Ruger no.1- are they worth it?

[lazylabs]

#1's are my favorite gun. I have one in 300 RUM that gets drug around on 99% of my hunting. I have honestly only shot about 10 rounds down a factory barrel so I can't comment on out of the box accuracy. I can tell you that with a nice barrel and a calm day mine will shoot 1/2" with ballistic tips. I think the nicest part about them is you can go with a 26" barrel and still have a shorter gun then a rem 700 with a 24".

 

[Nimrod]

I have a 1A in .270 Winchester that shoots very well, it does like heavier bullets better than lighter ones but it will still group most bullets well. I have shot a few 5 shot groups under an inch at 200 yards with 150 grain Noslers and it will routinely shoot them into 1.5-1.75" at the same distance provided I do my part. The Alex Henry style forend can be tricky to shoot with but I like the looks.

Bob

 

[Dogmann]

I'm doing a rebarrel - No.1V-45/70. 28 inch full bull barrel.

 

[benchracer]

When you ask the question, "Is the Ruger #1 worth it?", you leave open the question of your intended objective for the rifle. I am absolutely in love with the beauty, simplicity, and shotgun like handling qualities of this rifle. IMO, the Ruger #1A is one of the finest carry rifles made. It is a pleasure to carry and shoot.

However, if you intend to use it as a dedicated long range rifle, you will likely be disappointed. For hunting at "normal" ranges out to 300 yards, perhaps a bit more, the #1 is a fine rifle. It is not the arm to choose if you dream of taking game or winning matches at 1000 yards.

Any instrument, no matter how fine, must be understood within its intended function and inherent design strengths and limitations. My #1A in 7x57 is a delightful conventional hunting rifle. It will one day travel to Africa with me. I will never try to use it as a sniper rifle, though.

 

[Gray R]

I agree with benchracer. I have an RSI in 7x57 that's a dream to shoot and works great at standard range around here but when I stretched it out to 400 the two of us had some trouble gettin it done

 

[elkaholic]

I am thinking about buying a Ruger no.1 and was wondering are they worth fooling with. I have a friend that has one in 270 Win. And it shoots very well, but I have heard other people say you are taking a 50/50 change on getting one that will shoot well and it will break your heart. I just like the rifle, it operates smoothly and it seems to be pretty simple design and they look nice.
I would want something other than a 270 though for better bullet selection but haven't decided which cambering I would go with. My gunsmith said that he likes them ok and could do some accurizing somewhat to them but may have to rebarrel it to get it to shoot. He said if one is for sale, it is a good possibility that it won't shoot. If it shoots, it is not for sale. Any Ruger no.1 owners out there with some input?
FE:lightbulb

Fred.....I built a custom 300 RUM on one and it shot great! I had a 30" #7 Lilja 3 groover on it. They make a nice long range package that you can carry because they are around 4 " shorter than a 700 Remmy with the same length barrel. Whether you customize it or not, I would suggest bedding the tang since that is the recoil point on the Ruger #1 (having no barrel lug). Mine shot so well that my buddy built one in 300
WSM and it shoots great too. I currently have a custom built on a B78 and actually pillar bedded the tang on it by drilling out the bolt hole to the tang and then epoxied in an aluminum pillar. I built a long tool to put on my ratchet and tightened the bolt until it squeaked! It shoots lights out and I don't know why you couldn't do the same to a Ruger ......Rich

 

[HARPERC]

Fred.....I built a custom 300 RUM on one and it shot great! I had a 30" #7 Lilja 3 groover on it. They make a nice long range package that you can carry because they are around 4 " shorter than a 700 Remmy with the same length barrel. Whether you customize it or not, I would suggest bedding the tang since that is the recoil point on the Ruger #1 (having no barrel lug). Mine shot so well that my buddy built one in 300
WSM and it shoots great too. I currently have a custom built on a B78 and actually pillar bedded the tang on it by drilling out the bolt hole to the tang and then epoxied in an aluminum pillar. I built a long tool to put on my ratchet and tightened the bolt until it squeaked! It shoots lights out and I don't know why you couldn't do the same to a Ruger ......Rich

Rich you are a constant source of amazement.......

 

[elkaholic]

Rich you are a constant source of amazement.......

Some think AMAZEMENT isn't the right word, but thanks anyway!...Rich