Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Number 1 accuraccy expectations

My 9.3 x 74 R doesn't do so badly either, though I might do better more regularly with more than a 2.5X scope and a better cushion than steel and walnut between me and the 286 grainers.

(That's a 4" red circle.)

Love the looks and my 1s 300 H&H is a shooter.

May I ask the load and any tricks you used?

I LOVE the .300 H&H, maybe my favorite No1. But I am struggling to get better than 2.5" two days in a row. I know that's minute-of-elk, but I can get cheap 55gr FMJ handloads in an off-brand AR-15 to beat that without even trying....

I try to use H4831 and 180gr flat base bullets in the H&H (somehow 180gr just seems right for elk)

any recommendations?

Poole

You don't say what you've tried, but I'd suggest the standard list of Number 1 accuracy tricks regarding the forend, etc. Also a good barrel cleaning, if you bought it used.

I have to admit though, that a 7x57 I had way back when, had a kink somewhere I just couldn't figger out, so it went down the road.

The most effective method of improving accuracy thus far has been to buy Brownings, when I can find them, and can afford them.

i have not yet tried floating the fore-end or sanding the back of it to avoid contact with the receiver. I'm not that good at woodworking or metal working and don't want to damage anything.

I typically find if I hold the fore-end tightly in my left hand, which rests on the front sandbag, it is better than resting the fore-end directly on the front bag, which is what I do with bolt actions.

I have messed with different bullets and seating depth and powder charge. I'd find a nice group of 3, declare victory, go home, load a bunch, and come back a month later and that same load is not very accurate...

I don't want to try 165's or 150's. The magnum should shoot 180's and Elk should turn into meat... I found 165's are more accurate than 180's in the .30-06 No1S (and other non-ruger '06's I have tried). And the loads seem to still be accurate the next time I try them.

thanks

Poole

I am a few days late in posting about the second new Number 1...this one a 1S in 30-06. Like the 7-08, I think I am going to like this rifle also.. but it's certainly not perfect..My initial impressions follow.

The first thing that you'd notice is that the stock is decidedly plain and not as nicely finished as my older Number 1's. The stock color is much lighter than earlier older guns, not unattractive, but kind of disappointing if you are used to seeing No. 1's with really nice wood. Let's call it a good, solid, but unremarkable piece of walnut. Metal finish, like the stock, is not up to the standards of older guns... adequate by current standards, but the polish seen on older guns is just not there. I was unable to measure the trigger pull...it was off the scale... I am going to guess that it's a 6 lbs plus pull...and likely more. The heavy trigger made it hard to shoot well off the bench.

So now we come to the safety. I have seen three examples of this run of '06's in the 1S configuration and each one of them have had issues with the safety. Two, including mine, had safeties that were very hard to work. Getting the safety to work on mine was so hard that I actually thought it was defective. An evening moving the safety on and off produced a blister on my thumb and minor blood loss. Let's be kind, the safety required a bit of break in to work properly. Another 1S I looked at year ago had a safety that was so loose that it would spring froward at the merest touch. Not a safe condition. I am left with the impression that quality control in Newport, NH was not what it should have been.

Continued below.

Somehow, an hour's writing about shooting results just disappeared into the ether. I'll recreate it tomorrow.

I have been to the range three times with the 1S. Results, while not spectacular, are very encouraging. I threw together some 180 grain loads that have proved accurate in other rifles. Powders were IMR 4451, H4350, Hunter and IMR 4007. Bullets were Hornady SP's and Nosler partitions.Cases were Winchester and primers were all Federal 210's. I made no attempt to tailor the loads to the rifle other than seating bullets 20 thousandths short of the lands. All powder charges were near or at max for the '06 and were taken from reliable sources. All were run through a Hornady concentricity gauge and all were within.002"

The bad news first; The rifle hates any of the loads with Hunter...Groups ran from 2.00"s to over 3.00"s. Let's ignore these for a moment.. the H4350 groups ran about 1.25", the IMR4007 groups were right at 1.50" and the IMR4451 loads were right at 1.25". So, without putting too fine a point on it, it seems the rifle is capable of 1.25 to 1.50" after a dozen or so groups. This is a small sample,so I wouldn't read too much into it. Spreading the targets out on the floor and looking at them, another pattern seems to emerge. Several of the groups have two shot touching with one shot hanging out... usually high or low...but definitely vertical. I think that fiddling with the bedding of the forend will most likely fix that.

Both guns, the 7-08 and the '06 are off to the gunsmith for recoil pads, trigger jobs, weather proofing and bedding work. That's going to be another $150 per gun to get them to where they should have been when they left the factory. I anticipate will both shoot a bit better when i get them back. If not, it's back to the Number 1 Rodeo. I am getting too old for this.

I'll keep you posted.
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Number 1's are very fickle. Some shoot pretty well, and others are minute-of-five-gallon-bucket. Good looking gun, but there are waaaaaaayy too many other rifles that shoot great all the time to bother with a "project" gun.

meddybumps,

Quite often, in fact I would say more often than not, Hunter works much better with magnum primers. (So do Big Game and Magnum.)

