Ruger No. 1?

[Pigs r good]

Hi guys this is my first post on this website. I have been reading stuff off this site for a while now and its really sparked me to practice my long range shooting more seriousley and maybe even go to one of the long range hunting classes

Im considering on buying a new rifle next summer and i really like how the Ruger No. 1 looks and operates. I want it in 7mm mag or 300 win mag. After i buy it i want to save some money back up again and get a custom barrel, new trigger, and some misc. stuff to improve accuracy as much as possible because i want to get into some long range shooting probably start at 500 yds. and just keep moving out further. I wanted to know if anyone on this forum has had any experience with this rifle and if anyone knows how accurate they are out of the box. Im planning on buying one used off GunBroker.com. gun)


Thanks for the advice and comments. Oh also if anyone has any other suggestions on were i should buy it or any other guns i might like they would help alot to.

 

[Buffalobob]

I like Ruger #1s and I am used to them and I understand that things may go wrong. They are not the easiest rifle to work on for a gunsmith and there is a good chance the gunsmith will mess it up. So you need to find one who is experienced with them and knows what to do with it. The two that I think know what to do are Specweldtom of this forum and Carolina Precision.

The first problem is that the extractor cut for the barrel is a judgment cut by the smith. You hope he uses good judgment when he makes it.

Second problem is the scope base. A custom barrel contour means the factory quarter rib no longer fits. You might believe that a smith would be able to fix up a custom base in just a few minutes but this is not true. It is once again a lot of fiddling and then his judgment that he has it stable and that it will not be moving. If you want a 20MOA base then here is lots and lots of hours by the smith trying to custom mill a tricky little one of a kind gizmo. And to complicate matters the eye relief is usually off by about 1 or 2 inches on a Ruger and you need to have the scope back further than it wants to come.

I do not know about the current triggers but I think they are not adjustable and are not very good so you will need a custom trigger.

You may spend a lot of your life tinkering around with the fore end and pressure points and Hicks accurizers.

Finally, I suspect that there is no smith who will guarantee you 0.5 MOA with the finished rifle.

If you have plenty of money and don't mind spending a good bit of money for a rifle that may or may not shoot then a #1 is a lot of fun.

If on the other hand this is your first custom rifle and you really don't want to risk wasting a lot of money then just go and buy a Remington 700 and there are a lot of smiths who can make it shoot with a new barrel and truing the action.

 

[pvanwyk]

I bought a no.1 about a year ago after reading commets on the forum. I wasn't dissapointed It shot very poorly. The rifle took a lot of work with Hick's accurizers, trigger jobs, bedding, ... but it is now a sub MOA shooter.

I love the rifle, but prepare yourself for a lot of frustration and work to get the gun to shoot properly.

 

[Dzaw]

I'm not entirely sure I agree with all that has been written here. I have some observations to make about a #1A in .243 I worked on for a shore while (selling it now).

1: The factory barrel really wasn't at all a good shooter. Tubb'e firelapping system helped a lot. Obviously, a custom barrel would be even a major improvement over that.

2: the moyer's adjustable trigger was easy to install, and made an unbelievable difference. While I had the assembly apart, I took the oppertunity to hone the trigger and sear engagement surfaces with a 600 grit diamond hone, just to help smooth things out. I didn't do anything aggressive with it, and I tried to keep as much metal in pace as I could, but I did polish out the tool marks, making a nice smooth pair of metal surfaces. This also helped quite a bit. It's not a match trigger (although I'd bet a good gunsmith could make it into one) but for a field / hunting trigger, it's pretty darned good,

3: don't bother with hick's accurizers or pressure points. These things will help shrink your groups, but the wood can still swell or shrink with conditions. Instead, glass bed the forearm to the reciever, and the forearm hanger, and freefloat the barrel. Your groups won't be quite as small, but you will be able to keep a zero from one season to the next.

The quarter rib on the factory barrel can be ever so slightly modified to provide very good overall performance. Alternatively, if you go the custom rounte, have a 4" or so section of the custom barrel straight, and have your gunsmith put a straight rail on that, and go with a nightforce unimount with 20 MOA built into that.

I modified the rib on my factory barrel, lapped the factory barrel, floated the forearm, and did the trigger work. Overall, less work than I would have put into a factory bolt gun, and while I'll admit my marksmanship isn't the best, off of bags, it'll hold under an inch at a hundred yards with handloads it likes. If it'll do under 1 MOA at short range, then keeping it together at longer range is up to the shooter.

I got all of these ideas and a few more from this link:

http://www.rvbprecision.com/articles/9/accuracy-tips-for-the-ruger-1

 

[Buffalobob]

Dzaw

There is no disagreement. We all agree that if you work at it that they are capable of doing very well. Some will shoot very well out of the box but I think the percentage is lower than with some other types and brands of rifles.

I just think a person should be warned that this is kind of like a rose - you have to put up with a few thorny issues. I personally really like the #1s and do not mind tinkering around with them.

 

[specweldtom]

P r g, BB summed it up for me. I think they are fine rifles, and I really like their short overall length with a good long barrel. But all the extra work on them takes time (money). Expect about twice the labor cost of a Rem 700 rebarrel, and probably no accuracy guarantee.

Update us on what you end up doing. Welcome to the site. Tom

 

[specweldtom]

P r g, check out a thread by Joe Kidd on 2-29-08 in the Gunsmithing Forum.

Good shooting, Tom

 

[Buffalobob]

This is my first and original Long Range Rifle. It was built back in the late 1970's. I could hold 0.75 MOA for 5 shots out to 1300 yards. It was responsible for my very best shot and one of my very worst. Feast or famine with it.

Because the falling block is short even with a 28 inch Shilen barrel, I also used it to kill a big buffalo bull at very close range.

I have just had it rebuilt and it is still marvelously accurate. The old #1s had very nice adjustable triggers which are as good as any Jewell you can buy nowdays.

 

[specweldtom]

BB, fine looking #1. What caliber is it?

Tom

 

[Buffalobob]

In the picture it was a 7mm Wby with a 9 twist barrel with Redfield 6-18 X accurange scope. It is now totally different. I will post up a story on the re-build in a couple of weeks. It is one of a kind now.

Boss Hoss's method of using JB Weld on the scope bases was very helpful (if it will hold up to serious hunting).