Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only .416 Ruger

I have the itch for something with more umph than my .340 Wby. Has anyone tried the .416 Ruger yet?

Fine cartridge but if you want a 416 there is only one...the headstamp says "Rigby".

It will be around long after the Ruger has joined the 5mm Remington, 222 RemMag, 7x61 S&H, 8mm RemMag and all those other good but don't do anything better cartridges.

Besides "Rigby" is just so cool (and you can buy ammo in nowhere Africa).

It's also a lot nicer to shoot that the godalmighty kicking 340 WM.

Pretty tough to put the Rigby through a standard-length action... .

If you want an ornate old rifle and cartridge, that's a good one, though I personally prefer my .404 Jeffery.

If you want a practical, functional, easy to use rifle and cartridge, a new Ruger and .375 or .416 is a lot easier to use, reload for, and generally have around.

Though I still wish Ruger would come out with an official version of the .404 Ruger... .

Dennis

Maybe its just me but I don't think the .340 kicks all that bad. Its not nearly as viciously snappy as a .300 RUM.

So who cares about a "standard length action"...please don't quote me the "short stroking" myth! BTW the last time I was in H&H in NYC they had a very nice 1930s 416 Rigby (Rigby built) built on an opened up 98 Mauser action. I think that's "standard length". When you're not trying to run at 50K PSI with special powders, you can do a lot more than some modern "experts" believe.

Agree the RUMs are all nasty kickers and since the WB stock is so much better designed for recoil than the 700, I'd agree BUT it still kicks and maybe 2% of hunters have any "need" for it.

My .340 is on a 700 action all I did was add an SVT recoil pad to get the length about right ( I have long ape arms).


I wonder how much work and cost it would take to open a Mauser action up to .416 length?

I prefer standard length actions to pieces like my .404 Jeffery -- I put up with it because it's a .404 Jeffery, not because it's a better way to build an action. And if you "want" a .416 Rigby, by all means you should have one, just because you can, and you want to. That's certainly all the reason anyone needs. The fact that the .375 Ruger and .416 Ruger function better is really fairly irrelevant, if it's not what you want. I've seen people short-stroke short actions, so I'm not too wound up about that.

There is still a big difference between desire and function, and generally in our world desire wins out... . That's a good thing, generally...

Dennis

That's a nice description. I desire a .416. It sounds so much better than want

If the 416 Ruger was on a 2.850" case with a 3.60" OAL, then they would have something. Why design a 416 with less case capacity than the 416 Rem which already has a reputation for high pressure? A 3.6" 416 would have fit in their 77RSM and factory ammo could surpass the Rigby (and Rem) ballistics as it would not have to be loaded below modern pressure due to older rifles.

But - have you YEARNED for one?

How about you NEED a 416?
Or even, I MUST HAVE a 416??


grin

I'm fairly sure the .416 Ruger will produce all the velocity it needs, with no excessive pressures or other issues. I can't imagine a reason for going past 2400 fps, given what rounds like the .416's are built for.

Having such rounds as the Ruger .375 and .416 built specifically to favor standard-length actions is a very good move, in my opinion. I guess over the years we'll find out if enough others agree to make them financially worthwhile. But there is no question they will work very very well physically.

Dennis

HB Bear!...........As far as any 416 goes, find the rifle first that looks the best to you and that feels and handles the best for you and then whichever 416 follows, so be it!

Anytime a new cartridge enters the scene, there are always predictions of failure from the skeptics and nay-sayers. As to whether it will fail and fall by the way side, or whether it will gain more in popularity and last a long period of time, only time will tell.

These same predictions of failure were made about the 375 Ruger too. Well! Regardless of those earlier predictions of doom and gloom by the 375 Ruger nay-sayers and skeptics, I`d say those predictions have all been completely blown out of the water! They have greatly under-estimated the Hornady and Ruger co-op machine and their various marketing programs going on behind the scenes, which in most cases is overlooked by the knee-jerkers!!!

However, I don`t think the 416 Ruger will take to the 416 market by storm as did the 375 Ruger to the 375 market. But eventually imo, the 416 Ruger will be here to stay and gain more popularity in the 416 arena.

The primary reason is that the 416 Ruger rifles are moderately priced compared to other 416s, which will have a very good market appeal for those wanting a 416.

