Sarg, did you identify the solution yet?

Sarg,

Don't know if my experiences will contribute or not, but here it is.

I have many, many Rugers and have been very well pleased with them all. I am a fan of Rugers. I also have Winchesters, Remingtons, CZs and Dakotas mainly, with a few other brands tossed in.

I bought a Ruger Alaskan in 375 and have had no problems. Nor with their Africans.

I bought a Ruger Alaskan in 416 and had nothing but feeding trouble. I returned it to the factory and they said they would destroy mine and send me a new one, which they did. Same exact feeding problems with this new one. I sent it back and they said it too would be destroyed and sent me a third one. Same feeding problems with third one. I sent it back, they said they would send me a another new one. When it arrived, it was the same rifle (third rifle); same serial number.

I went back to my LGS, where I do a lot of business and had purchased the rifle(s), and they traded me two pistols for the same money I had in the rifle.

Experiencing no (very little) trouble with all of my other Rugers, and then having this experience with the 416 Alaskan, it makes me wonder if this is a 416 Ruger Alaskan specific problem. I am not a gunsmith, so I don't know what the problem is; rails, magazine box, magazine spring????? Anyway, it appears that Ruger has a problem with this model/cartridge. But I'll bet there are many out there who have bought one, experienced no problems, and can't figure out what we're talking about.

I’ve read that the .375 Ruger and .416 Ruger are very popular chambering’s for custom rifle builds currently.

I definitely recommend finding a Ruger knowledgeable gunsmith that you can easily ship your rifle to, and receive from, for cartridge retention and feeding work. Surely someone in your part of the world could assist you in identifying such a gunsmith?

Unfortunately getting a rifle into and out of the USA for customization or repair work has become a hassle or a number of gunsmiths here could alleviate your problems.

Thank you again for the posts on this problem, in one way I fixed it, by sticking it in the Gun safe till I rebarrel to 458Win, which is the caliber I want in it !

I tried messing with springs & lifters of all sorts, I think a heavy spring just masked what the problem was/is
I think some one earlier said this to, but it is a lot better just as it was (Ok if hunting Deer) some times catches up on chamber, rounds do not jump out IF starting from OPEN bolt full mag, still do if coming from closed action fast, does not do this with 458Win cartridges in the mag !

So I'm waiting to get a Stainless 458 barrel & change her over, now that is hard to as no one will send us barrels or any parts (not with out great costs & hassle), I will have to go over to the US & pick a few barrels & liners up.

Will not even send a 22LR 5 shot mag for a vintage Winchester & Rem, as ever one knows NZ is full of crazies who can world dominate & destroy with 5 shot 22LR weapons, but will send Surface to Air missiles & Assault rifles to safe old friend Syria !

Thanks again for the tips, may even give the mag box a tip with the mallet lol .

I will use the old M77 458Win again this season & it may not be a coincidence that Ruger dropped the 416 Alaskan ?

quote:

it may not be a coincidence that Ruger dropped the 416 Alaskan ?

Actually the Alaskan model was replaced by the Hawkeye Guide Gun (wood laminate stock) and the updated Hawkeye African (walnut stock) bolt action rifles – both are chambered for the .416 Ruger cartridge. Complaints I’ve typically heard was regarding the Hogue synthetic stock, not the cartridge.

Plus CZ and Howa offer .375/.416 Ruger chambered rifles in 2014 so the cartridge isn’t going away.

Oh I wasn't denigrating the cartridge , just had not seen the 416 in a Alaskan for a while (heard they dropped them) & only seen the others in 375Ruger, I like that Guide stock if the dropped the ugly looking plate end & is exactly what I wanted after seeing that stock on the Ruger Predator model.

10-4, I understand.

I have tested the Ruger Hawkeye African in two .338s and one 9.3x62 and they all worked like a charm and shot great..At one time it was hard to find a Ruger 77 that would shoot, but they started making their own barrels I'm told and it changed all that..

My present Ruger Haweye African is probably the finest factory rifle I have ever owned, right out of the box and I don't think I'll even touch it with a screwdriver, might mess it up!

That's from a dyed in wool Mauser and pre 64 mod. 70 fanatic btw! Hell I might even keep this one!

Probably the best advise for anyone going to shoot dangerous game is there are no excuses to not have a 110% functional and accurate gun that never fails, then add a prayer to that, cross your fingers, and go hunt with gay abandon, or maybe just abandon! yeah I'm a little homophobic, most cowboys are!

Bit of a update, I stuck a blued 45/70 barrel off a Ruger No1 on the Alaskan & rechambered it to 458Win, only just got it back today & not fired it yet but the 458 cartridges don't jump out of the mag when the bolt is racked back hard & feed in ever time IF done slowly, if feed at pace the buggers miss the hole, I hope to fix this in due course

IIRC, that Ruger No.1 45-70 Govt. barrel is a 1:20" twist instead of the 1:14" twist they use on .458 WinMag and Lott.
You will have a nice barrel for the heavy cast lead bullets and light jacketed bullets and lighter monometals.
Duplicate Quigley's ballistics in a compact rifle.

Riflecrank Internationale Permanente
NRA Life Benefactor and Beneficiary
https://home.nra.org/

That would be correct on the twist rate I would say, cant see how that will be a problem really as I have shot heaps of Buffalo & Bantang with a 45/70 using 500gr slugs & less velocity with no signs of tumbling, but I knew the twist rate was slower & many others said it wouldn't work, it may not but I would be surprised if it doesn't if it has stabilised 500gr slugs at less speed it the 45/70 chambering !

The 375 & 416 Rugers are two of my favorite cartridges. I two of the Alaskan models in each. The older pre- sling stud barrel band type fed fine in both cartridges. The newer ones with the bands, not so well. I replaced the factory Hogue on the 375 and for whatever reason it fed better. Then after some polishing of the rails,feed ramp,and bolt edges no more shaved / scratched brass and they all feed slick and reliably. Also, a spire point fed much better than the Hornaday round nose flat points from the start, but still had scratched brass.
I had one 416 that my son now has, which I bought used, that had a tiny burr right at the edge of chamber entrance face. This created an issue extracting a fired round. I believe the gunsmith ran a reamer in, not precisely sure of his method. But, problem solved.
I was fairly disappointed and perhaps pissed a tad at the time with the 416's, but problems solved. And these are my favorite larger bore rifles.


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quote:

Originally posted by Sarg:
Bit of a update, I stuck a blued 45/70 barrel off a Ruger No1 on the Alaskan & rechambered it to 458Win, only just got it back today & not fired it yet but the 458 cartridges don't jump out of the mag when the bolt is racked back hard & feed in ever time IF done slowly, if feed at pace the buggers miss the hole, I hope to fix this in due course

The solution here is have a competent gunsmith, and one that works on lot of DG rifles, not a local that's spent his life on deer and elk rifles, there is a difference in skills IMO..Have him work it over an guarantee it to feed and functions, then test the living crap out of it, but no tricks just shooting it as fast as you can from the shoulder, feed it real slow, medium fast and a light slam fire..My DG rifles are all but worn out, they are mostly void of blue and drift wood like custom stocks, not pretty? but have proven themselves for 110% function..I like that.