What is the draw of a Ruger#1?

375 Ruger Fan · Mar 25, 2017

Art Lambart II said:
I love the #1 because its short and fast handling. My #1 in 30-06 with a 22" barrel is almost 4" shorter than than a bolt gun in the same caliber and barrel length and that's a huge advantage in tight quarters, not to mention having no action is a huge weight savings allowing for a heavier stiffer barrel. The safety is located in the correct spot, on the tang, making the rifle ambidextrous so their is no extra cost for left handed shooters.

If I could find a #1 in .35 Whelen my T/C Encore would never leave the gun safe.

Art Lambart II said:
Yea dad buy your son a 35 Whelen and take him hunting, wait you already did that but you could do it again.

Attention K-Mart shoppers..............Ruger No. 1 in 35 Whelen at Classic Sporting Arms

http://www.classicsportingarms.com/ruger-no-1-rifles-for-sale/

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375 Ruger Fan · Mar 25, 2017

4 available on Gunbroker in 35 Whelen

Shootist43 · Mar 25, 2017

Thanks for the "help" guys. I still need to pay for the Taxidermy work on the animals we took last August. There are however future Christmases and birthdays for which one might be procured. As they say, "hope springs eternal!"

sierraone · Mar 25, 2017

AZDAVE said:
@sierraone Sleep is highly over rated. I stay very busy when home.

Damn young people!!!

RolandtheHeadless · Mar 26, 2017

On the top, a Luxus Model 11, a switch-barrel, break-action, in 7mm-08 and .30-06.
Bottom, a Dakota Model 10 Deluxe, .280 Ackley Improved.
Also have a Ruger Model 1, 26-inch barrel, .25-06.
If rifles were cars, the Ruger is a Chevy pickup, the Luxus a sporty sedan, and the Dakota a Porsche.

375 Ruger Fan · Mar 26, 2017

Roland: If the Luxus is a sporty sedan, would that make it a Lexus? :A Drive:

RolandtheHeadless · Mar 26, 2017

Nah, because the Luxus is made in America.

sestoppelman · Mar 26, 2017

The Ruger is the better looking gun of them all.

Shootist43 · Mar 26, 2017

Depending on the price of the Dakota Mod 10, I could see myself owning one of them. Don't know for sure but they are probably multiples of the cost of the Rugers for little if any benefit. The photo seem to show the Dakota with a little longer LOP and I like that. But I don't know if the plusses out weigh the minuses.

GuttormG · Mar 26, 2017

I have a no1 in 416Rigby, not really sure why..
Really nice and fun to shoot. Not hunted with it yet.

rookhawk · Mar 26, 2017

Shootist43 said:
Depending on the price of the Dakota Mod 10, I could see myself owning one of them. Don't know for sure but they are probably multiples of the cost of the Rugers for little if any benefit. The photo seem to show the Dakota with a little longer LOP and I like that. But I don't know if the plusses out weigh the minuses.

@Shootist43 the differences are manifold.

The Dakota is hand built and glass bedded. It has a premier Douglas barrel. It has been manually regulated. It is a thinner, smaller action appropriate up to .375. The walnut is at minimum XX grade and usually exhibition grade. The profile of the wood is superior because it is not through bolted to a mass manufactured hollow stock. The tang safety is relieved to never interfere with ejection. Often color case hardened by Doug Turnbull. Talley QD rings are standard, not horrible investment cast Ruger rings that don't work with many scopes. Many improvements.

They are made to order and run from $5500-$13,000.

I've seen them lightly used or new at Cabelas and another dealer as low as $3500. A $3500 Dakota is miles ahead of a $1000 Ruger with $2500 in custom work.

If you have a $1000 and no more, a Ruger is king. If you have more coinage, spending it all on upgrades to a Ruger is a poor move in lieu of buying a Dakota.

I feel the same way when I hear people buying CZs and dumping money into them. Lots of nice superior Mausers to be had when you have $3000-$4000 to spend.

Number one is best at its price point, not at all price points.

RolandtheHeadless · Mar 26, 2017

I bought my Dakota Model 10 used, in immaculate condition, for what I consider a very good deal. It's the deluxe version with upgraded wood, leather wrapped recoil pad, and case-hardened receiver.

I argued with myself over whether to put so much money into a rifle I'd probably never hunt with. Finally justified it by calling it an investment. A diversification from the stock market into the collectible market. If y0u're going to invest in collectibles, it might as well be something you love, like rifles. My widow should at least be able to get the initial investment back when she sells it.

If I bought a $1,000 Ruger and put $2,500 in custom work into it, it's still an No. 1. I would not recover my custom-work investment when it's sold. I might be lucky to get $1,500-2,000 out of it, instead of the $3,500 I invested.

I think the Ruger No. 1 is a fine, beautiful rifle. I wish I'd added my own Model 1B to that photo. 26-inch barrel, nice wood. But if you are a No. 1 fan, I recommend you never go near a Dakota Model 10, because if you do, you'll never see the Ruger as quite the same again.

