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I have owned several Ruger Number 1's over the almost 50 years. All of them have been red pad guns made before Ruger started making their own barrels. Some I could get to shoot well enough and some never responded to to any of my efforts. The easiest ones I worked with were the heavier barreled guns, .458, 45-70, .375 and, oddly, a Number 3 in .30-40 Krag whose barrel had about the same exterior dimensions as my .45-70. Seemed to me the lighter barrels, particularly the 1A configuration were much more difficult to get to shoot properly. A recent red pad 1A in 30-06 shot great 1" groups...horizontally, 9" groups vertically. That said....

I just ran across a new 7-08 1A. I think this is from a run of rifles marketed by Lipseys. Probably the best wood I have seen on any of the recent Number 1's I've examined. Price is right also and I am getting the old itch to own another, but a Number 1's can be like a beautiful wife who treats you badly. Wonderful to look at but you are secretly contemplatinga divorce.

I've read some good things about the newer Number 1's. I am in love...but cautious. Should I seal the deal? What's the experience out there on the newer Number 1's?

Last edited by meddybemps; 05/25/17.

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I've actually had better luck, accuracy-wise, with #3s. I've only had four number 1#s, certainly not a representative number and all of mine were older models, all purchased new but one. Got rid of the last one a number of year ago. While I got occasional good groups with all these rifles, it was never consistent (as with a good bolt-action) and three of the rifles wouldn't hold a zero for any great length of time.

Gunwriter and former Ruger employee (in the 80s, I think) C.E. Harris commented that a Ruger #1 that would consistently shoot 1 1/2" groups was a good one. I'd have to agree. I understand they shoot much better now, but I doubt I'd try another unless it was a steal. As for looks, can't beat a #1.

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Meddybumps,

I've owned around a dozen No. 1's since Ruger started making their own barrels in the 1990's chambered in rounds from the .22 Hornet to .375 H&H, including maybe four 1A's. All have shot well, about half of them right out of the box. The other half shot just as well after very simple rebedding of the forend, consisting of using a fine file to eliminate any "high" spots at the rear of the forend, where it butts up against the front of the receiver, plus a dab of epoxy bedding compound at the forend tip, to keep it stable.

Don't recall even one that didn't shoot into an inch for 3 shots at 100 yards with at least one load, and some have been better. My .22 Hornet 1B started putting five shots in an inch right out of the box, and with the right handloads will put five in half an inch.


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My No.1 in 30/40 Krag is a Cabela Special. I always wanted one but never moved on one until I saw this one. The wood is stunning and it shoots factory Remingtons very well. At least good enough that I am considering using it on an elk hunt this fall. It has been a safe queen so far, but I did sight it in with a Leupold straight tube, I think 1 -5X, or something like that. A gorgeous rifle that shoots well to the limits of cartridge. Trigger is pretty nice as well. I like it alot.

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Originally Posted by lotech
I've actually had better luck, accuracy-wise, with #3s. I've only had four number 1#s, certainly not a representative number and all of mine were older models, all purchased new but one. Got rid of the last one a number of year ago. While I got occasional good groups with all these rifles, it was never consistent (as with a good bolt-action) and three of the rifles wouldn't hold a zero for any great length of time.

Gunwriter and former Ruger employee (in the 80s, I think) C.E. Harris commented that a Ruger #1 that would consistently shoot 1 1/2" groups was a good one. I'd have to agree. I understand they shoot much better now, but I doubt I'd try another unless it was a steal. As for looks, can't beat a #1.


I had a #1 in 25-06, that I so badly wanted to shoot well, had it worked on after getting truly mediocre and inconsistent groups. Still had the tendency throw flyers. I just couldn't trust it. It had absolutely beautiful wood. I wanted to keep it, but It went down the road.

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I have owned a few in my life, 270s, a 30-06 a 243 and now my 9.3X74R. I have also worked on many of them that came to the shop for work. Some were quite good right out of the box and a few were nightmares. I re-barreled a 7MM Mag 2 years ago that was awful, shooting every load we tried into patterns at 100 yards of about 8-9 inches. Nothing I could do would tighten it up, so after some efforts the customer agreed to let me re-barrel it. A new barrel, and now it shoots MOA.

