Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots What's your experience with Ruger No. 1 in 45-70?

I've always lusted after a Ruger No. 1, and the other day I saw one at a nearby gunshop in 45-70 for under $800. Availability around here is very limited-- most shops don't carry them at all, which means special order. The last gun I bought was special ordered, and it was a huge headache. So, I'm not keen on repeating that process. Also, around here prices are usually a few hundred dollars higher when they have them, even more when they have to special order them. I'm sorely temped to buy this gun, and I wondered what those of you who have tried it think of the gun.

Here's what I would like to hear from you about:
-- This rifle seems quite light. Although I realize you can't tell me how I will experience the recoil, I'm wondering what others think. Seems like, with heavy loads, it might be a mule. If it's not fun, I won't buy it.
-- Have you found the gun accurate?
-- I've heard of some scope mounting complications, mostly about the location of the scope (distance from the eye, and scope hieght with factory rings). I'd put either a low fixed power or 1-4 power variable Leupold on the gun. Your thoughts?

Thanks for your input.

They can be capable of great accuracy. The #1 can be superbly accurate, though sometimes it may take a bit of tweaking. The .45-70 is nearly legendary for accuracy. Fear not on that end.

Also, worry not about eye relief. Some folks/scopes have problems, but most don't. A low fixed or low variable would work fine. I have a straight 4x on my RSI, and eye relief is no issue.

As for recoil, you can take the .45-70 anywhere you want to go.

Load it light (all the way down to .45LC ranges), and it's a powderpuff.

Load it up to BP standards and standard factory load ballistics with the 405 gr. RN, and it's no problem at all. About on par with a .30-06, if that.

Move up to the 300 gr. +P factory stuff, and you've got maybe up to .300 magnum recoil, but not as fast as the magnums.

You can keep going up in power with the .45-70 in the Ruger #1 until you approach or equal factory .458 Winchester Magnum ballistics... and THAT will get your attention in the light #1.

Under $800 is a pretty good price for a slightly used #1 in .45-70, and a fine price on a NIB. Prices have, and will continue to, rise over recent years, so if you want one, you'd probably ought to jump on this one.

I have one and really like it. It honestly shoots about 0.75 MOA and would probably do better if I took the time to develop more loads for it. I got lucky on the first load I tried and never looked any further.
The recoil will get your attention but is not punishing. And it does tend to drop things in their tracks. I have shot several deer and one hog with mine and they all dropped where they stood.
It is a very easy caliber to load for, and you can load them hot or mild depending on your preference.

+1 for what VA said. My first (don't tell my wife I said that) #1 is in the tropical 405 Win, and it lets you know you've just touched one off, but 10 rounds off the bench was still under an inch groups, so the flinch hadn't arrived yet. I love the way the action is so slick. I also love the trigger. Very nice.

The 45-70 I have is in a buffalo classic (H&R) and that thing is way more accurate than the price tag would indicate. Iron sight groups around an inch at 100 yards and that was with factory fodder. Can't see how you could go wrong. In the ruger you can go heavy or light, whatever flips your switch. Get the thing before someone else grabs it.

Saw a #1 in 45-70 go at auction awhile back for $630, but it was about 95% or so. Very good looking rifles.
My H&R Buffalo Classic also shoots great considering it just has peep sights. If you use full house loads that steel butt plate really gets your attention. I load down most of the time.

Jeff M.

What he said and what he said...I have one,it's killed about 12 boar and several deer.Now I am planning to rebarrel it soon.I just bought two .405's,one will be a .450/400 shortly and the other will stay .405.No good reason behind any of this,but something new to explore...The .45/70 is a ball.DO it!

Ruger #1 .45-70 that I have is not too bad recoil wise with 405gr loads that are a little on the "warm" side. My Ruger #3 .45-70 hurts......ALOT with the same loads. Both rifles are equipped with low range variable scopes, the #1 with Redfield Widefield 1.5 to 4.5, the #3 with Bushnell Scopechief with the same range. Also have a receiver/peep sight that mounts to the Ruger base on the #1. These attach to the rear base in the same fashion as the rear scope ring. Works well on the #1 and is available from New England Custom Gun (www.newenglandcustomgun.com) at the "not-so-cheap" price of $85.00.

Neither the #1 or #3 shoot to the standards of a good varmint rifle but quite well enough to serve as a "woods" rifle out to 150 to 200 yards and will certainly kill game at those ranges.