Contrary to Oldman1942`s knee jerk (without doing some research) predictions of doom and gloom for the 416 Ruger, I believe that with time, the exact opposite will come to pass. In fact, it is possible that Oldman1942 may have to change is user name to Oldman2042 before we see the failure of the 416 Ruger....LOL!

FWIW! You can call Hornady directly and ask them about their on-going marketing programs for worldwide ammo availability. I will tell you that Hornady has acquired some African distribution permits for the 375 Ruger factory ammo with more to come, and they are currently working on doing the same thing for the 416 Ruger factory ammo as well.

And per my dealer who attends every gun and SHOT show, a few African PHs that he`s talked with personally have ordered the Hawkeye rifles.

Also, a good barometer in determining a cartridge`s growing popularity is to watch the availability of reloading components from distributors..

Plus, hard to beat a stainless crf .416 for under $800 new. Actually, this makes me wonder why I don't have one.

I did some checking and Midway has .416 Ruger brass in stock and there were two or three rifles on gunsamerica.

I am really liking the idea of a short barreled quick handling rifle in a big bore cartridge. Getting one for a reasonable price is even better.

You are a BAD influence

Get it!...........GET IT!!!!!!

The only real issue is that it has a complete POS stock, which no one who I've ever taalked to in Alaska has kept, on the short-barrelled version. It's a target-model Hogue, and Ruger has never put anything on any of their rifles that was worse-designed and implemented than that one. There is one guy in North America who propelles it constantly, so I guess he's having a major influence on Ruger... .

Putting a good stock on a Ruger isn't that hard nor is it that expensive, so it's not that big a deal. Just a thing to know.

Dennis

Who makes a good stock for the Ruger besides McMillan?

Ruger. The replacement stock they sell for the standard Hawkeye's will work and is quite inexpensive; I'd want to glass bed it for extra strength however.

Phil Shoemaker reported on dropping one of the first Ruger 375's into a standard Hawkeye synthetic stock and he said it worked fine.

Even better, if you can find one, is one of the older Ruger boat paddle stocks.

The boat paddle stock would sure let you get the full benefit of the recoil.

Now that would be perfection. If you need more than a .423" bullet at 2300-2400 fps, then dinosaurs must be on the trophy list or marksmanship classes might be in order.

A .416" bullet is second best, and those of us who've actually used a Hawkeye in the 400-class calibers in the field find advantages in the standard length action configuration. But we can't all like the same things, which is what makes this Forum interesting.

There is a certain difference between people who actually do something with it, versus those who talk about it.

Thanks...

Dennis

The only thing keeping me from the 416 Ruger is the inability of Winchester to make them. I think this will cut 416RM sales dramatically, when more makes build rifles.

As to the standard action business, I've been using magnum actions for a couple of years now and haven't noticed a problem. I can see the advantages wrt production but in the field I've not found a difference.

"Yearning for a .416 Ruger"...has a nice ring to it. What I'm hoping to see in 2010 is the .416 Ruger but in the Hawkeye 23 inch barrel "African" version. This rifle would continue to build on the prior success of the .375 Ruger and is a very classy looking piece as well. I believe we are entering an era of appreciation for the old classics i.e. .416 Rigby & .404 Jeffrey. Nostalgia perhaps? May yet see a .404 Ruger coming. To the camp fire - HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I'm debating also on a .375 or .416 for just playing around with feral hogs. I just can't get myself to buy a rifle with those hogue stocks on them, then have to find a stock right away!! I think one would make a good thumper. A good stocked .416 or .375 with a low magnification scope will fit my bill nicely.

Well let me think..who has more DECADES/Centuries of experience building rifles for big, bad things that eat/stomp and gore you?
Rigby is #1 by over a century. Holland and Holland is a "newcomer" but compared to Ruger, ancient.

That's why I had my 400 Holland built because they know what they are doing. (What ever happened to that wonderful Ruger SXS and how many Red Labels have fallen apart on the sporting clays circuit?)

Perhaps a subscription to African Hunter would prove enlightening so you can read about all the bound up 700s in 416 rem due to excessive pressures. Now we have a smaller cartridge with powders we can't buy, operating a who knows what pressure with ONE ammo maker whose solids were taken off the market because they failed. Sounds great to me.

