Allure of the Ruger No1

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

@Kevin Peacocke I wish I could put No. 1's together for a living. It would be nice to ensure that they are right coming from the factory. Big bores with sights aligned straight and regulated for the common loads instead of flip up sights and some random height front sight. I think a true custom shop could do a great job of this.
Sadly, I likely don't have the background to acquire this position. They'd likely not enjoy my telling them what could be done better.

@Forrest Halley
Young mister Halley my gunsmith thinks despite the simplicity of the the No1 they are the biggest bastard of an action to reassemble once you have stripped them, but he has become quite adept at the job.
Maybe you could get a job in the trigger section.
Bob

 

[Forrest Halley]

@Forrest Halley
Young mister Halley my gunsmith thinks despite the simplicity of the the No1 they are the biggest bastard of an action to reassemble once you have stripped them, but he has become quite adept at the job.
Maybe you could get a job in the trigger section.
Bob

Bob,
They'd have to pay me marvelously to relocate and to give up my present profession.
I think the action is just fine. The BL-22 is another story. When the guy in both the German and English disassembly videos swear, you know you have something on your hands.
All the Best,
Forrest

 

[CAustin]

Three custom No. 1s, I built two of them:

View attachment 357205
[/QUOTE

Beautiful rifles sir! Who did the stocks!?

 

[Art Lambart II]

@Art Lambart II
It's a wonder you don't complete the show with a No1 in 35 Whelen mate.
Bob

Bob, One day I'll get a #1 in 35 Whelen but my T/C Encore with its custom Bullberry barrel shoots so well I have a hard time justifying the need for another 35 Whelen and If I do my job right I have never needed a second round.

 

[Petey J]

This may be slightly off the original intent of this thread, but I figured it was a great place to ask.

I have a 1978 (based on serial number) No. 1 in .30-06 with a 25" barrel. It's beautiful. I bought it used when I first started planning to go on a safari. But it needs a few...upgrades to be ready.

Currently, it has a 13.5" LOP. I need 14.5. So I'm going to add a 1.5" recoil pad. Not because I need the pad, but the length. Looking at the Limbsaver Nitro grind to fit.

Mine also has factory rings. I was planning to put on a Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10x40 or Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x40 with lighted reticle. However, the Freedom is a 30mm tube. So the questions on scope: who makes a QD ring that fits the No. 1? Also, in measuring the action, do I need to be looking for a long eye relief scope? Or a rail to move the rings back.

 

[tarbe]

Check out Alaskan Arms for a QD.

Alaska Arms LLC: Precision Steel Custom Scope Rings and Quick Detachable Levers

Elevate your optics game with Alaska Arms LLC's precision-engineered steel scope rings and quick-detachable levers. Crafted with the highest quality materials, our custom scope rings undergo precision CNC machining for unparalleled durability and performance. Explore our collection for a...

alaskaarmsllc.com

Longer the eye relief, the better, on a No 1. You need all you can get. Or use an offset rear (I never could get myself to try one).

 

[rookhawk]

This may be slightly off the original intent of this thread, but I figured it was a great place to ask.

I have a 1978 (based on serial number) No. 1 in .30-06 with a 25" barrel. It's beautiful. I bought it used when I first started planning to go on a safari. But it needs a few...upgrades to be ready.

Currently, it has a 13.5" LOP. I need 14.5. So I'm going to add a 1.5" recoil pad. Not because I need the pad, but the length. Looking at the Limbsaver Nitro grind to fit.

Mine also has factory rings. I was planning to put on a Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10x40 or Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x40 with lighted reticle. However, the Freedom is a 30mm tube. So the questions on scope: who makes a QD ring that fits the No. 1? Also, in measuring the action, do I need to be looking for a long eye relief scope? Or a rail to move the rings back.

The stock was probably chopped for no other reason than to get scope eye relief to work, the fatal flaw of the #1.

buy offset rings. Have several scope choices ON HAND. Try them as far back as they will go in the rings. Then start adding shims to figure out how much stock length you can add. Then buy and install a recoil pad precisely that length. It might be 5/8”, it might be 1-1/8”.

 

[rookhawk]

The stock was probably chopped for no other reason than to get scope eye relief to work, the fatal flaw of the #1.

buy offset rings. Have several scope choices ON HAND. Try them as far back as they will go in the rings. Then start adding shims to figure out how much stock length you can add. Then buy and install a recoil pad precisely that length. It might be 5/8”, it might be 1-1/8”.

One more way to solve this that the savvy guys do. Remove the quarter rib, have a new one made. (Or reuse) have Talley base geometry milled into the quarter rib as far back as possible. Now you have QD rings and your scope might let you have more LOP.

 

[WAB]

Warne also manufactures QD rings for the No 1. Comments on eye relief are spot on. Look for a scope with good eye relief and geometry that offers flexibility in mounting. A couple I have used with success at opposite ends of the price spectrum are Leupold VX3, 2.5-8x and the Swarovski Z6 EE, 1-6x. The Leupold mentioned may very well be the best cross section of cost/eye relief/clarity on the market.

