Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa ruger m77 hawkeye alaskan in .416 ruger

Saw this somewhere on the web, looks like a sweet deal... stainless/synthetic for under 800 bucks in 416 ruger... can't beat that. I like the compact 20" barrel, and the stock express sights look decent. this might be my next gun... I would use this here at home in north america on bears of all kind, moose, buffalo, elk, even whitetail.. way over kill but who cares does the job. Then if I ever want to go to africa I don't have to buy a whole another rifle.

My questions are 1)would the 416 ruger out of 20" barrel (400gr2325-2375fps) be hot enough for all of the big 5 including cape buffalo, elephant, rhino... and add hippo to that too. I think it will, but just want to verify with some experienced people 2)has anyone used this gun, if so what do you think about... likes/dislikes.

I would either scope it with a 1-4x scope of some kind that is illuminated and has plenty of eye relief i think 4" is minimum. Or was thinking of getting one of those new AIMPOINT hunter sights, with the small 2 moa... would be good for range estimation... can use the size of the dot to determine distance. I know alot of safari guys are not a big fan of electronic sights, and even bear hunters...but aimpoints are tough as nails.. used by U.S. army in afghanistan and IRaq wars. I would have no problem trusting my life to it.

The .416 Ruger in that Configuration will woprk fine...and to tie in with your other post..it has extremely nice workable iron sights for the up close stuff...That and a small scope and you are GTG...
The 1-4X Leupold would be your freind...

It sounds like a perfect package to me. I like the idea of a Leupold 1.5x5 or similar scope. You also want to consider using the leupold quick detachable scope mounts. These can come in handy if your tracking wounded game in dense brush.
I have taken my scope on and off several times and each time it has return to zero. I know ruger has integral mounts, not sure if they have their own QD mount system or not?

You'll want to replace the Hogue "sticky stock". Search the forum for threads re: the 375 Alaskan and you'll see why.

Pete

The rifle you are looking at will WORK just fine, you will not lose significatn performance in the 20 inch bbl, but why go with the FUGLY one? The African model is a much nicer gun. The additional weight of it is a very good thing in this caliber and I have taken my wood and blue 416 Rigby all over the planet including three lengthy hunts in coastal Alaska. Plastic stocks are noisy in the brush at close quarters, cold to the hand, eye and soul, and look awful in the kill photos afterwards. A mans rifle should be more than just a mere tool.

The one thing to get upgraded on any MK ll model 77 is the safety, it 'hides' under the bolt shroud too deeply to be switched to fire mode quickly and with sweaty nervous hands. A decent gunsmith /metalworker should be able to bend it outwards a bit and/or then add a bit of material to the safety wing so that it can be disengaged more readily.

Dont know about ruger in QD, but Ive got a set of warne QD's on a ruger rigby mag. solid and repeatable.

Gunner - REALLY nice rifle you havce there. Never seen one yet that wasn't pretty as well as highly functional. I have QD's on my customized CZ 416Rigby as well.

Thanks Safariman,

It does have unusually nice wood for a RSM, I had to install a set of engraved crossbolts in it, stock bolts are very plain.

The 416 ruger hawkeye or rigby should put a big hurtin on all game w/ a 350TSX.

A friend of mine took the same rig to Africa and whacked a very nice hippo with it and a tuskless cow. Worked like a charm. Good price, good rifle and great caliber!

As of this writing, Ruger has yet to offer the .416 Ruger in the African configuration, as they have the 375 Ruger (see thread in Big Bores). I've had an off and on email exchange with Mike Fifer from Ruger asking 'Why not?" and/or "When?", but have only been given the 'party line' - "our engineers are working out the details." My last note to him suggested an additional lug on the barrel to compensate for the limited bearing surface their receiver recoil lug offers. I have yet to receive a response - nor do I expect to. I'll address it in person at the SCI Convention. In the mean time I've built a .416 Ruger on a M700 and am working on a second using a M70 CRF.

The .416 Rigby marketed by Ruger is a totally different animal.

Yeah, the Ruger rigby is a larger rifle, by quite a bit.

The model 70 in 416 Ruger sounds like the right one to take and use.

I agree with you comlletely that there is no engineering reason the Hawkeye African could not be a 416 Ruger.

Thanks everyone this confirmed all my thoughts about the .416 ruger and this rifle...

I agree the synthetic/stainless is not the most beatiful... I own a .45-70 in blue and wood and it looks beuatiful but i've never owned a synthetic stainless rifle... would be nice to have

I like this cartridge because it's the most versatile... I can hunt anything from white tail deer or pronghorn to bison, great bears, and all of the big 5... sure it's a little big for deer, but they'll feel less pain.

I'm either gonna settle on the aimpoint hunter sight in 2moa or similar aimpoint sight... or i'll get some type of illuminated 1-4x sight with good eye relief... i was looking at the trijicons but they have only 3.5" eye relief... I think 4 or 4.5" is what I need for this gun. I like the burris eurodiamond in 1-4x.

I might even be able to get the aimpoint hunter to co-witness with the iron sights, or if not co-witness I can get the iron sights visible in the bottom half of the aimpoint.. this way if for whatever easont the dot fails at the worst time I can still use the express sights. the express sights sit pretty high on the barrel so it might be doable

Not a fan of optics that rely on batteries. That said, if you go with the Aimpoint Hunter, be sure to get the version that has a tube length long enough to bridge between the rings.

FWIW, I have a Trijicon 1-4, and while the eye relief is advertised at only 3.5", I do believe it's actually more. It's currently on a FN M70 375 H&H and I have no issue with the eye relief. The Trijicon will move the my M70 .416 after it's built, and a 3-9 Trijicon will go on the 375.

