Ruger safari magnum. Good, Bad and Ugly?

[WillMFerguson]

If it is a .375 Ruger, it is not a RSM. It is a Ruger Hawkeye African. Not the same rifle.

You're right. I misread.

 

[krish]

Yes. The rifles are worth it. Fit, finish, and workmanship can’t be beat for that $.
My only complaint is the safety. Due to its smaller size, it can be difficult to move forward. It’s not like the wing safety of the winchester.

The CZ 550 action is strong and good for builds. You will hear that the rifles need work prior to being deemed reliable… no experience there.

I’ve had two custom 404s, and numerous other high end rifles, I’m currently building a 3rd 404 now but for the $ you can’t get anything close to the RSM.

I see you like them a lot. Just the matter of getting used this kind of safety..
Krish

 

[JvW]

I have one in .375, one of the last ones, made in 2009. It feeds and functions beautifully, is easy to shoot, and the weight is just fine. The barrel profile on my rifle is slightly thinner, so it handles and balances very well.

I've had Brno 602's as well as CZ 550's in the past, but you really cannot compare the RSM to either, in my opinion. Both the 602 and the 550 I had required extensive gunsmithing to function properly, making both expensive propositions. I also really don't like the looks of them, and they were poorly finished.

The RSM is a lot of rifle straight out of the box. I predict they will only increase in value as time goes on. Even at $ 4000 apiece, I reckon Ruger will sell a bunch of them if the RSM is ever resurrected.

 

[matt85]

Guess I'll be the one negative guy here, I don't like Ruger rifles.

Least not factory condition ones. The examples I've shot had terrible triggers and all the ones I've handled in safari chamberings have been too light for caliber.

They might be fine with a trigger job and a bunch of lead put in the stock. But a gun that needs that kinda work is not one I'd consider "good".

 

[geoff rath]

I've spoken at length with my two "favourite" gunsmiths, and stockmaker, and they all come up with the same comment: Just about all "factory" D/G rifles need a little work; bedding, relieving behind the tang, and properly bedded crossbolts. The stockmaker actually machines up crossbolts of his own design. He recently came up with a lever system to allow Mauser magazines to be converted to a drop-box system ...

 

[SCLawyer]

I love the RSM. I bought the 416 and the 375 prior to my zimbabwe trip (paid around 1700 for each in '20/'21). I took them with me but they only made it as far as Addis...so I hunted with a camp rifle. However, they made it home with me and now whenever I go hunt deer, hogs I find myself reaching for my Ruger 375h&h RSM over my traditional .300, 7-08. or other "deer rifles". It shoots like a dream and has less recoil than my .300. I am considering shipping it to RJ Renner for a stock improvement bc it is a more bulky than I'd prefer. But, all in all, its a hell of a good gun for the money.

 

[flatwater bill]

Must chime in here.............I own a RSM 416 Rigby.........best rifle Ruger ever made IMO and well worth $3K...............( you may find one for even less. )The stock alone on my rifle would cost $2000 now, and all have good wood.......mine has great wood. You will not go wrong with this rifle, and it will take about $9K to improve upon it, nothing close in it's price range. Some say a little too heavy, well not in 416. find one at $2500, jump....FWB

 

[Red Leg]

Guess I'll be the one negative guy here, I don't like Ruger rifles.

Least not factory condition ones. The examples I've shot had terrible triggers and all the ones I've handled in safari chamberings have been too light for caliber.

They might be fine with a trigger job and a bunch of lead put in the stock. But a gun that needs that kinda work is not one I'd consider "good".

You really should handle the RSM if you get a chance. It is the antithesis of the later Hawkeye African (By the way, I agree with you with respect to the Hawkeye's weight, trigger, and goofy wood screw looking cross bolts). The RSM was one of the last guns that Bill Ruger had a direct hand in the design. Production costs were so high even then that every one of them was sold at a loss. The .416 and .458 are the perfect weight for caliber. The .375 is actually a little heavy for caliber because it uses the same barrel profile. Triggers tend to be very good. Unlike the CZ, I have never heard of one that required after sale tuning to make it feed. As I noted in the previous post, a Ruger executive told me several years ago, that the rifle would cost $3.5 - 4K to recreate then. I think they are one heck of a rifle and still a bargain.

This one is sold - they don't last long. But look at the photography - no comparison to the current Ruger offerings.

