Ruger #1 in big bore calibers

Forrest, how much does your new No. 1 weigh? Tarbe added a Graco recoil reducer to the 416 Rigby I bought from him, total weight is 11.5 Lbs. That rifle is not unpleasant to shoot especially off sticks and or offhand. Maybe adding two of them to the 458 would be just the ticket.
 
Forrest, how much does your new No. 1 weigh? Tarbe added a Graco recoil reducer to the 416 Rigby I bought from him, total weight is 11.5 Lbs. That rifle is not unpleasant to shoot especially off sticks and or offhand. Maybe adding two of them to the 458 would be just the ticket.
I believe it's 9 ½ pounds loaded. The Graco website does not show the Mercury reducers as available any longer.
I am trying to find some better sights at this point. NECG 3/32 White or FO red for the front. I am thinking a Lyman fixed rear is where I will end up as the dovetail is ⅜". The current sights are driving me nuts as they are too small to do anything with.
 
I had 11-12 ruger #1,s from 458 to 22 hornet, a few repeats and a few in odd calibers. i now have only three, a early red pad B in .223, a .35 whelen S and a 460 S&W S with 22" barrel NIB. the 35 whelen is one of my favorite rugers and shoots very well, three at a inch with top loads.

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I believe it's 9 ½ pounds loaded. The Graco website does not show the Mercury reducers as available any longer.
I am trying to find some better sights at this point. NECG 3/32 White or FO red for the front. I am thinking a Lyman fixed rear is where I will end up as the dovetail is ⅜". The current sights are driving me nuts as they are too small to do anything with.

as I mentioned in another post I wouldn’t do anything to those sights. Took my 458 Lott on my elephant hunt as the backup rifle. My son carried it and when we sighted in on day one we both cut bulls eye with the factor sights.
 
as I mentioned in another post I wouldn’t do anything to those sights. Took my 458 Lott on my elephant hunt as the backup rifle. My son carried it and when we sighted in on day one we both cut bulls eye with the factor sights.

I hear and respect what you are saying. I just do not like the folding rear and find the front too small. I have never liked it. I thought it was cheap on my first muzzle loader that had them. It's not a case of being good enough or durability. I feel like a gun that fires a $3 projectile ought have some sights that are pleasing to use and not just a fold down cop out. I have a gold standard sight picture of the Remington ball and cup. That is pleasing to my eye and the rifle is complete looking. This is what I am after.
 
I used to use a Ruger No1V in 22/250 for fox shooting. I used to hold a second cartridge in my lips for a fast reload.
Having fired a friends No1 in 416 Rigby this is NOT something I would do.
You might be waiting 24 hours to recover the round ! :D
 
I don’t find the No.1 bad to shoot in the larger calibers. Looking at the stock design I would certainly think that they would hurt but that just hasn’t been my experience with them. I have a 450/400 and a 458 WM as the largest no. 1’s and neither is unpleasant to shoot even from the bench when seated properly. I have had two guns that I would consider brutal, one was a Weatherby Mark V in 460 and the other was a post 64 M70 in 458 WM. The 460 I owned before I was out of high school so the inexperience played a large roll, as I’ve shot plenty since and they were manageable yet still unpleasant. The M70 just hit me in the perfect spot to shoot pain to my hip! It was odd!
 
the 450/400 no 1 I fired was to put it simply a fair prick of a thing.
just too light, so the recoil was not only hard, but fast.
this adds up to violence.
but then again I possibly lack manhood.
bruce.
 
the 450/400 no 1 I fired was to put it simply a fair prick of a thing.
just too light, so the recoil was not only hard, but fast.
this adds up to violence.
but then again I possibly lack manhood.
bruce.
Pretty sure gun fit is different is different for everyone, I had several people tell me that the post 64 wasn’t bad. To me, I’d rather be kicked in the balls than shoot it. My other 458’s are fine to shoot. I even tried to like the gun, sometimes you just can’t get along with one!
 
Pretty sure gun fit is different is different for everyone, I had several people tell me that the post 64 wasn’t bad. To me, I’d rather be kicked in the balls than shoot it. My other 458’s are fine to shoot. I even tried to like the gun, sometimes you just can’t get along with one!

I zeroed the peep sight of my .450/400 with 50 rounds from the bench... and was so sad that I run out of ammunition.

;)

HWL
 
Well I have officially experienced the .458 Lott. None of my teeth are missing. Nothing is bloodied. I'm firmly on the "these sights are poor" train. I took the hits. I rolled through the trigger, held the sight picture, and watched it lift. I'm out of elevation. I did not remember to bring a drift tool. She is not a lady. There are few good humors about her aside from her appearance, loading and ejection. She is a businesswoman and those beautiful lines are a siren's song to distract you from the impending fury that lies ¼" beyond the safety flicking off. When you unleash her there is a great clap of thunder as the rifle recoils rapidly. My first thought was, "Wow! I survived! I can't wait to do that again." After five rounds of focusing on form and follow through and still impacting left, I was ready to put things on hold. There are new sights in this businesswoman's future.
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This thread apparently began in 2014, so it’s clear the issue won’t be resolved here. still entertaining to hash it out though. That said, I don’t really understand the recoil problem people describe with these. I have No. 1 rifles in 458, 450/400 and 375. I also own several in smaller calibers but that’s for another discussion. Of the big ones, The 450/400 with factory Hornady ammo, which is loaded very mild, might be the most pleasant to shoot. The 458 is a bit much for me, but that is also true in a bolt gun. The 458 barrel is very heavy and so I can’t say the rifle is too light. I probably couldn’t carry it all day as it is. I think the stocks are well designed for recoil, although they definitely need a better recoil pad. Aside from that, they have plenty of area placed on the shoulder to spread out the energy and the comb is pretty wide. The grip area is substantial as well. They might have a little more muzzle rise because they are shorter than bolt actions with similar barrel length. Maybe that gives the impression that they kick more. I love how they handle and carry, and they bespeak old British East Africa. I’ve taken them on 2 African hunts and 1 in New Zealand. If I am lucky enough to go again, a No. 1 will be my companion, including for Buffalo. I wish my eyes were still good enough to hunt with iron sights. My concession to modernity is to use a scope. Hunting with these enhances my experience and enjoyment of the hunt.
 
Well it's official! The businesswoman got some new sights! I went full circle on this journey and ended up right with the right person that was able to get me a set of express sights for my .458 Lott. They sure look quite the improvement. A proper set of sights befitting the such a powerful tool. We shall see very soon how they print to paper, but for now Merry Christmas to all!
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Please enlighten us on haw you managed to acquire those express sights?
 
Looks just like the rear sight from the Boddington series rifles.
 

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