Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Ruger #1

A choice... get one in 30-30 or 45-70. Why?

Trick question.

Get both! Why is because!

Actually I would get the .30-30 just because I don't need the power of a .45-70.
Currently have a .275 Rigby and a .35 Whelen No. 1's

I’d get the .30-30. I had a 45/70 and used some ‘Ruger only’ loads in it and couldn’t stand that much fun. I’d also consider rechambering the .30-30 for .30-40 krag, just for S&G.

Old70

You hunting deer or buffalo?

I have the 45.70 and love it. Easily one of the best shooting rifles I have. Loves the Hornady Lever Revolution stuff.

I, too, have a 45-70 and am a fan. A 30-30 would be fun but not as much as a Krag … at least for me!

A short history. I had both! This was before I said I’d never sell any of my guns. It’s hard not to like both and obviously they have there pros and cons. Awfully tempting that 30-30 is.

why don`t you buy the 45-70 and let me buy the 30-30 ?

Personally I too would opt for the .30-30- much more economical and hell for versatile (especially if you also shoot home made ammo, especially cast bullets). Unless of course buffalo is on the menu like Dan said.

Ive never held a 30-30 one so I don't know how they balance but a 45/70 1S balances wonderfully, but so does my 1A in 30-06. Of the two id prob go for the 30-30 on since they aren't as easy to come by as the 45/70's

Deer, elk, & Black Bear. The 30-30 will handle that.

You can buy the 30-30 or the 45-70, just ship it to me within a week of purchase

Leaning to the 30-30.

.30-30 for sure.

Flatter trajectory with much lower recoil. If you load a .45-70 to same same velocities it freakin' kicks and you’d still not get the same trajectory.

Tons of bullets available, both flat/round nose made for .30-30 or any .30 caliber spitzer within reason.

Cheaper to shoot both for components or if not handloading it’s always among the cheapest factory ammo and available darn near everywhere.

Before animals got so tough the .30-30 was considered entirely adequate for darn near everything in the Western Hemisphere except maybe griz and some of them still got kilt with it. And that was with bullet designs we'd consider marginally effective.

Finally, a .30-30 single shot is just cool.

Agreed Jim. The 30-30 would do just fine. The 45-70 would be nice to have back but I’d probably rebarrel it if I got one again.

Have a couple of .30-30s and a .45-70. The 30s are more versatile in many ways and since I've moved in down the road from #1 guns, they are lighter and more handy in the woods...jacketed or cast makes no difference to my shoulder or the critters. They are good reliable guns. The .45-70 is on a Highwall action and weighs around 10# with a tang sight...saving the scope for gophers out west at long range. Shoots a 530 grain wad of lead with a duplex load of SR4759 and Swiss 1.5 close to MOA at 100 yds. One of my friends named it Thumper. I guess I could bark squirrels with it and mebbe head shoot turkeys.

I had a # 3 in 45-70. It was brutal with the Ruger only loads. Killed lots of hogs with it at the Ranch.

A 30-30 would be much more versatile IMO

A 30-40 Kraig would be the cat’s meow !

I really like #1s, but as of now I only own one of them. I have owned others in the past. I just love how the handle and look.
I re-barreled a few too, and one job I did that was a bit unique was to make a 7.62X54Russian. I used a Green Mountain blank and made the barrel, fit the extractor and installed a set of express sights before I re-mounted the rib for the scope rings. With Russian surplus ammo I could get about 2MOA from it, but with a good handload shooting a load of 4064 and a 180 grain Sierra that rifle would go about 3/4" at 100 yards. The Russian shell, loaded up in the #1 action is the full equal of the 30-06 but has a case that is superb in a Single Shot rifle or a Double.

The one I have now is extremely accurate and I have done nothing but a trigger job to it. It's a 9.3X74R and has become one of my very favorite hunting rifles.

I agree with chilnstructor, a 30-40 Krag would be very cool or for that matter a 303 Brit.

The 30-30 is also a very neat one to have, but for elk I would like to fire 180 to 220 grain bullets and do it a bit faster then I can get with a 30-30. Not that I would not hunt elk with a 30-30, but I want to be fairly close if I shot. I did that 2 times in the past, but never got a shot at an elk when I was hunting with my 30-30. if deer were what I was going to hunt with it I would prefer the 30-30 over the 45-70.

If I were offered a #1 in 30-30 or one in 45-70 and I could only choose one I might just go with the 30-30, but in the back of my mind I feel I might wish I'd taken the 45-70.


That's one of those questions that will "make your teeth itch".
Very unpleasant

3030 and never look back. it will get shot a bunch more as well.

.30/30 for me for certain, but I don't live in Idaho. Certainly it would handle anything to be found hereabouts easily, cheaply, and quietly. Since I already have a .308 and an '06, I'm good.

Hmmm... I chose 45-70:


Did I make a mistake?

I dunno why they just don't do a 1A w 22" bbl in .35 rem.