Ruger No. 1 LR?

[Muddyboots]

Ok, buddy just grabbed one from an estate (1B 300WM) and over the years I have had a couple of them. Can drive you batty to get them to shoot well but once you have "fixed" the hanger bar and trigger they usually come around. So after hearing him talk about it I am starting to get the No.1 itch again. There is just something about the falling block action that has always drawn me to them. I had a couple of 7RM over the years and the last one I regret selling it since it actually shot well without any mods except for trigger work. So what do you think of a 6.5PRC 27-28" barrel which total length is no different than a 25-26" bolt? Do all the normal fixits for the No.1, bases like the 1V model instead of that dang rail. Or .270 1:8 in 26" for the higher BC bullets with appropriate throat. The nostalgia of the falling block is a moth to candle lure to me.

Has anyone gotten one to shoot well at LR?

 

[Timnterra]

I built a custom Ruger #1 for a friend in 250-3000 that shoots amazing. I had a custom barrel taper made that fixed a couple problems at once. The barrel has no taper for 5" then tapers to .75" at the muzzle. The purpose was to be able to use a generic picatinny rail with a radius bottom and just drill and tap the barrel to match. No more Ruger proprietary rings. This accidentally fixed the problem with the hanger because the barrel itself puts pressure on the hanger so there is no need for the set screw attachment. The only issue it creates is inletting needs to be redone on the fore end. My buddy loves it and tells me it shoots amazing.

 

[codyadams]

I have only reloaded for one, and was impressed. It was all original, stainless 300 wm with a laminate stock. Shot 180 Ballistic Tips between .5" and .75" 5 shot groups consistently, at 100. From everything I had heard, I wasn't expecting much from it, but it shot well considering. If you fix the inherent problems, I can't see any reason why they wouldn't be a fantastic rig. Another great thing - no need to worry about mag length!! Ha ha. This is coming from a guy with very limited insight on them, that being said, I wouldn't be afraid to build one.

 

[coop2564]

I have a No.1 standard in 30-06. I had to tinker a lot with it. My fix was I bedded everything from hanger screw back to receiver and floated barrel to end of forearm. With forearm touching barrel it would group well one day and bad the next depending on weather and groups would shift. Now its consistent. I do not have the gun setup for long range shoot per say, but have a ballistic recticle scope and have tested it to 500yds it holds 1moa or better. My experience has shown a wood stock or fore end touching a barrel will never give you consistent grouping for true long range shooting/hunting due to changing weather conditions changing your group impact. Even the metal screw tuners are in the wood, while you definitely can tune it for that days weather to shoot great tomorrow is often a group shift. Bed and float the fore end and you might get it to work for you. But man they are beauties and for 300yds and closer deadly out of box. But take some work to stretch out farther.

 

[Nomosendero]

I have 2 Lipsey Number 1 rifles, a 257 Wea. & a 264 WM. Both of these will consistently shoot under 1 MOA with some loads, the .257 even with the basic 100 gr. fact. softpoint will put 3 under 1/2". I use these as "point and shoot" rifles, in other words I don't mess with turrents with these. My longest Deer hunting shots in AR is 450 yds, just slight holdover does that, anything closer and it is a piece of cake. For the Powerline ROW's I sometimes hunt, the Bucks don't give to time to range and click anyway. I think the Number 1's in these calibers are great for this. They handle fast and are 4" shorter than a bolt gun with the same length barrel.
Some of the older "Red Pad" Number 1's would shoot but most were tempermental. Many of the later "Black Pad" rifles do much better, a large part due to Ruger at that point making their own barrels. The low priced RAR barrels have proven that Ruger can make a barrel.
For longer range shooting on targets, I have a 308 M700 5R and a Senero 300WM for Western hunting where I can range and click. For the longer than 500 yard shooting, the bolt action platform is a more stable & consistent platform.

 

[.30US]

I've got a factory '67 or '68 .22-250 and it patterns more than groups. Some of it was the 100+fps SD in the factory Winchester ammo I picked up on the way to the range the first time, and I haven't bothered shooting it again until I load some decent ammo. One of these days... I match-prepped 100 pieces of Federal GM brass, picked up some 52gr match bullets, and will give it a try at some point. If it shoots, it stays as-is, if not, putting on a new barrel in a new caliber and going to try a few of the recommended tweaks for better accuracy out of the #1. I also have a #3 .45-70 that's getting a new barrel, possibly in .219 Donaldson Wasp.

