.275 Rigby Ammunition

Handloading The .275 Rigby


Rigby .275 by Dorleac&Dorleac
Rigby .275 by Dorleac&Dorleac

Q: Can you offer some suggestions regarding handloading for a rifle I’m having built? It will be chambered for the calibre I’ve always dreamed of owning after reading books by Karamojo Bell and Jim Corbett – the .275 Rigby. I’m having a CZ 550 action fitted with a 24in. barrel with 1:9″ twist. I believe the action will be strong enough to handle the higher pressures of modern reloading and heavy bullets if required. It will be stamped “.275 Rigby” and I will use Hornady brass to avoid any problems with customs that might crop up if my ammo carried a 7x57mm headstamp. Living fin Victoria I have access to several big game species and I would like to have a single load that would be effective for hunting hog deer at 30 metres over water and sambar out to 350 metres for cross-gully situations. I plan on having detachable mounts so that I can use it scoped or with iron sights.xI’d like to use the latter for general stalking which is part of the romance of having a .275 Rigby. I was wondering which bullet to use – Hornady 154gn Interbond, Nosler 140gn Partition or Barnes 150gn TTSX? For a propellant I am tossing up between AR2209 and RE-19. Which bullet would be most effective for the kind of hunting I do? Can you suggest a couple of loads?
Jack Purcell

A: The CZ 550 is a good strong action with many excellent features such as a dovetailed receiver which makes scope mounting easy. A 24in. barrel with 1:9″ twist makes sense too. That was what my own 7×57 built on an intermediate length Turkish Mauser had. Your idea of using Hornady cases carrying the .275 Rigby headstamp is nostalgic. The

.275 Rigby Ammunition
.275 Rigby Ammunition

loads I developed for my rifle are:
Sierra 140gn/46gn of AR2208/ 2880fps; Sierra 140gn/ 50gn W-760/ 2885fps; Sierra 140gn/53gn RE-19/2885fps; PMC 160gn SP/ 48gn AR2209/ 2660fps; Sierra1 75gn/45gn AR2209/2612fps. All of these loads were safe to use in my Mauser, but I recommend you work up from two grains below. You’ll find reams of good reloading data for the bullets you list in the various reloading manuals.

 

 

 


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Nick Harvey

The late Nick Harvey (1931-2024) was one of the world's most experienced and knowledgeable gun writers, a true legend of the business. He wrote about firearms and hunting for about 70 years, published many books and uncounted articles, and travelled the world to hunt and shoot. His reloading manuals are highly sought after, and his knowledge of the subject was unmatched. He was Sporting Shooter's Technical Editor for almost 50 years. His work lives on here as part of his legacy to us all.

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