Give me my trusty 700 in 400 H&H or a CZ in 416 Rigby. No investment castings and the floorplates stay closed too.

I am old enough to remember when the 458 Winchester was going to rule the world for dangerous game....didn't work out too well.
Fact is the Brits still know more about building dangerous game rifles and cartridges than some boys in CT.

My 700 and the real H&Hs (400 on the right)

Then a .375 Ruger African is the right answer. I almost took mine to Texas this year for hogs, but decided to take my .338 RCM instead. Which was great fun, but the .375 Ruger African is so nice...some day I'll have to do it just for fun.

Dennis

Nice to hear your bias again, oldman1942. Seem to recall that the older accounts sort of indicate lots of problems with those models too. The really funny part is the way the actual African PH's laugh at all of these kind of debates. Shoot...some of them even carry PUSH FEED dangerous game rifles. They've only killed tens of thousands of animals over there, so those guys probably really don't understand rifles and hunting... .

....................Your yearning for one, just may come to pass!.......Rumor has it, that has soon as Ruger solves all potential African stock splitting issues, we`ll see a 416 Ruger African!..........Patience!........Patience!

.....................Mr Oldman has struck again with his biased,,,NESS!

Killing success or possible failure, has absolutely nothing to do with how old, or how ancient, or how much SENIORITY any particular rifle/cartridge combo has OR who builds the rifles!!! If you think that ANY British built rifle chambered in any H&H cartridge, will somehow kill better, be more effective, or is more accurate than either the 375 Ruger or the 416 Ruger chambered in the Ruger rifles, then you have a pile of rocks between yer ears!

Decades or centuries of experience, AS you put it, has absolutely nothing to do with anything pertaining to success, failure, accuracy, or anything else for that matter. You`re in a dreamworld of fantasy to think so!

This argument of more decades, being more ancient, and/or more experience in building rifles won`t hold any water with me, as it shouldn`t for most "logical" and "un-biased" thinking individuals.

I'm sorry but I have to call BS on this post. First, the 416 Rem Mag pressures happened early on and since then the cartridge has prove itself without any problems. I've owned and hunted with a Ruger 416 Rigby and I've NEVER had the floorplate open inadvertently. The 400 H&H? Anybody know where we can buy brass let alone ammo? Good luck with that one. The 459 WM didn't work out too well? There are prpbably more 458 WMs in Africa in the hands of PHs than all other combined. with today's powders 2150 fps is easy with a 458WM. Lastly that same article on African Hunter you misquoted also dedicated quite a lot of ink to the notion that a 700 (and without irons as backup to boot) and dangerous game is an oxymoron. Honestly...jorge

[quote=oldman1942]Well let me think..who has more DECADES/Centuries of experience building rifles for big, bad things that eat/stomp and gore you?
Rigby is #1 by over a century. Holland and Holland is a "newcomer" but compared to Ruger, ancient.

That's why I had my 400 Holland built because they know what they are doing. (What ever happened to that wonderful Ruger SXS and how many Red Labels have fallen apart on the sporting clays circuit?)

Perhaps a subscription to African Hunter would prove enlightening so you can read about all the bound up 700s in 416 rem due to excessive pressures. Now we have a smaller cartridge with powders we can't buy, operating a who knows what pressure with ONE ammo maker whose solids were taken off the market because they failed. Sounds great to me.

Give me my trusty 700 in 400 H&H or a CZ in 416 Rigby. No investment castings and the floorplates stay closed too.

I am old enough to remember when the 458 Winchester was going to rule the world for dangerous game....didn't work out too well.
Fact is the Brits still know more about building dangerous game rifles and cartridges than some boys in CT.



You should have brought this to the attention of Winchester, Remington, Ruger, and Hornady years ago. You could have saved them the expense of years of product development for naught. Perhaps you could call them now and tell them to go home because it's not possible to improve on what was developed 100 years ago.

First of all, this may come as a shock, the 700 is a push feed.

All those companies you cited have brought out and dumped so many duds over the years, I doubt they want my thoughts.
The 5mm Rem, the 25/30/32 rem, the 32, 35 351 and 401 WRA autos,
the 22 rem & win autos, the 22 WRF....tell me when you want me to stop. Ruger & Hornady will catch up when the 375 H&H and 416 Rigby are still killing game as they have done for nearly a century.

