Ruger M77 Magnum in 416 Rigby?

[marshy]

Hi Gents

I'm looking for your valued opinions... I got a phone call yesterday about a Ruger M77 Magnum for Sale, in 416 Rigby (for those interested it is going for R12k, and that includes brass, bullets, and dies). The rifle has only fired +-40 shots, but shows slight wear on the barrel (bluing has been rubbed down at the end of stock) and stock has some slight scratches - it was carried by a ranger at one of the private game reserves. The action is as slick as snot

So here's my question-

Has any one had any experience with the Ruger Magnum, especially in 416 Rigby?

Also, I'm looking to add a barrel band, change the front sight, new recoil pad, change the rear sight to a single leaf, bed the action and perhaps shorten the stock (possibly to 22 inches?)

I also obviously plan to reblue the metal work, and looking to either redo the stock / replace it with another? (on that point, do any of our members in the States have any ideas on stock choice as i looked to replace it with a factory offering, but i see they don't offer the Magnum anymore? Are there any other replacement options available in the states? as we're limited here in SA.)
Otherwise I'm going to stain, rechequer, and give it an matt oil finish.

Thanks for the input!

Marshy

 

[Silent Sam]

I have a RSM in 375 H&H. No experience with the Rigby. I'm not clear on some of your questions. The RSMs came with a barrel band. Why mess with the sights? The folding leafs are not prone to popping up and could be 'fixed' down quite easily. If the factory bead doesn't suit you it can be changed out easily w/o changing the sight base. If you mean shorten the barrel to 22", seems like a lot of work to make it an inch shorter. The RSMs came with 23" barrels. If yours is longer w/o a barrel band it doesn't sound factory. I agree with the recoil pad as long as the final length of pull fits you. I don't know of any aftermarket stock for the RSM. Factory stocks are Circassian walnut w/a black forend tip. There is a steel bedding block in the forearm (about the same length as the rib), hence the two screws, and a through bolt at the action recoil lug. Replacing the stock would be a custom proposition. If it has had a couple of boxes of full power ammo through it with no issue it probably won't have any. I would pull the stock and see if there are any indications of movement. Bedding it (properly) or at least sealing it is probably prudent in a DG rifle. Can you post pictures?

 

[marshy]

Sorry if my questions weren't too clear SS.

I believe its a 1st generation Magnum (24" barrel, no barrel band, as there's a front sling swivel in stock which connects to the barrel, so in essence a 'hidden barrel band'). The reason I'm looking to add the barrel band and remove the front swivel is to remove the chance of the front swivel biting my lead hand on recoil. I'm looking to remove an inch or two off the barrel length to remove some of the weight from the front (as the rifle is quite muzzle heavy) and also make the rifle more compact. When I refered to changing the front sight, I should have stated the bead iLL probably replace with something from the NEGC stable, and with regards to the back site, I'm looking at redesigning the single blade with a more positive sighting line (something my gunsmith does quite regularly and from the results I'm quite happy to go along with it.)

Re. the stock- are those replacement factory ruger stocks still available in the states?

 

[Welding Rod]

I have a Ruger Magnum in .375 H&H.

It is heavy. The felt recoil of this gun (not the cartridge, the gun) is pretty bad. I definitely agree with shortening the stock and putting a good recoil pad on it. I have fired the .375 in lighter rifles that had less felt recoil.

Mine is probably the best Ruger rifle specimen I have handled. It has the cleanest trigger break and the best safety movement of any Ruger Rifle I have owned or tried. The bluing is very nice. The stock is nicest piece of wood I have ever personally handled. The rear sight appears to be of very high quality.

Something to check before you buy: Try keeping downward pressure on the bolt handle while running the bolt forward. I handled a new one in .458 Lott that I was thinking of buying and the bolt would go maybe half way forward and then smack into a protuding area on the upper left part of the reciever, coming to a dead stop - two square edges interfering metal to metal. Not what you want on a DG rifle!

My .375 has no such problem as the area of the bolt and the area of the reciever that colided in the 458 Lott were both beveled in my gun, so that couldn't happen. It appeared that step was missed in the 458 I handled.

Shame too as the Lott had a beautiful piece of wood on it and the dealer was selling it on clearance for 12 or 13 hunderd. But that is my experience with Ruger after having owned probably 20 or so, probably more. Good designs at competive prices, but with the wheels falling off in the manufacturing and QC departments. Some of the machining and workmanship problems that leave the Ruger factory are simply inexcusable.

 

[Silent Sam]

You are correct. The early Magnums had the sling swivel on the stock and no barrel band. My mistake. Changing out the rear sight is easy also. You would have to contact Ruger concerning the stock. A phone call is more effective than email. As they are no longer in production, it would depend on what they available. Unless Ruger has a leftover stock somewhere I would plan on working with what you have especially if it is just cosmetic. A proper oil finish would be an improvement worth doing.

