Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Ruger no.1 Need identification and value help!

A few hours ago I stumbeled upon a Ruger number 1 in 7mm Rem Mag that had a clean heavy 24inch barrel but was factory drilled for a target block. It's a pre warning made in the 70's. The guy wants $575. Does anyone have any info?

thanks,

bassetman

What is it you want to know? It is correct for that time frame of manufacture. If it is in good shape with nice wood, the price is good. Only problem is fitting a scope on the target blocks, unless you have an old Unertl, Fecker or Lyman(or a few others) laying around.
BTW, it should have a 130-prefix in the serial #; if it just has a straight 4 digit number(or less), I want to buy it!
Good Luck
El Numero Uno

Bassetman,

What you have is a typical #1-V in 7mm Mag. I have owned two of them and one in .300 Win. It should be equipped with bases that mount further back on the barrel near the receiver. These bases will take the standard Ruger rings. If the bases are missing, they are available from Brownell's or from Ruger. Or perhaps even Numrich Arms. Hope this helps....

Grasshopper

Thanks guys.....I was just wondering how rare it was, seeing a 7mm mag in a varmint rifle had me guessing.

If you want to have a better idea of when it was made:

http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/PS-SerialNumberHistory-RI.html#

Whoa, fellas,

Noone directly answered his question about how rare it is!

IIRC, there were very few made in that caliber. My recall from the Red Eagle Newsletter data, which I vainly am trying to find right now , is that less than a hundred were made. Even if I am off by a few hundred, $575 is a helluva deal -- if in good shape -- no matter the serial number.

Mine, a 200th year in "prisitne" shape cost a lot more although it does have some of that nice early #1 wood too. Actually, swapped one of those down-scale synthetic WBYs for it.

1B

It was made over a roughly 10 year period in the 1970's. It is certainly not rare; but on the other hand, it is not one of the common caliber/configurations. There were 1000's made; it is possible that in the 200th year marked version there may have been only a hundred made, as the No. 1V in 7mm RM is one of the scarcer 200th year No. 1's
ENU

I found my Red Eagle Newsletter reference materials but the precise stats on production of the #1V in 7mm RM only cover the early non pre-fix production. The book said only 40 non pre-fix Vs in that caliber were made up to 1969. A total of 8,427 non-prefix serials numbers were assigned to all the early #1s, which means the #1V in 7mm RM represented at best @ .005% of the product run at that time. (The publication by the way puts them in the "rare" category.)

I seriously doubt that "thousands" of 1Vs in 7mm RM were made after that. Consider the low demand for the caliber/model combination,the overall low production runs of #1s in general, and the fact that production of this model ended in the late 70s!

To get a sense of overall rough proportions I took a quick look at the span of serial numbers assigned to all new #1s in the decade from 1969 when the non pre-fixes ended and 1979. A little over 90,000 serial #s were assinged to #1s, with over two thirds assinged in the 1976-78 period. IF -- and this is just speculation -- the #1vs in 7mm RM were being made at a similar rate to the early production pattern, under two hundred of them would have been shipped.

With Ruger records being incomplete as they are, we will never know for sure and everyone's guess is as good as anyone else's. But I'd still bet on the low hundreds in all.

Regards,
1B

I think 1B has made some really good points with his analysis. When I wrote 1000's, I guess I really meant that to mean not 100's. I doubt there were over 2000 made, so my guess is between 1000 and 2000. But point is well taken in that there really is not a good way to know, as Ruger and Ruger records will not provide the answer. My guess comes from the number I have seen or heard of, relative to other rarer or more common No. 1's.
I have #131-004XX; I would think there are some with higher numbers. The lowest serial# is 69. To me, that is what makes collecting No. 1's fun- and we can shoot them too!
ENU

I just checked the # 1-V data base in the Ruger # 1 Group and there's only 5 listed by serial number, one 4 digit number, one 130 prefix number, two 131 prefix numbers, and one 132 prefix number. There are over 600 members in the Ruger # 1 Group and records have been kept on the # 1-V since 2003, to date only 5 have been reported in 7 MM RM, if "thousands" have been made where are they, you would think they would show up more often.

Now the important question, how many does it take to get into the "rare" category, less than ????.
S/S

S/S; Where is this data base?

Just click on this link www.groups.yahoo.com/group/RUGER-1
This is where all the # 1 guys hang out.
S/S

Thanks S/S
Good reference to have.

I'll try Single Shot's question on the "rare" category; here are a few examples of what I think are rare rifles. The 1B non-prefix in 7x57 and 280 probably had less than 100 made; The 1B in 7x57 and 6.5mm RM in the serial# range around 130-1xxxx probably had about 100 made; how many and how often do you see these? In the non-prefix rifles, there were some very,very low production of caliber/configuration models.
In 1970, when the standard catalogue configurations were listed, I believe Ruger was trying to establish a more efficient production system. The models and calibers that were the slowest moving were probably set up to make approximately 100 rifle runs. I have heard that at one time that is the least they will take on as Distributor exclusive. Seems reasonable to me. Noting all the different serial# blocks that the 1V 7mmRM is found in, it appears that "several" runs were made. In the 70's, I don't remember not being able to find one or more. They were not common, but they were not rare either!
Now, they haven't been made in about 25 years, so that makes them harder to find. They are out there; they just don't turnover very fast. Prices are $500-$800;start offering $2000 and see how many turn up!
Just my opinion based on 35 years of No. 1 collecting experience. But-that's what makes it interesting!
ENU

This thread all started off with bassetman asking if $575 was a good price for a 1V in 7mm RM? Most of replied that it was!
ENU

Thanks for the Info ENU,
It's nice to know what long time experienced # 1 collectors think. I'm sure it helps out the short time in-experienced # 1 collector like me. So I guess that most any of the # 1's that have less than 100 made are considered rare. Can you tell us where the number produced comes from. I've been told that Ruger will not release that kind of Info. I was never a believer in so called "made up" collectors items because there never seems to be any end to it, the ones I'm talking about are the commemoratives and the so called limited distributor specials.

