Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Red pad #1

Are red pad Ruger #1s worth more than black pads, all else being equal.

LOL, digging around, found a Ruger red pad, unfitted.
C-669 Goodyear CPN#11

Put a #1 buttstock on a #3 and got a used pad from a 77, it fit close enough I never used the new one.

If shopping for one, I'd rather have a black pad, since my understanding is those rifles will have Ruger rather than Wilson barrels.

Ive had 4 redpads.
My first was a 1B in 243, think 78 model. It would cloverleaf at 100 w handloads. Next was a RSI, 85 model. It just wore a 4x and i went to zero it at 75 for deer. ALSO .243. Shot 4 times and couldnt see hits. Got POd and walked down, yup cloverleaf in black dot.

My .280 was from 67 ( 4 digit ) and i shot federal.premium to zero for deer season. It was just over an inch at 100.

My beat to chit .22 250 was my dads, B model. I havent bore soaked it. Trigger sucks. Tried some old wooden print Norma 55 gr and its .75 at 100 for 5 shots.

Ive been lucky I guess.

Have had buds w redpads in middle.bores that would shoot OK with a fair amount of load work. And they had some that never shot well. Seems back then......anyway.......the big stuff ot varminy stuff was safe.

The reg deer calibers were a roll of the dice.

Note: my dad said his #1 bought used, was rebarreled by Ruger when it was purchased new and shot like crap. Prev owner told him.

My small collection of Ruger #1s are all red pad guns with one exception, a #1S in .300 Win. Mag. My first #1 was a red pad #1B in 30-06. Scattered shot all over the place.. I still have it. Most of my #1s give decent hunting groups which is all I expect from them A couple don't group all that well but are usable. Funny thinh but the best shooters in my #1s are the four in .300 Win. Mag. Just worked out that way in trades. The first was a #1B in .300 Win. Mag. I'd ordered a #1S in .300 and they sent the "B" model. My LGS called the distributer and complained and was told take it or send it back, that's all there is. Well I took it And as I was planning an elk hunt worker up a load using the 200 gr. Nosler Partition of the day which was more a round nose than a spitzer. Man, did that bullet shoot groups ran from .375" to .50". I think Nosler should bring that bullet back. Later I worked up a load for the 200 gr. Speer Hot Core spitzer and it works quite well in that Ruger. I finally came across a Ruger 1S model at a gun show and grabbed it. I tried the 200 gr. Speer load and it was just as accurate as in the first rifle. I later picked up number three just because it had pretty nice wood and it too was very accurate with the Speer load. Number four was picked up fairly cheap as the guy said he couldn't get it to give tight groups with 180 gr. bullets. It had decent looking wood so we dickered for a while and I got it for $400 out the door. I told him I'm gambling that I can make it shoot. Tried the Speer load in that one and a half inch three shot group first time at the bench. What was funny is the guy I bought it from was at the range that day when I was trying the rifle out. When he saw the targets he asked me what did I do to the rifle to get it to shoot that well? I told him I just tried a load that works that well in five different .300 Win. Mag. Rifles. he now four #1s and a Winchester M70 with a McMillan stock that I use as a bad weather gun. Ruger does a lousy job of sealing inside wood. In fact, I don't see any sign of proper sealing in any of my Ruger rifles including the #1s, and M77s I have. Get caught out in a heavy rain shower and that stock will soak up water like a sponge. That's about the only thing I dislike about Ruger rifles. They're fair weather guns when they're stocked in wood, sad to say.
PJ

that`s not always true about all Ruger #1`s i have some laminated stock ,S.S. that the wood is sealed and have been in down pours too. my #1 is used in some very harsh weather and has never failed me nor missed a long range shot at an animal. from 20 below to 80 above rain , snow or shine believe me my #1 is the rifle i would always trust over any other action made.

I Renaissance wax my forend

the 1st no 1's were wearing red pads, then again I think in the 90's, the first were know to be shooters, then the changing of barrels accuracy took a hit, then later change again and it was better

Early on the No. 1 was Bill's baby and the barrel quality control was held at a high standard. Ruger was buying barrels from Douglas and Wilson. As time moved on the quality control wasn't what it was in the beginning. Both barrel makers had their problems, and Ruger didn't do much about it. Once Ruger started making their own barrels (mid 80s as I remember) the problems started going away.

They started to get their barrel problems under control about the time the lawyers started to screw up the action.

This is the original action of the No. 1, very few were made. Very adjustable but not easy.


This is what replaced it, much easier to adjust.


But after the lawyers got a hold of it, this piece of crap is the trigger of today.

+100 on the crap that is the No. 1 trigger today.

JARD mostly fixes it tho.

RAS

The consensus amongst the serious Ruger No.1 and M77 collectors is that the Douglas barrel contract from 1967 to 1973 were high quality and very accurate. When Douglas couldn't keep up with demand, the contract was awarded to Wilson. That contract was where SOME barrels had questionable QC, and the contract lasted up to 1990, upon which time Ruger started to make their own hammer forged barrels of good quality.

Having owned or shot 20 or so #1s, I'll say for a user rifle, the most desirable is a black pad with nice wood, in whatever cartridge you fancy, as it will have a hammer forged barrel The black pad rifles almost always shoot well, with little fuss. That said, the earlier ones can be a mixed bag.

There have been a few limited models with red pads. If in doubt, check the serial number at Ruger's website for date of Manufacture.

The very early rifles were usually excellent - unless you buy one with a burned out barrel (raising hand). Sometime in the mid-70's accuracy standards dropped, and you would find barrels that were quite rough inside. These can IME be improved greatly with firelapping. All that said, I've never seen a #1B that I would call inaccurate, though I am sure some existed. I think most of the real turkeys from the late 70's or 80's have been rebarreled by now.

If you can fine this book, it's a source of information on the No.1

If you can fine this book, it's a source of information on the No.1
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Yep! I received my copy from Lee Newton.