The RSMs are a wonderful beast of a rifle. Heavy for a 375, mine is right at ten pounds for the bare rifle w/ a 23" barrel. A pussycat to shoot but not light on the carry. The Rigby is a good bit more power so it's probably a better balance. If you are going to the trouble of removing the front sight band to get a band on for the sling, shortening the barrel to what suits you is a no brainer. Balance and swing, length of pull and overall length that fits is more important than exact weight.

They are a factory production rifle and they were sold at a truly bargain price for what they are. Expecting them to be out of the box ready for a DG hunt is a bit unrealistic and would have been cost prohibitive. Most that were sold will never see the shores of Africa and were purchased just to fill the desire to have a truly world class powerful rifle. American's are like that sometimes, chasing dreams we never intend to catch.... and Bill Ruger tapped directly into that when many in the industry thought he was crazy. His chambering the Rigby both in the Magnum and the #1, practically single-handedly brought the cartridge back from the brink of obscurity. Brass and loaded ammo became available that was not even considered by ammo manufacturers prior to the introduction of the big Ruger.

If yours was used as a working rifle in that environment it may well have been worked a bit to your benefit. I would ensure that it is truly feeding in a controlled fashion, both hard and fast and dead slow on the bolt, and everything in between. Speed and quiet are both important at the proper times. Sometimes the extractor/ bolt face needs a little attention to ensure this. I don't know what R12k equates to in $US so I'll leave the value to you. Brass and bullets for big bores is not cheap anywhere comparitively speaking. Hope this helps. We want pictures of your project!

 

[montana78258]

I used a Ruger 77 in .416 Rigby in Zimbabwe in 2004 for cape buffalo, eland, kudu, zebra, impala and elephant and found it an excellent rifle for dangerous game. The .416 Rigby cartridge is probably the best "all around" rifle for all African game. Mine would shoot a 1" group at 100 yards using Federal Premium Cartridges. The professional hunter who guided my hunt stated, "You could make a one gun safari with this rifle" although I also had a .300 Weatherby as light rifle. My longest shot was at an eland at 230 yards and it performed beautifully.

I found one fault with the rifle and even found an article in African Hunter magazine addressing the issue. After shooting an elephant with a heart shot I cranked the bolt quickly to fire additional shots at the elephant as he departed only to find the empty cartridge case did not eject from the action. I flicked the empty case out with my finger and fired two more shots into his hip to break him down. These proved unnecessary as the elephant turned to face me then sunk down dead from the first shot that went through the middle of his heart. The article in Africa Hunter Magazine stated the Ruger ejector is depressed when the bolt closes then springs back up to eject the spent cartridge when the bolt is opened. It is possible to "yank" the bolt back too rapidly for the ejector to "spring up" before the cartridge case passes the point it normally hits the ejector leaving the fired cartridge in the open action. This can be corrected by "honing" the ejector and replacing the spring with a stronger spring to raise the ejector faster or just don't get too excited when pulling the bolt open. A difficult task when shooting your first elephant.

All in all I would have no problem using the Ruger 77 in .416 Rigby in Africa again now that I know what to expect. You should check the ejector before going to Africa to hunt dangerous game to insure it springs back up before the cartridge passes the ejection point.

Here is a tip if you plan to use a scope while shooting from shooting sticks at dangerous game. If you find the sticks too low you should crouch down by bending your knees rather that leaning forward. Should you lean forward you will move your forehead forward, closer to the scope, that can put a good dent in your eyebrow or deliver a nasty cut when the rifle recoils. For elephant I would recommend you use the open sights rather than a scope as you will be shooting at only 30-40 yards at elephant.

 

[crotalis]

I have an early 416 RSM with many full patch (near weatherby loads)rounds thru it with nary a problem. I relieved wood in the tang area on the stock, added a second cross bolt, bed the action and most of the barrel, never had the "in the forearm" sling stud bite, slimmed the entire stock as much as I could without loosing the checkering, installed a real recoil pad. Added a much larger front bead and homemade a ghost ring type rear site made out of the bottom half of one of the stock scope rings. Slicked up the action and magazine lips. Slicked up the ejector and slot ( some have had ejection problems while fast cycling the bolt) These early ones are heavy (mine 10 3/4 # empty) but I find it a great shooter. When I had a scope on it would print cloverleaves at 100yds if I did my part.

 

[Varminterror]

The price you mentioned said "R12k". Dang sure wouldn't pay $12,000 for a Ruger Magnum. $2k is very reasonable.

I've had a Ruger 77MkII Magnum in .416 Rigby and .458 Win Mag that I reamed out to Lott. Loved the rifles. Regret selling them. Currently rebuilding two Ruger Long Action 77 Hawkeyes into 416 Ruger and 458Win mag.

 

[crotalis]

I am sure he was referring to the South African Rand ="R" not the US$ about $1,036 US