Sale Pending------------Ruger Model 77 375 H&H Bolt Action Rifle (inventory#10777)

Sale Pending------------Ruger Model 77 375 H&H Bolt Action Rifle (inventory#10777) for sale online.

www.gunsinternational.com

 

[Beck]

I have two Ruger African's one in .375 Ruger the other in .416 ruger. I also have an Alaskan in .375 ruger, which I probably like the most. I took the .416 ruger on my first safari to Mozambique killed a buffalo and a hippo with it. For the money I think they are basically unbeatable. They are accurate, three position safety, removeable muzzle break, and they also come with rings/bases

I don't like them as much as some of my more expensive rifles, but they really are quite nice given the cost.

 

[zephyr]

Is the Ruger RSM different from the Rifles described in this report...

Rifle Lessons Learned from the Zimbabwe Professional Hunter Proficiency Exam

Rifle Lessons Learned from the Zimbabwe Professional Hunter Proficiency Exam by Don Heath Big Bore Rifles Every year Zimbabwe holds two events which provide the perfect testing ground for rifles. These are the Rifa Professional Hunter and Guides training/refresher course, and the actual...

www.africahunting.com

"Then we come to one that surprises me. Ruger. The early Ruger M77's with the non rotating claw extractors but still a push feed mechanism, in .458 Win could be relied upon to jam if the bolt was worked quickly. In the 1980's the National Parks culling teams found this out the hard way and the new Rugers were quickly disposed of or issued to stations where a heavy rifle was seldom required. The new MkII Ruger with a proper controlled feed seemed to be a vast improvement and were reputed to work a whole lot better and of course come at a top dollar price. I learned differently. All but one out of seven I've seen or handled this year (6 in .416 Rigby and one .458 Win) would not eject if the bolt was opened vigorously. Slow down just a fraction and they throw the empty case half way into the next province. For a client coming out to Africa this may be acceptable. Any really fast fancy shooting is going to be the PH's."

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

I have two Ruger African's one in .375 Ruger the other in .416 ruger. I also have an Alaskan in .375 ruger, which I probably like the most. I took the .416 ruger on my first safari to Mozambique killed a buffalo and a hippo with it. For the money I think they are basically unbeatable. They are accurate, three position safety, removeable muzzle break, and they also come with rings/bases

I don't like them as much as some of my more expensive rifles, but they really are quite nice given the cost.

The only thing about the safety is that it doesn’t block the firing pin

 

[deewayne2003]

Haven't been to Africa yet but I did own a .416 RSM and the previous owner had taken it to Africa a couple of times and taken several elephant and buffalo with it.

I'm still kicking myself for selling it and starting a BRNO .404J project!

Simply adding a Timney trigger and Limbsaver recoil pad made a MASSIVE difference in both recoil and accuracy.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I don’t own an RSM but the smaller brother Express Rifle in 338 Winchester. It is a very well made rifle. I wouldn’t mind an RSM someday if they are anything like the Express Rifles.

 

[Captain Munro]

I don't think the RSM is too heavy at all, just a little front heavy. When I get the moolah, I'd like to have on in the 416 Rigby to accompany my Lott.

 

[gzr]

I had an RSM in .458 Lott and one in .375 H&H over a decade ago. Both brand new. They were gorgeous rifles. The .375 had won the wood lottery: tiger stripe from front to back.

The .458 developed a hairline split in the tang after four rounds. Both of them were promptly sold, the .375 without firing it as I couldn't bear to see it split and didn't want the hassle of bedding it either.

If you get one, have it professionally bedded before firing it.

 

[Captain Munro]

I had an RSM in .458 Lott and one in .375 H&H over a decade ago. Both brand new. They were gorgeous rifles. The .375 had won the wood lottery: tiger stripe from front to back.

The .458 developed a hairline split in the tang after four rounds. Both of them were promptly sold, the .375 without firing it as I couldn't bear to see it split and didn't want the hassle of bedding it either.

If you get one, have it professionally bedded before firing it.

That is exactly what I am doing. Someone has posted a thread about an RSM that they had Wayne, from AHR, do a bedding job on as well as installing a second crossbolt, and pillar bedding. I am having the same done to mine, sadly not by Wayne.

 

[geoff rath]

I had an RSM in .458 Lott and one in .375 H&H over a decade ago. Both brand new. They were gorgeous rifles. The .375 had won the wood lottery: tiger stripe from front to back.

The .458 developed a hairline split in the tang after four rounds. Both of them were promptly sold, the .375 without firing it as I couldn't bear to see it split and didn't want the hassle of bedding it either.

