There are quite a few tricks to make a Ruger #1 shoot well. Most mess around with the hanger, bedding or end up with something like the Hick's Accurizer. Most of the time one of those things will make a decent improvement. But, what if it doesn't? Now what? A new barrel? maybe a rebore to a different cartridge?
Why not try messing with the rib the scope mounts on? I'm not daft, sometimes this makes a radical improvement. The hard part is removing it from the barrel. It is not only screwed to the barrel but pinned as well. Look closely where the rib touched the receiver. Place a light behind the gun and see if there are any signs of light showing between the rib and the receiver. If there is, that's one problem gone. Next step is remove the rib. Dunno what Ruger used on those screw but I'll just say you'll most likely have to use a source of heat to get those screws out. After removing the screws, carefully remove the rib. You'll probably have to use something to pry it loose from the pins holding it in place. Be careful you don't scratch the barrel. Listen carefully for a ping as the rib is removed. No ping good, I hear ping bad. First, using a fine stone remover a slight amount of metal from the portion of the rib so there is a light amount of clearance. It does take much. Finish off with cold blue. Whether I hear a ping or not, and with my screaming tinnitis, odds are I wouldn't hear a ping I carefully enlarge the holes for the screws to about one size larger. Then I reinstall everything and go shoot the rifle. I use something like blue Loctite so that if I have to remove the screws again to remove a bit more metal, the removal won't be a big hassle.
This is something to try should all the other "tricks" fail to improve accuracy.
My reasoning for the above is as the barrel heats up it expands causing the rib to exert pressure against the receiver changing the barrel' harmonics. The same goes for the rib being held in place and unable to allow the barrel expansion to properly take place. In fact it just might be better to make the pin holes in the rib a larger than I said. I've fixed a couple of #1s that way and made 2.5" riles into 1.5" rifles. Depends on how fast I shoot the rifle. Three rounds taking a minute or two between shots will give .75" groups. Shoot those three rounds as fast as I can, even from the bench and groups open up to the larger size. That's my take for something to try on a stubborn Ruger #1.
PJ
