Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots No1 .243

Gents ,
I'm getting a No1 in .243 later this month . The rifle has been shot very little . A friend passed away . I don't know much about it other than the fact he bought it new . I do know it has a Red Ruger pad and scope rings but that's about It .
My intended use is Coyotes, fox and groundhogs . I just bought some 55 grain Noslers Varmageddon pills . I know little about the .243 Winchester other than it's used for both Pedators and deer . I'm told it has a 1/10 twist so I'm guessing for deer I could go as heavy as 85/90 grains ? I don't know which powder the .243 likes etc . So any information anyone can pass on will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration .

Happy 245th Birthday to all my Marine Brothers .
And a Happy Veterans Day to All the Veterans .
Semper Fi
Soup



.

My old B cloverleafed w 75gr Speer or Hornady and 4895.

Bought used, throat eventually eroded.

I wouldn't run lighter than 70 gr in any .243.
Three 700s, a 600 and a Model 7 all liked 70gr Nosler BT on max charge of 4350.

My RSI liked the WW factory 100 and 95 gr stuff. Only shot one deer, w the 100gr and was not impressed. Got the Deer Season XP to try and nothing big enough to poke.
Been running a 35 rem since................why the hell Ruger never made one?

Think an A or RSI in that would be freakin' awesome.

Hookeye ,
Thank you for your reply .
I'm beginning to think this is a bad caliber in a No1. No one seems to offer any information .
Soup

IMHO a #1B in .243 is THE groundhog rifle to have.
Wouldnt mind an A for a light deer rifle.
But still think an A or RSI in a mild mannered thumper, like 35 rem.....to be the ideal timber whitetail rig..

I miss my old .243 B.
Smoked a lot of chucks. Shot great. Was one of my few rifle joys.

Might have to roll the dice on one, or have one built.
If my 280 doesn't shoot, proly rebarrel to .243.

Hookeye ,

I'm not knowledgeable of the different No1 models . How will I know if it's a 1B or a 1A or what ?
Thank you
Soup

Don’t lean too hard on it and the throat will last longer. Enjoy your friend’s rifle.

As much as it pains me to say it, I agree with Pappy.😉😁

Wise men frequently do😜.

Also wise guys.

I have taken a truck load of deer both mule deer and white tails along with antelope with a 243 and 100gr Nosler partitions. I have 7 Ruger #1's in calibers from 250 Savage to 450-400 NE. My varmint weight rifles will shoot 75gr ballistic tips into the same hole every time. In the two 243's I currently have both like 4350.
If you don't enjoy the rifle and caliber let me know cuz I's enjoy the heck out of it.
I have loaded my varmint rifle with 55gr bullets to a tad over 4000 FPS but they were very wind sensitive and quickly went back to the 75gr V-Max. You might find it a little hard on pelts if your intending to save them.

Hookeye I just got a 1A in 35 Rem. I'm getting her broke in using Hornady Super Performance ammo and have saved out enough for deer season which starts Sunday so I won't be developing a handload for it this season. I'm hoping to do a free range Bison hunt next year and I'll definitely take this and another #1 in either 405 Winchester or 450/400.

+1 on the 4350 and a 75 grain slug. I used Sierras HP and they were easy to get to shoot. A Ruger in 243 is a nice combination. The old red Pad guns usually have nice wood too.

Fellows ,

I need a scope for this No1 and I'm looking at a Leupold 3X i 4.5X14X40 CDS Side Focus ZL Duplex reticle 30mm tube . It's also available with a 50mm objective lens but i was thinking I'd have to go to pretty high rings with that big of a lens .
Anyone use this scope , what's the pros / cons ?

Thank you in advance for your time and help .
Happy Thanksgiving to all , have a safe and successful hunt .

Soup

I'd stick to the 3.5X10X40 it will work fine with the Ruger rings.

It's easy to tell them apart. The #1A is the light sporter with 22" barrel and the Alex Henry forearm. It's the one with the kind of funny look on the tip of the forearm. My favorite style BTW. The #1B has the full forearm and 26" Barrel. There is also the somewhat scarce #1AB which looks like the #1B but with 22" barrel. Then there is the #1S with 24" barrel and the Alex henry forearm, my favorite version of all the #1s. Standard cartridges have IIRC 24" barrels and magnums 26" barrels. The #1 RSI has the full Mannlicher style stock and 20" Barrel. The #1V looks like a #1B but with a 24" heavy barrel.