If you get one, have it professionally bedded before firing it.

See my post above ...

 

[WI-2021]

Is the Ruger RSM different from the Rifles described in this report...

Rifle Lessons Learned from the Zimbabwe Professional Hunter Proficiency Exam

Rifle Lessons Learned from the Zimbabwe Professional Hunter Proficiency Exam by Don Heath Big Bore Rifles Every year Zimbabwe holds two events which provide the perfect testing ground for rifles. These are the Rifa Professional Hunter and Guides training/refresher course, and the actual...

www.africahunting.com

"Then we come to one that surprises me. Ruger. The early Ruger M77's with the non rotating claw extractors but still a push feed mechanism, in .458 Win could be relied upon to jam if the bolt was worked quickly. In the 1980's the National Parks culling teams found this out the hard way and the new Rugers were quickly disposed of or issued to stations where a heavy rifle was seldom required. The new MkII Ruger with a proper controlled feed seemed to be a vast improvement and were reputed to work a whole lot better and of course come at a top dollar price. I learned differently. All but one out of seven I've seen or handled this year (6 in .416 Rigby and one .458 Win) would not eject if the bolt was opened vigorously. Slow down just a fraction and they throw the empty case half way into the next province. For a client coming out to Africa this may be acceptable. Any really fast fancy shooting is going to be the PH's."

I experience the same failure to eject issue with my .308 Ruger Scout. That's the Hawkeye action, but I believe the MkII used pretty much (if not exactly) the same ejector design. What I found was that, when working the bolt quickly, the case head would be behind the spring-loaded ejector before the ejector was able to pop up into position. Some polishing and a stiffer ejector spring improved the situation, but I can still outrun the ejector if I operate the bolt extremely quickly. For most practical purposes, the issue is resolved. It would be more of a concern if it were a DG rifle though. I haven't noticed the issue on either of my .375 Rugers, but those don't see nearly the use that the .308 does, and they're just range toys to me for now, so I don't generally run the bolt too vigorously.

Since I have no experience with any of the MkII rifles, I can't be sure that the cause or the fix are exactly the same, but I strongly suspect that they are. It may also be possible to modify the shape of either the ejector or the slot in which it rides so that it pops up a little more quickly, but I haven't tried those things. Modifying the ejector would be pretty easy, and easily replaced if it didn't work. Modifying the slot would be more difficult and could result in trashing the bolt. I do wish that Ruger had chosen a different ejector design.

Back on the topic of this thread, I also wish they had made left-handed RSM's.

 

[Andrew Short]

I don't think the RSM is too heavy at all, just a little front heavy. When I get the moolah, I'd like to have on in the 416 Rigby to accompany my Lott.

I agree with what @Red Leg and others have stated regarding 416/458 weight being near perfect. The 416 has very little recoil for what it is and it is not a chore to carry.

 

[Longwalker]

I had a RSM in .375, one of the later, slightly slimmer versions. It was a reasonably good rifle, but had a few flaws that I didn't like.
The trigger was gritty and heavy. An after market trigger was ordered, but after it arrived I realized it was too short / small for the thicker RSM stock. The RSM's don't use the same triggers as regular M77 MkII rifles. I had to find a gunsmith that was willing to disassemble and hone the existing factory trigger. Cost me a couple hundred $. After that was done, the trigger was OK.
The bolt handle is the standard size bolt stuck into the thick / wide RSM stock. There is barely enough of the bolt ball sticking out to get a hold of. During a very quick reload, there really isn't enough there to quickly cup with the palm of the hand to suit me. A longer bolt handle would have suited the function of the rifle much better. I never had a problem with ejection, perhaps because I couldn't stroke that bolt fast enough!
Other comments:
Barrel is quite heavy, which I actually like. Some don't like so much "front forward" balance though.
Front sight bead was tiny, and hard to see. The rear sight had provision for a white or silver line, but was just solid black. Both easily remedied by replacing the front sight with a highly visible white bead and painting a line in the groove of the rear sight.
I'm not sure why there are some comments about the safety design, it seems to me nearly the same in design and function as the excellent M70 Winchester safety.
Rifle was easy to shoot well, and accurate with a variety of ammo. Just a little heavy to carry, and I couldn't reload from the shoulder as quick as I'd like.
It served adequately for hunting moose, elk, and bear at home but it never came with me to Africa. I had a couple of .375 rifles I liked better, so I sold it.