I think most will enjoy the No.1 in a rimfire cartridge, whatever model No.1 they favor. Feels like a rifle and shoots well. All steel and wood, feels great in the hand.
I have built two rimfire No.1 conversions myself, a No.1B with a Shilen barrel and a No.1A with a sleeved(Redman) barrel. Both look like the factory centerfire, hard to tell until you open the breech.
Not a lot to the modification to rimfire, I prefer much the moving of the firing pin in the breechblock myself. Fully supported chamber with a extractor/ejector that is basically a factory centerfire type with its hook ground off and replaced with a longer blade type hook. This type of extractor hook is used in most rimfire rifles/pistols of today's offerings; so is nothing new. The 22lr and other rimfires; as one knows requires a fully supported chamber because of their case.
One can sleeve and plug a factory barrel or just purchase a #2 or #4 contour from Shilen that fits the respective forearms without mods to forearm. One of course, has to monitor the exact cut of the breech area to do such a fit; but is doable with ease.
No real need for the recoil pins in the quarter rib, one can just fill with the old studs, 4 screws is plenty in my opinion.
If one sleeves a factory barrel, the quarter rib rear will have to be shortened slightly as the factory barrel is set back a turn to close up the breechblock to barrel face centerfire dimension to the rimfire gapspace criteria.
When lowering the firing pin position to 6 oclock, I like it just inside the rim, remember to measure the exact distance you need on "your" action. One can use a slightly oversized stepped bushing for the firing pin support that has the capability of an offset hole if one misses the measurement slightly. Said bushing can be secured in a lot of ways.
The existing firing centefire pin can be reused shortened to rimfire protrusion specs.
I used a Bentz reamer in my two rifles which will allow most ammo to be used. I tried using a Freeland reamer, but was much too tight for some of my bulk ammo. One thing about custom, one can choose the reamer/ammo of the day to suit. Headspace can be set to a minimum dimension in conjunction of a minimum breechblock face to barrel face dimension.
My rifles in a five shot group at 25yds will allow the following four to touch the first, so was good enough for me, for now anyway.
I would like to get around to some ideas presented to me by folks using a shrouded barrel in conjunction with a multi firing pin to see the accuracy that they are getting in benchrest matches; just no time to do so yet.
I hear about the No.1 action being too big for rimfire, but all in the eye of the beholder I guess; I like a full sized rifle, easy to hold and all of that stuff. Light is nice, but has its issues as does the other end of the stick.
I hope you all will continue to think about the building of a no.1 in rimfire, perhaps even a switch barrel affair. I have found that these conversions are my favorite to take out anymore. I just cannot think of a more pleasureable rifle.
A rimfire no.1 is a real hoot. Nothing to build really, any gunsmith that understands basic rimfire breeching can execute one for you if you do not do your own work. Just go do it.
