I've got a Ruger M77 tang safety 458 Win mag that I really enjoy shooting, but is damn heavy. The barrel is fat and the stock is thick and while that is nice at the range, hauling it up the hills two weeks ago has convinced me I need something different.

Which of these plans would work best, or is there a better plan altogether?

(1) Re-stock and rebarrel. The gun feeds reliably and smoothly with all manner of bullets, and the trigger is good; rebarreling to a Shilen #4 contour or similar would cut a great deal of weight, adding a McMillan or Borden stock and it would drop even further; weight could then be added with steel- bed or lead to achieve the proper balance. Sell take- off barrel and stock.

(2) Sell outright and build a lighter 458 from the ground up.

By light I mean between 8 and 9.5 pounds, with the emphasis more on balance than on weight reduction. My Ruger currently weighs ten pounds and has a neutral to slightly barrel heavy balance that, while not unpleasant, is noticeable.

Any thoughts?

have a good stockist take about 1/4" off the fore end thru the pistol grip, and cut 2" off of the barrel...should take a pound off.

JMHO...

Rich
DRSS

Exchanging for a fiberglass stock will not typically reduce the weight, and before someone talks about the 1-pounders, McMillan isn't going to go for it with the 458 WM.

But stay tuned, I'm getting a CZ 550 made up that should come in at less than 8 lbs.

Cutting the barrel would help, but it may effect the balance of the rifle. You could have the barrel fluted which will knock 1/2 lb off, but may look out of place.

John

Rather than spending a small fortune on changing that gun, you would be better of to sell it outright and buy another that you liked, or trade that on in on a new one, either approach would be cheaper than rebarreling, restocking and whatever...

Atkinson: That's what I figured, I've got a buyer lined up and am now on the lookout for a donor rifle.