Help needed on caliber choice

[Voodooracer]

Hi everyone, I'm hoping to pick your brains once again to help me decide on a caliber. I'm looking at 2 different ruger no. 1's. one is chambered in 450/400 nitro express and the other is in 9.3x74r. I have owned a no.1 in 450/400 before and enjoyed it, the only downside is cost of ammo. The ruger no.1 in 450/400 is the boddington "buffalo" edition. I'm intrigued with both calibers but can't decide on which haha. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and opinions as well as experiences with both calibers. For reference I have 2 cz 550's in 375h&h and 458 Lott so either rifle would fill either the large medium bore in the case of the 450/400 or the medium bore with the 9.3x74r albeit the 9.3 is close to the 375. Whatever rifle I decide on will definitely be wearing a lower powered scope, probably around 6 or 7x max.
Thanks!
Voodooracer

 

[peras]

Like you say either can fill a gap.When you look at the medium bores and you have a .375 the question is" what gap do you want to fill"? Between the 375 and the lott there is quite a gap,this would make me go for the 450/400.

 

[35bore]

Being that you have the 375 H&H and a 458Lott, in my opinion, I would lean more toward the 9.3x74R if for no other reason you would be able to use a 7x max and shoot further/flatter with it. The 450/400 is a great hard hitting caliber, but that's why you have the 458Lott, and as you have already mentioned the cost of the ammo for the 450. Not that I am being much help to you right now, the 450/400 being a Boddington Buffalo edition, well that could sway a fan towards that one. Still think I would go 9.3, just for the added reach.

 

[Voodooracer]

Thank you for the responses, I can see both sides, either can fill a role. I do like that the boddington version has express sights and comes with qd rings. Not that I'd be using it as a stopping rifle but just a nice added feature. I'm leaning slightly towards the 450/400 but am still undecided haha. If I had the extra cash I'd just buy both and be done with it but such is life haha

 

[matt85]

from the way im seeing it you already have both roles filled, there isn't anything the 450-400 is going to do that the 458 lott cant do and the 9.3x74r is very similar to the 375 H&H. so, technically you don't "need" either of the rifles.

by not needing either of the rifles that means you should buy the one that's makes you the happiest. but if you must get advice from others then I would say go with the 9.3x74r since the 450-400 is more of a short ranged DG cartridge and I don't think id want a single shot rifle for short ranged DG.

what ever you decide on as long as your happy with it nothing else matters.

-matt

 

[James.Grage]

Seeing as you have a 375 and a 458 i would suggest that you take a look at the 416 and or the 404 to fill the gap.

Both will step up to take Dangerous game and provide you with flexibility to go after plains game out to 150 to 200 yards. With the right ammo you are all set.

However, if you are looking for an excuse to purchase the 450-400, just go buy one.

the 9.3 x 74r is so close to the 375 you are basically duplicating that segment in your battery.

 

[Voodooracer]

I agree, in this instance its not so much a pressing "need" but more of a want to give myself some more options. Right now my battery is a winchester model 70 in 30'06, the cz-550 in 375 H&H, and the cz-550 in 458 lott. I do agree, now that you guys have me thinking about it, the 9.3 is very close in power to the 375 so id be duplicating what i essentially already have. I am looking at another cz 550 in 416 rigby in addition to the other rifles/calibers. i think the 416 rigby in the ruger number one platform would be a bit uncomfortable due to the ruger's weight and shooting characteristics. the 450/400 nitro i previously owned would be about as much as id want to shoot recoil wise in that platform without adding more weight. I have roughly $1,500 to spend either way on the rifle so either caliber would fit in that budget well. I know they might be a tad overkill but id like to take whatever rifle i decide on and use it to hunt black bear or wild boar so i have some experience using them on game and not just the range. My apologies if my ramblings aren't making sense or becoming bothersome :doh:

 

[AkMike]

I had a 450/400 Ruger #1 and enjoyed it a bunch! The cost of ammo isn't bad at all if you 'roll your own'.

