Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Ruger #3 stock

I recently was able to trade for a Ruger #3 in 30/40 Krag. One complaint the stock don't fit me at all and I'm not crazy about the barrel band. I really like the #3 and have been looking for one for years. My question,Will the stock off a No.1-A fit?
Does anybody here have a #3 with a stock other than original they could show pictures of? Thank you

Patrick,

The buttstock from a #1 will indeed fit. I have #1 wood on all of my #3's. The fore-stock from a 1-S or 1-B will fit, also. The #3 barrel is the same contour as the 1-B, 1-S.

The problem with fitting a #1 buttstock, is that the shape of the lever leaves very little room for one's fingers...

I have had two of mine rebent, but am not entirely satisfied with the result of either.

I also purchased a #3 once that had a piece of wood fitted to the comb, making it taller. It had a #1 pad fitted to it. And also, had the barrel band removed and had a fore-end cap with contrasting wood fitted in place of the band. An imporvement, for sure, but I really did not care for it. My favorite #3 has a custom fore-end with a schnabel on it. This one was a .22 Hornet... But I had it rebored to a .356 Winchester . Turned it into a right handy little sporter... And rather unique, too!

GH

I just love the #3 in .30-40. Probably the nicest longgun Ruger ever made.

Grasshopper
I just had mine bobbed like a borchardt! Easy to operate and eye appealing.

Anyone that thinks highly of a Ruger #3 is either very weird, or has a warped sense of reality! I would seriously doubt if the erstwhile Swampy has ever fired one. They are very uncomfortable, ungainly, and almost crude!

That said, However, they were made in some calibers NOT available in #1's. (Which is the ONLY reason I ever bought them.) I think I currently own six: A .30-40 Krag, a Custom Schuetzen in .32-40, a .356 Win, a .375 Win, a Custom, .338/06 Ack. Imp, and a .45-70 w/ bbl removed. Caliber yet to be determined. I had previous owned others in .22 Hornet, .223 Rem, and .375 Win.

I used to look for them as a basis to build customs because they were considerable cheaper that #1's. But now no longer so. AAMOF, building customs on #1's or #3's is turning into a right expensive proposition! So much so, that after I complete the ones I have in the works, I'm not sure I'll ever do another!

I wonder how many Swampy has ever owned?

GH

The only one I've never owned is the elusive .44 Mag. And I don't recall that I've ever even handled one! I've never seen only one or two advertised in the GUN LIST...

CTW,

Not familar with the Borchardt! I'd like to see how that was done!

My .45-70 action has had the lever cut off and welded back on somewhat reminiscent of a Dakota 10...

GH

When I lived in NH, I knew a guy who worked for Ruger who had a #3 in 444 Marlin, a rechambered 44 Rem Mag. I recall him telling me that it kicked like a SOB with his maximum 300 grain handloads. I think that he had the work done by the little gun shop that handled all of Ruger's Pine Tree Castings transfers, Rody's in Guild/Newport, NH.

JEff

Pictures Dudes! This could be a great topic!

I'll stand with you on this statement!

I believe this is the Borchadt GH is speaking of.

I did bob my custom #3 lever a la' Borchardt, but I only have the "before" picture and not the "after". Anyway, it looks a lot better and it works fine, especially if you lighten the spring in the plunger that holds the lever in position.

I'm in agreement with you, there were several I planned to do, but Ruger kept putting them out in the chamberings I was considering. The customs didn't make sense for me. I don't know as I will do one unless things change drastically. IMO Ruger has put out some nice chamberings of the #1 in the past year or so.

I'm not crazy about the barrel band.

I removed the barrel band on my #3 in 223. I removed wood from the tip and rounded it off to look like it never had a barrel band. I then removed enough wood from the front of the barrel channel to allow for some bedding material to bring it back to a near perfect fit.
I also relieved the wood from contact with the action and put a semi hard shim between the barrel and the carrier.
This gun now shoots some stuff into a quarter inch when I am up to it.
But, yes the #3 is not a comfortable to handle and shoot as the #1.
jmho
Tim

Patrick,
Here's a couple pics showing unmodified #3 levers with #1 buttstocks. The second one is an inexpensive Reinhart-[bleep] semi-inletted stock that I bought about 15 years ago. I've not had any problems with grasping the rear part of the lever with my fingers rather than trying to get my fingers between the lever and the stock.


This pic shows a #3 with a #1b forend. The barrel is original 22" even though it looks shorter due to the long forend. The front sight had been removed and it had been rechambered to .22 K-Hornet. The long forend was great for PD shooting off a bench.

Dave