Well, put the first 10 rounds through the reamed .458 Tropical. Mighty sketchy first impressions, but: 480-grain cast bullet over 120 grains Goex FFg gave about 1390 fps and mild recoil; 480-grain cast over 50 grains XMP-5744 gave nice accuracy, noticeable recoil off the bench, and probably around 1700, but the chrono was acting up. I only fired three rounds (offhand) of "classic" NE: 82 grains Re15 lit by a Federal 215 in Bertram brass under a Hornady 500-grain JSP. If ever recoil was a shove versus a kick, this was it. I found myself taking a step back, but otherwise the round isn't nearly so punishing as a light .338, or a hot-loaded Speer 400 in a Marlin .45-70. And it think it wants to be damned accurate. I'll post again when I have a larger sample.

For working up loads, and for the fun of it, I looked at such a combo, too. Just look at the .450 thread from daydreamer.

Please keep us posted about your loading results. The classic weight would be 480 grs. GS has 450 grs, too. I would be interested in a full power load with 480�s and a corresponding load with same muzzle vel with a 350 grs Hornady IL ( same barrel time for a double).

Did you rent the reamer? What brass do you use?

Keep up the work! Hermann

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Hermann: Yes, my smith rented the reamer from www.reamerrentals.com and I have both HDS and Bertram brass. The HDS is just a bit wide at the base, and I am having trouble swaging it all the way down with the RCBS dies, but the Bertram is working fine so far.

Good to hear that the new rifle seems to be working out well! What is the weight of your rifle? I've heard different weight numbers for the 1-H, from below 9 to over 10 pounds. Interested to hear more

[This message has been edited by Wachtel (edited 02-12-2002).]

I look forward to reading more about various loads for this combination. The 450 or 450 No.2 seems like one of the more versatile big bore rounds from a handloader's standpoint, and the Ruger No.1 458 seems like a relatively easy and inexpensive conversion. This is gonna be my next project too.

Wachtel: The No. 1 .450 with Burris signature mounts and an old steel Weaver K2.5 scope weighs about 10 pounds, four ounces.

I see that there are two rim thicknesses listed for the .450 N.E. Is there a 'standard'? Also, Mast (BeLL) lists cases in both; is their brass available or do you have to wait into the next century for them to run off a lot?
C.G.B.

I am using the .040 rim. I got both Bertram and HDS (by Bell) from huntingtons.com.

Bill, I may have ask you this already, I'm getting old and the memory goes first, but who did the work on your No1?

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..Mac >>>===(x)===>
also DUGABOY1
DUGABOY DESIGNS
Collector/trader of fine double rifles, and African wildlife art

Mac: The smith who did the reaming was Kevin Wyatt here in Medford, OR.
He's at www.wyattsoutdoor.com

Thanks Bill, I'll fire off an E-mail to him. I have a rare No1V factory chambered for 7mm Rem Mag, and only a few of these were so chambered. The heavy varment barrel is .700 diameter at muzzle, and 24" long. I would like this barrel re-bored, and chambered for 500/416NE. With a set of good Ironsights, and barrel band front sling swivel, from NECG, and a Pachmeyr Decelarator pad, would make a very nice rifle. The Ruger is a collector item, but I have several 7mm Rem Mag rifles, and simply do not use this rifle. Re-done to 500/416NE seems a little more to my likeing.

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..Mac >>>===(x)===>
also DUGABOY1
DUGABOY DESIGNS
Collector/trader of fine double rifles, and African wildlife art

You talked me into it. I just bought a pre-warning 458 with a custom maple stock off GunBroker.com. Next step is to get the chamber reamed to 450, reshape and rechecker the stock and add a new quarter rib and some classy express sights. Can't wait!

Mac,
Why not re-barrel? Re-boring still leaves you with a Ruger barrel of dubious quality.
A good barrel will cost a little more than a re-bore and will be available a LOT sooner.

George

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Shoot straight, shoot often, but by all means, use enough gun!

I rechambered the .458 to .450 3.25 NE because it cost me well under $175, and in my experience, the barrels on the big-bore Ruger No. 1s are capable of very nice accuracy. At least that has been the case with the .458 and a .416 Rigby. Rebarreling is more like $500 these days ... Now ask me about the barrel on an early Ruger M77 in 7X57, and I will tell you horror stories ...

I would consider rechambering to keep the quarter rib and the open sights.

H

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