What's your experiences with the Ruger #1? I�m thinking about getting a Ruger #1 in .375 H&H for an all-around caliber.
Okay,
my experience with a Ruger #1 in .375 H&H- it's very accurate and it kicks like hell.
For comparison - had a stainless Model 70 in .375 that weighed 10 lbs 5 oz, I could shoot it from prone without discomfort. 50 rounds in an afternoon were not painful, and one memorable afternoon I fired 80 rounds from all positions - standing, kneeling and prone - with no ill effects.
Had a Model 70 Safari Express .375 H&H with a wood stock that weighed just about 9 pounds. It kicked more, noticably more. 20 rounds in an afternoon was okay, 30 was enough, 50 rounds was not fun.
Had the aforementioned #1 .375 that weighed about 8 pounds all up with a scope. It kicked the snot out of me compared to the other two, but it would shoot three rounds under an inch. 20 rounds in an afternoon was all I could take. I fired 40 once and it was more a test of my pain tolerance than anything else. Whether it was the recycled tank tread Ruger calls a recoil pad or the stock shape, I don't know. I had bought it for the same reson you're contemplating, I had this "one round, one rifle, one world" vision in my head and that #1 literally knocked that vision right out of my head right quick. I sold it pretty quickly as well.
FWIW, I was a very healthy 49 years old at the time, stood 5' 11" and weighed around 185.
