Ruger No. 1 in 7 mag: What do I need to know?

I'd always wanted a No. 1, wanted as in for 40 years. Thought I'd have to settle for the 'cheaper No. 3'
Just recently picked up a No. 1 in .243, not my favorite cal but the deal was right and it WAS A No. 1 !
Shoots GREAT and I love the fit, look and feel. I've never seen many for sale over the years, kinda a cult following. Those with them don't sell them.

There are six up on Gunbroker at the moment.

I think it'd be better stated... people who have one are more likely to keep it then sell it. Especially now that they are limited run, single distributor only.

I have one #1 (375 H&H) now with a laminated SS 45/70 on the way. Assuming the 45/70 shoots as well as the 375, I'll be looking for a small bore one.

There are tricks/addons to make them shoot better but try it as is first, it probably won't need any help at all.

HTH!

See if he will let you range test it. Some #1s are more accurate than others.

7 mag? Sounds unpleasant. I would be VERY inclined to jump on a less powerful round. I have never shot one in any caliber but I have heard they they can be very nasty. If ya get it, pull it tight and don't let it bite.

I love Ruger No. 1s, currently own three including a Varminter in .22-250. Cant really say it is a tack driver as a varmint rifle. my .308 has quite a bit of recoil, I cant imagine the 7 mag being too much fun to shoot.

I've got a #1 in 375 H&H and despite it being the 'Tropical' version which is considerably heavier than a normal sporter it did swat the shoulder a bit. Problem was the hard red rubber butt-pad which might have well been made of steel for all the good it did trying to protect the shoulder muscles. Fitted a Limbsaver pad and it's wonderful to shoot now with absolutely no issues. That pad is amazing how it cushions the hit!

7mm Mag would be a pussycat with a good pad fitted, which might work out well considering the stock has been shortened enough to allow one to be installed which would get the pull back to about stock.

The price sounds great provided that the gun is in good condition. The problem for me would be the caliber. Way too much recoil for me and I've had a 7mm Mag before. Great elk rifle and deer rifle for taking long distance shots. But for the Joe Average, it's likely way more caliber than you'll ever need.

Just saw where he shortened the stock. That would be enough to discourage me from buying unless you can find a factory replacement stock. You're probably going to regret having your eye moved even closer to the ocular lens of whatever scope you decide to put on it. Just search "Tasco Rash" or "scope eye".

Can you shoot it before you buy? I love #1's but my experience with their accuracy was spotty.

I had a #1, with varmit barrel .220 Swift. It was a real tack driver--5 shots in one hole at 100 meters. I hunt with a 7mm Rem Mag., it is not a bad kicker with 150gr bullets. For anything heavier I use 30/06.

Lafitte

QUOTE: "... Way too much recoil for me and I've had a 7mm Mag before..."

QUOTE: "...7mm Mag would be a pussycat with a good pad fitted, which might work out well considering the stock has been shortened enough to allow one to be installed which would get the pull back to about stock."

I have to agree with RecoilBob. The 7mm Remington Magnum has only a little more recoil than the 30-06 has, everything else being as equal as possible (an 8.5 pound rifle chambered in 7mm Magnum, firing a 150 grain bullet, produces 19.2 Recoil Energy and 12.1 Recoil Velocity; whereas, a rifle weighing 8 pounds, chambered in 30-06 Springfield and firing a 150 grain bullet, produces 17.6 Recoil Energy and 11.9 Recoil Velocity). If the '06 is too much for you, the 7mm Mag likely would be too. If, on the other hand, you can handle the recoil of a 30-06, it follows that the 7mm Magnum should prove acceptable.

I also like RecoilBob's advice regarding adding a recoil pad to compensate for the shortened length of pull. However, because the stock is no longer "factory", the price of the rifle should reflect this undesirable change, at least in the eyes of a typical "collector".

QUOTE: "...I had a #1, with varmit barrel .220 Swift. It was a real tack driver..."

I still have my No.1, chambered in .220 Swift, with the Varmint barrel that I purchased in 1995. It was and continues to be a "real tack driver..."; probably the most accurate of the many rifles I've owned over the past sixty years or so. Col. Whelen would have found it very interesting indeed.

Recoil is kind of subjective. I was shooting 7mm mag in high school and I never found it to be that bad. I have since switched to .308, which I find pleasant. What I don't like, at all, is .270.

Most of the effects of recoil are between the ears. Most people think a 30-06 has much less recoil than 7 mag. If I handed most people 2 identical rifles chambered in 30-06 and told them one was chambered in 7 mag and the other in 30-06 virtually all of them would remark that the 7 mag had considerably more recoil when they fired them. The truth is that both 7mag and 30-06 have very similar recoil. Depending on the individual rifle and load they overlap.

What jmr40 said.