So #1s can be hot or cold. Older ones had a bit tighter tolerances to their actions but barrels could run from so-so to good. Newer ones have a bit looser actions (not important in their function) but better barrels as a rule. My 9.3X74R was a gun I made a trade for. The man I made the trade with assured me it was accurate and I had no reason to disbelieve him. His claim of accuracy was understated. The 9.3 is a freak in how well is shoots. I have only seen maybe two #1s ever that shot as well. It's become one of my favorite hunting rifles.

My old 243 was very good too. It would shoot about MOA with several loads and with the best load it would shoot under MOA.
One of the 270s would shoot MOA also. My 30-06 was about 1.5 MOA with what it liked the best.

I know a man in Casper that owns one in 300H&H that is a freak for accuracy too. Under MOA with his loads.

But I have seen dozens of them in my shot that struggled to hold under 3.5". Most I have been able to get better accuracy from, and some responded super well, going from playing card size groups to coin size. But now and then I get one coming through that just shoots "OK at best", and nothing seems to help. Mostly the older ones with the Wilson barrels.

I trust them now, with the Ruger barrels. I can't say they would be dependable for "sniper competition" but getting one that will hit a quarter at 100 every time is not at all uncommon anymore.

Just as a side note, there was one #1 "sniper's rifle" I saw in New Mexico about 10 years ago.

I was helping to put on a competition for Military and police snipers, and one 21 year old police cadet came down to shoot. He was a Wyoming farm boy and his rifle was a Ruger #1 in 270 Winchester. Not painted, not customized, just stock. He put a sleeve over it for camouflage, for the purpose of the 3 day shoot.

He won that match!

He shot against all comers, at least some of whom were M.O.S. US Military Snipers and a handful of whom were ranked bench rest competitors.
I didn't shoot his rifle, so I can't say how tight it would shoot, but he made regular hits out to 800 yards over the 3 day course.
It sure could not have been in-accurate!

Last edited by szihn; 05/26/17.
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The heavier contoured barrels seem to be easier to get to shoot. Floating the barrel can help. The angled forend screw can be an issue, especially with light barrels. It is possible to bed the forend with a three point bedding setup. Then remove wood from the rear of the forend where it contacts the action. Jon Sandra wrote an article on this procedure way back in the 70s. I did it on a Number 3 and it stopped the vertical stringing.

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I'm getting too old to waste time on fussy rifles.

Problem is I have always liked single shots, Rugers in particular. As a kid, I lusted after some of Wilbur Hauck's rifles , and drooled over pictures of Winchester High Wall varmint rifles, all sadly unobtainable on a lawn mower's income. I was in college when Ruger came out with the Number 1, and I remember just staring at the first advertisement for them in the American Rifleman. Two years after graduation I had my first Number 1....a 1B in .22-250. By then I was a dedicated woodchuck hunter and budding benchrest shooter. With its 2" groups,that rifle was good for neither pursuit.I juggled loads and tinkered with the bedding...all to no avail. That was 45 years ago. I have owned several since then...but buying one has always been a bit of a crap shot.

From what I am reading here it looks like a red pad vs. black pad thing. I don't know at which point Ruger switched to the black pad and whether it was precisely contemporaneous with the switch to the in-house barrels. But I would be nervous buying one of the older red pad rifles. I suspect the new 7mm-08 may end up in the gunsafe by the end of the weekend.


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The switch from red to black pad occurred at just about the same time as the barrels. I have yet to shoot a black-pad No. 1 that wasn't decently accurate, and as noted in my first post some have been VERY accurate.


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I have also owned a few and I could get every one to shoot very well. All have been 90's vintage or newer as I got on the No.1 band wagon late. I have found some to be somewhat particular about what they shot well but never the less accurate. I had a 25-06 1B in particular that would only shoot 117-120 grain bullets at max and nothing else worth a damn. 87 grain varmint bullets would group at 4-5 inches but, 117 or 120's loaded at max would bug hole all day.

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In addition to the few #1s I've had, I've also owned a number of varmint rifles built on original high wall and low wall actions (and one Remington Hepburn) in a variety of standard and wildcat chamberings. Most were fairly accurate, but I recall none that were exceptionally accurate, like a good bolt-action.

While it was an enjoyable experience thirty or so years ago working with the single shots in various chamberings, these are long gone and I miss none of them.