The odds are the .243 you are interested in is most likely an "A" or "B" with the off chance of it being a "V". My .243 #1 is the "A" model and it's shoots decently with the 100 gr. Hornady SP. I would use that load for deer or coyotes plus any other varmints I find as targets of opportunity. Bear in mind those rifles can be very finicky not only in what they're fed but in the way they're held on the bench. If you decide to get it, try different loads to see what it likes or shows a tendency toward what it likes. There are many tricks toward making them shoot better but first off, see how it shoots as is. It might surprise you.
Paul B.

Scope selection is a very subjective thing. What one hates, the other loves. Someone already mentioned this, but the rifle is likely a #1A, #1B or #1V. In my opinion, the scope you mentioned would throw off the balance of a #1A. That rifle is very short. It has a 22" barrel, but basically no action length. Me, I would carry a rifle like that in-hand or over the shoulder for deer, so would want a shorter and lighter scope (which would look better too). If you're going to sit and pop varmints, who cares about weight and balance I suppose.

If the rifle is a #1B or #1V, the scope you mentioned would be more fitting. Those rifles have 26" and 24" barrels respectively, but are still no longer than the standard 22" barreled bolt action rifle. That combo would be a 9 to 9 1/2lb set-up if not a tad more, but not a bad thing when laid over a daypack and popping groundhogs way out there.

Condolences to you for your friend.

I had a 4-16x50 on a .243 B. It worked well on everything, especially coyotes. It weighed about 9 1/2 pounds with the scope. I think I used high rings too but it was a while back.

I started using it just for deer and dropped the scope down to a fixed power 6x.

That’s what I finally settled on for my 1V. Plenty of tube length for the somewhat difficult No.1, and good ER. A good magnification range too. Despite the current trend of complaining about Leupys, that one worked perfectly while I had it. Probably should have kept it, but it was an extra, and the money came in handy at the time.

Guys,

Well I finally got the rifle.
From what PJGunner explained or should I say educated me as to the different models it’s a 1A . 22” barrel with 1” scope rings . It has a Ruger red recoil pad . Bad news is the first 3 digits of the serial number are
131 , so if what I’ve been reading on here and other sites is correct it has a poorly manufactured and farmed out barrel .
In spite of that and since I just bought 250 , 55 grain and 70 grain Nosler Varnagdedon heads , I’m going to load up and shoot .
Who knows .

PA boys good luck tomorrow. I’ll be in a tree stand in Lycoming County .
Be safe , have a good time .

Soup

Soup, your rifle is probably late 1977 to sometime in 1978. Mine is a 132 series which also has the Wilson barrels. Before you get too discouraged shoot the rifle and see what it does. Mine does not like the lighter weight bullets but does quite well with the 100 gr. Hornady SP. No use giving you the load as the powder used was discontinued about 11 years ago.

All my Ruger #1s except one are red pad guns which mean odds are they have the Wilson barrels. The black pad gun is a #1S in .300 Win. Mag. The black pad guns are reputed to have Ruger made barrels.

Try your loads with the light weight bullets. They might surprise you. If they don't work out go heavier. Years back before I ever got a #1, my coyote rifle was a Kodiak Mauser in .243. I kind of dual purposed that rifle using the 100 gr. Hornady for deer and coyote. Surprised me when it didn't mangle up the pelts real bad. Back in 77,78 and 79 pelts were bringing some very decent money.

One more thing, about those Wilson barrels. It doesn't take too much badmouthing about a problem like those barrels were all bad. Truth is, they're not all bad. Some shoot great right out of the box. Some need tinkering and frankly a few need to go back to Ruger to get squared away. Let's look at it this way, I have a few #1s and all but two shoot just fine. The two that don't I'll be tearing into to figure out what needs to be done. First will be some loads with 200 and 220 gr. bullets. Both rifle are 30-06 and have long throats. That might be an easy fix, if I'm luck. After that, who knows?

If you have problems, feel free to PM me with questions. I won't make any promises I'll have a solution but I'll try.
Paul B.

Guys,
I’m not sure about the scope selection yet .
I like the VX3i 4.5x14 x40 with the Side Focus CDS ZL , but it only comes in a 30mm tube . There’s already 1” rings on the rifle , may as well use them . So my second thought was to go with a VX3i. 3.5x10 x 1” but I can’t seem to fine one with side focus , cds, zl .
What’s your thoughts gents ?
Also I put the serial number of my 1A in a Ruger search and it said that it can’t give any information as the number is incorrect ??
Thank you u,
Soup