.416 Rigby vs. .505 Gibbs: Two Legends of the Safari Trail
I got the idea for this topic when a customer got in a wonderful CZ that he planned on having changed over to a .505. Needless to say, my mind got thinking... Growing up in the hills of Missouri, I mostly hunted squirrels, whitetail, and the occasional coyote with a trusty .22 or a deer rifle in .30-06. But I remember flipping through well-worn issues of Outdoor Life and American Rifleman , reading about professional hunters in Africa taking on cape buffalo, lion, and even elephant. That’s where I first saw the names .416 Rigby and .505 Gibbs —they sounded like thunder and tradition all rolled into one. These aren’t cartridges for the faint of heart, and they sure aren’t meant for plinking cans in the backyard. These rounds were born for the thick bush, where your life might depend on one well-placed shot. Today, let’s break down these two African heavyweights—how they came to be, what sets them apart, and which one might suit the serious sportsman with Africa in their sights. O...