Anyone loading 416 Ruger?

dolphins84te · Jan 23, 2012

I picked up one of these rifles in the Alaskan model and I love it. (I haven't shot it, but I love it!) I'm looking to load some Nosler 400gr Partition Spitzers (because I picked some up for cheap as seconds).

Any ideas?

deadshot2 · Jan 25, 2012

You've got yourself kind of a "tweener" in the 416 Ruger. Not a 416 Rigby with a big case using lots of powder at lower pressures and not a 416 Rem with a small case with high pressures. Also no SAAMI spec so the best thing today is to start working up your own loads.

You might visit one of the African Big Game hunter forums for load suggestions on this round.

Note: this caliber has a reputation for being a heavy recoil producer, especially with the heavier bullet/powder combinations.

nrc · Jan 26, 2012

Take a look at 416 taylor loads (458 win mag necked to 416). That will put you in the neighborhood of good powders to use.

Good luck / Go slow / Be safe.

orygun · Jan 26, 2012

Now that's interesting. Hornady sells ammo, but I couldn't find any load data from them.... Maybe have to buy a new manual. Hopefully it would be listed by then.

I did find this. It's a start.

Reloader's Nest Forum - 416 Ruger Range Report

I have a 375 Ruger and there was a bunch more info available for it years ago than there seems to be for the 416 now. I use RL15 in the 375, FWIW.

dolphins84te · Jan 27, 2012

Okay, I may have answered my own question. I found some information online that was originally published in Rifle Magazine.

Notes: All loads were fired in three-shot groups at 50 yards. (Rifle Issue #250 - May, 2010) using IMR-4895 powder and 400gr Nosler Partition.

Grain Velocity(fps) group
72 2271 ??
74 2328 .69
75 2367 1.25

These were from a 22" barrel and not the velocities that Hornady advertises in a 24" barrel (2400fps). So, anyone have any recommendations to tweak the powder to get better performance from my Ruger Alaskan with 20" barrel?

deadshot2 · Jan 28, 2012

I've always found Varget to give me a little more velocity than H-4895. H-4350 and RL-17 are powders I might explore for more velocity but a word of note. Usually getting MORE velocity than published from a Shorter Barrel is not all that easy. Sorry for being "Captain Obvious" on that. If you're getting a sub 3/4" group and you only lost 72 fps with a 4" shorter barrel than what was used for the published load you're not doing all that bad. If it were my rifle I'd load a bunch of rounds at 74 gr of the H-4895 using different OAL's and see what happens then. Just keep the lengths so they will feed from the magazine. Changes as little as .005" can make a big difference in some rifles due to the timing of barrel vibrations.

dolphins84te · Jan 28, 2012

I've always found Varget to give me a little more velocity than H-4895. H-4350 and RL-17 are powders I might explore for more velocity but a word of note. Usually getting MORE velocity than published from a Shorter Barrel is not all that easy. Sorry for being "Captain Obvious" on that. If you're getting a sub 3/4" group and you only lost 72 fps with a 4" shorter barrel than what was used for the published load you're not doing all that bad. If it were my rifle I'd load a bunch of rounds at 74 gr of the H-4895 using different OAL's and see what happens then. Just keep the lengths so they will feed from the magazine. Changes as little as .005" can make a big difference in some rifles due to the timing of barrel vibrations.

I appreciate the information. The published velocities were with a 2" shorter barrel, not 4" shorter and the .69" group was at 50 yards.

I will take your advice and work on the OAL. Where would you start if you can measure the OAL?

deadshot2 · Jan 29, 2012

dolphins84te said:
I appreciate the information. The published velocities were with a 2" shorter barrel, not 4" shorter and the .69" group was at 50 yards.

I will take your advice and work on the OAL. Where would you start if you can measure the OAL?

A good start would to see how long a cartridge with your selection of bullet will fit in the chamber. Either using a Hornady OAL gauge or a case that will hold a bullet just tight enough so it won't move on it's own yet can be pushed into the case when it comes in contact with the lands, measure the space you have available. Then measure the magazine length.

If one isn't published just take off the Bottom Metal and measure the interior of the magazine box then knock off .020" for clearance. As an example, on my Remington Short Action, the inside of the magazine box measures just over 2.830". I load my rounds to 2.800"-2.810" so they will feed reliably from the magazine.

Target shooters want the bullet as close to the lands as possible and load rounds singly. Hunters will often want the highest speeds available so the bullet remains lethal and expands when it's at its limits for distance. This could cause some real high pressures if too close to the lands. A lot of "Elephant Guns" like your's are designed with a lot of "leade" so the bullet can get moving before encountering the lands. This keeps peak pressures within limits while still sending a really fast bullet down range. Weatherby's do this and it doesn't seem to hurt their accuracy.

Here's an article that shows this writer's choice of COAL's from 3.270 to 3.400 depending on bullet length. Also the results of his testing with various powders.

Since he didn't blow anything up it may be a great starting point for your "project".

Real Guns - Handloading the .416 Ruger

AMProducts · Jan 30, 2012

You might want to think about stepping up to one of the slower burning powders in that caliber. Perhaps even retumbo or H1000. I did see some mention of this cartridge with Ramshot's "Big game" powder and from what I've seen with ramshot's TAC in my .223 and .308 loads it's well worth a shot.

dolphins84te · Jan 30, 2012

What advantages does a slower powder offer?

deadshot2 · Jan 30, 2012

dolphins84te said:
What advantages does a slower powder offer?

None to speak of in a shorter barrel. Might help to lower pressures but without the longer barrel to take advantage of a full powder burn, no real help.

They do however add to the entertainment value. Some loads with powders too slow for the length of the barrel do yield some really spectacular fireballs, especially if shot in low light conditions.

AMProducts · Jan 30, 2012

Slower powders take longer (relatively speaking) to develop peak pressure, in most cases, your Pmax is going to be within a few inches of the chamber at the maximum, so you're developing your pressure curve slower allowing you to extract more energy from the powder without being over max chamber pressure.

All of hodgdon's "extreme" extruded powders are all single base and use DNT as a binder and additive. Since they are all of similar composition, the main determination of burn rate will be grain size and deterrent coating. The reality is, with a slower burning powder you can cram more powder into the case, and in most cases glean more velocity and more consistent burning characteristics than you could with a faster powder. The muzzle flash on all of these powders will likely be very similar, and will likely be quite brilliant as they are nitrocellulose based. If you want to reduce muzzle flash moving to a double base ball powder is my only recommendation, as they are cooler burning.

SoCAL · Feb 2, 2012

I just picked up my Alaskan 416 Ruger this week. I have acquired all the components needed to reload today. It seems that everything is disappearing fast. Hornady has some info on reloading this cartridge. They are using the Alaskan rifle for there testing. You might want to email them. As for the SAMMI listing, look up the specs on their web site. I am going to start reloading this week using 400g DGS & DGX