Practicing with the 416 Ruger cartridge

[DelRock83]

Hello everyone I hope all is well, but I was pondering a random thought......considering there are few people that actually hunt dangerous game in my region so ME personally don't know anyone who owns a rifle calibered in 416 Remington Mag and none of the local gun ranges have any for rental and I don't wanna spend money on a Ruger M77 in 416 Ruger Guide gun much less a Winchester Model 70 in 416 Rem Mag due to the philosophy of "getting more gun than i can shoot ",but I think I saw an offering in the Mossberg Patriot that chambers one in 375 Ruger and 416 Ruger if in not mistaken, would it be a feasible option to buy instead of The Ruger and Winchester to get a feel for the recoil and ballistics of the caliber but it's not that I have a fear of the recoil it's that I lack any familiarity with medium to big bore calibers....buy and practice with the patriot and save up for one of the more expensive rifles of course I PROBALY wouldn't take a patriot due to the lack of 3pt safety, and controlled feeding etc in MY most humble opinion

 

[Neophyte]

A friend did similar on a Savage in .375 Ruger.
He’s now looking for a left handed Ruger. I’m thinking about getting another left handed .375 Ruger and re-barreling it in .416 Ruger.

 

[kukusya]

Hello everyone I hope all is well, but I was pondering a random thought......considering there are few people that actually hunt dangerous game in my region so ME personally don't know anyone who owns a rifle calibered in 416 Remington Mag and none of the local gun ranges have any for rental and I don't wanna spend money on a Ruger M77 in 416 Ruger Guide gun much less a Winchester Model 70 in 416 Rem Mag due to the philosophy of "getting more gun than i can shoot ",but I think I saw an offering in the Mossberg Patriot that chambers one in 375 Ruger and 416 Ruger if in not mistaken, would it be a feasible option to buy instead of The Ruger and Winchester to get a feel for the recoil and ballistics of the caliber but it's not that I have a fear of the recoil it's that I lack any familiarity with medium to big bore calibers....buy and practice with the patriot and save up for one of the more expensive rifles of course I PROBALY wouldn't take a patriot due to the lack of 3pt safety, and controlled feeding etc in MY most humble opinion

The Mossberg is a very lightweight gun, and shooting it in .375 Ruger is not a great experience. I had a first generation Alaskan in .375, and it was more comfortable to shoot than a 5 lb .308 rifle or a 12-gauge with duck loads. Check local forums to see if anyone is willing to meet at local range in return for free lunch.

 

[akrifleman]

A 6.3lb 375 Ruger will teach you more flinch more than a proper 416 (ie in your words, more gun that you can shoot)

My wife shoots the Savage bear hunter (8.3lbs) in 375, and hasn't failed to kill anything in Alaska or Africa. The Savage brush hunter weighs 7.4lbs. Both are far better choices for a first medium.

The best choice is probably searching here or gunbroker for a used 375. Sell it to finance the 416 later.

Get some experience with the best first medium bore (375 H&H or 375 Ruger), and then start plotting further.

 

[CoElkHunter]

For a first .375 Ruger, I wouldn't hesitate to buy either the Savage Bear or Brush Hunter (one of those needs iron sights) or Mossberg Patriot. I considered those but then found a used/like new Ruger Guide Gun for about the same price. Neither of those brands chambers the .416 Ruger though. I do have a Guide Gun in .416 coming from an AH member soon, so I'll see how I like it.

 

[CADDIE5]

My Winchester model 70 375ruger weighs 10.3# with 1-6×24 scope. Recoil is similar to 12ga 2.75 or 3" deer slugs

 

[Tex .416]

My Winchester model 70 375ruger weighs 10.3# with 1-6×24 scope. Recoil is similar to 12ga 2.75 or 3" deer slugs

Was the M70 chambered in .375 Ruger or is this a custom rifle?

 

[meigsbucks]

I took the buff in my avatar with the original Ruger Alaskan in .416 Ruger. One of my favorite rifles. I can’t tell much difference between the recoil of my Sako .375 H&H and the .416 Ruger even though the Sako is about 1/2# lighter.

 

[CADDIE5]

Custom. Gunsmith chambered to 375 ruger. Shilen Select Match@26" no muzzlebrake

 

[1:66 twiste@d]

I have owned two 375 ruger, first was a ruger Hawkeye. Wonderful shooter. The one I still have is a Mossberg Patriot. Not so fun, I had to put a muzzle brake on it.

 

[DelRock83]

I took the buff in my avatar with the original Ruger Alaskan in .416 Ruger. One of my favorite rifles. I can’t tell much difference between the recoil of my Sako .375 H&H and the .416 Ruger even though the Sako is about 1/2# lighter.

