I fired 25 rounds of the Hornady factory-loaded .416 Ruger DGS solids into the dirt berm today.
I dug and poked with a piece of rebar and an old bayonet, gave up after 2 feet. They obviously do not decompose on impact with dirt.
I think it is a better bullet than the DGX soft, if you have to bet your life on one or the other.

20" barrel average for the 400-grainers, all 25 rounds chronographed:

Average Velocity at 15 feet = 2337 fps
MV ought to be very close to the claimed 2350 fps.
ES = 39 fps
Sd = 10 fps

Dang! With a 24" barrel the .416 Ruger will easily top 2400 fps MV with 400-grainers!






And I had some old 404 Jeffery handloads, thrown charges, to test the drop-in fit of the Kevlar stock on the CZ 404 Jeffery.
Turns out the 25" chromoly barrel is a tad slower than my 24" stainless barrel, though both are 1:10" twist McGowen.

340-grain North Fork SSP (soft)
87.6 grains of Varget Extreme (thrown charge)
Average Velocity at 15 feet for 10 rounds: 2667 fps
ES= 37 fps
Sd = 9 fps

380-grain North Fork FP (solid)
88 grains of H4831SC: 2151 fps

400-grain Woodleigh RNS-FMJ (solid)
88 grains of H4831SC: 2148 fps

Maybe I ought to glass bed the drop-in stock and weigh every charge, and add another grain or two of powder,
since those North Fork 340-grainers are not very accurate at less than 2700 fps.

IMHO you need to throw both those rifles in a gun case, book airline tickets to somewhere big critters roam and sleep soundly with the knowledge that your guns are both "good to go" and luggage handler proof.

I really like how the .404 turned out.

Rick,
Luggage handler proof is a good thing.

I can make that 404 Jeffery shoot better.

It is a slick feeder, even with FN's.

By dry weights, the 25" 404 Jeffery CZ-Kevlar is one pound and one ounce heavier than the 20" .416 Ruger Hawkeye-Hogue.
9#1oz vs. 8#0oz.

With the loads I tried today, the CZ was gentler than the Ruger, but both are very pleasant.

15 fps loss per inch?? aint that something!

thanks rip .. 2350 (close enough) from a 20" tube ... that will make a good impression on game!

Welcome Jeff,
Just another of the many confirmations that the .416 Ruger is all that Hornady claims.

Ron
I think even the ludittes have to no longer struggle against the rugers.. they make the same numbers the big classics do .. thanks for posting

I would have been very happy if it only did 2300 fps in mine! I wonder if there is a significant difference between soft and solid? I wouldn't think so.

Actually, my rifle was a pleasure to carry all day on my Zim hunt, whether in my hand or on the sling, and sure did the expected job on my buffalo and elephant when asked. Adding another few inches of barrel, or more weight to get a performance just like a 416 Rem or Rigby would disappoint me.

Shot it a bunch yesterday at the range, and it still hasn't moved from the original sight-in from before I left the States. I hope to try it on a bear or elk this Fall.

Here's a pic of the 400 grain DGX recovered from my buff. Perfect expansion, and weighed 340 grains. Wish we could have gotten one or two DGS from my tuskless, but they weren't to be found.

Blank,
I'm happy for you man,
but every recovered DGX I have seen, from either game or dirt berm, is "funny" in some way.

Look at yours.
The lead of the nose has disappeared.
But the steel petals that enclosed it are flattened backward with minimal increase in frontal diameter.

Dirt berms are obviously harder on a DGX than a buffalo.
They lose all the core from the jacket usually when impacting dirt at 2200 fps.

The North Fork soft is never funny.
Bonded nose core and a solid copper shank, like a grooved TB Bear Claw.
200% frontal diameter and 95% weight retention, routinely.


(.423/380-grain North Fork started at 2525 fps MV, recovered from 80-yard bison one-shot kill)

Hey!


The .416/400gr DGS if assumed to have 0.300 BC,
and if 2337 fps is attained at 5 yards from the muzzle,
then the MV is 2351 fps!!!

Hornady got it exactly right with the velocity of the DGS in the factory .416 Rigor Mortis.

Rip, I have a hard time believing 2350 fps out of an 8 lb rifle can be pleasant. I have a heavier Win model 70 in 416 Rem that I find a kicker. Has anyone found a safe case filling load to push a 400 grain bullet at 2150-2200 from the 416 Ruger Hawkeye?

Rip: Yeah, I sorta expected better expansion and core retention myself. The recovered round you see measures .640", and obviously did the job. Complete penetration and recovered just under the skin on the off side, after going thru both shoulders. Expected to see much more mushroom. I really want to try the 350 grain Barnes flat base TSX at about 2500 fps, to see how that works. Waiting on dies right now. I don't think it would be my choice for buff tho.

My hunting partner had terrible results with his 300 grain TSX's out of the 375 H&H on both buffalo. One did not open at all,and just bent the front third over, requiring a second shot from the PH. The other expanded only half of the bullet only. Third buff was lost after what seemed a pretty good hit.

GB: My Alaskan has such a cushy recoil pad that it really isn't too bad to shoot. On my fairly accurate baby scale, it tips the weight at 9# 4oz. with the Leupold 1.75x6X scope, 4 rounds, and my Butler Creek neoprene sling. I can handle a full box at the bench easily, and 30-40 off sticks without too much effort or developing a flinch. If I want lighter, I just use my Ruger No. 1 in 450/400. It is a pussycat, compared to the 416 Ruger.

BLANK
is there any chance of you getting a photo of those 300 gn 375 tsx proj from your hunting partner...would be intresting to see
Daniel

How to perfect the .416 Ruger:



Handload it with 370-grain North Fork softs, solids, and cup points.