quality rifle  :o

Wild Bill Hiccup

Re: Mounts for a .416 wby.
« Reply #8 on: August 04, 2012, 08:18:37 PM »
"He told me he doesnt want the QR mounts because he wants something that will absolutley not move! Ive never heard of anybody having trouble before but just wondering what you guys think? Also i recomended the 350 gn Barnes X for him to take, do you think they would be best or would you go with the ole rounded 400 gn?"

I have never heard of a properly mounted, quality-made Q/D (Q/R) mount ever 'moving'. That said, I don't have personal experience with them on the largest of the Weatherby calibers. There is another discussion here (Rifle Forum) about their use on another Mark V.... 378 WBY, I think it was.

That said, Q/D rings and good iron sights are not a "must have", rather they are more of a desire for extra confidence/additional options on a DGR. I personally prefer them on such a rifle but would hunt (and have) with standard mounts and a low magnification scope without any worries.   

For the .416 WBY, I would highly recommend the Barnes TSX over most other bullets as its velocity puts it in a class by itself (well over the typical 2,400 fps for a 400 grainer out of the Taylor, Remington, Rigby and Ruger). The 350 grain TSX works well in the .416 Ruger or Remington and I'm sure that it would perform solidly in the Weatherby but I'd probably lean towards the 400 grain TSX due to the ability of the WBY to shoot it plenty fast/creating an increased level of 'smack' upon impact with target.  Most PHs are quite fond of the TSX bullets.

This brings me to my last recommendation: Ask the PH.
There are many variables to consider and the PH knows his hunting area, the conditions likely to be faced and has the past experience of hundreds of kills to draw upon.   

Have fun!
« Last Edit: August 04, 2012, 08:47:13 PM by Wild Bill Hiccup »

zonie

Re: Mounts for a .416 wby.
« Reply #9 on: August 04, 2012, 11:49:30 PM »
Terry ,  I'm not a big fan of any one piece mount with rings built in,   even DNZ  on this type of rifle.  Smaller calibers it's  fine we are talking DG's here.   Where I run into the biggest problems is switching scopes and keeping rings as wide apart as possible and as low as possible.    If you were to use this type of mount on a DG rifle and expect to use irons sights in a pinch Fairly Quickly,   it's  not happening.   Since most people  are probably not going to take two DG rifles over,  it only makes sense to either have two scopes set up for the rifle,  or one  DG rifle  with irons, and DG rifles should have irons anyway as a backup.   Rifles get banged around pretty hard over there.   You slip,  you fall,  the truck slams it around in the back ,  I guarantee it's not sitting in a hard case  when you are out driving,  it will probably be in a rack so you can get to it fast.   Hell we drove into holes in the long grass that I thought would tear off the trucks front end,  just stopped dead in the water,  every thing went flying including the spare tires and ice chests, lucky it didn't slam against the rifles.

Most DG rifle scopes are pretty low powered 1x4, 1.5x5 , 1.75x 6 along those lines.  You just don't need anything bigger in magnification on a DG specific rifle.  You should take two rifles anyway one for lighter game and a heavy rifle if you are going for the big stuff.   My problem is you might see a Buff at 200 yds and wound it and have to go in the thick stuff  to get it out.    That PH is going to be pissed,    Sorry if a person can't hit a toyota truck  side window at 200 yds they probably shouldn't be out there.

I do agree a one piece mount is stronger,  that's without question, but and I don't care who makes the one piece mount,  you still don't have the room of a two piece mount to get to the receiver port especially if you need to fiddle with things on the left side on a right hand rifle.   When you are using these boomers if far better off keeping the scope rings as far apart as you can so long as you get the correct  eye relief and sight picture in the scope when you snap the rifle up.  When you keep the rings apart like this you don't put as much torque on the scope  and base screws, and it's mounted stronger.  Lower is stronger also due to the  torque put on by recoil.  Big heavy scopes mounted high with narrow ring spacing is a bad thing on boomers.  Granted there are times when you decide on a scope you may not have the perfect set-up at least for strength.  I'll change rings and bases in a heartbeat to keep the scope where it should be.   One nice thing about lower powered scopes is the objective lense  usually doesn't have a bell on the end and give you a much better or longer mounting surface to play with.  Some people may think it doesn't look as pretty as a more standard scope, I could care less about pretty as long as it works every time.   Smaller lighter scopes less mass in turn means less torque under recoil.    Don't be out there with a cheap Bushnell on a DG rifle,  buy the best scope you can afford.

Choose your scope and mounts wisely.