Just don't be hasty. Wait until you get the rifle back, and have shot it some, before you make any decisions.

-Bob F.

Gents: If you recall I posted a few weeks ago regarding a problem I had with the bolt binding on my rifle as the bolt entered the breech. I had previously had my gunsmith polish the action and he pointed the problem to me, citing a problem with the right lug "falling" into the breech and to take the matter up with Ruger. Well I was afraid that Ruger might say that since the Smith had worked it, the warranty would be void. This was one of the first original production ones with the swivel in the forearm.

On the advice of Allen Day and others here, I sent the rifle to Mark Penrod for analysis. I just got off the phone with him. My Gunsmith's analysis was right on in the first place. Mark told me that he had taken care of 99% of the binding problem, but this is a characteristic of "big bodied" calibers regardless of manufacture.

He went on to say that my RUger was one of the "worst he'd seen" with this issue and that it was a "tolerance" issue. He went on to say that that is precisely the reason he much prefers 416 Remingtons AND Model 70 Actions. Apparently the "anti-bind" design of the Ruger exacerbates the problem. He did say the rifle feeds well and is very smooth and if in the rare instance it begins to bind, he worked the corners and angles to the point that I can "power" through the bolt stroke. Being an aviator, I guess I can train myself to establish that habit pattern.

So now what is the next step? My plan is to get the rifle back first and try and see if the problem has been solved. If it hasn't, I'll either sell the damned thing or send it to Ruger in an attempt to get a replacement rifle. I thought about abandoning the whole project and going with a Model 70 in 416 Remington. The problem with that idea of course is what to do with the brass, dies and lots of range time I consumed in developing a load. Just venting folks, but I'll welcome any thoughts. jorge

PS: Once I get ther rifle back I'll let you know how it works

jorge - Rifles can be about the most infuriating things in life. You drop a bunch of bucks on a rifle you think is built properly only to find problems. You have done about all you can at this point. As Bob said, best that you spend some time shooting the gun and getting comfortable with it. It is easy to lose confidence in a rifle and very hard to regain that confidence.

Shoot it a bunch before you make a decision. You may find that it grows on you and it just may shoot lights out - poor tolerances and all...

jorge,

As frustrating as this is, I also recommend that you work with the rifle and loads. My Ruger is so extremely accurate, that I feel you should give yours a good testing before you give up on it. It may turn out to be the same.

And THEN I would send it to Ruger to see what they will do for you if it's still unsatisfactory.

BTW, my load is:
North Fork 370 gr. Bullets.
Norma Brass. Bench Rest type prep.
Federal Gold Medal Match Magnum primers.
H4831SC @ 102.5 grains. Velocity is 2525fps.
Lee Factory crimp die. Set at 1/2 turn. W/O the crimp, to get the same velocity, I needed 105 grains of powder.

Good luck and keep the faith.

Sam

Thanks for the comments folks. I do plan to shoot it quite a bit before I give it up. I've had this rifle a long time, it's one of the very first that came out in 92 and it is extremely accurate as stated, but I'll trade an extra 1" in accuracy for reliability any time! I'm spending the weekend loading for it so I'll be able to give it a good workout when it gets here.

And as we say in my line of work, the 375 H&H is now on "alert" status! just in case. jorge

And people can't figure out why individuals like Bill Leeper, D'Arcy Echols, Mark Penrod, John Ricks...... are so busy they can't turn around. I agree that a disfunctional rifle can be the most agravating thing in the world. The very thought of a possible gremlin gives me cold sweats. Even on just a deer rifle. That is why my safe contains a modest amount of firearms as the majority of them went to help finance a rifle who's assembly and components are a team in perfection and uncompromised attention to detail. As big a gun nut that I am, it doesn't bother me that I'll only have one choice in rifles for a while. I know its a good one.



My advice, although not worth a lot, would be to get rid of the rifle, brass, and components and have a 416 Rem built on a model 70 action as per Mr. Penrods advice. Pick one of the above gentlemen as budget allows and start getting more sleep at night .



Chuck

Your advice is sound Chuck and I probably Do have a lot of rifles in my safe and would early love to have one of D'Arcy's Legends of my very own. I just can't afford the price tag. Before this happened, I've never had a lick of problems with factory rifles from Winchester ( pre-64s, Browming Safari Grades and Weatherbys). To be fair to Ruger, I tried two different ones at SCI, a 458 Lott and a 416 Rigby and I could not duplicate the problem.



I guess I should stick to those rifles I mentioned and I also would venture to say that the aforementioend rifles could not be duplicated today unless one was willing to spend thousands on a custom rifle from one of the fine getlemen you ordered. I can either hunt or buy custom guns, I can't do both, not on Uncle Sam pay anyway. jorge

My credo over the last ten years has been to own far fewer rifles than I have in the past, but upgrade to the highest quality hunting rifles that I can have put together. For me, time has proven this to be the right direction to take, and quite honestly, I've never been happier with my battery of hunting guns than I am right now. Fewer guns of higher quality eliminates a lot of hassles and burdens, plus increases performance and reliability considerably.



