Where Has All The .416 Ruger Guide Guns Gone?

[CoElkHunter]

Or you could buy a 416RM and never have to worry about ammo again.

The fact that the 416RUGER is destine for the graveyard is not a surprise. It simply didn't gain enough traction to force the gun/ammo manufacturers to maintain a consistent supply. I also believe that the 375RUGER isn't far behind, but it's still doing better than the 416.

Yes, I get it. 416RM performance in a 30-06 case...and if it were really that good, this thread wouldn't exist. But don't fret, the 416RUGER is in good company. The 416HOFF, 416TAYOLR, 416WBY and 416B&M (along with others I'm sure to have forgotten) will be there to welcome it to the "reloading only" room.

Well, Hornady has been manufacturing FACTORY ammo for both the .375 and .416 Ruger on an inconsistent basis for a few years now and a LOT more now. It has been the reloading brass which has until recently suffered a 3+ years hiatus of Hornady not manufacturing ANY brass for those cartridges. They’ve started manufacturing and selling reloading brass again at even much lower prices than 3 years ago. I don’t know, I really like my CZ 550 rifles with their 25” barrels and my Brownings with 26” barrels, but there seems to be an allure to me with those Ruger Hawkeye models with 20” barrels. They seem fairly ruggedly built and affordable compared with everything else out there NOW, especially .416 and up. I also have a .416 Taylor, so I guess I’m just a glutton for unobtanium cartridge punishment? LOL

 

[CoElkHunter]

I wish they'd start building those guide guns in .458 wm. It’s a very well designed rifle.

I’ve often thought about necking up a .416 Ruger to .458? Somebody on some AH post here mentioned that’s it’s already been done.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Anyway, over the last few months, Ruger has manufactured a LOT of new African, Alaskan and Guide Gun models in both .375 and .416 Ruger selling for $1200-1400 w/a removable brake, scope rings, a barrel with SIGHTS and stock spacers. Sure, they may not be of the same quality as many higher end rifles out there but to me they seem to be a well functioning HUNTING rifle at an affordable price point.

 

[BeeMaa]

Well, Hornady has been manufacturing FACTORY ammo for both the .375 and .416 Ruger on an inconsistent basis for a few years now and a LOT more now. It has been the reloading brass which has until recently suffered a 3+ years hiatus of Hornady not manufacturing ANY brass for those cartridges. They’ve started manufacturing and selling reloading brass again at even much lower prices than 3 years ago. I don’t know, I really like my CZ 550 rifles with their 25” barrels and my Brownings with 26” barrels, but there seems to be an allure to me with those Ruger Hawkeye models with 20” barrels. They seem fairly ruggedly built and affordable compared with everything else out there NOW, especially .416 and up. I also have a .416 Taylor, so I guess I’m just a glutton for unobtanium cartridge punishment? LOL

Admittedly I have a hard time liking a Ruger rifle, let alone a Ruger cartridge. Their rifles never seem to fit me very well and as a result always seem to punch above their normal level of recoil. 30-06 feels more like 300WM...etc. They are good and serviceable rifles, just not my cup of tea. Like a girl told me once, "It's not you, it's me".

As for the cartridges, Ruger & Hornady made their own bed with that one. A quick search on GB shows only two of 135 rifles chambered in 416RUGER made by companies other than Ruger. And all 107 results for ammo on AmmoSeek.com are Hornady. So go ahead and tie your line to that sinking ship.

 

[Falmike]

There is one on GB right now $1199 BIN.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Admittedly I have a hard time liking a Ruger rifle, let alone a Ruger cartridge. Their rifles never seem to fit me very well and as a result always seem to punch above their normal level of recoil. 30-06 feels more like 300WM...etc. They are good and serviceable rifles, just not my cup of tea. Like a girl told me once, "It's not you, it's me".

As for the cartridges, Ruger & Hornady made their own bed with that one. A quick search on GB shows only two of 135 rifles chambered in 416RUGER made by companies other than Ruger. And all 107 results for ammo on AmmoSeek.com are Hornady. So go ahead and tie your line to that sinking ship.

Ha! Ha! As far as my choice of firearms and cartridges go (and probably many other things), I went down with the ship a long time ago. But I keep swimming. LOL If ANY firearm doesn't fit you or you just don't like it for whatever reason, don't buy it or get rid of it. Seriously. Because a firearm is a very personal choice to the owner. and much of it is psychological. I saw that when the agency I used to work for "transitioned" everyone to Glocks. Some of the guys/gals that had steel pistols had a hard time and never really shot as well going forward. They psyched themselves out. When I buy a firearm and especially in a cartridge new to me, I try and find ANY reason not to like it. Maybe weird, but that's what I do. As an example, back in about '95, I was looking for a .338 WINCHESTER MAGNUM hunting rifle. I found a like new blued/walnut Browning A Bolt. I bought it and tried to find any reason not to like it. I couldn't find one. Lightweight, 60 degree bolt throw with a very smooth action. Recoil well mitigated by the stock design. I've hunted with it for many years. Point being, if I hadn't liked it, I probably would have sold it or buried it in my gun safe and tried something else. I really can't say I've disliked many firearms or cartridges over the years. Some were definitely better than others, but not to the point of getting rid of them.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Admittedly I have a hard time liking a Ruger rifle, let alone a Ruger cartridge. Their rifles never seem to fit me very well and as a result always seem to punch above their normal level of recoil. 30-06 feels more like 300WM...etc. They are good and serviceable rifles, just not my cup of tea. Like a girl told me once, "It's not you, it's me".

