Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots "made in the 200th year"...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=399777309

shouldn't this one have a red recoil pad?

Yes; but I don't think it is the original wood. Those 200th year 7x57 generally had better figured wood and a shiny finish.

ENU is right; should be red and usually won't be plain.

I would wonder, however, if it was once a salt wood gun.

That is not the original stock set. Like El N�mero uno said the wood just isn't right.
Mouse

This is why it hasn't garnered much interest from the collector set, no doubt.

My Liberty 7x57 has very nice wood, so I'd guess Ruger made sure that this uncatalogued first issue stood out a little.

Shouldn't have been any salt cured wood left by 1976

ummm...I wish that was true...

S/n 130-42xxx from 1977, a .375 H&H



rusty recoil pad screws, and traces of rust on the action. It's now apart as I try to save the wood & remediate the problem.

My #1S in 300 mag was also a bicentennial. In fact, most of the salt wood stocks I have heard of were bicentennials. (Ruger replaced most of the impacted internal parts and the foreend on the one I have but bolted the salt wood butt stock back on and returned it!)

Tex n Cal. From my research to date, I am inclined to say there is no sure fix for salt wood. Even fiber-glassing in time has failed in a lot of cases. I switched out the wood on mine and kept the old set to club those in denial about Ruger's use of salt wood.

1B

For what it's worth, I have a bicentennial 45-70 with very nice factory wood and have never had any rust issues with it. It's been used for decades while hunting in rain and snow in northern Idaho mountains. I've taken the stock off several times for cleaning / inspection and rust has never been an issue with this particular rifle. I'm not doubting that there haven't been some 1970's Ruger nuber 1's with salt wood problems but not with the 1776 45-70 number 1 that I own and use.

I have seen only 1 fo-sure salt wood gun, from the 70's, after owning and handling a number of them.. A couple of others online which probably were salt wood.

My brother has a liberty .243 that is quite odd-it's picked up some rust around the rear of the action, but the buttplate screws are free of rust.