Ruger No. 1 Upgrades

Forrest Halley · Jul 28, 2019

Good Day to All,

I have recently acquired a .375 H&H No. 1 rifle. It may need some work other than basic cosmetic. What would you upgrade in this model of rifle? I am heavily tempted by the Jard Trigger and considering the Wolff XP hammer spring. Please advise.

Many Thanks,
FH

CAustin · Jul 28, 2019

I wouldn’t do a ting to it! Have one myself and it shoots great!

sestoppelman · Jul 28, 2019

As above. First of all shoot it. Recent made No. 1 rifles have very good triggers for the most part, as well as good barrels. Don't go changing springs unless it needs it and it likely wont. Don't mess with the fore arm with doohickeys and washers and such. Most likely it will be fine.
For bench shooting, be critical about where the forearm is on the sand bags, no see-sawing back and forth. Keep it close to the receiver and the same place for every shot. In the field its less critical as it will be in your hands.
The Ruger manual advises to place your hand between the bags and the fore arm. This is awkward and I have never done it. I prefer to shoot all rifles on the bench with the off hand under the butt squeezing the bags.

tarbe · Jul 28, 2019

I could see contemplating your mods on a No 1 intended for varmint or long-range game hunting.

If you intend to use your .375 for shooting larger animals at short to moderate range, I would spend that mod money on bullets, brass, powder and primers.

I have owned, loaded for, shot and hunted with a dozen No 1 over the years, including 8 in 375 H&H or larger bore and they all had more than enough usable accuracy for their intended purposes. I was generally the weak link and was the part of the system that needed work!

Edited to add: The one mod I like on a No 1 in 450/400 and above is a Decelerator!

Tim

sestoppelman · Jul 28, 2019

Agree with above. The larger caliber rifles pack punch on both ends. The .450-400 I had would give me a headache when shooting from the bench.

Ryan · Jul 28, 2019

The only thing I did to mine after purchasing it was a band of bedding at the nose end of the forend. I just wanted to make sure pressure was consistent. After that it was all about working up a load. A hair under MOA has me happy.

Roan · Jul 28, 2019

The only mod I would love on my N01’s would be to colour case harden them. But thats just cosmetic, functionality I would put a couple of rounds down range before changing anything. Personally I have never found it necessary to change any of mine’s triggers.

Forrest Halley · Jul 29, 2019

Well that is good to know. Nothing in need of upgrading straight away. I have always been a fan of lighter triggers so we shall see how good this one turns out to be. My plan is generally to shoot the smallest groups possible and then optimize it for a 300 grain bullet.

Are there any suggestions for aftermarket open sights or scopes? I had my eye on the Atibal 1-10 FFP scope, but a 35mm tube seems to be problematic to mount on anything without acres of piccatiny rail.

Nkawu · Jul 29, 2019

How difficult is it to rebarrel a No.1?

Hoss Delgado · Jul 29, 2019

Nkawu said:
How difficult is it to rebarrel a No.1?

Not very . I know a gunsmith or two who can do it

Forrest Halley · Jul 30, 2019

Nkawu said:
How difficult is it to rebarrel a No.1?

Sounds like someone is building a bigger rifle from a smaller one...
There are at least 7 different ejectors which may need to be changed. Good news is all the big boys all use the same ejector. As the .300 WM uses a different ejector than the .375 H&H I'm curious how this works and where it contacts the spent casing.

Forrest Halley · Jul 30, 2019

Does anyone know what size Pacmayr Decelerator to order for the #1? I am hung up on the XLT"ULTRA SOFT" MAGNUM TRAP and thinking about trying it.

Nkawu · Jul 30, 2019

Forrest Halley said:
Sounds like someone is building a bigger rifle from a smaller one...
There are at least 7 different ejectors which may need to be changed. Good news is all the big boys all use the same ejector. As the .300 WM uses a different ejector than the .375 H&H I'm curious how this works and where it contacts the spent casing.

I am thinking about changing a second hand 243 with exquisite wood to a 6.5x57 with barrel band sling and express sights. Maybe colour case hardening the receiver.

meigsbucks · Jul 30, 2019

The only thing I’d change on a #1, like Tarbe suggests, is the recoil pad. I still have the stock 1/2” black pad on my #1 .458 Lott and live with it.
If the rifle shoots well... If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it..
If you can’t get it to shoot, try what Ryan suggests, a band of bedding near the forend tip. However, before you do that permanent modification, try some plastic shims (cut up used gift/ credit cards) to see if that helps. If it works, go with the permanent bedding compound.
As a last resort you could try a Hicks Accurizer from E. Arthur Brown.
https://www.eabco.com/Ruger01.html

rookhawk · Jul 30, 2019

Some things already mentioned, some not.

-You DEFINITELY want a strop gun shop safety. The original safety can obstruct on rapid ejection of the cartridge. Cheap upgrade and advisable.

-Kipllinger single set trigger is awesome if you can find one. I think Brownells has discontinued but you may want to check.

-Hicks accurizer. You glass bed it in the forend and it applies constant barrel pressure for harmonics. It makes a difference.

-Alaska QD rings, offset, so you can get glass to have better eye relief.

-A full strip of the gun and an oil finish is always a good idea.

mooze · Aug 15, 2019

Hicks accurizer has worked well for a friend of mine.I have a heavy barrel 6.5x284 Norma which shot inconsistently. It had this system (number 3) installed and , whenI tightened it turned the gun from so-so to a 1/2 moa shooter
https://www.riflemagazine.com/magazine/PDF/ri51partial.pdf

Forrest Halley · Aug 16, 2019

So received the rifle about a week ago and have shot the Dickens out of it. It is a three screw and there is no further action required on the trigger. It is just right. I picked a close fit Limbsaver and that will do for the time being until I feel inclined to fit a Pacmayr Decelerator. The rings are Warne Permanently Attached 30mm Medium height and while they took some torquing down to make steady, they are rock solid now. I am very happy with how the scope mounted. It is far enough away from the eye that I can use it, but it does not injury me.
I will consider the Hicks Accurizer at some point in the future when I develop a better mastery of the rifle and its recoil.

Red Leg · Aug 16, 2019

I assume it has open sights. Talley's work well, even with a heavy recoiling rifle. I don't take anything to Africa where a follow-up may be required on something hostile without an instantly dismountable scope.

sierraone · Aug 16, 2019

meigsbucks said:
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Enough said!

Forrest Halley · Aug 16, 2019

Red Leg said:
I assume it has open sights. Talley's work well, even with a heavy recoiling rifle. I don't take anything to Africa where a follow-up may be required on something hostile without an instantly dismountable scope.

Africa is a distant dream for me. Learning to shoot the magnum rifle well is the present reality. I think if I were to follow up on anything I would likely take my Model 70 which has express sights and is quite a fast handling gun. The shots come so quickly that I feel I am better able to keep pace with a bolt action repeater. However I will still practice rapid shooting with my No. 1. Don't want to be a one trick pony.
I am not discounting your advice, however I would also install good quality fixed sights on the No. 1 and not rely on the flip up that it currently wears. This is a rabbit hole I do not want to venture down just yet as I have not settled on a load and my abilities are found to be wanting.

Ruger No. 1 Upgrades

Forrest Halley

CAustin

sestoppelman

tarbe

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Ryan

Roan

Forrest Halley

Nkawu

Hoss Delgado

Forrest Halley

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