Art Lambart II · Mar 26, 2017

I'm confused what 2K worth of gunsmithing do you have to do to a #1. Mine has a trigger job and a fire lapped factory barrel and it shoots knots with a 180 grain factory loads.

IMO the #1 is a hunting rifle its not a benchrest rifle, the ability to put 3-5 rounds in one hole isn't really necessary and you would have to be a high level reloader to produce and reproduce that type of accuracy, so why spend the 2K on gunsmithing.

RolandtheHeadless · Mar 26, 2017

You are correct, sir. Ruger No. 1s are hunting rifles.

rookhawk · Mar 26, 2017

This is not a in the same league as a Ruger number 1.

For a Ruger number one, you have to do a lot. The trigger is garbage so you have to buy a kipplinger trigger but they don't make them anymore, so that's $350 and a search. Then the barrel hanger is fussy and moves the barrel harmonics if jostled or humidity comes into play. You need a hicks accurizer for $200 installed. The tang safety hangs cartridges on ejection, so you need a strop safety for $100 installed. The Ruger rings aren't true and aren't QD, so you need Warne QD rings for $100. The scope choices are limited so you are usually spending $500 to $2500 on an extended eye relief scope with a long tube to deal with that problem of getting the scope far enough back. Add a quality restock for better contour and some figure for $1000 and you're into a Ruger pretty deep.

Or this Dakota for same money after all the mucking around.

Rutgers are great $1000 guns, they are not great $3000 guns.

rookhawk · Mar 26, 2017

My collection of $2500-$4500 Ruger number 1 rifles. (All now down the river) Two 6.5x55 and one 340 weatherby.

I decided I liked $1000 Ruger rifles a lot. I decided I did not like $2500-$4500 Ruger number 1 rifles as much. Once you upgrade a Ruger, better off with a Dakota.

No issue recommending rugers, I love them. It's just the worlds dumbest investment if you start "improving them" as it's a financial pit you'll never escape. No matter what, even if you spend Ferrari money, it still is just a fancy chevy. I now prefer to let them now stay $1000 chevy.

sestoppelman · Mar 27, 2017

rookhawk said:
This is not a in the same league as a Ruger number 1.

For a Ruger number one, you have to do a lot. The trigger is garbage so you have to buy a kipplinger trigger but they don't make them anymore, so that's $350 and a search. Then the barrel hanger is fussy and moves the barrel harmonics if jostled or humidity comes into play. You need a hicks accurizer for $200 installed. The tang safety hangs cartridges on ejection, so you need a strop safety for $100 installed. The Ruger rings aren't true and aren't QD, so you need Warne QD rings for $100. The scope choices are limited so you are usually spending $500 to $2500 on an extended eye relief scope with a long tube to deal with that problem of getting the scope far enough back. Add a quality restock for better contour and some figure for $1000 and you're into a Ruger pretty deep.

Or this Dakota for same money after all the mucking around.

Rutgers are great $1000 guns, they are not great $3000 guns.

View attachment 177151

This is I hate to say largely baloney. You don't HAVE to do any of that, though some might choose to. Triggers are uniformly great, most newer made No. 1's have hammer forged barrels of Ruger's own make and shoot MOA, most will not need any phony Hicks rig, I admit the safety can hang up sometimes, easy cheap fix. The rings system is also good and strong, detachable rings are not necessary, a scope can be found that will work for any situation. I agree that wood quality has gone from excellent to plain jane on most newer guns but so what? Most of all the Ruger is a far better looking rifle than the high priced spread so if a guy wants to spend 5K for what he can do the same with a 1K Ruger, well go for it. I will stick with a Ruger No. 1.

Roan · Apr 10, 2017

Latest victim of my No1 in 270win.

James Cook · Apr 10, 2017

sestoppelman said:
This is I hate to say largely baloney. You don't HAVE to do any of that, though some might choose to. Triggers are uniformly great, most newer made No. 1's have hammer forged barrels of Ruger's own make and shoot MOA, most will not need any phony Hicks rig, I admit the safety can hang up sometimes, easy cheap fix. The rings system is also good and strong, detachable rings are not necessary, a scope can be found that will work for any situation. I agree that wood quality has gone from excellent to plain jane on most newer guns but so what? Most of all the Ruger is a far better looking rifle than the high priced spread so if a guy wants to spend 5K for what he can do the same with a 1K Ruger, well go for it. I will stick with a Ruger No. 1.

agree, Ruger's are functionally sound and accurate. rookhawk's analysis is like buying a $30k Chevy Traverse, accessorizing it with luxury parts and then wondering why it's not a $90k Range Rover. If you want a Range Rover, spend the money and buy it - just be prepared to spend 3 times the money.

CAustin · Apr 10, 2017

GuttormG said:
I have a no1 in 416Rigby, not really sure why..
Really nice and fun to shoot. Not hunted with it yet.

You sir need to take your #1 to Africa!

What is the draw of a Ruger#1?

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