As for the cartridges, Ruger & Hornady made their own bed with that one. A quick search on GB shows only two of 135 rifles chambered in 416RUGER made by companies other than Ruger. And all 107 results for ammo on AmmoSeek.com are Hornady. So go ahead and tie your line to that sinking ship.

I'm surprised there were actually TWO other companies that made factory rifles for the .416 Ruger? I know Mossberg and Savage make .375 Ruger rifles, but I don't believe in the .416? Must have been customs?

 

[Uncontrolled_round_feed]

I’ve often thought about necking up a .416 Ruger to .458? Somebody on some AH post here mentioned that’s it’s already been done.

As I understand, a 416 Ruger is basically a 416 Taylor, which is a 458 WM necked down. Why would one want to neck up a 416 Ruger when you could just get a 458WM? Genuinely interested if there’s a good reason, thx

 

[JPmbogo]

416 Ruger Guide Guns offered on Gun Broker as I write.

 

[Choupique]

Yep, looks like a pile of them got shipped out the factory lately.

I know they'd never make it in .458 because it would tank the .416 sales, but a guy can dream.

Shame too. The .416 makes a lot of sense. It and the .375 ruger render a lot of older belted stuff obsolete, at least from a performance and design perspective.

 

[CoElkHunter]

As I understand, a 416 Ruger is basically a 416 Taylor, which is a 458 WM necked down. Why would one want to neck up a 416 Ruger when you could just get a 458WM? Genuinely interested if there’s a good reason, thx

The .416 Ruger is similar to the .416 Taylor except it has no parent case, is fatter and doesn’t have a belt. It was designed from the ground up by Ruger and Hornady. Like many other things here on AH related to firearms and cartridges, it doesn’t make any sense to neck up the .416 Ruger to .458, EXCEPT both the .375 and .416 Ruger cartridges were DESIGNED to achieve maximum velocity out of 20” barrels, where the belted magnums of the .375 H&H family (.416 Taylor and .458WM included) were not. I’m guessing, after seeing the .458 B&M cartridge velocities out of short barrels, a .458 Ruger would have similar velocities out of a 20” barrel in a relatively inexpensive FACTORY rifle versus a custom $3-5K B&M?

 

[Uncontrolled_round_feed]

The .416 Ruger is similar to the .416 Taylor except it has no parent case, is fatter and doesn’t have a belt. It was designed from the ground up by Ruger and Hornady. Like many other things here on AH related to firearms and cartridges, it doesn’t make any sense to neck up the .416 Ruger to .458, EXCEPT both the .375 and .416 Ruger cartridges were DESIGNED to achieve maximum velocity out of 20” barrels, where the belted magnums of the .375 H&H family (.416 Taylor and .458WM included) were not. I’m guessing, after seeing the .458 B&M cartridge velocities out of short barrels, a .458 Ruger would have similar velocities out of a 20” barrel in a relatively inexpensive FACTORY rifle versus a custom $3-5K B&M?

Thanks

 

[Rifleman97]

They're gone with the whisp of gunpowder as another one of the Hornady proprietary cartridges goes MIA. Same with the .300 and .338 Ruger Compact Magnums and to a lesser extent the .375 Ruger. The Hornady/Ruger partnership where Ruger made the rifles and Hornady manufactured their ammo and brass for them. The problem is that as time has moved forward, Hornady has forgotten about the ammo and brass for those cartridges and Ruger rifle owners with their proprietary cartridges thus chambered and is on to new and more profitable cartridges and more rifle sales for Ruger. Same thing happened earlier with Winchester's WSSM and WSM and Remington's SAUM proprietary cartridges and soon the Noslers. Buy a proprietary cartridge chambered rifle nowadays and you take your chances with finding ammo/brass in the future. Other than a .375 Ruger I bought recently, I'm not playing the proprietary cartridge game anymore. Buy a .416 Remington or Rigby and be happy with a wide range of ammo and brass availability from different manufacturers.

