416 Ruger Alaskan?

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AG

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I'm considering another rifle to move up from a 350 Rem mag, mostly for fun rather than necessity.
That said, I'm a fan of short-ish, light-weight rifles and not too recoil shy.
My 350RM weighs in at 6.6 pounds all up and I push a 225 partition at ~2700 chrono'd. Quick online calc comes out to ~35 ft/lbs of recoil on that one.
I also handload everything I own, no factory fodder here.
My desires:
1. a 350 grain bullet @ ~2500 fps
2. shortest action I can get it in, ideally same length as the little 350/308 length but no longer than 3006 length.
3. decent trajectory out to 2-300 yards
4. rifle weight ~8.5 pounds all up.

So far my reading and research has led me to the 416's (416 Ruger is the only short one) and possibly the 458 Win Mag.
I haven't discounted the 458 because it would offer a little more flexibility for handloading with the option to load really heavy if so desired, but from what I've read the 416's seem to offer more flexibility in range with better trajectory out to ~300 or so.
Haven't ruled out a build either but seems the Ruger Alaskan in 416 pretty much fits my desires in a nice, neat little factory package for a reasonable price but I've yet to handle one.
I've fondled a model 70 in 458 win mag and other than being a little on the heavy side, I thought it was ok. I also handled a CZ in 375H&H and didn't like the fit, thought it was too big, bulky and heavy for me.
Considerations for the Ruger? 416 Ruger brass availability? Can I resize 375 Ruger brass easily if not able to source 416 Ruger brass? Components would be a non issue with a 458WM...
Discuss, enlighten me please
 
They say that the 416 Ruger was pretty obstinate when it first came out. Light weight and heavy bullets is a pretty predictable combination. Of course, you can always download it and 2500 with a 350 is not pushing it at all. I'd say go for it. Brass won't be hard to source at all.
 
I had one and shot it a bit. It really kicked. I was shooting 350's at 2600fps. It was real close to my 458 win mag ruger and not too far off my 510 Wells shooting 450's. It was a real nice package and if you don't mind recoil its an amazing gun.
 
I have a Lipseys special LH in .375 Ruger, wished they had made it in .416 but even with that said that little Ruger is light and packs a serious amount of power. Maybe I'll rebarrel it some day to .416 or a wildcat .458 on the .375 Ruger case.
 
Have you considered the 416 Taylor, I used one on my first African hunt and loved it. I loaded 400 gn softs and solids to 2400 fps and it worked perfectly. Brass is anything you want it to be, W-W, Rem, Horn, Fed, and it runs perfectly through a standard length action. Rebarrel any 264 WM - 458 WM and you have it, not near as finnicky to get to feed as a 458. Mine started life as a 7mm RM and required zero mods to feed the Taylor flawlessly. Recoil is much less felt than an equal weight 458 and with the 2400-2600 fps loads, it is a true 300 yd rifle.
This is one of the easiest wildcats to load for as you just buy a bulk of 458 brass, in which ever make you happen to like, and run it through the die, prime it and load...........thats it........no fireforming or neck reaming no BS, just load and shoot.
I don't think the 416 Ruger will be around much longer and the unique brass is going to be a problem. You can of couse blow out 375 Ruger brass but the Taylor will have available brass till hell freezes over.
 
c-fbmi said:
Have you considered the 416 Taylor, I used one on my first African hunt and loved it. I loaded 400 gn softs and solids to 2400 fps and it worked perfectly. Brass is anything you want it to be, W-W, Rem, Horn, Fed, and it runs perfectly through a standard length action. Rebarrel any 264 WM - 458 WM and you have it, not near as finnicky to get to feed as a 458. Mine started life as a 7mm RM and required zero mods to feed the Taylor flawlessly. Recoil is much less felt than an equal weight 458 and with the 2400-2600 fps loads, it is a true 300 yd rifle.
This is one of the easiest wildcats to load for as you just buy a bulk of 458 brass, in which ever make you happen to like, and run it through the die, prime it and load...........thats it........no fireforming or neck reaming no BS, just load and shoot.
I don't think the 416 Ruger will be around much longer and the unique brass is going to be a problem. You can of couse blow out 375 Ruger brass but the Taylor will have available brass till hell freezes over.
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I agree that components are sometimes hard to find for the Ruger. If it doesn't get a strong following it may be hard to find in a few more years. This is why I went 458 Win. Easy to get brass and bullets. A 375 H&H or your Taylor would be the same. I love oddball guns but sometimes they don't love ya back.
 
