Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Updating the 404 Ruger African project

For those who may have followed a prior thread on the development of a 404 (.423") wildcat based on the 375 Ruger case, this is an update.
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/2464797/page/0/fpart/1
The donor rifle, a Ruger Hawkeye African in 375 Ruger has now been re-bored to .423" and test fired by the GS (Danny Pedersen) successfully today. I should have the rifle back within 2 weeks and ready for load development over the spring. As far as I can tell this is the first firing of this new wildcat cartridge. Will post further updates with load data and range tests as the project proceeds. Thanks again to muledeer (the Alaskan variety) and to Ray for the collaboration on this 24HCF development.

Coooooool.


BMT

Damn! Ok, I have a .404 Jeffery being built now, on a Ruger M77 MkII aciton, so now I will have to build a .404Ruger....OK!

Can't wait to see it, got to work on getting an action now...

The 404/375 Ruger is a natural fit in the Mk II. Always a good reason for a new rifle, especially in a cartridge combining a classical bore and modern case technology.

Can't wait for updates. Great project. Kudos for all involved.
Now, to take the first Brown Bear with the .404 Ruger...

Maybe you can carry this one in AK when I bring it back from the buff hunt. I'm having it glass bedded into a spare Rimrock synthetic stock for the wet places where the wood African stock won't do well. It'll look almost like when you last saw it in 375 - bigger hole in the muzzle, though! Just have to send me some photos of the bruin when the rifle makes its way back.

Sir, I would be most honoured. But what do you mean... rifle making its way back?

Wish you best of luck, getting the rifle ready in time for africa and taking buff there. PM sent.

Wildcatter264,
Be sure and let me know your work up loads, I'm betting you can get 2400 FPS with a 400 gr. bullet! Looking forward to your results...

Will keep you posted. I suspect you're right about potential MV.

I would bet that you start your loads by using the max loads for the 375 Ruger or even the 416 Ruger as they will be less pressure in the larger bore of the 423...but probably better to start at least 10 % below that and work up, but its a good starting point IMO.

The 404 African arrived today! Just got it unpacked and dropped it back in the wood stock - great fit in the glass bedding, nothing's changed except

African 404 on right & Alaskan 375 on left
and the stamp is a little different (hard to read "404 Ruger"

and side-by-side with a few 404 cartridges

Life does hold a few pleasures still. Shooting updates will follow in the next few weeks.

I am officially impressed! Very cool...

You are definitely the first, I'm betting. I'm at RMEF in Ft. Worth -- want me to tell the Ruger boys at their booth about it ?

Now I need to find an Alaskan -- I can rebore it and throw the Hogue stock away at the same time...!

Dennis

Sure, might as well let them know what Bill Ruger might have done to follow up on the 375, were he with us still. If they'd urge their partners at Hornady to headstamp a few cases in 404, it'd save a lot of work in getting the rifle into its natural habitat - buff country !

Dennis, although you got me thinking along the right track with the "Ruger boys" idea, it wasn't til I had my first cup of coffee that I finally got it right.
How about pitching the "Ruger boys" the idea of a limited run (perhaps through Lipsey's?) of a 'Bill Ruger Commemorative' in 404 Ruger? It would be the perfect combination of a Classical bore with the new technology the 375 Ruger case reflects. They should still have the tooling for the barrels from their prior brush with the 404 bore


The 404 BR Commemorative would be perfect in the African, but I'd settle for a N0. 1 - at least we'd have the cases headstamped correctly, after all !

I will do that, and here is another thought. I was talking with them about shooting hogs with my new .338 RCM, and showed them a pic of my boar. They suggested I email the CEO, Michael Fifer, through the website and tell him the story -- they said he loves to hear from Ruger customers about what they are doing with Ruger firearms. So you might try that route as well -- it might trip his trigger. His forward in the '09 catalog notes "Not surprisingly, we've found that a lot of really great ideas for new products have come directly from you. So, please continue to give us your input..." Go to www.Ruger.com and click on the link "Tell the CEO."

It's a thought... .

Dennis

I just found a Ruger No. 1 in a 416 Rem. They are bloody hard to find, been looking for months..I have a ton of loaded ammo for the 416 Rem and sold my rifle awhile back..

I would like to see a no. 1 in 404 Jefferys...Ruger made a few of them but they got their specs messed up as I understand it, but with the new Hornady ammo they could get it right this time..Boy could you make a 404 Jefferys talk in a Ruger no. 1, and I'm betting 2800 FPS with a 400 gr. bullet would be a snap since I can get 2653 fPS in a 27" barrel Mauser, but recoil is some kind of grim, so I throttle'm back to 2400 FPS. 95 grs. of IMR-4831 is the load. Northfork got about 50 FPS less in their test barrel with a 24" tube.

I will probably build me a Mauser in 404 Ruger with a 20" tube, like the 416 Ruger I built, it was really nice, recoil was very tolerable and it was handy, and it got 2400 with ease.

Ray, the No. 1 in 404 Jeffery in the photo is one of those you mention. It's very easy to shoot, handy and accurate. A good feature is that the factory muzzle brake is removable. Which specs do you think they got wrong?

Dennis, took your advice and wrote SR's CEO the following:
"Mr. Fifer, I'm a long-standing Ruger customer, user and a wildcatter. About a year ago, I had the good fortune of acquiring a Ruger No. 1 in 404 Jeffery. I had also previously bought 2 Hawkeyes in 375 Ruger - an African and an Alaskan model. As a result of the experience with these 3 rifles and through an on-line collaboration with 2 other experienced shooters who appreciate classic cartridges, I developed a 404 cartridge (.423" caliber) based on the 375 Ruger case. My rifle test-bed - the first ever chambered and fired in this caliber - is a Ruger Hawkeye African model re-bored to .423" from .375" by Danny Pedersen of Classic Barrel Works in AZ. Those of us who admire Bill Ruger's love of classic guns and cartridges would stand in line to buy a limited edition commemorative Hawkeye African (or Ruger No. 1) in 404 Ruger, because this cartridge epitomizes the combination of classic English medium bore size with the modern technology that the 375 Ruger case represents. After all, the revival of classic firearm forms and cartridges (e.g., 416 Rigby) improved through production by modern technological processess was Bill Ruger's single most enduring genius. That you've already produced the 404 Jeffery (as witnessed by my No. 1) should hopefully mean that the tooling for a 404 Ruger cartridge is already in your production facilities, and that a Bill Ruger Commemorative in 404 Ruger will soon become a reality."

I won't hold my breath waiting for a result , but who knows? Stranger things have happened - just not often.

Dropped the African 404 off at the GS yesterday to have it glassbedded into the Rimrock stock that'll travel to the Moz swamps. Also found the range nearby, so another 3-4 weeks left to reload and then will start developing the loads for buff. Chrono reports to follow.

Wildcatter,
I am not sure what the hiccups were in the Ruger 404s, but I remember reading about it in a couple of the gun rags, and as I recall they took them off the market..some of the guns wouldn't chamber rounds...Not surprising as the 404 had more than a couple of specs, depending on who built them, also some off size bores in some of the older rifles.