Looking at a Ruger #1 in .416 Rem Mag

[8X56MS]

I can buy a Ruger #1, with laminated stock, blue barrel, chambered in .416 Remington Mag, at what I think is a good price. This is a used rifle, but fired only a few times. It has been on consignment for some time now, at a shop I visit. I believe I can get it for $650, with rings, but no scope.
I have been reading up on this cartridge, and from what I see, its a powerful round, seems to be accurate, but not that popular. I believe its an offshoot of the 8mm Rem Mag.
I have an old Winchester Tropical, in .458 Win Mag, and shoot it every so often. I am not timid about recoil.
Guess this is another example of 'want', not 'need', with a rifle. 'Want'often wins out. :)
I think I just might have to buy this one. Bet it would make a great hog rifle!
Does anyone here have experience with this cartridge? If so, your thoughts please.

[L. Cooper]

Have not shot one, but, as usual, that doesn't stop me from having an opinion.

I would never stop anyone from buying a gun; they are all fun. But have you ever shot one that has that kind of power?

You mention it hasn't been shot much. There is a reason for that. Unless you can see yourself really needing that kind of power, and hogs don't need it, I bet you won't fire it much either. Playing at the gun range with it will not be what anyone I know would call fun.

[Skyline]

I've shot a .416 Remington, but not in a Ruger #1. If you don't have any problems with the .458, you shouldn't have any trouble with the .416. Velocities are usually in the 2400 fps range with 400 grain bullets........like the original Rigby velocities and the .416 Taylor.

[TreeDoc]

Just think 8X, you'll be able to rid your neighborhood of those pesky White Rhinos and those miserable Cape Buffalo's that trouble you so. Perhaps even an occasional "pop" at passing Greater Kudu might be fun! :D

Used but cherry #1's go for around $600-$700 in my parts so your not doing to bad I'd say. I just bought my first #1V the other day though it's not the beast you speak of. Mine is a kitten comparitively while chambered in .223! It's got very nice wood and cherry bluing which sets it apart from many others I have seen so I had to have it!

:rolleyes:

[8X56MS]

L Cooper, I did mention that I have, and shoot, a .458 Win Mag. I don't find that so bad, and I dont see where the .416 would be any worse. :) I use the .458 for hogs now and then. Two years back, I took a 300+ boar with it. Belive me when I say that even that caliber is not always a one shot kill on a boar.
I don't think I can resist the Siren's call of this one.

[PJgunner]

I don't have a Ruger #1 in 416 Remington, but I do have one in .416 Rigby. You didn't say what brand rifle your .458 was, but if it is something other than a Ruger #1, take my word on this.
Before you ever shoot that rifle, take it to a competent gunsmith and have him put a Pachmeyr Decelerator recoil pad on the gun.
Your shoulder and possibly your collarbone will thank you.
I'm here to tell you that that miserable excuse for a recoil pad that Ruger puts on his very hard kicking guns is a crime.
I haaave several Ruger #1H rifles, a .375 H&H, .404 Jeffery and the .416 Rigby. I'm not exactly recoil shy, having been known to shoot ground squirrels with a .375 H&H. One of my favorrite rifles is called, The Hammer". a 7.5 pound .375 wildcat. (.375 Taylor, a .338 Win. Mag. necked up to take .375 caliber bullets.) I've even had the pleasure (???) of shooting a .600 Nitro Express, a rifle that shoots a 900 gr. bullet at roughly 1950 FPS.
A while back, Guntests magazine did a test on three .416 Rigby rifles including the #1. After a few shots, they refused to go any farther due to the painful recoil caused by that lousy excuse of a pad. They also inferred that one of the people shooting it had to go to the hospital, but they failed to say why. (Brokern collar bone???)
I would never try and talk someone out of buying a Ruger #1. Hell! I can't even talk myself out of buying one when I have the money on hand. I bought my first one around 1975 and it now has 15 brothers and sisters to keep it company. Just be careful on how you hold it, but preferably, replace that pad.
Paul B.

[TreeDoc]

PJ, not trying to hijack this thread but it sounds like you have some #1 experience. I haven't picked mine up yet so I can't say if it's a shooter or not but what experience and methods have you used for accurizing one of the puppies?