c-fbmi said:
Have you considered the 416 Taylor, I used one on my first African hunt and loved it. I loaded 400 gn softs and solids to 2400 fps and it worked perfectly. Brass is anything you want it to be, W-W, Rem, Horn, Fed, and it runs perfectly through a standard length action. Rebarrel any 264 WM - 458 WM and you have it, not near as finnicky to get to feed as a 458. Mine started life as a 7mm RM and required zero mods to feed the Taylor flawlessly. Recoil is much less felt than an equal weight 458 and with the 2400-2600 fps loads, it is a true 300 yd rifle.
This is one of the easiest wildcats to load for as you just buy a bulk of 458 brass, in which ever make you happen to like, and run it through the die, prime it and load...........thats it........no fireforming or neck reaming no BS, just load and shoot.
I don't think the 416 Ruger will be around much longer and the unique brass is going to be a problem. You can of couse blow out 375 Ruger brass but the Taylor will have available brass till hell freezes over.
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c-fbmi thanks for the info, I hadn't considered the 416 Taylor. Actually I wasn't really that aware of it since it's not in any of my reloading books.
Looking still at the 416 vs 458, I like the .416 350 grain TTSX with listed .444 BC. No TTSX available in .458, so 350 grain TSX listed BC of .278
Quick calcs show little difference in point blank range +3"/-3", when starting both bullets at 2500 fps but what is considerate is the wind drift and retained energy at 300+ yards between the two. At 300 yards the 458 has lost 1/3 of the energy of the 416, after having both started the same at the muzzle.
Getting back to the 416 Taylor, anyone send me in a good direction to read more about it? Any magazine articles that are noteworthy?
Headstamp doesn't matter to me, is it really as simple as running brass through a 416 Taylor die? No fireforming at all? I'm not very savvy with wildcats, the closest I get to that is running 308 win brass through a 358 win die for my 358... my thoughts are that it would be better to go from 458 win down to 416 Taylor rather than up since the shoulder may be better formed by doing it that way? Thoughts on that? Initial thoughts are that the Taylor sounds interesting, can you push a 350 grain to 2500 fps without much issue with the taylor with a ~22 inch barrel?
 
I have the 416 Alaskan. Have dies, brass, bullets, but haven't had time to even fire it yet. I bought it because I liked the feel and size of the rifle compared to the bulky CZ and others.
 
fuzzy said:
Have you looked on rugers website for there 2013 line up? It's very disheartening.

Fuzzy
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yeah, just looked. Guess the Alaskan is no more. I'm definitely not interested in the new African in 416 with wood stock, blued and silly brake.
I've been reading all I can find online about the 416 Taylor and like what I've learned so far. Looking forward to hearing more about it from the big bore folks on the forum here. I would really like to be able to handle one of the 416 Alaskans to see what I think but c-fbmi has my mind going on a build now since mentioning his. That route would likely end up being about double the cost of an Alaskan, particularly if I could find a nice lightly used one. If I went the 416 Ruger route I would likely try and pick up enough brass to last me out, it can't be that hard to source at this time.

I have the 416 Alaskan. Have dies, brass, bullets, but haven't had time to even fire it yet. I bought it because I liked the feel and size of the rifle compared to the bulky CZ and others.
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traderal, I agree I don't like the size of the CZ's either. Did you pick up yours new? How is sourcing brass right now?
 
c-fbmi said:
Have you considered the 416 Taylor, I used one on my first African hunt and loved it. I loaded 400 gn softs and solids to 2400 fps and it worked perfectly. Brass is anything you want it to be, W-W, Rem, Horn, Fed, and it runs perfectly through a standard length action. Rebarrel any 264 WM - 458 WM and you have it, not near as finnicky to get to feed as a 458. Mine started life as a 7mm RM and required zero mods to feed the Taylor flawlessly. Recoil is much less felt than an equal weight 458 and with the 2400-2600 fps loads, it is a true 300 yd rifle.
This is one of the easiest wildcats to load for as you just buy a bulk of 458 brass, in which ever make you happen to like, and run it through the die, prime it and load...........thats it........no fireforming or neck reaming no BS, just load and shoot.
I don't think the 416 Ruger will be around much longer and the unique brass is going to be a problem. You can of couse blow out 375 Ruger brass but the Taylor will have available brass till hell freezes over.
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Oh my. You used a WILDCAT in Africa ? What if you lost your ammo???
 
Get a .416 Ruger and 200-500 pc of brass and don't worry about brass supply. If the 416 Ruger doesn't make it, and you need some more brass in 20 years you can always use 375 RUger brass.