You buy whatever you want, but don't fool yourself that they are in any way superior to what the Brits were building decades ago and still are.

BTW 400 H&H brass is available from Qual Cartridge. You might learn "Google".

I have built a couple of 416 Rugers on 98 Mauser actions and added all the bells and whistles to them,I actually built them before the 416 Ruger existed. I think I built the first one ever? It just seemed natural to neck the 375 Ruger up to a 40..so I built two and sold them both. I had no trouble at all getting 2400 FPS out of them with a 400 gr. bullet..Great caliber IMO..another fellow on here, picked up where I left of and beat me to the 404 Ruger, and even better caliber perhaps, but it would be argueable and without reason, they are all the same.

The Ruger 416s fully equalled the 416 Remington and the std. accepted load in the 416 Rigby is 2400 FPS..They are all about the same for all practical purposes. The Ruger can be built on a much smaller action and in a lighter rifle if you prefer...

I, personally, will stay with the 416 Rem. as I have a ton of loaded ammo for it..and the 416 Rigby is an old outdated caliber the requires a big action that should be a 500 some odd in the first place, at least IMO..but it is a dandy caliber even today. In fact, I recently acquired a 416 Rigby in a Ruger No.1 that is a tack driver, and I am sure that I will like it.

Of note in all fairness, the 416 Rigby is simply a 416 WBY without the belt and is capable of an easy 2700 FPS and I know some hardy boys that shoot thier No. 1s in 416 Rigby at a bit more than 2900 FPS with a 400 gr. monolithic bullet, they spend their weekends slewing such beasts as watermellon, cantalope, blocks of ice,and any other substance that make pretty showers of juice and chunks fling in all directions, and they can put on quite a show, make one hell of a mess, but they clean things up and go to the nearest pub and join in the merriment of balictics and planning fun gun things to do next week end with their big bores, not to mention they annually kill Whitetail, Javalina and feral hogs by the gross ton.

When it comes to 40 caliber, all you have to do is pick the one you like, not the one that someone else recommends, they are all about the same as far as hunting cartridges..I would pick the gun I like as opposed to which 40....enjoy!

oldman1942

You're right, there have been some duds over the years, but that was also true 100 years ago. Your posts are starting to remind me of the bureaucrat who wanted to close the U.S. patent office about 100 years ago "because everything that can be invented has been invented".

Hey, it's your money, if you want to reinvent the wheel, feel free, just don't whine when a 375 H&H or 416 Rigby will sell when you want to unload it, ammo can be bought in the third world and new is not necessarily better. I missed out on the Corvair too! (LOL)

I'd happily sell a few rifles and donate it to 'Buy a prostate of oldman1942' if it would shut you TFU.

Does anyone who actually owns one complain when people advocate a different model for themselves? I'm starting to think this guy -- oldman1942 -- is complaining overmuch to people like me, who actually do own rifles, and ones that we bought because we like them.

Maybe he's an Atkinson-style expert, but then we've seen Ray's reality...

Dennis

NOSHITSHERLOCK...jorge

PS:Product #: 325716
Manufacturer #: 400HH
Price : $ 46.49


Status: Out of Stock

Real popular round that one and a 700 in 400 H&H? LOL that's like putting spinners on a Bentley....

Ummmmmmmm all I can say is I am glad that I purchased my .416 Remington magnum in a model 70 Winchester and it won't be for sale anytime in the next 20 years.

Store bought ammo is half the price of Rigby cartridges, sorry I must think of things like that since I am a working class person. The Winchester is set up proper and the safety is not small like the Ruger. I have never had any pressure problems when hunting in Africa with the rifle period. It worked like a Swiss watch!

As a lefty I am in the process of putting a 416 Ruger together. Ordered a #5 Shilen SS barrel and it is going on a stainless Ruger in the laminate stock. Bet it will be just the ticket for brownies wearing a 1.5x5 Leupold.

Love all these new cartridges coming out. Animals never know if they are hit with a 416 Rem, Rigby or Ruger:)

I have heard rumors of a .416 Remington (Remington 700)in a local gun shop at a reasonable price. I am going to check it out this morning.

HBB,
That sounds interesting.

I used to own a Ruger Magnum in 416 Rigby, a nice rifle, but a bit much for rock chucks and crows...