Thanks for the tip/reminder on the magnum primers.

I loaded up 20 rounds and switched from standard to a magnum primer...... the groups shrunk by 2/3's! I have never seen that much of an improvement with a change of primers. Getting just around an inch or a tad less with the magnum primers. with 180 grain Nosler Partitions. 58.5 grs. of Hunter is showing 2774 fps on the Magnetospeed. Pretty much the same accuracy and velocity with Hunter as 57.5 grs. of H4350.

I am off to Newfoundland next week. I won't have much time to fiddle with loads between now and then, but the load with Hunter may make the trip. I will be bringing a 30-06 Tikka as a backup rifle. Will be interesting to see how that load shoots out it.

I got both the 7-08 and the 1S 30-06 back from the gunsmith. Both triggers now break at a nice crisp 3.5 lbs. The forends have been rebedded and recoil pads added. Both rifles are shooting better now. Nothing definitive yet as I am still wringing them out on the range, but I am liking these two rifles more and more.

Once bitten, twice shy.

Has anyone tried the Hicks #1 Accurizer?
I’m asking because I can not get my no1 338win mag to shoot a good group to save my life, it’s all over the place.
I had a Jard Trigger installed, I bought a 2.5 lb but after installing in measures at a consistent 1.5 lb.
I’ve tride 4 different bullets using Alliant 19. Nosler Partition 210gr, Nosler Accubond 225gr, & Hornady 225gr.
Would like to here some reviews before buying one.

Frankly, I would not waste my money on one.
And that opionion is based on shooting and tuning many No 1s and other similar single shots over the last 35 years.

The only thing the Hicks unit does is create a pressire point under the barrel. If your gun is shooting "all over the place" , then IMHO you have bigger problems than whether or not your barrel likes a pressure point.

Several things can cause such poor shooting-

1) Flinching. I owned a No 1S in .338 win mag 25 years ago. It was a BEAST to shoot from the bench. The short stiff No 1 buttstocks with their thru-bolts and brick like recoil pads absorb very little recoil. The kick like mules...Are you sure its not you?

2) Bad scope causing POI shifts. Change out the scope with a unit known ro be reliable on hard kicking guns.

3) Poor forend bedding. Make sure the three small bedding points on the forend hanger contact the stock properly and that the bedding point at the forend tip is solid with no side to side play. If there is- apply paste wax to the contact ateas on tge metalwork and afysr acori g and degreasing the stock bedding pounts- put a but of two part expoxy on them amd put the forend together as normal. BTW to make sure everything comes apart easily, do this in TWO parts. Do the forend hanger parts first only use a drip or two of expoxy on each contact point. Make sure any metal on the hanger or barrel that might have epoxy flow on to it gets paste waxed.

To late already ordered one. I talked to my gunsmith about installing it and he said he’s done them before with good results.
Well I don’t believe I’m flinching that bad. Personally I don’t think it kicks that bad. Now my 375 kicks like a mule of the bench. And with the 1.5 lb trigger theirs not a lot of time for error.
The scope is a Leupold vxi3i 3.5x10 so I wouldn’t think it would be the scope.
As far as the forearm bedding I have no idea. I’ve never done any stock work like that.
If I understand you correctly you want to have contact points on the barrel and forearm? Not free floated?

My RSI shot cloverleafs at 80 yards last yr.
Just a 4x on it, woods rifle.
I took it all apart after season, and proly put the forend screw a little too snug.
Shot this summer w new factory ammo.........dang near 2" group (80 yards).
Took out today, both types of ammo..........set forend screw to 15 in lbs..........and they hit the same, about 3/4" groups.
Forend screw was tighter before.

I'm leaving it as is, seems to work.

Front bag only, at 50 yards it was putting shots into one ragged hole. But 80........my target wasn't the best (dot too small). Crosshairs covered it, so might not have been ideal.
3/4" is good enough for me. Esp when both types of ammo hit the same.

Might be bigger diff at 150 or so.
Thick enough 75 yards about as far as I can go in the spot I'm hunting.

I've seen some bad #1's..............270 and .25-06 a buddy had. Nothing worked.
My old B in .243 was a half incher at 100 w handloads.
My dad's .22-250 did good with handloads.
My RSI surprised me w factory stuff.

If I buy any #1...........I assume it might need a new bbl. I purchased my RSI just to rebarrel it.
But the regs changed here, the factory chambering became legal for deer..........and it shoots decent.

So off to find somebody cussing a #1, to score it cheap and rebarrel to .35 rem

Heavyload,

I installed a Hicks in one of my No. 1's and had excellent results.

My 45-70 groups well. I bedded the hanger to the forearm.

Nice target. What range and sights with the 45-70? I have a (Lord help me) .458 that thinks it's a target rifle.