It's just the issue of getting one of the more expensive rifles in 416 Rem Mag and can't shoot it accurately then having a damn near 2,000 gun just sitting in my gun safe, that's why I was looking into a less expensive one to get a feel for the medium to big bores ( mossberg patriot in 375 Ruger or a Ruger Hawkeye in 416 Ruger) before I get a model 70

 

[DelRock83]

It's just the issue of getting one of the more expensive rifles in 416 Rem Mag and can't shoot it accurately then having a damn near 2,000 gun just sitting in my gun safe, that's why I was looking into a less expensive one to get a feel for the medium to big bores ( mossberg patriot in 375 Ruger or a Ruger Hawkeye in 416 Ruger) before I get a model 70

Hell I can't even say I'm sensitive to the recoil because I've NEVER shot ANYTHING in the 375 and 416 calibers

 

[meigsbucks]

It's just the issue of getting one of the more expensive rifles in 416 Rem Mag and can't shoot it accurately then having a damn near 2,000 gun just sitting in my gun safe, that's why I was looking into a less expensive one to get a feel for the medium to big bores ( mossberg patriot in 375 Ruger or a Ruger Hawkeye in 416 Ruger) before I get a model 70

IMO, if you can shoot a 7# 12ga with 3” mags it will be similar to a .375 or .416. If you can shoot 3.5” 12ga loads, you’re getting near .458 Lott territory.

 

[DelRock83]

I have owned two 375 ruger, first was a ruger Hawkeye. Wonderful shooter. The one I still have is a Mossberg Patriot. Not so fun, I had to put a muzzle brake on it

II

I have owned two 375 ruger, first was a ruger Hawkeye. Wonderful shooter. The one I still have is a Mossberg Patriot. Not so fun, I had to put a muzzle brake on it.

I took the buff in my avatar with the original Ruger Alaskan in .416 Ruger. One of my favorite rifles. I can’t tell much difference between the recoil of my Sako .375 H&H and the .416 Ruger even though the Sako is about 1/2# lighter.

How is the ammo availability in africa for the ruger medium/big bores....and can PH's order ammo beforehand if requested and paid for by the client

 

[meigsbucks]

I don’t know, but would think .416 would be rarer than hen’s teeth. That is one of the reasons I took a .375 H&H also. My guess is you MIGHT find .375 Ruger in Johannesburg or Windhoek but the H&H is universal.



How is the ammo availability in africa for the ruger medium/big bores....and can PH's order ammo beforehand if requested and paid for by the client

 

[CoElkHunter]

II



How is the ammo availability in africa for the ruger medium/big bores....and can PH's order ammo beforehand if requested and paid for by the client

.416 Ruger factory ammo is mostly MIA anywhere HERE let alone Africa, but .375 Ruger is available on a number of sites here. .375 H&H ammo availability is widespread as you well know.

 

[HookMeUpII]

12ga loads, you’re getting near .458 Lott territory.

I, respectfully, disagree with this. But, everyone is different.

A lot of it depends on the weight on the gun and type of shotgun action. Same for the rifle. I have a Ruger No 1 in 458WM and it's punishing. It hurts. It's probably 8-9 lbs which is a big factor as to why. I also primarily hunt waterfowl and do so with a 12ga so it is 2nd nature to me at this point. I shoot mostly gas guns which takes a bit of the recoil out. Inertia guns are a little rougher. Pumps, single, and O/U or S/S are the worst.

I'd say my take on it:

12ga 3" waterfowl load from a gas gun is about a 300WM, maybe a tad more. (30-33 lbs)
12ga 3.5" waterfowl steel load from a gas gun is 375HH which is a touch more than 300WM (33-36 lbs).

This is coming from someone who shoots 30-50 shells a season for waterfowl. Not exactly Habitat Flats but, still.

The only thing I would say comes close to the 458WM and dare I say Lott, is like an old school 12ga 3.5" Powershok slug from a light pump. I had my bell rung good from one of those out of a Mossberg 500 Mariner back in the day. Dazed and confused, almost knocked over. They don't make those loads anymore. I bought them from a sporting goods store going out of business back in the early 2000's. Even that though, might be on the light side.

10ga, with a big heavy slug or waterfowl load, is probably getting even closer. Probably still not with the 458's yet.

However, where I do agree with you: 416's out of a heavy bolt gun shouldn't be much worse than a 3.5" 12ga waterfowl load. That, once again, goes back to weight. An 11-12 lb bolt action is almost 40% heavier than a 8-9 lb Ruger No 1.

458 Lott is nuclear. I can't remember the specific number but it's approaching 90 lbs of recoil from something like a Ruger No 1 (which were chambered in that). Heavy bolt gun you're still at probably low 80's in recoil.

Either way, it's a fun discussion and back and forth.