I'm thinking of getting one of the Ruger No. 1 Tropical rifles, but am curious if the barrel can be ported to reduce the recoil of the big game cartridges these rifles are chambered in. Also, can a mercury recoil reducer be put in the stock, or a better pad be put on the stock?

The barrel band can be a problem for porting but Manaport International should be able to find a way to EDM some holes for you. I would perfer to have a removable muzzle brake instead of porting.

I have a 450 Rigby built on a stock Ruger No. 1. It has a Kickezz recoil pad and one mercury recoil reducer in the butt stock. There is already a big deep hole (just found this out recently) in the butt stock so it should be easy to install a mercury recoil reducer.

Anything is possible in regards to your questions if you the cash. Good luck!

Mingo,

Can you email me at urodoji@hotmail.com?

Thanks

My gunsmith will backbore the barrel, thread the inside and install a threaded brake on them, I'm thinking of getting my Ruger Mag in 416 done that way instead of the porting alongside the rear portion of the front sight. When you unscrew the muzzle break of this kind a threaded cap is not neaded either. Should be a smith able to do one like this for you.

[ 12-01-2002, 13:06: Message edited by: Brent Moffitt ]

Urodoji,

What's up?

If you have any other questions please post it here, as you will get good info from more people here. I usually perfer not to correspond privately with some of these issues. Later!

Well, I can't find Manaport International on the web, and was gonna see if you had contact info for them. Also, I'm stuck trying to decide between .375 H&H, .416 Rigby, and .458 Lott...

Urodoji,

Here is the link for Magnaport International. They are located in Michigan. They can do both mag-na-port as well as mag-na-brake. They are good folks to deal with so give them a call.

http://www.magnaport.com

As for which caliber, I am the wrong person to ask this question. I like them big and powerful but I don't like the 458 Lott. The 416 Rigby would be my choice, given the three from your list. It is a classic English cartridge and it is big and it's name is strongly associated with Africa. With that said, only you can decide what you like best. Good luck!

Thanks, Mingo. Looks like the Ruger can only be ported with two ports, because of the banded front sight. Either way, that should help a bit. That, with a bit of mercury in the stock should do quite a bit to tame the gun.

Aaron

My gunsmith will backbore the barrel, thread the inside and install a threaded brake on them

Mingo, what do you think of this type of installation? He said it's also much more effective than porting too.

When this back boring is done extra care must be taken in crowning the muzzle correctly.

I would perfer not to mess with the rifling at all. I would have it turned down and threaded on the outside of the muzzle. This setup is similar to what Weatherby uses with their big bore rifles and it works great. Later!

Mingo,

The reason for the backbore and internal crown and thread is that there is not room for the threads on the outside because of the front sightband, I agree with your preference though.

Would it be possible to move the band back a half inch or so? Or to bore through the band to port the barrel?

I know I'm not screwin with my band. Really, I'm not sure if the tapor will allow it or not. Any competent smith should be able to do the internal threaded brake and recrown. My brother is just learning and he did his own with Dave showing how, really didn't sound that difficult. Getting his M700 .270 action to feed 300WSMs was a bitch. Dave just pointed to the TIG and said weld em back up and start over if you take too much off , we're goin shootin.

If he ports them, it's ported on both sides just behind the band along side the sight, two slits on each side if I remember correctly.

Magnaport can do a 4 port verion on a #1H. I knew someone who had a #1H rechambered to .460 Weatherby and had the 4 port Magnaport job done. It have been a few years but I think they put them behind the band on the barrel. I finally got my own #1H in .460 but I don't have any thing on it other than a recoil pad.