 

[pttp]

The early ones up to mid-130xxxxx have/had Douglas barrels, so they would shoot better than the later red pad units. One heard that they were tack drivers w/o need for all the tinkering.

 

[HARPERC]

........My experience has shown a wood stock or fore end touching a barrel will never give you consistent grouping for true long range shooting/hunting due to changing weather conditions changing your group impact. Even the metal screw tuners are in the wood, while you definitely can tune it for that days weather to shoot great tomorrow is often a group shift.......

I've been thinking on this thread since it started. Love #1's and #3's, and have had lots of fun with them, but I can't say I've shot them at distance. I've shot great 100 yard groups, and out a bit, but thinking in terms of a legitimate long range rifle is a different question.

Coop2564 got most of it, I'll take it a step farther chuck the factory stock for a quality synthetic. Heresy for most No.1 shooters. I've had all the problems Coop mentions, even pulled the for end screw completely through the wood. Must not be just me Ruger had a replacement with a bigger head on hand. I actually think over the range of product out there, the #3's barrel band holding it all together may make that fore end a better choice.

The factory stock doesn't provide much for a good cheek weld in my opinion, especially prone etc., could be me.

Trigger usually needs some work, or replaced.



An Oregunsmithing stock, while the thumbhole jumps out, the rise of the comb, and the fore end, and butt stock pillar bedded improve consistency issues. They have others without thumb hole.

It's a .30-06, currently loaded with 145 grain Lever Hammer's, as I have younger folks using it for first rifle. Simple and functional.

 

[Canhunter35]

I have a #3, custom barrel and stock, 240wby, with washers between hanger and barrel and freefloated forestock, it's a legit 500yd rifle. I don't like shooting it prone though...oddly my wife does so I guess everyone is different

 

[baldhunter]

Number one's can be great shooters,but they can also be a pain is the *** to get them to shoot well.I have a 1-B 1976 Liberty model in a 7mag that shoots under an inch now.It started out as around a 2" shooter.I had to float the barrel,a little bedding on the forearm got it down to about an inch.Then I ran five Tubb's Throat Maintenance bullets down the tube and it went down below and inch.It now will shoot 150gr Nosler Ballistic Tips and 160gr Accubonds 1\2"-3\4" groups consistently now.

 

[Muddyboots]

I hope a laminate doesn't come by me which may cause enough distress that I would think real hard about grabbing it. I see Ruger offers it in .450 BM which is kind of weird offering in No.1.

 

[hunter0528]

Ok, buddy just grabbed one from an estate (1B 300WM) and over the years I have had a couple of them. Can drive you batty to get them to shoot well but once you have "fixed" the hanger bar and trigger they usually come around. So after hearing him talk about it I am starting to get the No.1 itch again. There is just something about the falling block action that has always drawn me to them. I had a couple of 7RM over the years and the last one I regret selling it since it actually shot well without any mods except for trigger work. So what do you think of a 6.5PRC 27-28" barrel which total length is no different than a 25-26" bolt? Do all the normal fixits for the No.1, bases like the 1V model instead of that dang rail. Or .270 1:8 in 26" for the higher BC bullets with appropriate throat. The nostalgia of the falling block is a moth to candle lure to me.

Has anyone gotten one to shoot well at LR?

I've got 4 #1's 7mm RM pre 76, 375 H&H and 458 Win Liberty and a 7x57. What is the "Hanger Bracket fix"? E.Arthur Brown company, INC- Ruger No.1 Accurizer?

 

[Muddyboots]

The Hicks "accurizer" is a more polished method of drill/tapping out the hanger for a set screw that is "suppose" to adjust the barrel harmonics through the pressure on it.

I just bedded the hanger, trigger work and it seemed to work for me and REGRET selling my last one which was a 7RM that shot 140's extremely well.

 

[blueprairiedog]

Ruger no 1 280 shot great then quit and started stringing about 6 inches up down then I started sanding on the forearm now it strings left and right but I will not give up I will try to attach pics