[3] Other famous users of the cartridge were Commander David Enderby Blunt, John Taylor, and Jack O'Connor.

As a result, half the mass of cordite will produce roughly the same amount of propellant gases, compared to the older black powder.

One version of this smokeless powder, cordite, allowed higher pressures to be developed, thereby increasing the velocity and performance of rifle cartridges.

The higher velocities produced by cordite allowed the use of smaller diameter projectiles which penetrated big game much more reliably.

Paul Mauser did not invent the bolt-action rifle but rather he refined the design, allowing controlled round feeding, a stripper clip for fast loading, and a strong action with the ability to withstand high pressures generated by the new smokeless powders.

During World War II most Axis and Allied nations, with the exception of the Americans (M1 Garand), British (Lee–Enfield), and the Russians (Mosin–Nagant) used rifles based on the Mauser 98 action.

The Mauser 98 action provided the consumers and gun makers an inexpensive alternative to the double- and single-shot rifles which until that time predominated the dangerous-game hunting scene.

Jeffery & Co, and Westley Richards designed cartridges which could operate in the Magnum Mauser 98 action and could offer big-bore nitro express ballistics and performance in a bolt-action rifle.

[5] Between 1984, when Paul Roberts took over the John Rigby & Co., and 1997, when the company was purchased by Geoff Miller's investment group, 184 more rifles were produced.

The large case allowed the .416 Rigby to operate at moderate pressures, yet turn in a good performance with regard to velocity and energy.

The original ammunition for the .416 Rigby used cordite as a propellant, firing a full metal jacket or soft-point round nose bullet weighing 27 g (410 gr) at 700 m/s (2,300 ft/s) generating 6,375 J (4,702 ft⋅lbf) .

In comparison, the typical .458 Winchester Magnum firing a 32 g (500 gr) bullet at 620 m/s (2,050 ft/s) manages to stay above the 5,400 J (4,000 ft⋅lbf) just past the 46 m (50 yd) mark.

[citation needed] Both the Remington and Ruger cartridges were designed to fire a 26 g (400 gr) bullet at over 730 m/s (2,400 ft/s) to emulate the performance level of .416 Rigby.

When loaded to their respective maximum average pressure level, both the Rigby and Remington cartridges are capable of driving the 26 g (400 gr) bullet at over 760 m/s (2,500 ft/s).

The larger case of the .416 Rigby allows the cartridge to generate the same velocity and energy as that of the .416 Remington Magnum but does so at far lower pressure levels.

The energy generated by the cartridge was on par with that of .450 Nitro Express which, until the ban on the 11.6 mm (0.458 in) caliber in India and the Sudan in the early 1900s, had been the standard of measure for dangerous game rifles.

Professional hunters such as John "Pondoro" Taylor, David Enderly Blunt and Harry Selby used the cartridge extensively for the hunting and culling of dangerous games such as elephant, rhino and Cape buffalo.

Its stopping power was extraordinary, and the fact that all the lions, rhino, buffalo, etc., were shot at comparatively short range, and no other rifle to back me up, speaks volumes for the accuracy and efficiency of your rifle.Today the .416 Rigby is favored by professional hunters and safari guides in Africa.

In African nations which have enforced a ban on the use of sub 10.2 mm (0.400 in) rifle cartridge for dangerous game, the .416 Rigby can be considered for the hunting of lion or leopard.