From what I've read, unless that rifle was built 100 years ago, on the other side of the pond, you'd be wasting your money.

Gee thanks Dennis, what have I done to set you off, had an opinnion? Being opinnionated has never been a crime in my books.

Ray...sorry you misunderstood me about you...guess I was very unclear. You know a vast amount of stuff; have had a vast array of experiences; and happily share with us. I was comparing you as the highly knowledgeable guy to oldman1942, who makes lots of rude statements to many of us, yet shows exactly no exidence of having ever done anything. With you -- we know that you have more experience than any of us will likely ever have, and you're a straight-forward communicator. I personally appreciate that very much, whether I agree with you or not.

No sir -- nothing in my note intended as any form of criticism of you. I apologize for stating my point so poorly that you felt that I was.

Dennis

No joy on the local .416 RM. The shop was closed for Christmas.

My 700 was not built across any pond unless you want to count the Green River lakes.

They are all fine guns....H&Hs are just better.

Cases for the 400 may be EASILY made from 375 H&H and new ones are made by Qual-Cartridge....just pick up the phone.

If you shoot a gun designed for Africa or Alaska and the cost of ammo is an issue you have a bigger problem than saving a few 100 $ on ammo will fix.

Yes, the 404 Ruger is a great cartridge indeed. even if it remains an unsung wildcat. Being the fellow you refer to, I can tell you it certainly does kill buffs dead. Maybe no better than the 416s, but clearly no worse. And since Africa is all about nostalgia, I'll take a 404 anytime for buff and a 500NE DR for ele, and call it good! Bliss, indeed ...

This has been an interesting read from the standpoint of someone whose experiences with cartridges larger than 375 is limited to shooting a few 416 Taylor's, 458's and a 460 Weatherby(not much fun).... at the range...

That said it appears the discussions about American vs Britisg DG cartridges is likely to continue unabted for quite awhile.I can understand where Oldman is coming from because from what I understand the Brits designed their DG cartridges based on the propellants available at the time(cordite),with a mind toward low pressures and reliable function from a magazine rifle and easy feeding and extraction under dirty, grimy,and rust-inducing hot'wet tropical conditions.

Thus they wound up with large cases of sloped, tapered designs that headspaced on rims(for double rifles) and belts for magazine rifles;these fed like grease from magazine rifles ,and initial extraction in Mauser-type actions pulled the fired cases away from the walls of the chambers more readily than the somewhat more straight taper of American designs.Also, headspacing on rims or belts allowed a bit of "slop"in the chamber so that cartridges would chamber more easily if the chamber or case were somewhat dirty or rusty...the belt also served as a firm "stop" so that the case would not move forward under the heavy impact from a Mauser-type firing pin,thereby ensuring reliable ignition.

In designing the 400H&H(a recent development,not really "old") my understanding is that H&H took these "traditional"characteristics into consideration when designing the cases,keeping the old design of a sloping case,optimum velocity and likely low pressures,along with the belt for headspace,etc.

OTOH, American cases(458 Win Mag,416 Remington,375 Ruger) are characterized by straighter cases,higher pressures,smaller case capacity,and shorter more confined actions than the Brits worked with,and so were loaded with more modern propellants.Today we have much better powders than the Brits had to work with "way back when",less temperature sensitive and so on,so that we maybe get the velocity without so much danger of a bolt binding up under tropical heat..But I dunno because here and there you still hear about high pressure sticking cartridges in hot chambers with things like the 416 Remington and some others.

Likely with the progress made with modern propellants,stronger brass,and better projectiles all that came before may become moot as cartridges like the 416 Ruger,etc become popular.

It really isn't hard to understand both sides of the debate,but it also is difficult to ignore the vast experience of the Brits and the cartridges and rifles that have done the job for decades when the chips are down.......so I say let both sides have at it,let the cartridge development continue and hopefully no one on either side will get pounded or gored in the process!

Merry Christmas to all!

Have you ever tried a 378 Weatherby?

Kind of what I am wondering. Why is it such a big deal to make the action half an inch longer?
Just because it saves Ruger money to make short actions doesn't mean that the short cartridges are superior does it?
For example why put a 375 Ruger in a #1 when you could easily use the H&H cartridge? I don't see the advantage.
You could use the .416 Rigby in a #1 as easily as a 416 Ruger so where is the advantage?
I didn't realize there was such a demand for elephant rifles?

