As many of you would know I have ordered a Ruger No1 Tropical in 450/400 NE 3" and am busily working out how to obtain the necessary components to feed the beast.
A good mate of mine is friends with Bruce Bertram of Bertram Brass fame.
Whilst returning from the Melbourne Antique Arms Auction recently he stopped by to visit Bruce.
This has a big benefit as Bruce has a 2nds bin that is fascinating and it has helped feed countless Martini Henrys belonging to my mate's target shooting buddies.
I was going to ask my mate to see if he could score some 450/400 NE 3" cases for me although I was a little concerned that the Bertram case might be correct for the old doubles in this cal but not for the new Ruger which has been designed around the new Hornady loads.
As it happened my mate expressed these fears to Bruce who gave him a 450/400 3" case for free on the proviso that if it was correct he would see some business.
I didn't know this until it was delivered via my in laws on the weekend and after a fairly frustrating and stressful couple of weeks it was a welcome distraction and a reminder that I indeed have a very cool rifle on the way, even though that'll probably be in some months.
Here are a few pics.
I apologise for the quality.
I accidentally soaked my digital camera (only 2 months old!) in the equivalent of Red Bull.
It completely died after taking the last shot of these.
Fortunately it only cost me $140 but it's $140 I don't really have to replace it.
Problem is, I use my camera constantly.
I was saying I've been having a frustrating time recently, wasn't I.


The case itself.....looks innocuous enough, right?


The case head stamp.....note the BB for Bertram Brass and the kangaroos which signify it's Aussie origin.


And now.....a comparison.
Is that, you may ask, a .223 case?
No......it's a 308 Win case!!!
Huge, eh?
And that's the 3", not the 3 1/4".
It should be a LOT of fun.
And since I'm buying some of the Westcasting bullets with their gold match coating rated not to lead up to 1700fps it should be interesting to see how fast I can push one of those 215gr SWC before it gets unhappy.
I have the feeling dacron may become my friend........
It I can push them along at about 1800fps it'll be like a 38-55 and good fun for most game.

Further news on the Ruger!!
I rang Magnum Sports today and asked Andrew, the proprieter, what the projected wait was on the 450/400.
He asked me which cal it was, had a look at his records and said "Due".
So it could be here in the next week or so!!
Which sorta leaves me in an interesting position.
Can I come up with the needed dosh straight away or am I going to have to pay it off on layby?
I have to call him again tomorrow to confirm but it may be here LOTS sooner than I thought.
I told the missus about it expecting a "Well, you can string it out to the end of the darned layby!"
But instead she said "It may be just as easy to pay it off and get it out of the way."
So I may well be sending you pics of the 450/400 sooner than I thought.......not that I really have the money to afford brass, dies or pills for it! :undecided:

Looks sweet.   How much was the rifle?

Brasco

$1550 Aussie dollars.
But as it turns out I live in the wrong country.
Andrew rang the importers and Ruger has told them to stop asking when the No1s will be shipped.
They said they're too busy supplying the US market with the boom in arms sales and they may not get around to sending the some orders to Oz, like my 450/400, for up to 12 months!
I think that's pretty rude, don't you?
Our orders have already been in for months and yet we're relegated to the back burner because "we're not important."
Andrew said if I find something I like in the meantime I can ring up and cancel the order.
Makes me wonder if I should hold out or look for something else. :huh:

That would certainly make me grit my teeth and no smiles.

I waited six months for my browning.  It was hard, but worth the wait.

Brasco

I can understand 6 months.
Telling the importer to stop calling because they aren't important......IMO that's something else entirely!
It's not a Bugatti Veyron or a H&H double in 700 NE.
It's not even the Distributor Exclusive model from the Craig Boddington "Buffalo" Series.
A local gunshop tried to get the only only new No1 in the country, a 22-250 Varmint, for a customer.
They were willing to pay double for it and have the customer basically pay cost but the importer still couldn't give it to them as the original order for that rifle was over a year old and it was already promised.
And this is from a BIG manufacturer who makes and sells a lot of rifles.
Smacks of bad service to me.
But I chatted with the missus this afternoon and she asked if I wanted to get anything else.
I'd looked through some stuff and even though there were some cool rifles none of them were as exciting as the 450/400.
The missus said "Well, don't buy something else if what you always wanted was the Ruger.....you'll regret it in the long run."
She's right.
So I'm going to wait it out and get the Ruger.
Chances are if it's this difficult to get No1s a 450/400 is going to end up being really rare and be well worth it.
Then, after it's arrived, I'll write a lengthy email to Ruger about how people in other countries deserve the respect and courtesy of having their orders filled in reasonable time even if they aren't the huge bulk orders that US retailers make.