I'd rather have one Echols Legend, for example, that an equal amount of money in run-of-the-mill factory rifles....



AD

Well folks I just got the rifle back via UPS and Mark Penrod worked his magic. I've been trying to cause the original problem for the last 15 minutes or so and there is no evidence of a malfunction. IT feeds perfectly, ejection was never a problem so it ejects with mo problems also. In all honesty, "it ain't no Model 70" when it comes to smoothness of operation when compared to my 375, but that might be a function of a large case as Mark says.

The bottom line is that the rifle is FIXED and ready to go! Thanks again to Allen Day for recommending Mark and to the rest of you for your ideas and thoughts. No all I have to sweat is not being recalled to the Middle East until AFTER June of 05 and I'll be set! jorge

Good for you Jorge!

Let us know how it ends up shooting for you.

All the best.

Sam

Many people don't know it and even more will not admit it, but, the Rigby case has been notorious for difficulties in feeding since it's inception. I know several people who are from darkest A and while there, they were involved in government and wildlife management and control. Each one of these has told me that they prefered the .404 Jeffrey round in a large bore bolt rifle to the few Rigbys that were available and used, mostly because the .404 was a good "feeder".

I tried one of the first Ruger Magnums as my bear gun for 5.5 months, alone in the Rockies and found my "old" Mod. 70s to be far superior, these were .375s. The Ruger .416 is too heavy, IMO, and there is NO advantage over a .416 Rem., IMO.

jorge,

Glad that the feeding issue has been sorted out. I have a question for you. I am a somewhat surprised to learn that Mark felt the size of the case had to do with the problem. To take things a little further did he mean the that for the Ruger action the 416 Rigby case is pushing things(dimensions)to the actions workable limit? If that is the case would a larger action built for 416 Rigby sized cases prevent this sort of problem?

Interesting thread. I had never heard that Rigby sized cases had or caused feeding problems.

Regards,
Dave

I'll keep you all posted on the range results, but I'm not anticipating any problems. The rifle has always been a tackdriver. I agree that the Ruger, especially mine that is one of the original ones, is a bit barrel heavy, a problem that the newer ones somewhat corrected with a shorter (23" Vs 24" in mine) barrel. Regarding the 416 Rigby, Mark did not say that it was the problem of the action, but rather the bulkiness of the cartridge. He says and I agree, taht the 416 Remington is a much easier case to work with as is the 404. I wanted the Rigby because I was lured by the romantic aspect of the cartridge, but I've been cured. Hindsight is 20/20 but had I to do it over again, I would definetly go with a Model 70 in 416 Remington. While we're on the dubject of Model 70s, the photo depicts the accuracy of my Model 70 in 375. It was purchased the first year of production of the re-introduction of the CRF by Winchester and folks, you have my word that other than working up a LOT of loads the rifle is in "out of the box" condition. I didn't even need to mess with the trigger. jorge
ps: somebody teach me how to reduce the image. sorry!

Allen, I have had a revelation thse past few days or a "paradigm shift" as we tend to say in the Pentagon these days. I'm going to drastically reduce my inventory and dedicate the bulk of my attention to building capital so I can go on more hunts, although your recent post featuring your "Legend" sure made me drool! My deposit is in with John Sharp for June of 05. Thanks again for your help. jorge

Jorge, that'll do, that'll surely do.........



You've got youself a true, lifetime-keeper rifle in your .375 H&H Model 70.



A good man behind the gun also does wonders for accuracy!



Now if your .416 Rigby stays fixed, you've got it made for African rifles. It's a nice feeling when it all comes together in the way of equipment, then you can invest in more hunts instead of more guns!



AD

jorge,

What a group that 375 produced! You must have a great deal of confidence in that rifle.

Thanks for the update regarding the Rigby...I will keep that in mind as I consider setting up a 416 for Africa.

Regards,
Dave

I'm glad I've got some H-414 on hand. Now if I can just find those 300gr A-frames....... DJ

jorge,

Given the accuracy of your 375, why mess with the 416? What a group! If shot placement is the ultimate factor then that is the gun. That is assuming of course that the target from the 416 does not look the same.

Hogfan: The 416 is almost as impressive. I'll get around to posting those targets soon. yeah I know the 375 is sufficient, but the 416 Rigby is just something "I have to do," that is, take it to Africa and shoot M'Bogo. I think part of the reason that I've been lucky with all my rifles with respect to accuracy, is what I call "shooter discipline." I really FOCUS when I'm on the bench, breath and trigger control, etc. Then Once I'm satisfied with the groups,( my personal goal is 1.25" or less) I almost never return to the bench. I either use shooting sticks or lean against one of the posts at the range in order to simulate field conditions. jorge

Here's another photo of groups shot with Jorge's rifle:


George

Gents: The picture George kindly posted for me are the range results(100 yards) from yesterday after I got the gun back from Mark Penrod. The action is glass-smooth and as you can see, it shoots superbly. I also posted some groups from my 300 H&H becasuse it's the "light" gun I'll be taking to Africa. Note that the 300's group is at 200 yards with both 180 and 200gr Nosler Partitions. Ladies and gents, I think I'm ready! jorge