Hello All

I have a Ruger RSM 416, great rifle , but a heavy SOB

The first rifle I have ever had a gun bearer carry

Any ideas how too lighten the bastard a little bit ?

Don't feed him as much.


Oh, you meant lighten the rifle.

You talking SAFARIKID light, or a couple of pounds?

If you sell it to me, dirt cheap, it'll lighten it by about 10 pounds. I need it to rebore to 450 Rigby.

On a serious note, I'm sure it's doable. The barrel is a little heavy, but that's a major undertaking. That big old action is pretty heavy too and I don't really know if there's anything you can really do to it to lighten it. In reality, as long as you're not hot-rodding the 416 Rigby, it's a low pressure rounds, so lightening the action might be doable. You might also think about a couple holes in the butt to lighen the stock, but that's gonna change your balance. You could take the barrel down to 20" which would probably cut off a bit, but then you gotta redo the front sight which could be expensive.

Bottom line is how much are you willing to spend to lose a pound or two? You might be better off selling the RSM and building a lighter rifle, maybe considering a 416 Remington or Taylor.

the weight is in the ribs, barrel thickness, and stock... the newer ones are lighter .. heavy is a by word for the RSM, but they are built pretty darn tough

i doubt, without radical action, you can get a full pound off it, sorry

DO NOT start cutting on the receiver.. for two reasons.. 1: it's harder than an heck, 2: its cast, so it may not refinish well (purple) unless you have either new salts, or go right at 300degs (risking killing your salts)

Yes I know the weight is in the metalwork, have been thinking about that metal bar in the stock and shortening the barrel.

Only thing is this rifle shoots like a dream, no recoil(weight) and a serious moa 416 , I had a 3-9 Leupold on it and was doing 200 - 250 meter shooting without fear,

I do have a 450 Rigby as well, that weighs 9 1/4 pounds which is acepptable, the 416 is at 11 1/2 ,

easy things, one is the Rib, Gotta be half a pound there I would think, And the other is the stock.
An Mpi stock like on my Old JC higgins ways very little.
less than a mcmillon or a HS precicision.
Ain't cheap though. I live near the MPI shop. I took the rifle to them and they Did a great job bedding and the whole bit for about 700.00
Give or take 50.00
I bet that would shave a full LB off her or mabye a good deal more.
It makes for a real muzzlw heavy feel that might feel abit strange at 1st but is nice once you get used to it...tj3006

I love my RSMs in 416 Rigby and Lott. As you noted very accurate and fun to shoot (the weight helps in this )

But they are heavy rifles, no doubt about it. You could try a synthetic stock (who makes a nice one for the RSM?) but I for one wouldn't consider milling off the rib...to me it is the feature that sets these rifles apart.

I guess I just accept and like my RSMs for what they are and will put up with the weight. For a lighter rifle you might have to look elsewhere?

Kwan, what action is your 450 Rigby based on and how is it stocked? Although I am a RSM fan in the bigger bores I am always looking for something different to try.

Take care,

John

I've had a few of those in the shop. The last one was a 375 that weighed 11 pounds, 6 ounces!!! While they are a decent rifle they are rather beastly things as far as size goes. Other than reboring to a larger bore size and cutting the barrel down, there's not alot to do without completly loosing the basic flavor of the rifle.

Thanks Guys,


I am thinking about the only thing is shorten the barrel too 21 Inches, nd take out the cross flat bar and put in cross bolts.

The 450 Rigby was a 458 WM in Standard ZKK 602 rifle, had it shortned too 23 inches , bolt hole closed and jewelled, stock reworked too standard english style,

great rifle , shoots good, can carry it all day and it smack the be@#@$ out of big and hairy things

There isn't much that can be done without some serious gunsmithing, at which point you'd be better off buying another rifle. The only area I can immediately see as being a semi-easy target for weight reduction would be the stock. There's a lot of extra meat there, especially in the forend (like holding a sub sandwich in your hand!). I'd say rasping about 1/2lb of wood off the front would do wonders for the balance and grip of the rifle.

The Campfire Guide carried mine and I found the weight no problem at all.

If it was lighter the recoil would be up.