 

[Voodooracer]

I enjoyed the one i had as well, at the time i just needed the cz 375 more hahah. I'm definitely going to start rolling my own for my african rifles for practice

 

[sestoppelman]

I like the way my CZ .404 doesn't kick me around so hard as the #1 .450-400 did. That sucker gave me recoil headache real quick. I also like the 9.3x74 and in the Ruger it was not so bad to shoot. If we only bought the guns we 'needed', we wouldn't have very many would we?

 

[Voodooracer]

If i had to do it over again i would have added some weight in the hole in the stock under the buttpad and added a scope to put some extra weight on it. This is very true, I wouldn't have many guns at all if that were the case haha

 

[spike.t]

9.3x74r. you have a .375 and a .458lott , to me that fills every niche you need in medium heavy to heavy calibre. the 9.3 is that bit lower than the .375 that you can have fun with it. the 450/400 is between the ,375 and .458lott but in such a way it is irrelevent.

 

[bassasdaindia]

rifles in that size : my first choice would be a 404 Jeff

 

[Voodooracer]

I am talking to a gentleman with a new ruger no.1 in 9.3x74r that comes with brass, dies, bullets, and a couple other reloading components for a pretty good price that i may have a hard time passing up. The more thought i put into it along with everyone's good advice i think the 9.3 would be more economical and probably suit my needs a little better for various different game. I have been hearing about the 404 jeff a lot and i wish there were more factory rifles that chambered it, it's a very interesting cartridge. I will let you guys know what happens and will post pictures. The next step will be finding a scope to put on it. I can't thank everyone enough for all the excellent advice!

 

[bebo]

From Europa :

I'm always surprised when I read that the 9.3x74 R is an ammo for african games ...
Here, in Europa, it 's used for boars , stag or deer, but after the .300wm and THE 9.3x62 (Mauser)
Nobody compares this ammo with THE .375 H&H ... which is THE reference . (close to the 9.3x64 Brenneke which .. disappears day after day ..)
If the african game is like an european game , it's OK, but they are often stronger, tougher.
In my opinion real african calibers begin .338WM or 9.3x62 (or 8x68S : rare) , that"s my opinion, only my opinion.
Advantage to the old 9.3x74R ... the beautiful doubles Express on the market ....

 

[enysse]

Seeing as you have a 375 and a 458 i would suggest that you take a look at the 416 and or the 404 to fill the gap.

Both will step up to take Dangerous game and provide you with flexibility to go after plains game out to 150 to 200 yards. With the right ammo you are all set.

However, if you are looking for an excuse to purchase the 450-400, just go buy one.

the 9.3 x 74r is so close to the 375 you are basically duplicating that segment in your battery.

I agree with you! +1

 

[Voodooracer]

Well the deal with the ruger fell through, I'm taking your advice and looking at a cz 550 in 416 rigby. I'm debating on the wood stock or the Kevlar stocked model

 

[matt85]

if your looking at CZ and want something between 375 H&H and 458 Lott there is hardly a better choice then the 404 Jeffery. the 416 Rigby would be my second choice after the 404 Jeffery.

-matt

 

[peras]

if your looking at CZ and want something between 375 H&H and 458 Lott there is hardly a better choice then the 404 Jeffery. the 416 Rigby would be my second choice after the 404 Jeffery.

-matt

Fully agree!

 

[bebo]

From time to time, you can find used Ruger rifle MKII RSM (old) fabulous rifle , good priced cal .416Rigby on the market.
Think to the Winch 70 Safari Express cal.416RM, good priced and great quality !! The "supposed" problem of "pressure" of the .416RM seems far away today ...and the price of this ammo is lower than 416Rigby.
Think, so, to the new 416 Ruger ... but not available evreywhere in Africa ... I think.

About the confort of the Ruger #1 416 Rigby : look at the stock on the pic "Ruger #1 vs Winch 70 SE " below ... Take care, I am not a professionnal so the the Ruger stock is smaller than the Winch but the pic doen't show the reality ...



I was in love with the #1 but I cannot keep all the rifle of the world ... so , now I own a Winch 70 SE cal 416RM : 400grs and 300grs ("long range") and a CZ 550 Synthetic 9.3x62 Mauser ...

404 is an old perfect ammo ... which seems "come back soon" ...but .. maybe ...