doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Forming .416 Rigby brass from .460 Weatherby

Sounds sort of odd, doesn't it? Have any of you done it? Apparently it was the thing to do in 1967. In my late father-in-law's shooting supplies I have found a several boxes of virgin .460 brass made halfway into .416 Rigby. The belts have actually been milled off, but the sizing has not been completed. The cases are accompanied by the appropriate tools, all special ordered from RCBS. Anyone here successfully fully formed .416 this way?....and is there any market for the stuff or do I have a pile of scrap?

I used to convert Weatherby brass to .416 Rigby to use in my Ruger No. 1, which was built in the '70's, long before it was available as a factory caliber. As I recall, Rigby brass, especially boxer primed Rigby brass was virtually unknown, but Weatherby brass was fairly available. The same was true of 400/350 Rigby brass, which I used to reform from 9.3X74R. I had never owned a .350 Rigby Magnum at the time, so the issue did not come up. .350 No. 2 uses the same brass as 400/350, only loaded with a lighter bullet.

Gartenmeister,
It doesn't sound odd at all, the 460 Weatherby,in the begining, was the 416Rigby, with a belt added.Of course the 460 has the Weatherby venturi shoulder, which comes out in sizing and fireforming.You don't have a pile of scrap, but if you want to give it away, send it to me.
Mike