416 ruger African or guide gun like i need another 416

[dgr416]

I am getting the 416 bug again .My 416 rem mags all 4 are awesome but i think these rugers are a good investments .I hate to get another caliber but i was going to have a old ruger 77 tang safety my favorite safety fast as a doublle barrel built .My 416s have become too valuable to be boat guns and i wanted a 416 ruger so which rifle would you choose for investment and Alaska hunting ? The ammo for 416 tem mag is finally made again glad to see that ..I keep thinking of a fiberglsss stock for my winchester model 70 416 also .

 

[odonata]

...i wanted a 416 ruger so which rifle would you choose for investment and Alaska hunting ?

I never buy rifles for investment since I shoot them all (no safe queens!). A couple of years ago Lipsey's made a special edition of a 416 Ruger for the Alaska Professional Hunters Association (APHA). All of the extra rifles were being sold out of Arctic Ammo in Wasilla, AK. It would have been an intriguing guide gun to me if the bolt had been on the other side. I think I liked this one because it doesn't have that ugly butt stock that their other guide guns are afflicted with.

 

[Safari Dave]

I like the stainless/synthetic, if I were around salt water.

Maybe one will pop up on gunbroker.


I'm a .416 Rigby fan, but I've never seen a stainless/synthetic option in .416 Rigby.


I picked up a stainless/synthetic Weatherby .340 WBY Mag at a gun show a few weeks ago. She will be my Kodiak bear rifle, if she shoots...

 

[Andrew NOLA]

I have both the African and the Alaskan in 416 ruger

I put a Bell and Carlson stock on the Alaskan as I did not like the hogue stock that it came with

I like the shorter Alaskan better than the African

 

[Cowboy777]

The Ruger guide gun I feel is the best of the 416 rugers. As others have pointed out you can take it anywhere and it will not rust up. It’s short, light, easy to pack, and easy to suppress. I picked up a new one for $900 with dies.

 

[ldmay375]

I am getting the 416 bug again .My 416 rem mags all 4 are awesome but i think these rugers are a good investments .I hate to get another caliber but i was going to have a old ruger 77 tang safety my favorite safety fast as a doublle barrel built .My 416s have become too valuable to be boat guns and i wanted a 416 ruger so which rifle would you choose for investment and Alaska hunting ? The ammo for 416 tem mag is finally made again glad to see that ..I keep thinking of a fiberglsss stock for my winchester model 70 416 also .

I am a fan of the 20" stainless. My most used moose rifle is an older Alaskan 416 Ruger. Years ago, I replaced the stock on it with a McMillan fiberglass. I have another with an H-S Precision. Also have one of the APHA run that is still in the Hogue stock. It may get a Bell & Carlson stock, or not. My view of them as an investment, is only as a handy hunting and shooting tool. The 20" stainless 416 and 375 versions do that well for me. I like both cartridges a lot.

 

[meigsbucks]

I have one of the original Ruger Alaskan .416’s (sans muzzle brake). It is handy and weatherproof. One of my favorite rifles. The buff in my avatar was taken with it as well as seven Jean of PG.
I just had it at the range a week ago, practicing off sticks.

 

[Hunt anything]

I was going to suggest the Alaskan model, I have it in .375 Ruger. It’s a definitely a rugged rifle. Mine goes in the truck on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and comes out on 10 February, our deer season . We have land on Bon Secour Bay and I deer hunt there so it’s exposed to saltwater and the stainless barrel and Hogue stock come in pretty handy.
This rifle is accurate with a VX6 1-6x 24, bought it in 2013.
I would think the .416 Ruger would be the same.

 

[dgr416]

I looked and hardly anyone makes 416 rem mag rifles any more .It was the most popular dangerous game riifle in Africa .I only paid $600 each for all my 416 rem mags and they are worth way more today than 25 years ago.I shoot most of them just for fun .I used them in Alaska 12 years in Alaska and they all shined .I did get one customized a stainless KS 700 it needed a muzzlebreak and floorplate and a weatherby mag spring
.The rugers have all of those from the factory except the weatherby springs which are super strong and powerful .The 416 is my limit of

 

[dgr416]

The 416 is the limit with my torn rotatir cuff as far as recoil .I shot my stainless 416 rem mag 700 with a muzzlebreak no problem .I have tons of 416 bullets too .

 

[Pablo]

Do all the new .416 Rugers come with a muzzle break?

 

[Andrew NOLA]

Yes

But they also come with a thread protector and a thread protector that weighs the same as the break

 

[Hunt anything]

Not sure but the brake on my Ruger African in .338 Win Mag has a removable brake and comes with a threaded cap if you don’t want to use the brake.

