I am thinking about putting together an inexpensive .416 cal rifle. One that could be put together cheaply and fairly quickly,on
a used Ruger rifle and was curious about some options.

This is not intended to be a take it to Africa, really nice rifle but rather an inexpensive way to play with a big bore gun.

So first decision, 416 Rem or .416 Taylor?

The Taylor will fit on a 7, 300, or 338 mag rifle with only a rebarrel job, in the regular (cheap) not the RSM line, but the .416 Rem
would need some action work correct? I am not real familiar with Ruger rifle action sizes.

I'm guessing the Taylor will be the cheapest over all.

What's the cheapest and quickest way to go about getting a decent barrel, having it and installed, feeding checked and corrected
if needed and a quickie reblue?

Allen

I had a taylor done on a mark x and couldn't be happier. gatlin guns did the conversion. Shoots 1" and under. I use the Lee dies and my chamber was cut with a manson reamer. Brass is readily availible and easily made from .458 brass as well. My normal load shoots a 400gr nosler partition 2350fps. reflex264

The most obvious choice would be the 416/375 Ruger destined to become a factory round this year and the conversion is an easy one..I have a Mauser in that caliber..

But either the Taylor or the .416 Rem is doable. I much prefer the .416 Rem as it is in the same action and is a factory round, but the new .416 Ruger is hands down the best opiton.

Not sure if the Ruger has a long enough magazine box, I'm not familiar with them. I know the R700 and M70 have a long enough box for full length magnums.

416 Taylor is no longer a wildcat, but a proprietary A-Square round. A-Square and Double Tap both make factory ammo for it, correctly headstamped brass can be had from Midway. If you're not traveling anywhere that corrently headstamped brass is required, it can be made from 338 or 458 WM brass. Quality cartridge also loads it IIRC. It would be a simple conversion...change the barrel lol.

I agree with Ray though, the 416 Ruger would be a great choice. BUT, not sure when it will be "on the shelf" and we don't know what you mean by "fairly quick" on the build.

Bob Chatfield Taylor's 416 is a beautiful cartridge. The .416 Remington has the power of corporate behind it. Both cartridges are a bit under bore. Do a .416 Hoffman. The Hoffman holds three grains more powder than the Remington. With your objective you don't need brass head stamp.

send the ruger to mcgowen, and get is done in 416 AR or, better still, 458 AR, which will allow you to shoot cheap bullets...

email hornady and get dies

and you have a monster

OK ,,,, The 416 Remington will NOT fit in a standard magnum Ruger M77 ,, ,,,..., The 416 Ruger is the best thing going , and I have had and used 2 416 Taylors ... The Taylor is a great round , but in the same action with no extra work you can get the realistic potential for 100 fps gain in velocity with NO increase in pressure .... .... The Taylor will always be easier to get brass for as almost anything can be made into 416 Taylor brass ... 257 Whby -full length belted H&H basic brass ......... But that isn,t to say that 375 Ruger brass is hard to get ,,,, You can order up all you want ...... A simple rebarrel job , with a 2nd recoil lug added is all you need to be shooting a 416 Ruger or Taylor.......No doubt someone will say they can make a 416 Rem fit in a standard Ruger , but it is expensive and weakens the action ...,,

Actually,the 416 remington will fit in the standard ruger, as well as the 375 HH and 458 Lott ... its NOT tough, but it is ALOT more money than just a rebarrel.

This idea is for a play around rifle the, "good one" is yet to come.

Getting max velocity is not really a concern a 400 gn bullet at 2300 to 2350 fps is fine.
Cheap and easy to get components and cheap and easy conversion is more important.
Not that the the .416 Ruger would be difficult to get, it's just that short mag cases are everywhere.

One other question, what are the pressures like in the Taylor when not trying to get the max velocity?

Say a 400 gn bullet at 2300 to 2350 fps? How does that affect the pressures as compared to trying to get or trying to get real close to 2400 fps?

Compared to the .416 Rem, 404 Jeffery, .375 H&H.

I'm not concerned about pressures just curious.

Allen

The 416 Ruger is not what we currently consider a "short mag". More then 10 years ago, yes, the "standard" or 30-06 length magnums were called short mags when compared to the 375 H&H length and even some longer cartrdiges, but that term now belongs to the .308 "short" actions. The 416 Ruger is the 375 Ruger necked up, for a 30-06 length action just like the Taylor. But it has a wider case with no belt, so you'll get more powder in the same length cartridge, which means in theory, you could hit your performance goals easier, with less pressure.

Would it make sense to build a Taylor now then ream it later to Ruger, once the specs are available?

quote:

Originally posted by 86thecat:
Would it make sense to build a Taylor now then ream it later to Ruger, once the specs are available?

I think so yes .....

With my 2 416 Taylors , I never got past 2350 fps with a 400 gr bullet , and even 2350 was too hot . I only had a 19 1/2" barrel on one and an 18" on the other ... ...... IMO , forget 400 gr bullets in the 416 Taylor ..... Possibly the best bullet cost wise is the 350 gr Speer bullet .... . I did have a 2250 fps load with the 400 gr Barnes Originals that I liked in my 1st Taylor ... But the 350 Speer is a better bullet ..

If it were me, and in this case it's not, obviously, I'd give it a couple or 4 months, if you can wait that long, and buy a Ruger African in 416 Ruger. You'd be pushed to get a gun rebarreled and the other necessary work done in that time frame anyway. And for what you'll spend building a 416, you can have a brand new one with a factory warranty, that does exactly what you're looking for. Or, if you have to get something rolling right away, the 416 Ruger makes the most sense, as if that really matters. But, with Hornady making the brass for it we know that'll be reasonably priced and if it's not availavle you should able to "neck-up" 375 Ruger brass.

Again, just my $.02, which is worth far less.

David Walker