Hey Andy that sucks.
 
Can you buy a second hand one and get it rebarrelled, I'm sure it wouldn't be far off $1,500 to $1,700 all up.

I feel for you Andy. 'Specially when the little missus has given you a thumbs up on the purchase.

It is an intersting looking cartridge to say the least. The roos on the case head are very cool indeed!!

Remember, good things come to those who wait!! I just hope you don't have to wait very long

RJ

Yeah, it certainly DOES suck.
Another friend suggested I buy a 2nd hand No1 and rebarrel but I want a new one factory chambered.
Since they're not nearly as common as 30-06, 308, 270 or even stuff like 375 H&H and 45-70 they will definitely hold their value.
After buying the T3 9.3x62 (which is also a less common chambering) and knowing it from day one I want the same from this rifle.
I have another couple of projects in the wings and I'll go custom with them but for this I want it factory and new.
And RJ, I will be waiting and Ruger WILL deliver if I have to harass them daily!!

Good luck on that Kombi. I'm sorry you're getting attitude from Ruger, I just hope it's not the importer saying that it's Ruger's fault. No firearms manufacturer can afford to say that ANY customer is not important. At least you found out that your wife is a princess grown into a queen. Pretend that you don't need the No. 1 and it'll probably show up sooner. That's what I do when I can't find the screwdriver that I just put down and now need again while working in my shop.

I'm going to keep this thread handy for the next time I get a 'ration' for complaining about a business "doing business".
 
I seriously doubt ANYBODY said ANYTHING like "Your not important". What they likely said was: "We have a market that is sucking up ALL our supply. This market is close and margins are high (good business). We'll supply the smaller markets when we can." Welcome to the world of living "at the end of the road".
 
That said, I happen to think it is 'bad business' to stiff someone that already has an order in. In my opinion, orders should be filled in the order in which they are received. (Odd... but no major manufacturers ever seem to call me up and ask for my sage advice before they make their marketing/sales decisions.) HOWEVER, you placed this order WAY, WAY AFTER the feeding frenzy started in the US.
 
The most parsimonious explanation is that the 'fault' lies with the importer "selling" something they didn't have, rather than the manufacturer not filling orders already placed.
 
Paul

As usual, Paul, thanks for making me feel better in a difficult situation.........
There are plenty of people who ordered their No1s over a year back and are on the same order as mine because RUGER HASN'T FILLED IT YET.
This isn't about when and how orders were made, this has got to do with Ruger's attitude to the whole thing.
As for the "end of the world" crack, US gun manufacturers bought out and closed down all of the gun companies in Oz during the 50s and 60s and then undercut anyone who tried to set up new local ones.
So I don't get a choice in living at the end of the road.
And I'm sure as heck not moving to New Hampshire, right next door to the factory, just to make sure my Ruger turns up sooner.
And the comment about selling something they don't have is just unrealistic.
With the current economic climate no one should be expected to stock things they won't necessarily shift.
I think the importer should be able to depend on some regularity and reliability from Ruger.
Afterall, they would've tendered for the licence in the first place and I'm dead certain Ruger has expectations of them in the contract.
On the otherhand if you think it's fair and reasonable to expect customers to wait up to 14 months for a standard production model perhaps you're posting on the wrong thread.

Seems you're always looking for a fight, kombi.
 
Let me quote:
 

QuoteI happen to think it is 'bad business' to stiff someone that already has an order in. In my opinion, orders should be filled in the order in which they are received.

I even put it bold so it would stand out. So much for using a 2-by-4. Which, since you can't seem to understand, means - I agree with you.
 
Second, the "crack" about the "end of the road" started with - and I quote - "Welcome". Which to those that weren't looking for a fight would realize is comisseration. I, living in Alaska, also live "at the end of the road". So much for sympathy.
 
I could go on about your misinterpretations due to the chip on your shoulder the size of Kansas, but this is, as usual, tedious.
 
Good thing I wasn't actually trying to **** you off.
 
Paul

Sorry, Paul, but it was a little open to misunderstanding.
And I've got a bit of a chip on my shoulder about Ruger.
To be blunt everything has gone bottom up recently.....the car died, the DVD died, hassles at work and outside it  and to top it off I'm pretty crook this week - completely off my food and no sign of a solution yet.
So maybe I was looking for a fight this time - I don't know.
Though I did agree with you in the "That's why they call it hunting" thread.
Anyhow, let's call a truce and I'll try not to be argumentative.
My missus says I can be grumpy and that I'm a 36 yr old going on 65.