I saw a nice looking used #1-B in .280 Rem sitting in the rack at one of my favorite shops the other day. It's a black pad era, decent looking wood, appears to be very gently used for an asking price of $600. I'm thinking it might make a good addition to my small (but growing) #1 collection. I already have a 7x57 RSI, 30-06 1-A, and a 45-70 1-S. Anyone have any first-hand experience with the #1-B in .280? Is/was this a fairly common caliber offering in this model? Thanks in advance for any replies!
My former associate 'Rawhide' picked one up with a 6x Redfield off of Gunbroker for about $600 a year and a half ago.
Fairly rare chambering. High in style points.
Qualifies a man for the "7MM Express Death Cult".
What is not to like!
GE
I have a couple of #1B's in 280, They both shoot well after the normal tweaking you do to a #1. The 280 is a very good cartridge, Mild recoil and great accuracy. Lots of fun to handload for. Many good bullets available If you really what a boom/splat rifle; buy the 280 and have it chanbered to a 280AI!
Jack O'Connnor said in his later life "If I had to do it all over I would have chosen a .280Rem"
My first and stil my favorite #1. Has killed eveything I've used for in their tracks. Deadly acurate after the full treatement -- set screw etc..-- by Broad Creek Rifle Works ten years ago.
1B
My brother has one, He paid significantly less than your $600 price for it, too. He put a Leupold Vari-X III 2.5x8 on it. I watched him put three Winchester 140gr BST's into less than an inch with it.
It is what prompted my to buy my No.1V, 6mm Remington....
Kaiser Norton
I think $600 is not too bad considering the current prices for second hand Ruger #1 rifles in any configuration in my neck of the woods. Anythinf decent seems to be at the $695 and up, mostly up at the gunshows for anything in decent shape. One guy had a really minty #1A in 7x57 and his price was $795 FIRM with lots of emphasis on the "firm". Good thing I already had one of those or I'd have been really tempted. If I saw one in nice shape for $600, I do believe I'd snap it up.
Last pair of #1s I bought ran me $1,100 for the pair. I did get some of the price knocked down for taking the pair, a 25-06 and 7MM Rem. Mag., both "B" models. Just my humble $0.02.
Paul B.
I have a 1-B chambered in .280. It is stamped:
7mm Rem Express or .280 Rem.. I have only seen two so stamped. My buddy has the other.
I really wonder how rare these are?
Grasshopper
Grasshopper,
Ruger will not tell us how many were made, but the serial numbers that are kept on the Ruger # 1 Group site have only three listed as marked that way, if you and your friends are not the ones listed that would make five total. You can check out all the serial numbers in the Files section of the group. If you would like your numbers listed and recored as such send them to the group owner by private e mail, he will list them but will not list any names as to who owns them
S/S
I have one Ruger #1 280Rem that is stamped the same way.
The other I have is stamped .280 Rem
I have a cpouple of friends who have #1B's stamped 7mm Express or 280 Rem also,
And one of my take-off barrels here has the "express" stamping as well.
I ran across a Ruger #1V in 280 Remington in a pawnshop in
Killeen, TX when I was stationed there in 1992. If I remember
correctly that is the only #1 in 280 I have ever seen.
Not a #1, but there is a Ruger 77 V in .280 in a local store that I saw yesterday. The shop's phone # is 540 347 6008. It was in very nice condition and had a throwaway Swift scope for an asking price of $695.
A few years ago I woudl have jumped on it myself but I have only two bolt guns now. The rest are #1s.
1B