What scope for a Ruger No. 1?

[Elkeater]

Having procured my first Ruger No. 1. A lovely gun in 7x57 courtesy of our esteemed member AZdave I find myself in need of a scope. First of all I’m ashamed to admit I am terrible at shooting with open sights. As a kid I could kill a squirrel with open sights but years of scope use has apparently made my iron sight skill rusty. I have an early 2000s 3-9x40 Nikon prostaff that I attempted to mount but I found that it just couldn’t be brought far enough to the rear to allow good eye relief and I have to stretch to see through it. I have determined that I need a 1” tube with a 20mm objective diameter to keep this lively stalking rifle lively. So what scope would you all recommend? I have looked at the 1.5-4x20 leupold VX freedom but what are some other good options?

 

[Tgood1]

I have a 2.5x8 leupold, hd 3 possibly, it works great with my no.1 7x57

 

[TheDoubleD]

Look for something with an longer eye relief.

I have an old Leupold M8-4x on the 7x57 No.1. It works marginally for eye relief The 450/400 has VX-3Hd 1.5 x 5. works okay at lower powers, marginal for eye relief in the upper range .

But both scopes require double extension rings to work.

I can work with this problem with these scopes, but I would like better.

I am going pick up a a Leupold VX Freedom with there longer eye relief and see how they do.

 

[Hedge774]

I have a 2.5x8 leupold, hd 3 possibly, it works great with my no.1 7x57

I just got my exact scope in the mail for my No. 1 7x57!

 

[baxterb]

back when I owned an identical rifle (yes, I considered buying this one!) I had a Nikon Monarch 2-7 and thought it was perfect. Today, I’d put the 2.5 - 8 leupold.

 

[MontanaGrant]

The 1.5-4.5 VX Freedom Has exceptional eye relief.

I’m not a big fan of the freedoms but they seem To work fine for people. Can always have it cerakoted glossy for that look

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

@Elkeater congratulations on the new to you No 1. You may already know this, but the No 1 uses the same height rings on front and rear. Different from the M77, which uses a different height ring for front and rear. For some scopes, using an offset ring is needed on the No 1.

 

[Elkeater]

@Elkeater congratulations on the new to you No 1. You may already know this, but the No 1 uses the same height rings on front and rear. Different from the M77, which uses a different height ring for front and rear. For some scopes, using an offset ring is needed on the No 1.

View attachment 734393

Thanks! The rifle is a joy to shoot. I did purchase a set of rings however only the rear ring is offset. I was hoping it would allow me to use the Nikon I have sitting in the safe but alas I still couldn’t move it far enough rearward. Im really thinking after looking at the leupolds that the freedom lines 1.5-4x 20 may be just the ticket. I never had any intention of hunting this rifle in a way that would lead to shots more than 200 yards. For that type of hunt I have other more specialized rifles. I wanted this to be a stalking rifle where shots would generally be under 100 yards. I’ve even considered just putting a red dot on top of it.

 

[BlackRhino]

I think that the first and crucial question that elkeater has to answer is: Do I need a scope for stalking or driven hunts (for instance 1-4 magnification, looks very aesthetic on the small Ruger), long distance shooting (very high magnification, ugly on the small gun) or for both (for instance 1.5-8 x 40, a compromise as far as the outlook and utility are concerned. In any case I would mount a high quality scope.

 

[ThreeJacks]

I have Leupold VX-III 2.5x8 on several of my No. 1s and a Zeiss Conquest 2.5x8 on my Boddington No. 1 Kudu (300 H&H). These work very well for me.

 

[Jon Glajchen]

A Leopold VX3 2.5-8 with an offset front mount worked perfectly on my 7x57 No1 RSI

 

[Hedge774]

back when I owned an identical rifle (yes, I considered buying this one!) I had a Nikon Monarch 2-7 and thought it was perfect. Today, I’d put the 2.5 - 8 leupold.

36 mm objective?

 

[baxterb]

36 mm objective?

Yes, the Leupold is 36mm, the old Nikon was 32mm

 

[375Ruger416]

Leupold 2.5-8 or 2-7 FTW. have Leupold compact 3-9 x36 (or 33 can’t remember off the top of my head) that would be perfect for you too. Unfortunately, I live in Canada. Otherwise I’d be happy to sell it to you and ship it your way.

 

[Hedge774]

Yes, the Leupold is 36mm, the old Nikon was 32mm

Thank you, my man!