Yes, been there, done that, got the slobber knocked out of my nose.

..................Way to go Steelhead.....I`m LMAO!!!!!

..........Ryan and Whelennut,,,,,The longer magnum actions that I `ve owned in the past have never given me a problem. The shorter actions are not superior per say over the longer actions.

However, the shorter actioned rifles provide slightly less rifle weight due to the chambering of certain cartridges which have less OAL. The 375 Ruger wasn`t developed to somehow drop game with more or better killing power than the 375 H&H (as there is no difference between the two in that dept).

Instead, the 375 Ruger was developed to provide the same ballistic performance AS the longer magnum actioned, 45.5" to 46.5" OAL 375 H&H rifles with their 24" to 25" barrel lengths. From a ballistic standpoint, the 375 Ruger can equally do so from a 20" barrel, from a rifle such as the Hawkeye Alaskan, that has an overall rifle length of only 40.75 inches and which costs less too.

Imo, this has nothing to do with any dollar savings Ruger may save in building the shorter actions. Instead, the 375 Ruger simply offers equal performance from a shorter package.

Though the 416 Ruger from a 20" barrel cannot equal the ballistic m/velocity of the 416 Rigby, it really doesn`t need to. Any reputable PH in Africa, should in all cases, provide a shot opportunity for their clients to within a 100 yards or less of dangerous quarry. A 400 gr bullet moving at 2350-2400 fps from a 20" 416 Ruger, will kill equally as well within 100 yards (given the same shot placement and bullet) as the 416 Rigby.

Lest we forget, the vitals in the animal (which is what really needs to be disrupted), are located in the center of the animal. So within 100 yards, the same 400 gr bullet moving from the muzzle @ 2350-2400 fps, will result in the same kill as the same 400 gr bullet moving @ 2600 to 2700 fps.

Like the 375 Ruger, the 416 Ruger simply provides a shorter (lesser expensive) packaged rifle to achieve the same end result.

This is why the 375 Ruger has been so successful and why the 416 Ruger given more time, will make its mark into the 416 field. And given more time as well, we just may see other rifle manufacturers chamber the 416 Ruger, just as others have already indicated plans to chamber the 375 Ruger, namely in the Howa M1500 and CZ.

Dennis,
Now you went and dun it, I am truly humbled and somewhat embarressed with such praise..I am going to have to take reading lessons it seems!

Anyway back to the business at hand..The 375 Ruger and 416 Ruger and that lovely 404 Ruger wildcat are contenders for the new world championship...If Ruger misses out on a 404 Ruger they will not only give up a first 404 in centuries, but they will do a great injustice to all those 404 lovers who simple cannot or will not drop a ton of money in a rifle..It would sell like hotcakes at a whorehouse on an early Saturday morning.

What does the 404 do that the .416 doesn't?

Ryan,
The 404 has nothing over the 416 Rem., Ruger, Rigby..all the same balistically..The 404 has ombiance and nostalgic properties and that's important to some..I love the 404 btw..

I shoot a 416 Rem mostly and because its the most practical and I have so much ammo stowed away for it..

I have owned and built a few 416 Rigbys and 404 Jefferys on standard actions but was never quite satisfied with them, they fed 100 percent, but not 110 percent if you know what I mean...I know Rigby made a few of them also...

The best 416 Rigbys and 404 Jefferys rifles I have owned and built were on the big Obendorf Mauser actions (mod. 20s) they all fed 115 percent, had plenty of room. The one exception was an original 404 Jefferys on a std. Mauser action, and it was a dilly...Also the old FNs were nice but only held two down and one in the chamber. I did see one that held 3 down for some reason. Lots of these still in the Tanzania Game Dept, but mostly in junk condition. I also saw some awesome British sporting rifles, FNs in all calibers in a Govt. warehouse in Mozambique and I tried to work a deal to buy them and import them but to no avail..Hundreds of them were stored there, and later destroyed I am told..

bigsqueeze,
Call me doubting Thomas. Every time a manufacturing company finds a way to do something cheaper they will do it if it saves them a nickel on each one, and they run a lot of 1,000 pcs.
Somebody will be patting themself on the back, you can be sure.
If it saves them money then it is somehow a benefit to the consumer according to their marketing department. I guess I am getting old and cynical.
I haven't seen any major improvements over the original 98 Mauser except for the quality of the steel.
whelennut

The notion that the .416 Remington is over-pressure for hunting in warmer weather was indeed evidently a product of some very early factory loads--plus perhaps the handloads of some guys who somehow think that a 400-grain bullet has to go faster than 2400 fps to kill anything.