Agree with everything except the noslers. The 28 nosler is incredibly popular for an extreme magnum. Most people don't shoot extreme magnum .26-30 cals, but the ones that do pretty well swear by the 28 as everything the 7prc and 7 rem mag wishes they were. Ryan Pierce of Piercision rifles was building 28 noslers almost exclusively for like 5-7 years, and lots of brass options for the 28 outside of just nosler. ADG, peterson, Norma, and nosler (obviously) all make good brass for it. And hornady sometimes makes brass for it too but I wouldn't call it quality. I don't think the 28 nosler was ever gonna take off as the new 30-06, but its very popular within it's niche. I've seen a hell of a lot more 28 noslers than I have seen 416 rigby's outside of this forum.

 

[Philip Glass]

I also have no issue finding ammo plus I bought what is needed to reload the cartridge. I own the Ruger Guide Gun in 416 Ruger and have used it successfully in Africa. I made the mistake of firing the rifle in a Lead Sled and then noticed a small split forming in the tang. I needed a new stock and got one through the Ruger customer service people. Call them…..they are good folks who may be able to help you. Understand this was about seven years ago and they were building a lot of the rifles at the time so availability may be limited. However, they still produce rifles with a green mountain stock.

I had the same thing happen. I put a McMillian on the .375 and the .375 stock on the .416. It seems the .416 Ruger is in demand again. We are hearing more and more about it.

 

[Philip Glass]

They're gone with the whisp of gunpowder as another one of the Hornady proprietary cartridges goes MIA. Same with the .300 and .338 Ruger Compact Magnums and to a lesser extent the .375 Ruger. The Hornady/Ruger partnership where Ruger made the rifles and Hornady manufactured their ammo and brass for them. The problem is that as time has moved forward, Hornady has forgotten about the ammo and brass for those cartridges and Ruger rifle owners with their proprietary cartridges thus chambered and is on to new and more profitable cartridges and more rifle sales for Ruger. Same thing happened earlier with Winchester's WSSM and WSM and Remington's SAUM proprietary cartridges and soon the Noslers. Buy a proprietary cartridge chambered rifle nowadays and you take your chances with finding ammo/brass in the future. Other than a .375 Ruger I bought recently, I'm not playing the proprietary cartridge game anymore. Buy a .416 Remington or Rigby and be happy with a wide range of ammo and brass availability from different manufacturers.

I’ll have to disagree with this on the .375 Ruger. It is gaining popularity hence the shortages. It’s not going anywhere!

 

[Jack Stevens]

They're gone with the whisp of gunpowder as another one of the Hornady proprietary cartridges goes MIA. Same with the .300 and .338 Ruger Compact Magnums and to a lesser extent the .375 Ruger. The Hornady/Ruger partnership where Ruger made the rifles and Hornady manufactured their ammo and brass for them. The problem is that as time has moved forward, Hornady has forgotten about the ammo and brass for those cartridges and Ruger rifle owners with their proprietary cartridges thus chambered and is on to new and more profitable cartridges and more rifle sales for Ruger. Same thing happened earlier with Winchester's WSSM and WSM and Remington's SAUM proprietary cartridges and soon the Noslers. Buy a proprietary cartridge chambered rifle nowadays and you take your chances with finding ammo/brass in the future. Other than a .375 Ruger I bought recently, I'm not playing the proprietary cartridge game anymore. Buy a .416 Remington or Rigby and be happy with a wide range of ammo and brass availability from different manufacturers.

Why I stuck with the .375 H&H and never jumped on the Ruger proprietary bandwagon.

 

[BeeMaa]

I’ll have to disagree with this on the .375 Ruger. It is gaining popularity hence the shortages. It’s not going anywhere!

I’d like to agree with you but the facts don’t speak that way.

Quick search on GB finds 7 rifles chambered in 375RUGER by three companies. The other 393 are from Ruger.

AmmoSeek.com shows 350 results for 375RUGER ammo, EVERY SINGLE ONE from Hornady.

If this cartridge were gaining in popularity, there would be at least 10 rifle companies and five making premium ammo for it. And If it were truly that much better than the 375H&H, this would not be the case. As it is, Ruger & Hornady are just about it for the 375RUGER.

 

[Choupique]

Big bores are never going to gain in popularity substantially. Rifle and ammo companies are running on the McKinsey model now. Make what moves. Inventory is a curse word now. Slow moving product will always be made in batch runs from now on if made at all.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

As it is, Ruger & Hornady are just about it for the 375RUGER.

Sort of like saying Ford is the only one making F-150 pickups.

 

[Datchew]

Why I stuck with the .375 H&H and never jumped on the Ruger proprietary bandwagon.

Same for me. I considered the 375 ruger but I've worked on too many old bmw motorcycles from the 50's and 60's and learned my lesson about dabbling in hard to find things and parts made of unobtanium.

The 375 h&h has the nostalgia to go along with the ubiquity in ammo supply.
When it comes to availability in ammo and reloading parts, I want the toyota camry of cartridges.

That being said, I have to agree with @Philip Glass - the 375 ruger does seem to have staying power. We'll see.