Ruger no.1?

2muchgun

2muchgun

New member
Thinking about buying a ruger no.1 in 243. Have read a lot of good and bad about these guns. Can anyone tell me their experiences with these rifles? I'm thinking maybe some of the problems of the past have been ironed out but not sure. appreciate the help!
 
The ruger # 1 is a great hunting rifle but it will not win many matches. If you have one that will shoot under a inch you had better keep it. I have own over a dozen # 1's since the 70's and only had one that would shoot really well out of the box, a 6mm Rem. The rest i had to float the forarm and relieve the forarm from touching the reciever and barrel to get them to shoot a inch or better. I also glass bedded the forarm lug after floating. Rifles with two piece stocks are very hard to get to shoot small groups. The Number one is a good rifle for big game hunting.
 
Bill Ruger designed the #1 way back in the 60's, so with 30 or so continuous years of life most problems with the #1 were ironed out long long ago.

They are deffinately not the platform to us if you are trying to make a target rifle. But if you have your feet planted firmly on this earth, when it comes to accuracy expectations, most #1's are able to efficiently kill coyotes all day long. I had to include the word "most" in the last statement because some rifles will not shoot no matter what you do. I suspect barrel quality in these instances.
 
I went ahead and ordered the rifle. hope it shoots! will keep you guys posted. does anyone know if anything has been done to change the forearm hanger? It seems some changes have been made to make newer ones shoot better, but in the million gun magazines I have, can't find anything. Obviously, Ruger knows the shortcomings of the rifle by now and what people have done to make them shoot.
 
2: I'm a Rugaholic! I have seen somewhere on the net a complete system for getting the #1's to shoot accurately. I am gonna save the buck and own one someday, they are just TOO COOL for school in looks. Really like the Tropical.
 
They haven't changed a thing, except for the trigger. Fairly early on Ruger removed the sear engagement adjustment. The Moyer replacement trigger has the adjusting screw in place, this makes for a slightly better trigger.

The hanger is unchanged from the origional. My first #1 shot real well with the forarm unchanged ..... well that was until I removed the forarm, I could not get the rifle to shoot the same again, so I free floated the barrel and bedded the forarm. I haven't shot the rifle much since but the shooting I have done showed a positive improvement.

I have heard that the 204 has a barrel made by a different manufacturer and it really performs well on the #1. Other than Ruger finding a different barrel maker nothing has changed in the #1 lineup.

I sure like my #1 and #3, they do everything I have ever asked them to do. About the only problem with these actions are the beautifully flat side plates. I am not into flash and glitter, buuuuuut the #1 absolutely screams for engraving, say a nice tasteful bobcat on one side and a coyote (not a snarling mess like the PM logo coyote) on the other.
 
someone invented a bolt on extension of the forarm hanger that would eliminate stress on the barrel. just read it recently and will have to go through my firearm magazines to get more info.
 
2muchgun: later in this thread I noted you had decided to get the Ruger No1. Good. This rifle is unique enough that it will either be in your possession a long time or sold shortly. I believe it will be the former.

I have a dozen or so No1s and have called extensively while using them. Last year I shot my 1,000th coyote (four decades of calling) and most were shot with the No1. All of mine shoot under MOA, some much better but they all needed a little tweaking just like the bolt action rifles I own.

My opinion is that floating the barrel is helpful as well as bedding the forearm to the hanger. This needs to be done carefully. Too, be sure the quarter rib has clearance from the receiver; some early and Series 130s had an interferance fit that causes verticle stringing. The Hicks Accurizer is another interesting item and I've used it one problematic rifle. It allows you to adjust the pressure between the hanger and the barrel. A good gunsmith can make the trigger much lighter and some aftermarket items can decrease the lock time. But, in general, the No1 requires very little work to make them shoot well.

Over the years I have worked on numerous No1s other than my own and all have delivered exceptionally good accuracy. Even my 458 Lott will shoot under MOA, but, I limit that excercise to three rounds!

Using the search engine on this and other forums you will find lots of information about accurizing the No1. Have fun and enjoy that special rifle. Be sure and let us know your opinion of it.
 
2muchgun: later in this thread I noted you had decided to get the Ruger No1. Good. This rifle is unique enough that it will either be in your possession a long time or sold shortly. I believe it will be the former.

I have a dozen or so No1s and have called extensively while using them. Last year I shot my 1,000th coyote (four decades of calling) and most were shot with the No1. All of mine shoot under MOA, some much better but they all needed a little tweaking just like the bolt action rifles I own.

My opinion is that floating the barrel is helpful as well as bedding the forearm to the hanger. This needs to be done carefully. Too, be sure the quarter rib has clearance from the receiver; some early and Series 130s had an interferance fit that causes verticle stringing. The Hicks Accurizer is another interesting item and I've used it one problematic rifle. It allows you to adjust the pressure between the hanger and the barrel. A good gunsmith can make the trigger much lighter and some aftermarket items can decrease the lock time. But, in general, the No1 requires very little work to make them shoot well.

Over the years I have worked on numerous No1s other than my own and all have delivered exceptionally good accuracy. Even my 458 Lott will shoot under MOA, but, I limit that excercise to three rounds!

Using the search engine on this and other forums you will find lots of information about accurizing the No1. Have fun and enjoy that special rifle. Be sure and let us know your opinion of it.
 
Thanks MJM. GUNUT-appreciate your input, I know exactly what you are talking about, a Hicks accurizer or similar device may be needed. Hope not! But who am I kidding, half the reason I bought this gun was the challenge of possibly having to tinker with it. Sick, huh?
 
Handloader, thanks for the reply. This is the exact kind of info I was looking for, experience not opinion! As I stated earlier, we must have been posting at the same time, I know full well what I could possibly be getting myself into but I am a rifle nut.
 
I had the #1V, heavy barrel in 25/06. Was not happy at all. If I spend that much $ on a rifle, I want it to shoot well out of the box. I couldn't do any better than 1.5" @ 100yds. Tried various loads, to no avail. I wasn't willing to dump money into it, Owned it two weeks, sold it. There are companies that specialize in accuraizing the #1, #3 rifles, Earl arthur Brown comes to mind, They will turn a #1 into a serious target rifle. But then you've got double your $ in it.
 
One nice way to dress up the No. 1 without spending the incredible $$ required for nice engraving is to have the sides of the receiver color-case hardened. Sent mine off to Doug Turnbull and he did the receiver, trigger guard and lever, and the quarter rib. If I ever figure out how to post a picture on here will show y'all how nice it came out.
 
how much $ was that? Not a bad idea. I also thought about putting a Talley quarter rib on it so the scope will be better supported.
 
I believe it was right around $200 but that was a few years ago. It was well worth it, I think. The quarter rib sure looks good on the No.1 as well.
 
would love to see a picture! if i don,t end up having to shell too much loot into this thing i will give serious consideration to doing this. turnbull is supposed to be the best.
 
You might also think of other issues besides those already expressed. I've owned a single shot (Browning) for over 30 years, it's a beauty and I doubt I'll ever sell it. But-- being the shooter of a Single Shot places other restrictions on you, and I suspect this is true with rifles or pistols. Since you mentioned 243 I suspect that varmits and deer will likely be the target most often shot at. If so you will need to become a patient shooter. The first shot may be all you get because the action limits the speed of your reload and the working of the action requires more space much like a lever action. Getting closer to your target and working on becoming a better shot so that you can place your bullet dead on target is very important.
 
TimZ--got both e-mails but no pics with either! Wish I could help but still trying to figure out how to post pics myself. thanks for the effort!
 
Back
Top