...........The 416 Ruger from the Alaskan`s 20" barrel, will take care of any game on earth. I have a 375 Ruger Alaskan myself and with the right bullet, it will also do the same from its 20" barrel.

I happen to like the Hogue stock because it works well for my larger sized hands. Because of its swells on the pistol grip and forend, it is not really suited well for small to medium sized hands. I suggest that you take it on a hunt or two and then if you don`t like the Hogue stock you can always swap it out. It wet weather though or when the palms are sweating in warmer weather, it is extremely grippy.

At just over 40" it is a very user friendly rifle. It is quick to shoulder, balances very well, great to carry over the shoulder or by its pistol grip where in my case, the muzzle is still well above the ground.

Not a pretty rifle, but who would care while in the field or on the range. You can lay the Alaskan against rocks, put it on rocks, put it up against trees or whatever. On your hunts, there will be no need to baby this rifle, and no need worrying about scratches, dings, dents, or stock warping when in very cold weather.

From 20" barrels and from a rifle just over 40", both the 375 and 416 Ruger are very powerful rounds which are capable for handling any game in the world.

A 1.5-5x20 VX111 sits on mine.

Thanks bro for the long response... really appreciate it... very helpful.. well I'm a big guy so big bores never bother me and I have large hands... it looks like a real comfortable gun just from the pictures... thats what i'm after... i don't want to baby it... like my .45-70 is blue/wood and I put a lot of money customizing it so I baby it a lot. This gun I want to be purely about performance and not so much emotional value or aesthetics.. I had my emotional value from my .45-70 which was my first gun and first custom job i did on a gun.

Thanks dude... i'm gonna try the aimpoint hunter on it... I have a dot sight on my marlin 1895... am illet zoom dot.. and I love the thing, really fast on target, and accurate. I think it's the ticket for big and dangerous game, or even elk,moose, deer,bison and other herbavores where a fast shot in the woods is necessary... or a quick shot at slowly moving deer is needed in a small opening... my experience with scopes is that if I plan on shooting 90% of my shots past 150 or 200 yards, then i'll put one on... but a good dot sight with a small dot or even some iron sights can do well out to 200 yards if you had to... the dot sight is nice too because you can use the dot to estimate range... since a 2moa dot like on the aimpoint hunter represents about 2" at 100 yards... then if you are say hunting a white tail deer and the dot covers the deers whole torso you know your pretty far lol.. obviously not exact but it'll tell you if yoru in point blank range or not... and whether you will need to compensate for drop.

there is some people that dislike the "rubber" Hogue stock and the lovely aspect their face got after their bearb is gone ....

i love my laminated stock on mine.

yea i've heard some people don't like it, It looks like it's good though, I think i'm gonna leave it. I'm not a fan of re-inventing the wheel haha

Hows the recoil pad on it? Does it help at all? If not I may swap it out for a premium brand pad like pachmayr or limbsaver

Does anyone know how the recoil pad is? Does it leave bruises after you shoot? Is it soft? I got a pachmayr pad for my .45-70 and when I shoot hot loads with it (400 grains2000fps)I have literally... NO BRUISES AT ALL after shooting 30 rounds of hot loads of 300 grainers @ 2350fps and 405 grainers @ 2000fps, and I don't even feel the pain or anything. I literally had no marks at all after shooting all those rounds

You could always bring it down a notch with a 375Ruger. You may find a greater level of proficiency with its more manageable recoil. Using a 375Ruger would not preclude you from hunting and killing most anything you'd go after with the 416Ruger. But if you feel the need for a 416, I think the Ruger is hard to beat as it gives you great serviceable value for the dollars spent. I'm a big fan of the 416Rem, but the 416 Ruger makes more sense as a package today.

Now having owned the Ruger, I stuck mine in an old paddle stock as the big Ruger shares the same stock inlet as any of the magnum Ruger mkIIs (7mm, 300WM, 338WM). The paddle stock is lighter than the McMillan and it is as tough a rifle handle as you could ever get. It makes for a bomb proof package that can withstand extreme abuse. Ugly as sin, but it works without fail. It's not a stock that is too forgiving to poor form, but if you're squared away with good technique, it's not bad at all. Most important is that it will never let you down.

Best:)

I have an Alaskan in 375 Ruger that I have used on one brown and 2 black bears in AK. Not a big sample but it worked well for me in this use. In bad weather, it's a no-worry gun so I prefer it for those kinds of places.


My Ruger African has been re-bored from 375 to 404 and I used it on Cape buffalo and a few PG species in 2008. The ballistics with the 0.423" bullet are the same you describe for the 416 Ruger from the 20" barrel. It's definitely enough gun for buff. Although I hunted elephant with it - with a 1.5-5x Leupold, perfect for buff IMO - I didn't get a shot at elephant so can't say from personal experience if it's enough for pachyderms. Although I suspect so, I prefer something larger for elephant, mainly for my own psychological comfort. Plenty of elephants have been killed with the 416 Rigby, same ballistics you quote for the Ruger.


Great choice, I use that scope on a 458 Lott and a 416 Rem Mag, though prefer the 1.5-5x in the less-than 45 caliber DGRs - never know when you'll need to reach out for an incidental kudu or eland while out for elephant. Now having learned a bit , I'll use Ruger open sights for elephant next summer. BTW, NECG makes a number of high visibility front sights, easily installed in the Ruger Hawkeyes, that made a big difference for me.