I also have a Contender 16.125" barrel in .45-70. If you want an example of a rifle that will hurt you big time then try that combination on the T-C Contender with "warm" loads.

The book FORTY YEARS WITH THE .45-70 makes for an interesting read on that cartridge and recounts the experiences by the author of the Ruger #1 and #3 rifles including load data and bullet experiments.

I have found that the Ruger #1 in .45-70 along with the Marlin 1895G in that caliber fun to shoot and great for NE woods hunting.

Here on the East Coast the #1 can usually be found for $500 to $600. Eight hundred bucks is a little over the top but again, you are in "Kalifornia".

VAnimrod pretty much nailed it. I would add a couple comments:

Yes, the Ruger #1 in 45-70 is a relatively lightweight rifle and yes, it kicks hard with hot loads. But there is no reason to shoot hot loads all the time. High velocity is actually a detriment when shooting the lightly-constructed 300 grain hollowpoints. If you want to shoot 300 grain bullets at high velocity, I suggest you use one of the tougher bullets, such as the Speer Uni-Cor, Barnes X, or Nosler partition. I have used the Speer Uni-Cor with excellent results. A .458-inch bullet really does not need to expand to be effective. It's already big enough. Just load a 400-ish grain jacketed or cast bullet to around 1500 fps and you can kill any game on earth with your 45-70 without detaching your retina. There is plenty of room to load hotter if you want.

If you really want to have some fun, load that 400 grain cast bullet over 11 grains of Unique powder for about 1000 fps (don't use any filler). These loads are accurate and you can shoot them all day without pain.

The 45-70 is not a flat-shooting caliber. No amount of hot-loading will make it so. The difference in point-blank range between medium and hot loads amounts to around 5 to 10 yards. If you need a flat-shooting rifle, buy a flat-shooting rifle. Leave the 45-70 to what it does best, which is hit game really hard at up to around 150 yards.

If I ever get into a hunting situation where the 458 Winchester magnum would generally be considered appropriate, I will be there with my lightweight 45-70. The Ruger #1 in 45-70 weighs a LOT less than the same rifle in 458 mag, and the 45-70 can be safely loaded to within 200 fps of the 458 mag in the strong Ruger #1. When hunting, we carry our rifle a LOT more than we shoot it. The addition of a scope to the Ruger #1 45-70 noticably reduces felt recoil.

You will notice that the newer #1s are very particular about the bullets they will take. This is because the chambers are now cut to SAAMI specs, which means the throat is very short (read almost non-existant). A Speer 400 grain JSP loaded to the crimping groove will not chamber in my #1, and this bullet was designed for the 45-70. Some cast bullets will not chamber either. The fix is either to use bullets that will chamber in the gun as-is, or to lengthen the throat. If you want to shoot any of the 500 grain jacketed bullets to the full potential of the caliber, then you must lengthen the throat. This can be done at home by anyone with moderate mechanical apptitude. The Manson throating reamer and handle are available from Brownell's and cost under a hundred dollars when I got mine a couple years ago. Follow the instructions carefully.

It is true that not all scopes are compatible with the Ruger #1 due to the forward position of the scope rings. I have a Leupold Vari-X II 1-4x20 on mine and it works fine, although the eye relief is on the edge of acceptable when the magnification is set a maximum. I have also used a Simmons 2x20 shotgun scope with excellent results. I have one of these mounted on my Marlin 1895G right now. 2x magnification is all that is needed on a 45-70 given the usual range and size of target for which the caliber is typically used. Another excellent scope for the Ruger #1 is the Leupold VX-1 2-7x33. This gives higher magnification for shooting groups at 100 yards yet dials down to 2x for busting bruiser bucks at close quarters in the swamp.

In summary, I like my Ruger #1 in 45-70. It is just a lot of fun to own, shoot, and load for, and it is about the prettiest gun I have ever seen.

Live well

Thanks for the input. It's exactly the kind of first person experience that I was looking for.

I have a Marlin 1895, but my pard has a #1 in .45-70. We have shot them side by side with 350 and 400 grain bullets from 1750(Marlin to 2000(Ruger) fps. They will belt you. A Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad is a good idea. The lever gun is equipped with a peep/Sourdough sight set-up and groups 3/4" at 50 yds. The Ruger, with a Leupold 2-1/2to5x 'scope, cuts cloverleafs at 100. One bear has succumbed to the Ruger: One shot at 30 yards, kerflattened. The Marlin is as yet unblooded.