If you don't overload your brass (and there isn't any need to do that anyway) then it will last you a long time.
 
AG........feel free to ignore Gatehouse as he is being paid by Ruger to tout their new cartridge line up. The 375 Ruger will be just as dead as the 416 Ruger in 10 years.
Yes the Taylor is that easy to load for and yes it is that superior to the 458 WM. It is easy to get 2550-2600 from 350 gn bullets with it and don't worry about shoulders as the belt headspaces for the first firing.
Dies are available from Huntington in Cal. (yes they ship to Canada)
I've never researched the caliber, just bought the gun and started playing with it. 2400 fps with 400 gn bullets was a no brainer using H380 IIRC and softs and solids shot to exactly the same point of aim @ 2400 fps.

On a new note though have you ever considered a 416 on the 350RM case, you mentioned in the OP. I built a 375 on 350 RM years back and got amazing ballistics from it in an 18" barrel. You did say you would like a short light rifle with an abbreviated action, I would try this wildcat as it will do almost anything you are asking and I bet you could get 2400 fps from a 350 gn bullet.
I got 2700 fps from a 270 gn bullet in an 18" barrel with the 375-350 RM, talk about a sweet little thumper.........I built it on a short Ruger action (old 220 swift) for use with the then new 260 gn Partition. Ran out of partitions and started into my supply of 270 gn W-W 270 gn PPs, it out performed all my expectations. I was going to try it in 416 but other things happened and it never came about. My 375-350 is still kicking around the Yukon, and from what I hear has accounted for a fair bit of game.

Just more food for thought.

Oh, and I wasn't kidding, just feel free to ignore Gatehouse...........he has issues, if you know what I mean, can't politically correctly use the terms we used to for guys like him, but I'm sure you get my drift!! You know the guys that were in the SPECIAL corner in school, with the SPECIAL teacher!!!
 
AG said:
I'm considering another rifle to move up from a 350 Rem mag, mostly for fun rather than necessity.
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I think a 375Magnum (any flavour) is a far better choice for a gun that will be shot for fun. Easier to shoot and less expensive components = more shooting & fun at the range. I see you live in NS, so you won't be using that rifle for there formuch of anything, maybe the odd moose hunt, but no big bears. Much of it's use will be at the range and a 375 would be much more funner to shoot.

AG said:
I've been reading all I can find online about the 416 Taylor and like what I've learned so far. Looking forward to hearing more about it from the big bore folks on the forum here.
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The only downside of buildig a 416 Taylor is the cost as compared to buying a factory gun. A few years ago I had Bevan King build me a 375 Chatfield-Taylor. Buy the time I had it finished and started to add up the cost, I realized I would have been far better off (cost wise) just to buy a 375Ruger Alaskan and have it restocked. I like that 375 a lot, but it doesn't do anything that a 375Ruger wouldn't do the same.
 
If I was going to get another .416, I think it would be on a big case like the Rigby or the Weatherby, either way though it would be a custom rifle. My load of a 350 gr X bullet or a 350 gr MagTip over a case full of 4350 chronyed at 2800 and change. If the OP doesn't like the CZ stock, there are other options such as McMillan, but there are few other affordable options for a full length magnum action, that don't require custom bottom metal. My .375 Ultra proves a rifle built on a full length magnum action can be made in a compact package. Actually a .416 on the Ultramag case would be an interesting wildcat too; based on my prior experience, I would expect it to produce a full 2700 fps with a 350 gr bullet from a short 20"-22" barrel.
 
So many choices AG, most of them good ones. I have two .416 Taylors, one a custom wood-stocked Oberndorf Mauser and the other an old Remington M721 that used to be a .300 H&H, now in a Bell & Carlson stock. The Mauser is a delight to shoot, the M721 not so much. Pretty much same performance as the .416 Ruger. Downside is the customs cost significantly more to build. In addition to those I have a .416x2" on a custom Remington M660. A tidier package couldn't be found, even with a 23" barrel. Weight all in with scope, sling and mag full is 8-1/2lb. Case forming is a little more complicated than the Taylor, you need to run any standard magnum case through a trim die, trim off excess with a hacksaw, run through a forming die (got mine from CH4D), make final case length adjustments with case trimmer and proceed to loading bench. It's a very potent package for short range to 150 yards, and the most fun to shoot. I like c-fbmi's idea of a .416 on a full-length .350RM also, perfect for a short-action Ruger or Remington.
 
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