Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Ruger No. 1A 7.62x39

If that rifle pans out you should bring it to the pig hunt. It oughta be perfect!

yep, I should have it figured out by then

I want to shoot it!


I'll let you shoot my deuce.......

Dude...

THIS one, you knob.

30-30 ballistics with 150 grain .311 boolits (2400 fps) have been pattained in a Mauser action.

No idea how hot that load was

I'll probably try 1680 first. I've been dissatisfied with my Hornady seating die, and ordered a new RCBS seater, but it won't be here until next week. Also ordered some Sierra 125's, which are said to be .311 dia, versus the Hornadys which are .310.

Ramshot says you can reach 2111 fps with 150's, at 43,800 CUP (20" barrel). 2400 fps sounds pretty warm. The 123's should be fine for small deer & pigs.

I wish I'd learned about the (relatively) fast twist on those when they were current. I've seen a couple with decent wood, but passed thinking they still had 1 in 14" barrels.

My son took two deer this year with this rifle. A huge 9 point and a doe. I was not happy with the fusion ammo so
Perhaps in the next year I will find a better ammo for deer.

What was the problem with the fusion ammo? I bought some and have the rifle sighted in with the fusion ammo but no on game experience yet..

Probably shoot it Christmas Eve



Although it has the best wood of the current run, that I have seen, I am tempted to refinish it with wet sanded tung oil. Maybe it will bring out the mineral streaks a little better.

Shot the Ruger today, after mounting a VX3 1.5-5 in Ruger offset rings. The rifle weighs 8lbs 2 oz with scope, and as you might guess, the report and recoil were mild. I shot a Hornady factory load "123gr Zmax", which clocked about 2350 fps, and a Win 123 gr softpoint load, which ran about 50 fps faster.

I tried a handload with 1680 in Lapua brass, the same charge under both the 125gr Sierra, and the 123gr Hornady SST. It was much speedier than the factory loads, and also shot well. The Hornady measure .3104", versus Sierra 125's, which measure a true .311". The rifle preferred the Hornadys, with a couple of 3 shot groups under 1" - the last 3 shots were in a 1/2". There were no signs of excessive pressure; extraction was easy and fired cases show no signs of case web expansion. It's ready to kill a deer.

I'll likely do some more load development with it over the next few weeks. May even try some 150 gr in it, maybe .308 bullets.

From the fist run of these rifles....





With a Russian single shot also in 7.62...



And they are shooters...



Bob

Sweet!

Looking at some of the literature out there, some references state that Ruger used barrels with .308 groove dia. on Mini-30's. I emailed Ruger on the question, and they advised that groove dia for this rifle is .3100 to .3115".

I have slugged a stainless model at .3105" with the tightest spot being at the barrel band.

There was an old saying that the Number Ones with the barrel bands were the fussiest ones, as far as accuracy. If they had tight spots, I can see why!

I killed a doe Saturday with the Ruger. The load was a stout charge of 1680 under the 123 SST. She was about 85 yards away feeding, quartered toward me. I held on the near shoulder, but hit slightly in front of it. She jumped about 6 feet up when hit, and ran about 60 yards. The bullet had caught and ruined the front of one lung, cut some big blood vessels, then went down and exited the brisket, and broke the offside leg. A copious blood trail made the track pretty easy. It seems it works fine on our small deer, though I want to try better placement next time, and maybe different bullets.

Pat...I haven't heard many good things about SSTs on game....

Same here, I but figured the modest velocity would make it less explosive. The changing direction thing inside the animal I can live without. Data point of one, of course.

They do shoot well, better than the Sierras, which are about .0005" larger in diameter. Those are the bullets easiest to find around here, which are intended for the 7.62x39.

Congratulations on getting her bloody, regardless. I'm inclined to think like you about the reduced velocity making it less explosive.

Shoot three pigs and report back.