I'm impressed! So much so that I just bought my second RSM in .375 H&H. This one I will leave "as is" and use it as a plains game/bear/elk rifle. The first one is still in the shop being converted to 404 Jeffery.

I have never been a fan of Ruger rifles, at least in the smaller calibers. I have found them inaccurate and inconsistant in terms of fit and finish (I own three). But the Safari rifles seem to be an exception. In my opinion, they are the prettiest and best balanced "out-of-box" express rifles on the market today. The quarter-rib barrel w/three-leaf folding express sights give the guns a very "classic" look, equaled only by guns (like the Dakota) costing many times more than the Ruger.

Like I said, I'm impressed. If I didn't already have one in 404, I'd probably go ahead an buy one in .416 Rigby, just to complete the set.

Georgia,

Those Ruger magnums cost quite a bit more that their run of the mill rifles, so they should have better features.

What cartridge did your .404 to be start off as?

Can you say anything about how well these rifles feed yet? What about their reliability?

thanks...jim dodd

HunterJim,

Mine started life as a .375 H&H. Don't have the answers to the rest of your questions yet, but I have never heard of any problems with Ruger feeding. The action is a standard mauser-style, controlled round feed, which should negate any feeding problems.

I have had several come to me from some of my hunting clients to slick up and about all I could do was polish the rails...they (3) all fed and extracted perfectly....We were so impressed that we bought some in 416 for camp rifles in Tanzania. Have not had a failure as yet...

Where can you get an intrigral quarter ribbed barrel today for the price of the Ruger, and I mean just the barrel...An intregal ribbed barrel alone will run you about $1600.

It has to be the deal of the century..

Here's a link to Ruger's website:

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/rfdeluxe.html



Regards,

Terry

P.S.
I see the MSRP is $1,695. Does any one know what the street price is for NIB?

[ 07-25-2002, 20:26: Message edited by: T.Carr ]

GA Hunter, did they use the Ruger barrel on your 404, or re-barrel?

I agree with Ray's assessment of these Rugers.

If ever there is a currently produced rifle that deserves a special "best buy" award, this is surely it. Besides slicking up the action and maybe the trigger a bit, all you'll really have to do is have a good soft recoil pad installed.

AD

Terry,

At the large sporting goods store near where I live, they retail for $1999.95 CDN. That would be roughly equivalent to $1200 USD.

I have only handled two of these in the past. A 458 Winchester that had about the nicest wood I have ever seen on a factory rifle, and a 470 Mbogo that was re-bored from a 416 Rigby. Both of them are very, very nice rifles.

I am also very, VERY happy to say that the 470 Mbogo has recently found a permanent home in my gun cabinet, thanks to 470 Mbogo himself finding he had an extra one once he started building his newest baby. (please do not say anything to my girlfriend...I plan to employ the "Oh, I have had that for years" technique when she finally sees it -- she has other plans for my disposable income at the moment)

Canuck

[ 07-25-2002, 21:27: Message edited by: Canuck ]

A major distributor has them in .375 and .458 Lott for $1102 wholesale.

I did a quick search on the gunbroker.com auction site. A .416 Rigby there was priced at US$1254, with a note that pricing was 10% over manufacturer's price.

jim dodd

I agree with the quality of the Ruger Safari rifles. I had one in .416 Rigby, but after playing with it for awhile I finally decided it wasn't for me. My arms are on the short side and I found it to be way too muzzle heavy for me to handle with confidence. Another small bit I didn't care for was the tiny brass bead on the front sight. It seemed too small for quick pickup and alignment. YMMV, of course.

If any of you has used both the Ruger and the Winchester big bores, is one significantly better than the other? The Winchester, in its standard format, is considerably cheaper.

I also had Winchester M70s in .375 H&H and .458 WM in addition to the Ruger M77 in .416 Rigby. I thought the the Winchesters were too light for their chamberings, especially the .458. I thought the .375 had more felt recoil than my .376 Steyr Scout, which propels a 300-grain bullet only 200 fps slower from a 19" vs. 24" barrel, and weighs at least two pounds less.

I now have a Blaser Synthetic Safari in .416 RM, and for me it balances better than the Winchesters or Rugers and felt recoil is less than with the Winchesters.

As always, YMMV.

KLN,

quote:

---

A major distributor has them in .375 and .458 Lott for $1102 wholesale

---

They are making them in .458 Lott?

Regards,

Terry-

It is so listed in the on-line catalog at the distributor.

MacD37,

Saddly, we could not use the Ruger barrel in the rebarreling. In order to do so, the barrel would have to have been set back. This causes the rib to not match up with the reciever. They have tried to do this several times and it just did not work.

Instead, we are using a Kreiger barrel, blued to match the reciever. We are then replacing the muzzle-ring sight and and barrel swivel. The whole rig is topped off with a set of Pre-64 Winchester Express sights.

The overall appearance is similar to the Winchester. This is a small price to pay to get the caliber (404 Jeffery) that I have dreamed about for years.

But now I have another Ruger "toy" to play with and this one gets to stay pretty.

I want one in 416 Rigby. Where do I get one? Who's got them? Help!!!!!

I seem to remember hearing somewhere that these are not made in the Ruger shop -- that someone else makes them for Ruger and does a better job than Ruger does in its own manufacturing processes. Does anyone here know whether this is true?

I am very happy with mine. I was able to shoot 23 animals with it. The only problem is it gets heavy after a full day of hunting......It is a good thought to hire a gun barer..

urdu bob

[ 07-26-2002, 17:34: Message edited by: urdubob ]

I have a Ruger RSM 99%+ in .375 with dies and ammo that I'd like tto unload at $1000 plus S&H. Any takers?