I recently ran some tests with two boxes of factory .416 Remington ammo on a very hot August day of almost 100 degrees. One box of ammo was from the early 1990's (the .416 Remington was introduced in 1988) and one was recent. Neither created the slightest problem in my custom-barreled Model 70 Classic, in fact I probably could have opened the bolt on any fired case with my little finger.

I then decided to jack things up a notch and put several rounds of the newer stuff inside a plastic bag with a small theremometer, which got the temperature up to 110. These "hot" rounds also showed no sign of excessive pressure.

My best guess is that if anybody today experiences extraction difficulties with the .416 Remington then the problem is either due to poor rifle maintenance or too-hot handloads.

............I will call U a doubting Thomas then, and respectfully disagree!! LOL!!

Sure! Everyone wants to save a buck! It`s not that they are deliberately trying to make things cheaper, as Ruger makes the longer magnum actions too. Shorter actioned rifles simply take a little less raw material to manufacture than will the longer actions.

It`s not a matter of making them cheaper, it is a matter of supplying rifles to the shooting public which chamber the shorter rounds of 30-06 lengths and less; the WSMs, SAUMs, RCMs etc from Remington, Browning, Ruger, Kimber and from a few others.

Just because the actions are shorter, does not mean they are cheaply built!

I was going to build a Ruger but ended up with a CZ Rigby which I sent to AHR for a new stock and such. I like the nostalgia of it. I can see that too with the 404J but what I don't understand is the 404 Ruger. If it isn't a cartridge with a history I figure it might as well use common bullets so it's cheap to shoot.

And I like the idea of having something outside the standard that works nicely -- the .404 Ruger being such an animal. In today's world it's really not very costly to have such a thing built and to handload for it. It would plain and simple be fun, and that's pretty much all it needs to take. Doesn't have to fit anyone else's opinion to work nicely.

Dennis

As muledeer points out, total work to turn a 375 Ruger into a 404 Ruger is a re-bore. Done by none other than Danny Pedersen of Classic Barrel Works, it runs a whooping $350. An exotic wildcat with proven ballistics, for a song. BTW, this is what $3.00 worth of those uncommon 0.423" bullets do best


The buff taking 2 shots ran up the tab a bit.

And you're the living proof of my point... .

Thanks for making my point with reality and actual accomplishments. Pretty cool...

Dennis

I paid less for my CZ 550 Magnum in 416 than the prices I see for Rugers, and don't see how the heck it is any less functional than a Ruger would be. Plus I could always make a 460 Rigby out of it, but how good is a 45 Ruger going to be?

In the end - the game wont know the difference, but the Ruger has its faults, its too short, lacks a belt, the action lacks mass to absorb recoil, and the name is kind of dorky - LOL

BTW, this is what an actual 45 Ruger looks like



And lest we forget, it looks this way because when Thor needed a hammer he went to a blacksmith named Jack Lott.

Nice critters with the .404

Not sure how you managed to pay less for a CZ 550 Magnum than a Ruger 77, but congratulations. Given that I can buy a .375 Ruger Hawkeye suitable for conversion to .404 Ruger for about $800, I don't think the CZ is the right approach.

In response to your "dislikes" -- the .416 is too long; I despise belted cartridges as the 100-year-old attempt to solve a problem than hasn't existed for 99 years; the action mass isn't what solves recoil issues; and the Ruger is plenty big enough; and having met Mr Ruger, I don't look down on his name.

No offense intended -- just a complete disagreement on points.

Dennis

Lets see........just ordered a left hand stainless Ruger in 300 Win Mag with the laminate stock for approximately $525 including shipping and transfer fees.
Add one Shilen stainless .416 match barrel for $200.
Smith will most likely charge me about $175-$200 to chamber it and screw it on and mount the Willams iron sights (maybe $60).
This gives me a custom lefty Ruger 416 for under $1K. Would be even cheaper if I could of purchased a right hand. Will most likely add a couple of pins in the stock and glass the action. If this isnt an ultimate brown bear back up rifle then I don't know what is:)

Sounds great, but what will you be backing that brown bear up from?

