Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Ruger 1A accuracy dilemna

Back in the old days, before we needed 1/2" groups to consistently kill elk, almost any Ruger No. 1 shot well enough out of the box.

I have owned quite a few No. 1's or various vintages, and monkeyed with several more, and only one wouldn't put three shots into 1.5" or less right out of the box, which is plenty for just about any kind of big game hunting out to 400 yards.

I know this because I've killed animals at 400 yards, give or take a few, with several rifles (including No. 1's) that grouped 1.25-1.5", and never had a problem yet. One caribou was even taken with iron sights (though the rear was good aperture sight). Most of our worries about field accuracy are meaningless.

Despite all that, right now ALL the No. 1's in my possession, from .22 Hornet to .405 Winchester, will put three shots in around .5 to .7 all day long, with favored loads. All are either out of the box or close to it. If that ain't enough then what is?

MD

I have scoped my #1 45-70 a single time briefly to see what it had in it. I fired a single group during an informal range session without working up an accuracy load. I simply loaded up some Remington 300 HP using Sierra's suggested accuracy load. I rested the rifle over a cushion, across a log and lay prone to try the gun on my cardboard target at 150 yards:



I tend to not like to shoot any 45-70 prone, especially scoped. That and my initial result were the reasons I didn't shoot it more with the scope.

Fluke? Could be, but any rifle that flukes like that has a lot more luck in it than I have in me. I had never touched that rifle and, needless to say, I haven't since. I am still looking forward to wringing out my more recent #1, a 218, but informal groups shot in cold and miserable conditions this winter suggest that it has some good stuff in it as well.

You said you had problems with the mounts-did you lap the rings to make sure they were not stressing the optics?It doesn"t take much stress to bend the scope tube and then things can get interesting-this is not theory but experiance.I changed my rings to Burris and lapped them. After checking About30 Ruger ringsets I decided they were not such a bargin. There was an interestig article by Lyod DeVore in Precision Shooting years ago about how he shot his #1 rifles-some he could shoot with a loose hold but others he had to really hold tight to group.I will see if I can find it to-nite.His comment was it really took you back to the basics.
Good luck and if I can help -Email.
Glenn Jackson

Just a little note on how accurate a rifle needs to be .
I wass taalking with the (then ) Prez of our club a few years back, and we were discussing my No.1's that I was using for
silly wet matches.
Since this gentleman was a winner more than once at Raton, and so was his daughter, I figured he knew a little bit of what it takes to win a big Silhouette match.

My rifles are very accurate, but after a lifetime of cpmpetative shootinmg I know it takes more than good kit to win.

This champ figured that a rifle that would shoot 1.5 MOA was more than adequate to win a big match.
Ineresting, seeing's how most guys take a look at a 200 meter chicken and say"you're gonna take that OFFHAND??!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Yup, 1.5 MOA is all you need. ( and very good form!!)
Catnthehat

I've got a #1B in 22 Hornet. I've done the "elongnate" the holes thing on the quarter rib. Also glass bedded the forearm and installed a Canjar set trigger.
Befor the work, I was getting 2"-3", 5 shot groups. Now it'll group 5 into "bugholes" when I do my part.
I used a 1/16" round file, and took out just enough metal to remove the blueing in the front and back of the holes.
Works for me. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />
Virgil B.

Mic McPherson in his book, "Accurizing the Factory Rifle," goes into a number of things involved in accurizing rifles with two piece stocks, which is something few others go into. If you want to know more about accurizing the #1, and many other rifles with 2-pc. stocks, I'd recommend getting that book. The various cures and reasons therefor are too lengthy to get into here, but he goes into them pretty well.

One of the things he notes is that all rifles with 2-pc stocks are more prone to exhibit a preference for how they're rested on the forend than most other rifles. I know my #3 Ruger in .45/70 will shoot MOA with 300 gr. JHP's, but ONLY if I rest it on or behind the forend screw. If I rest it forward of the screw, it'll go 1.5-3 MOA, depending on load, etc. They also can alegedly require a more consistent grip and hold than other action types, but I think all rifles will show some degree of sensitivity to this.

The #1/3 Rugers are some of the greatest hunting rifles around. Like everything else in life, and maybe particularly in shooting, you just have to learn a thing or two about them to get the very BEST out of them.

And MD and others are right about 1.5 MOA being aplenty afield, and about #1's typically providing that pretty easily. I just HUNT better when I know my rifle will shoot better than that, but that's MY "problem." At least it keeps me out'a trouble when I'm "tuning" my rifles. I once even tuned a MOA sporter until it shot 3 MOA! Like I said, at least I didn't have to call the wife to bail me out'a jail, anyway. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

As an update.

.25-06 and .257 Rob results are greatly improved. .25-06 opened the forearm tolerance at friction points, some barrel break-in, and added the washer this improved overall results to .75" groups at 100M with three different loads. The .257 Rob favors one load but favors it very well.

As for the .243, still shoots sub .75", so I have just left well enough alone!

Thanks for the pointers.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I also found that No.1s responded best to a good fit at the forend tip. Glass is good and just a bit of pressure (5-7 pounds) upwards.
On all rifles with 2 piece stocks the fit of the action into the buttstock is important as well. This is your "recoil lug".
The one other big improvment on Rugers came from lightening the hammer. GD