It seems that this type of gun is only made so that some distributor can sell a 100 or 200 guns because they need some extra cash flow or what ever. To me these are not the true collectors Items, there nothing more than guns made up by some distributor just so they can sell more guns for that year. Some day I guess they may be worth while collector items but I don't think it will happen in my life time.

My take on the real collectors Items are more or less the factory cataloged # 1's that have been discontinued, like maybe the 6 MM PPC, or other # 1's that didn't sell very well and had to be discontinued because of poor sales or some other reason.

It sure would be handy if when buying a # 1 a collector could justify the price because both the buyer and seller knew that only 500 or so were made, but if Ruger does not release that Info, where does it come from ?.

I for one would like to buy a factory made 22 PPC and a 6 PPC, I haven't seen many for sale but I don't think that means much or that they are rare, there's lots of things I haven't seen, but again I don't think that means much. Can anyone help with how many were made of each for the two I'm looking for ?.
S/S

Single Shot
I think your point about "created rarity" is well made. That is the reason my interest was in the early rifles, before the standard cataloging. I decided I couldn't keep up trying to buy one of every new thing someone would come up with! The ones I did buy was because I wanted to own them to shoot. I recognize a difference between the Commeratives(Lyman was the first I can think of) and the Distributor exclusives. I haven't felt that commeratives were as "collectable", unless that is what you want to collect. It's a big field too.
As to the number of the 6.5mm RM, I remember the old Shotgun News ads by J & G Rifle Ranch, who I think had them made, that there were 92 or some such number! That fits with the minimum production run. The other caliber/configurations I guess at based on numbers I know of,how hard they are to find, serial # blocks and shipping dates. Back to the 6.5mm RM, they were just about all made in June of 1975, and generally serial#'s will fall between 130-08XXX to 130-13XXX, which shows the wide range of numbered receivers in the work-in-process.

Your example of the 2 PPC's, they are very rare! Just might have been only one run made. Find all the serial #s you can, get shipping dates and see if there appears to be separate number blocks and shipping dates. When these were made was a time that I was not paying close attention to new production, so I don't know.
Another good example of what you mention is the re-cataloging of the AB for a couple of years in the early 80's. My memory is that they were catalogued in the same calibers as the 1A; 243, 7x57, 270 and 30-06. I think there are quite a few more 30-06's than the other 3, which are fairly uncommon rifles. Then just to keep everyone confused a few 223's were made in the 1A and the 1AB. I don't know if it was a Distributor exclusive or Ruger just decided to do it. I do not believe this caliber was ever catalogued, but I don't remember specifically checking.
I have not counted the number of catalogued models and calibers that have been made since 1970, but it would be a high number, especially since the stainless/laminated models came out.
I will keep a look out for the PPC's, but The RENE may have already pegged these.
ENU

El Numero Uno,

I have a fairly modest collection of #-1s. And none of them I consider really collectable. Except perhaps a #1-B 200th year NIB, and 1-V in 6mm PPC.

My most favorite configuration is the 1-AB. I beg to differ with you on the calibers. According to Ruger literature I have and my J.D. Clayton book, they were built from 1980-1983 in .30-06, .270 Win, 7x57 and .223 Rem. Like you, I always thought they were in .243, as well, and just found out I was wrong. I have a .30-06 and a .270. And have only ever seen One in 7x57. I also have one of the new Lipsey Spec Ed. in .25-06.

I saw one of the early one's (AB) in .222 at a gun show last week-end. The guy want $2000 for it. He also had a 1-H in .404 Jeffery, $2000 also. I guess you know I didn't buy any #1s from him.

Grasshopper

Grasshopper,
You are correct; thanks for setting me straight! The Clayton Book copies of the catalogues was all I could check quickly, but the 243 is NOT catalogued as a AB, the 223 IS, but not as a 1A.
As noted earlier, I would think your 1V 6mmPPC is a pretty scarce rifle!
I have not seen many of the 7x57 AB's either, but I do have one for sale now with as nice of wood as is generally seen for this period. Also have one of the Lipsey's 25-06 AH with the 24" lightweight barrel. I really like this rifle; I plan on it being my main No. 1 hunting rifle for a long time. I do have several "extras" if someone is looking for one.
Now, I'm going to stay off-line awhile, do some reading and studying, and maybe I can quit making these mental goofs!
ENU

Thanks everyone for your input. I went back to the gun shop today to look at it, and it does have a 130 prefix. It has some very minor dings in the stock but the blueing and bore is excellent. 7mm mag isn't one of my favorite calibers but I do like rare rifles. I just can't decide.