 

[hammz]

I love the No. 1 but would never hunt dangerous game with one. For other stuff I am perfectly happy with them and they do a great job. I can run them pretty fast and probably fast enough for a quick follow-up shot but even so I would still not feel comfortable with one in a dangerous situation just because there's other things that can go wrong like fumbling a round I am trying to load or if something happens with the ejector and it doesn't clear the round completely. A bolt action just gives me more peace of mind.

 

[Forrest Halley]

I love the No. 1 but would never hunt dangerous game with one. For other stuff I am perfectly happy with them and they do a great job. I can run them pretty fast and probably fast enough for a quick follow-up shot but even so I would still not feel comfortable with one in a dangerous situation just because there's other things that can go wrong like fumbling a round I am trying to load or if something happens with the ejector and it doesn't clear the round completely. A bolt action just gives me more peace of mind.

Oh come on now, where's your sense of adventure? I hope to hunt something fierce with them someday. I have great faith in the extractajector system. Especially since I am using temperature stable powders.

 

[ChrisG]

They are beautiful rifles... or they used to be. Ruger's fit and finish has suffered in recent years while their prices continue to go up. The difference between my MkII 6.5x55 and my Hawkeye guide gun in .375 Ruger is stark to say the least. I mean they were never the sexiest rifles but man the new ones have the fit and finish of some spanish cast revolvers I have seen. They all go bang, but my goodness.... for $1,200 I would expect a run through the finish sander, not the sandblaster.

 

[Ryan]

Well, I decided to take a gamble on another Ruger #1. This one was on Gun Broker recently and I decided to give it a go. 300 Win Mag, Serial # has it from 1977, but the wood and carving/checkering is definitely a custom job. I need to see how it shoots. I'm hoping anyone who put the money in it for that kind of wood treated it well. We shall see.

 

[Tgood1]

Interesting checkering on that, very unique

 

[Ryan]

Interesting checkering on that, very unique

It is. It's carved, and then checkered and stippled between the carving depending on the area. It has a better feel and grip to it than regular chekering in in my opinion.

I messed up and doubled one shot, I meant to include the wring handed cheekpiece (I shoot correctly, AKA left handed). I'll refinish it all in the future to get rid of dings and clean it all up.

 

[Tgood1]

Really an outstanding firearm, I have a few no 1s, but I really like that

 

[rookhawk]

It is. It's carved, and then checkered and stippled between the carving depending on the area. It has a better feel and grip to it than regular chekering in in my opinion.

I messed up and doubled one shot, I meant to include the wring handed cheekpiece (I shoot correctly, AKA left handed). I'll refinish it all in the future to get rid of dings and clean it all up. View attachment 376290

I have to be honest, first time I looked at this I was not pleased. It's not traditional and the Alex Henry forend and "Gibbs-Farquarson" replica look of the #1 is completely lost. Then I looked at the quality and the "modern European interpretation" and it has grown on me. It's well-executed art in a different style than anticipated, but it is interesting. Nice wood. Good dimensions. Enjoy!

 

[leslie hetrick]

i had 12-13 ruger # 1,s and several # 3,s, right now i,m down to five # 1,s and two #3,s. .204-.223-35 whelen-460 S&W-45-70 # 1,s and .22 hornet-45-70 #3,s. the two i enjoy shooting are the # 1 and #3 in 45-70 as they are super shooters with my favorite loads. same load in both rifles at 100 yards shot from a lead sled.

 

[rookhawk]

A bit tangential, but I'm a big #1 fan. Especially customs and Heym finished guns. I've owned several.

The biggest plus for the #1 beyond affordable price is that the action is really overbuilt, allowing it to be opened up for various cartridges from 470NE to 20 gauge slug. Its neat what can be accomplished with the gun in the hands of a clever gunsmith. The bigger minuses to the gun are that Ruger thrives on investment casting that is rather rough in places, their wood isn't always to be desired, and the quarter rib / scope ring setup creates problematic eye relief and scoping. Those that dismiss that last bit suffer the pains of trying to get working optics, especially if they lengthen the pull and then flounder trying to get a usable gun.

An alternative gun at a higher pricepoint that is a FABULOUS gun is the Dakota Model 10. I've owned several and my go-to gun is my 7x57. It is a smaller frame that is really svelte. The quality is overall better. The wood is exceptional. The safety is even better for extraction. And the scope mount arrangement is superior, relying on Talley rings set back for limitless scope options. While not a cheap date, they are a bargain compared to customizing a Ruger #1 at that point-where-it-doesn't-make-sense. Rugers can be tweaked so the $1100 gun becomes a $2000 gun and its maladies are solved. But at $3000-$4000 the practicalities switch to a Dakota 10 that is a better platform "to take to that level".

 

[WAB]

I’m on the horns of that dilemma right now. Do I rebarrel a #1 from 9.3x62 to 7x57 and oil finish the stock, OR, sell a few things and buy a Dakota M10 in 7x57?

In that vein, who would you guys trust to rebarrel a No1?