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A little bedding at the front of the fore end, relieving the wood from touching the action and putting a semi stiff wedge between
the hangar and the barrel has worked for me with #1s and #3s.
Helped accuracy, and also held poi from session to session.
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I have owned four of them, all various .22 centerfires. Three were heavy barrel and one a sporter. None would shoot 1" groups, before or after I poured a lot of money into accurizing attempts.
Great looking guns but I am done with them.


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I have had 5or 6 over the years as has my buddy. All but a couple of my buddy's have been red pads. Neither of us have had any real stinkers with most shooting at least silver dollar sized groups out of the box. I had a 22-250 and a 243 both 1Bs that would shoot three shot groups into your thumb nail at 100 yds. The two I have had that were the most finicky were both 1As in 7x57 . I eventually got then to 1-1/2 " -2"thru load development but that was about it for those.

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Originally Posted by Mule Deer
Meddybumps,

I've owned around a dozen No. 1's since Ruger started making their own barrels in the 1990's chambered in rounds from the .22 Hornet to .375 H&H, including maybe four 1A's. All have shot well, about half of them right out of the box. The other half shot just as well after very simple rebedding of the forend, consisting of using a fine file to eliminate any "high" spots at the rear of the forend, where it butts up against the front of the receiver, plus a dab of epoxy bedding compound at the forend tip, to keep it stable.

Don't recall even one that didn't shoot into an inch for 3 shots at 100 yards with at least one load, and some have been better. My .22 Hornet 1B started putting five shots in an inch right out of the box, and with the right handloads will put five in half an inch.

John, do you remove any wood from the forend tip when bedding or just rough it up a bit? Also, when removing wood at the back of the forend, do you only try and eliminate wood contact with the action on the sides of the forend or do you also address contact on the bottom side in front of the lever/trigger guard?

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I wouldn't hesitate to buy any black pad model if it scratched an itch. I currently have 5 No. 1's (1 red pad and 4 black pad models) and have owned a few others over the years. My black pad 375 H&H out of the box is one of the most accurate rifle I own consistently shooting sub-MOA with several loads. The others will usually shoot either side of MOA and rarely over 1.5 MOA. When groups aren't as tight I like, they're generally stringing vertically with 2 together and 1 high. I plan to bed forend tips on a couple and see how that affects things. The red pad is a 1A 7x57 with a very long throat and though it shoots well enough, all of my black pad models group a little tighter.

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I've owned or shot about 20 of them, everything from a .218 Bee to a .475 Turnbull. When they have good barrels, they are much less fussy grin It also helps a lot when they have the barrel twist they are supposed to have!

It's generally thought that the early rifles and the black pad rifles are the best, but good ones can be found in any year. Recently I picked up a really fine Liberty 7x57 #1A. The first groups sprayed patterns, and I was worried about it, but then I checked the twist and found it was 1 in 10", not the 8.75" that references stated. The barrel is a little rough, but it still managed to group under 1½" for three shots, with 140gr Accubonds. Some different loads and tweaks should help it a lot, and I may fire lap it, too. I have a coupe of other mid-70's rifles, that are very accurate.

There is no doubt some of the red pad guns were real stinkers, but I think most of those have been rebarreled by this point in time.




Last edited by tex_n_cal; 05/30/17. Reason: add info

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I've owned around half a dozen since the mid 90's and all shot better than any of the 77 MKII's & Hawkeyes I've owned. I currently just have one, a #1A 7mm-08 and it loves Hornady factory ammo, both the Whitetail 139 gr & ELD-X 150's...so much so that I don't bother loading for it.

Last edited by DoeSlayer; 05/30/17.

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JGray,

I don't remove any wood from the tip, just rough it up enough to hold the bedding compound firmly. At the rear of the forend I file off any dark spots, indicating the wood's been compressed by firmer contact with the action, no matter where they are.


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well, some examples:

Bone stock K1V .223

[Linked Image]

Bone stock .475 Turnbull

[Linked Image]

bone stock 1976 1B .270 Winchester

[Linked Image]

One time I had the .270 above at the 50 yard bench. I was shooting other things and decided just to double check zero. I fired one, and it went where it was supposed to go. I fired two more and became concerned, because no new holes appeared . I adjusted aim an inch higher, and a single new hole appeared an inch above the first. With a 10x scope at 50 yards, I could not tell that there were three bullets in the first hole. smile


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