Is that price for a new or used rifle?

New, delivered to Alaska
Have your dealer check with the big distributors. They are out there at these prices. Rumor has it the lefty SS's are being discontinued. Although I have not seen anything in writing from Ruger to this effect. My dealer said these cheap prices only applied to calibers 25-06 and 300 Win Mag when he ordered them.

That's my luck. I'm watching for a lefty SS 30-06 for my oldest.

Why does the Ruger 416 get the same velocity with a 20" barrel compared to the Rem.416 24"?

Magic pixie dust.

I thought you could not buy the new powder to reload with only the ready made cartridge? How are people able to reload and get faster speed from there short barrels compared to Rem. .416?

Because they have chronographs; they pay attention to discussion of various powder uses; they know what shows pressure issues; they call various factories and talk with a variety of them; and they test factory loads and know the difference between what is claimed and what happens.

I have yet to find the reality of the claims made, at least for the .338 Fed and .338 RCM, that handloaders can't match the factory loads. You do have to approach carefully and have a clue, and be willing to understand that it's really not very crucial if the best you can do is within 100 fps or so. But so far I'm not even having to deal with that.

Dennis

Why would Ruger only see fit to bring its 416 to market in a #1, and the 20" Hawkeye Alaskan? Why not the Hawkeye African?

............Stay tuned!!! They will!

But foist, they must solve the stock splitting issues periodically seen on the 375 Ruger Africans.

That`s the inside scoop!

Maybe they should consult a good stock maker! Or offer it (the 416) in a non-tupperware, composite stock version. What is significantly different between the Hawkeye stock and the stocks used previously for their big-bores?

............Don`t know what the difference would be in the wood. But knowing Ruger the way I do, they`d want to solve the splitting problems using the same wood stocks in order to keep the retail cost of the Hawkeyes down, which happens to be their strong selling point.

I wouldn`t mind seeing the 23" African version in a synthetic type stock either.

They really need to take a look at the math. Selling zero(0) African's in 416 = $0. Increase the cost by $200 (the difference between the cost of their wood stock and a worthy composite) and generate revenue ($$) greater than zero (0).

In the mean time, the alternatives for a 416 Ruger bolt-action is a CZ Customer Shop, or build your own.

I`m sure that thought has crossed the minds at Ruger.

Of course the other option is to stay with the alaskan if you want the 416 ruger. Whilst it dosent have the extra few inches of barrel and is synthetic stocked it is still a cheaper way to get a 416 rugerthan looking at the other options.
I know down under here in Australia there is a lot of interest in a 416 ruger in the african but those that are interested will take an alaskan for now.

The thought of the 416 Ruger in an Alaskan has crossed my mind. If I could buy it as a barreled action, I would. But I am dead set against the factory 'tupperware' stock - including the Hogue.

I find it hard to fathom that for years Ruger could built and sell the 375 H&H and 458 Win Mag in the M77 with wood stocks but can't seem to turn the corner and offer a stout wood stock for the 416 and Hawkeye. Rant off//

.............Then why not buy the Alaskan and swap the stock??? Someone on here did that, but I don`t remember what stock they replaced the Hogue with.

Ruger feels that the Hogue stocks are very grippy in wet weather (which they are), and capable of any hardship or punishment regardless of terrain or weather. Though one does need larger hands for the larger pistol grip and palm swell. Not a problem in that area for me anyway! For others it would be a problem and a downside!

Vs the wood, I don`t have the need to worry about dings, dents, scratching, wood warping, leaning it against or placing it on some rocks or trees, or babying that rifle in any way on a hunt.

But if for any reason, I ever become dis-satisfied with the Hogue stock on my Alaskan, I`ll replace it.

Because in addition to the wood stock 1) I'd like the 23" bbl. and 2) I don't care to spend 60% of the cost of the gun to put a good composite stock on it.

Oh yeah!.......You`d like a 23" tubed 416 Ruger!! I forgot!

Well! You can get the 23" tubed 375 Ruger African and have it rebarreled to the 416 Ruger??????