 

[mgstucson]

@dgr416
I have the blued Hawkeye African model, and love it. The factory wood stock is beautiful, but they have a tendency to crack at the wrist in this caliber. I will get a BC stock for it for accuracy and strength with the bedding bar in the stock. I am looking for a good deal on the stainless Alaskan version because I want a short stainless version. I like the short barrel for the thick stuff, and the stainless for the wet stuff. I will keep both. I have about 500 - 600 rounds of new brass, and will probably pick up at least 500 - 1000 more. I will never shoot that much, but hopefully my children and grandchildren might. I just don't trust Hornady to keep it in stock. I also have 1000 rounds of 300 PRC brass made by ADG. It is heavy brass. When you expand it out to 416 caliber, you have to turn the neck at the base, because that part of the neck that was part of the shoulder on the 300PRC case is too thick (on ADG brass) for the neck of the newly formed 416 (can cause feeding or over pressure problems if neck is not turned down.) It is wise to actually expand it out to 425, turn the neck down to standard thickness, then run it through the 416 FL sizing die for the final size before reloading. After it has been fired in a 416 chamber, you can neck size after that. This way you can practice with the ADG brass, and save the head stamped brass for Africa. Be aware that ADG brass in general has lightly less case volume because the brass is thicker. This is usually not an issue unless your load is compressed or close to it.

If anyone has a Hogue or laminated take off stock they want to dispose of, shoot me a PM.

 

[ldmay375]

Having sufficient + brass / competent stock on hand for the long term is good advice. It seems even the bigger selling cartridges at the .338 and larger point, with multiple brand brass manufacturers usually hit a low / nonexistent level at some point due to production cycles. And that is without crazy world events happening.

 

[dgr416]

Yes i had it hsppen with 416 rem mag no brass or ammo for a while .I am wondering if a regular stocked ruger 77 tang safety which is my favorite safety stock would handle the 416 ruger? I may buy a ruger african and build a ruger tang safety 77 416 ruger too .I dont like hornady brass or ammo .I hope norma makes the 416 ruger .The 416 rem mag has almost disapeared in rifles chambered for it .I have a 416 rem mag rem 700 guide gun in 416 rem mag only 7.25 pounds in a hs srock and does not kick bad .I had two sold one too fast good little gun after i had weatherby mag spring put in it .I also have a 6 lug weatherby in mcmillion stock in 416 rem mag have not even shot it .i see the 416 ruger taking the 416 rem mags place just needs better brass and ammo .

 

[dgr416]

A girl on my facebook was the youngest girl ever to kill the big 5 think they put hippo instead of rhino .She used a 416 ruger 77 with a lazeer on it she was 12 when she did it pretty awesone

 

[ldmay375]

Yes i had it hsppen with 416 rem mag no brass or ammo for a while .I am wondering if a regular stocked ruger 77 tang safety which is my favorite safety stock would handle the 416 ruger? I may buy a ruger african and build a ruger tang safety 77 416 ruger too .I dont like hornady brass or ammo .I hope norma makes the 416 ruger .The 416 rem mag has almost disapeared in rifles chambered for it .I have a 416 rem mag rem 700 guide gun in 416 rem mag only 7.25 pounds in a hs srock and does not kick bad .I had two sold one too fast good little gun after i had weatherby mag spring put in it .I also have a 6 lug weatherby in mcmillion stock in 416 rem mag have not even shot it .i see the 416 ruger taking the 416 rem mags place just needs better brass and ammo .

Yep, have experienced the 416 Remington, 458 Winchester, 458 Lott brass shortages in non-panic world times. After those times, I bought in sizeable bulk quantities. I did learn from those times. When I decided that I wanted 375 & 416 Rugers I acquired a decent brass supply. The same regarding 7mm & 325 WSM cartridges.

I recall reading of Jack O'Conor turning belts off of 460 Weatherby brass to make 416 Rigby. Times can get rough for the .40 and above users.

I will certainly not say Hornady brass is Lapua quality or consistency. It is workable for purpose, and occasionally I run across a cull in a box.

The 416 Ruger versus the 416 Remington simply boiled down to wanting a nominal 3.4 or 3.6" action. The slightly less case capacity, less SAMMI psi, and velocity were not factors for me. I already had a 375 Ruger which its selling point was a .375 in a near identical rifle as my 338 Winchester. The 416 Ruger fit right in for me.

I still have 416 Remingtons in M70's. The 22" re-barrel stainless Classic is the only one that I would consider as a season long wet weather rifle. I prefer the 20" barrel on the Ruger. The 350 grain TTSX at ~2500 fps, works for my 250 yard trajectory and impact speed preferences. Which is likely 50 yards farther than I will be shooting. I have expectations CEB 325 grain Maximus to do the same or slightly better.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I really like the Winchester Model 70 Safari Express in .416 Remington Magnum.

Nothing wrong with the .416 Ruger though.

 

[ldmay375]

I really like the Winchester Model 70 Safari Express in .416 Remington Magnum.

Nothing wrong with the .416 Ruger though.

I like both the New Haven Classics, Safari Express and the Super Express.

But for a week to four weeks of wet tent camping and hunting, I like stainless better. Less maintenance for me. Being the hunter, the guide, and the cook my time spent on rifle maintenance is minimal.

These types seem to survive relatively well in my non-salt environment.