Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Ruger #1 accuracy expectations?

That's a keeper in my book. Thanks for sharing!!

Haha! I'm still kicking myself 50 years later for walking away from a bunch of #1's at a LGS, barreled actions only, that were priced at $200 or a little less. Back then Ruger marketed a few barreled actions to "the trade", but to a kid making around 10K a year with a new wife and a fresh mortgage it wasn't gonna happen for me. Still and all, if I could hike back there in Mr. Peabody's WayBack Machine I would sell the wifie-poo, tell the bank manager to get stuffed, and sell the Jaguar I was driving (c'mon, it was a ratty rotten XK-150 that I bought for a whopping $900), and bought 'em all and snicker today while guys cry about how things have become.

As it is I'll whine along with y'all!

Gee whiz! Did it ever occur to you that the problem might not have been with the No. 1s?

As noted in my earlier post, have owned plenty of sub-1" No. 1s, both early and from the 1990s onward....

Might add that around 20 years ago went on a prairie dog shoot with several people in the rifle industry, including Allan Hall, the well-known benchrest gunsmith. (https://hallmfg.com)

One of the rifles I brought was a Ruger No. 1B in 220 Swift, which grouped very well. Allan wasn't surprised, and said that he can fiddle with the forends of No. 1s and often get the factory barrels to group into .25 or less at 100 yards. This was a decade or so after Ruger started hammer-forging their barrels.

Yep had a few.(2) 22-250’’s ,25/06, 257 Rob, 220 swift, 45/70, 300 Wm, 30/06,270,375h&h,223. #3 in 22 Hornet and 30/40. Also had a 45/70 but never shot it.
Still have the 223,257,30/06,300,375.( need to shoot the 375, 30-06.
Never had one that wouldn’t shoot under a inch. Some took some forend work.
Also has been my experience with 77’s still waiting for a bad one. Im sure eventually I will find one.

I had 2 R#1 in 45-70. Both shot well enough. Would blow a large hole thru a deer chest.
But they kicked like a mule and both moved on. Not sure why I got the second one.

then I acquired a long throated #1 in 7x57. I relieved the wood on rear of fore end from touching
the action, put some bedding in the front of the fore end and forced a fairly solid piece of plastic
between the hanger and the barrel. It shoots one moa and holds zero from session to session.

Did the same to a R#3 in 223 and it shoots well also. Both have killed deer.
Both are a little choosy on bullets they like.
Tim

My biggest regret regarding a #1 was selling a AB model in 7X57. This had very nice wood (one of the main reasons I bought ) and shot very well. I took it to Africa for my light rifle. I had commisioned a custom 7X57AI on a Sako action and didn't figure at that time I needed two 7X57's (now I have three) and sold it. That was probably 40 years ago and I still miss that rifle and have never seen another one.
I love hunting with a single shot be it with a #1, B78 Browning or a Winchester High Walll. Aim small miss small.

Hi guys.
I’ve come into possession of I think 3 #1s in my life and sent them all along. Being primarily a control shooter a single shot is not really the ticket.
The last I had I sold last summer was a swift, manufactured in 96. The guy I sold it to is a good bench shooter and said it was pretty good as was. Better than most out of the box and making bug holes.
For what it’s worth as far as timeline on the barrels.

Osky

I had three #1’s, a .45-70, .300 Win Mag, and a .30-06. I couldn’t get the ‘06 to shoot well, but I didn’t tinker with it.

Two #3’s, a .30-40 Krag that was a good shooter and a .22 Hornet that got the best of me. Those were mid to late 70’s.

Never got the urge to buy any more.

Some great info in this thread. I appreciate it!! As luck would have it, I've been seeing more Ruger #1's for sale, when out and about. About 3 different rifles I can think of. Some ranging in price from $750 to $1,400.00. Chambered in 30-06, 280, and 7mm rem mag.. The 30-06 being the least expensive, but it's also had its stock shortened a bit!!!! Retains the red pad though.

I traded for a 6mm #1 here on the Fire. Bad mistake. At least so far. I love the looks of the #1’s and so far lost money in ever buy and sell of #1’s because I won’t sell a [bleep] shooting rifle for what I paid for them.

But, after much encouragement from others, I’ll do like DD and mess with fore-end hanger etc. I might send it to a #1 expert. I’d really like to have a great shooting #1. I might even have it bored and chambered to something bigger???

My brother bought a #1 in Tulsa a few years ago in 223AI and it’s very accurate.

been working with Tac powder lately i kinda getting mixed results but i really like how Tac powder runs thru my Redding bench rest volume powder measure , Varget powder so far still groups the best and most consistent , i am going to try a more max loads with Tac powder if the wind ever quits.

Great words. I sold that same rifle, same caliber to a good guy here in Montana. The rifle had never been fired. He said it was good as is but he tweaked a bit inside the forearm and now that swift is a one holer.

Osky

Bumping this thread along, as I watched this video that this guy posted earlier today. I don't think he gets it. He wants to throw stupid bs into it, like correlations between numbers and velocity figures. Like I say a lot of times, leave the chrono at home, shoot the rifle and let it tell you what it likes. He has a mechanical issue with his rifle. Will he get it? Probably not.


Interesting video, nonetheless.

my main Ruger #1`s i use and play with many times its the wood forearm, so i glass bed 2-3 inches of the back of the forearm and float the rest forearm barrel channel has always helped. but i did buy a used 6 BR Ruger #1 that had a Hicks forearm system and the entire forearm channel was nicely glass bedded and this rifle shoots excellent too.
> one year ago i purchased a nice used Ruger #1 1B 257 Roberts without doing any stock work and just a medium handload this rifle shot 1 1/2 inches so i rework the forearm got the groups down to 1 inch i then purchased some 75 GR. Hammer Hunter bullets because this rifle has a slower barrel twist and started using Reloader 17 after trying other powders and the groups were under 3/4 inch and i decided that`s good enough groups and with low recoil for my 11 yr.old grandson Alex and Alex does shoot the rifle good kill a deer on his 1st shot . i am convinced many accuracy problems with a Ruger #1 is the forearm more than the barrels. > almost forgot to mention this once i have barrel channel opened up so barrel is floated past the glass bedding i always use true oil to seal the wood about 2 coats of true oil. i always check once rifle is back together with a thin piece of paper that the barrel is floated past the bedding too.

I had one in .280 Rem. back in 1997. Bought it for $340 used at a gunshop. Shooting only factory 150gr. Partitions, it would group under 2" at 200yds. everyday. It never had any work done to it.

They are such nice rifles and well made. But it didn't suit my type of hunting. It was too heavy and that lever liked to stab my leg when sitting in a tree stand. I couldn't find a reason to keep it.

yep Ruger #1`s are more difficult to move around with , i hunt mostly either out west and watch ravines with a bi-pod or in Minnesota in my green fiberglass stand in a swamp so i am not moving as much , but i still shoot my share of decent bucks . mine is a Ruger #1 257 Weatherby mag. Brux barrel that shoots 103 gr. Hammer hunter 3680 FPS average so trying to get close i don`t have too , i snipe those bucks .

300 weatherby. Paid $750 for it, I’m guessing that’s a decent deal?

Bought an old Ruger #1 in 30-06 with an old 3x9 Leupold. Took it to the range about two weeks ago with some 167 gr Scenar reloads. The old guy I bought it from complained he shot it once a number of years ago and could not get under a four inch string. I shot it to 300 meters and put five shots on a 2x2 piece of paper taped to a six in metal plate so yes I think at least that one shoots well...Best 500 bucks I have spent in a while.. It looks like brand new...

Very nice. Good score. Do you load for that cartridge? That is a hammer right there.