[PJgunner]

Doc. I have 16 Ruger #1s in various versions. I also have a custom job based on a #1 action with a Remington barrel. (We won't go into that Jonah.)
Almost all of my rifles have been purchased second hand which means the people selling them either had problems or were expecting more accuracy than the rifles could deliver.
Ruger's accuracy standard for the #1 rifles is 2.0" at 50 yards. Not too cool in my opinion, but fortunately, most surpass that standard, one that I consider unacceptable for a rifle that is as expensive as they have become.
However, I feel that if one will accept a reasonable accuracy standard, especially if the rifle is to be used for hunting, then most #1s will be more than adequate. I decided long ago the 1.5" or less at 100 yards was perfectly good for most hunting use. Most have done better than that, but 1.5" is my outer limit. If they shoot worse than that, then it's time to tinker. As I mentioned, most of my rifles have been bought used, so I expect problems. Mostly, there have been none.
Only one has ever had to be sent back to Ruger and it had a very bad barrel, the throat being over 2.0" long. The rifle was chambered to the 7x57 Mauser round and is one of my favorites.
Another in .270 Win. had been free floated to improve accuracy by the previous owner, and probably only made it worse. I put a shim under the barrel which improved things, but I did have to work up a load to make it fall within my standards. I've found you can usually get decent hunting groups by reloading. It's just a case of finding what the rifle likes.
There was a page one accurizing Ruger #1s that I had bookmarked, but the site seems to have disappeared, at least from my computer. I'm on a back up machine right now while trying to figure out why my normal one keeps disconnecting me from the web.
The site had a lot of very good information on improving accuracy in #1s, and it was called the "unofficial ruger number one page", IIRC.
Paul B.

[TreeDoc]

Well, I guess I'm thinking like you. This .223 that I bought is second hand. It's an older series gun, a 132-xxxx series. I'm hoping it shoots of course and have no problem with handloads if that's what it needs because in my opinion, it needs to shoot under 1 moa or I'll farm it off to someone else. A .223 with a bigger group than that is unacceptable in my book. I'm shooting at small ground squirrels and paper out to 200-250 yards. My Weatherby SVM in 22-250 will take over beyond that.

I'll look you up if it needs tinkering, it'll be a couple weeks before I get it in house and have time to scope it and get it to the range.

[PJgunner]

Doc. If that #1 is a #1V, it should shoot quite well. Mine is aa .25" gun with handloads. (26.5 gr. W-748, Winchester 55 gr. soft point, WSP primer and Winchester brass.)
That custom job I have is more of a 1.25" gun, more's the pity, but with almost $900 tied up in it, thee's no way I can come close to breaking even on that one.
I picked it up at a gun show as it looked like a neat little rifle. Someone had taken a #1 action and put a Remington .223 Rem. barrel on the gun. It was restocked with a different butt style with cheekpiece and different style forearm. Really a neat looking rifle. Well, it didn't shoot for beans, so I took it to my gunsmith to what could be done. I'd installed a Hicks accurizer, which didn't help much. Turned out the bore was shot with the throat badly eroded. There was also damage at the muzzle from improper cleaning. He had a take off Remington .223 barrel from a customer who had a Model 7 rebarreled to some .17 caliber wildcat, so I got it cheap. We put that on, and did the glass bedding routine. Did the adjusting of the Hicks and finally got it down to 1.25".
I bought the rifle to be a walkabout gun mainly for spotting and stalking coyotes and other targets of opportunity, and it does fill that role well. I'm planning to work up a cast bullet load to about 1600 FPS for the Fall turkey season, if I can draw a tag. We can only use shotguns for the Spring season, but rifles are OK in the Fall. It should also work just fine ffor javalina season as I drew a tag for this years hunt. We'll just have to see.
Paul B.

[Headhunter]

Well, let me tell ya. The kickinest rifle I have ever shot was my Ruger #1 in 375 H&H. The second hardest Kickinest rifle I ever shot was my Remington 700 .416 Rem Mag.

SO, I would say, that the Ruger #1 in .416 would leave your eyes black on your drivers licence, Detach your retenas, and prevent you from raising your right arm for life.

But they sure are cool and Chicks dig em. Who cares what they cost, get it if you want it.

I am fixin to bid on a Ruger #1 in .416 Rigby.

Headhunter