An aquaintance back in the late '70's had (has?) a #1 in 7mmMag. General opinion was that it recoiled less than my Interarms MkX Mauser in '06 when fed Norma 220gr factory ammo. I had bought 10+ boxes from a hardware store that was selling out of Norma ammo. Paid $4 a box IIRC. Burned through it shooting it up for the brass. I did chrono one. Ran 2,550fps from 24" bbl. I also got some 150gr SPBT for $5/box. I killed my first deer in 1976 with 150's. Still have remnant of that box! (I'm sentimental!). They chrono 3,000+.
That was based on his 7mag with Rem. factory 175gr.

His rifle was decent accurate. ~1.5moa with a 150gr Sierra over IMR4350. He was happy with. He was a "hunter", not a paper puncher.

At the range I see a lot of folks that sight in their rifles a few weeks before deer season. It's a pretty big money maker for our range and lots of hunters show up.

I have seen numerous shooters with magnums like 300 and 7 mm who can only shoot a few rounds before they've had enough. They don't shoot their rifles except at deer season for one very obvious reason.....the recoil is unpleasant. For me anyway, I want a rifle that I want to shoot a lot more than 10 rounds at deer season.

I had a 7 mm mag when they first came out in a 7 lb rifle. The recoil is substantial. If you have never shot one I suggest you borrow one and shoot 10 rounds through it.

A 7 mm mag can't do anything a 308 can't and the recoil is considerably less. With the bullet technology we have today mags are over rated.

QUOTE: "...A 7 mm mag can't do anything a 308 can't..."

In terms of "killing power", I'd have to agree-but you can say that about most any cartridge comparison. But when it comes to ballistics (velocity, energy, trajectory, etc.), the 7mm Magnum is a superior cartridge when compared to the .308-and I say that as a devoted .308 Winchester "fan". Facts are facts; whether they mean anything in terms of "practicality" in the field or not.

The last time I shot my 7mm Mag was using a Caldwell Lead Sled. Getting a good cheek weld on the stock before each shot I started noticing an iron taste in my mouth. Somewhere in the 10 or so shots that I had fired, the recoil from the rifle bloodied the inside of my right cheek. After I realized that, I decided there was no sense in keeping the rifle any longer. I promptly sold it. If recoil is subjective, drawing blood from the inside of my mouth even when using a Lead Sled told me all I needed to know.

For whitetail deer hunting in Missouri, I saw absolutely no reason to own a 7mm Mag. But that's just my story.

SwampWolf said:

QUOTE: "...A 7 mm mag can't do anything a 308 can't..."

In terms of "killing power", I'd have to agree-but you can say that about most any cartridge comparison. But when it comes to ballistics (velocity, energy, trajectory, etc.), the 7mm Magnum is a superior cartridge when compared to the .308-and I say that as a devoted .308 Winchester "fan". Facts are facts; whether they mean anything in terms of "practicality" in the field or not.

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I agree. It's a nice flat shooter out past 300 yds if you need that sort of thing. Probably the most popular magnum rifle cartridge on the planet. There for those who want to master it.

I don't know about the accuracy of No. 1's, but to me they are hands down one of the most beautiful rifles ever designed.


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Grampa;

The Ruger #1 has a couple of idiosyncrasies that can affect accuracy. The forearm attachment & torque of the angled screw are the largest culprits. The trigger can be a factor also & you have to be very careful about any "fixes" applied to it. The surface hardening of the trigger/sear engagement is very thin, more than one stoning of those areas has gone through & left the softer metal underneath exposed. The surfaces then wear quite quickly & a new trigger is needed.

If the gun does need work in either of those areas, I'd make very sure the gunsmith you took it to has a well documented history of successfully dealing with Ruger #1's.

Now then, anybody know of a #1 RSI in 6.5 Swede available? Yeah, right.

900F

I have one. It was originally plenty accurate for hunting, but I had to mess with it. A shim between the hanger and the fore end and isolating the fore end from the action (got the idea from M.L. McPherson's Accurizing the Factory Rifle), improved the accuracy considerably.
The recoil doesn't really bother me.
The weight of it in the mountains, with a 4x12 scope OTOH...................

A #1's forte is as a stalking rifle, IMO. The action enables it to have a relatively short overall length with a full length+ barrel.
I have an affinity for single shots.
They apparently have some sort of collectibility, which doesn't interest me all that much.
The action is based on a French design (which never seems like a good thing ). It has a long lock time, if that's a concern.
I think the're good looking and the ergonomics are pretty good (for me).

I have a #1 heavy bbl. in .223. I had a gunsmith do the trigger
and work some kind of magic with the bedding. It will shoot inch
groups all day and a lot of less than one inch groups if you are really
on, that particular day, and if you are using the right loads.

Zeke