A new-to-me No. 1 arrives

[Riomouse911]

I’ll admit that I fell in love with the Ruger No. 1 rifle in high school. A hole-in-the-wall gun store on College Avenue in Berkeley had a beautiful No. 1 Tropical .458 Win Mag in a wooden rack on the counter. Every time I popped in to buy .177 pellets I drooled over that gun and dreamt of safaris; Cape buffalo, Elephant, Lion, etc.

Obviously a high school kid didn’t have the scratch to buy one, and as time has gone on the No. 1 certainly can’t be classified as a budget rifle so they’re spendy, but mainly it was other easier to attain wants that kept one on the back burner.

After all those years of desiring a No. 1, and seeing all of the THR members posting their awesome specimens on these pages, I finally found a 1-B in .223 in a nearly new condition. (If it was shot it doesn’t look like a scope was ever mounted so it easily has no more than a few boxes through it.) Best of all, it was obtained for a price that didn’t look like a mortgage payment.



The only bummer is the (unopened) Ruger rings that came with the gun are 30mm rings, and none of my new scopes in boxes have 30mm tubes. I have a new 3x9x40 Weaver Classic sitting in a box, so I think I’ll start off with this scope first. (If I need more magnification I will look at a 4.5x16 or greater) Ruger didn’t have 1” gloss medium rings in stock, so I ordered a set from Midway (They offered free shipping today) .

Once I get the rings and the scope mounted I’ll head to the rifle range and see how it shoots. I have a good bit of Win 64 gr PowerPoint and Federal 69 gr BTHP match ammo on the shelves, so I should be able to shoot enough to get it where I want it.

Stay safe.

 

[Pat Riot]

Congratulations!

That’s a very nice rifle.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Yowza!

 

[horsemen61]

Good looking rifle!

 

[nick22]

Definitely a beautiful rifle. I no longer own a #1 but had a .270 back in the day. I regret selling that rifle quite a bit. I am interested to hear how it shoots I don't recall group sizes from the one I had but I also don't remember it shooting poorly. Rumor is they can be hit or miss in the accuracy dept.

 

[Legionnaire]

Nice. There’s just something about a nice No.1.

 

[marksman13]

Gorgeous rifle. Congrats and welcome to the club.

 

[Newtosavage]

Congratulations! Your story reminded me of my Bear Kodiak Takedown that I finally treated myself to after 40+ years of lusting over them. My brother and I were getting into bowhunting in the late 70's, and the Bear takedown was the top of the line bow at that time. We would ride our bikes down to the sporting goods store in Tyler, TX just to look at it. I remember how expensive it was even then, and we could only dream of owning one. Last year I finally bit the bullet and bought one. Now I wonder why I waited so long. Life is short. Yes, these are just "things" but we also deserve to be happy. I'm glad you got your rifle!

 

[Archie]

I am rather taken with the No. 1 rifle. The older I get, the more it seems a single shot rifle is more my speed.

 

[Olympus]

Beautiful gun. I'm a collector of No1 rifles as well. Prices on pristine examples like yours have gone up significantly over the last few years.

 

[entropy]

Nice! I too fell in love with the #1 when my Dad bought his .30-06 #1 in @ 1982. This was his "One shot, one deer" phase (Though he hadn't killed a deer up to that point, and when he did it was with a 12 ga. 1100, and fired 3 shots, one of which shattered the 12 pt. rack on that buck ) and it was indeed a very accurate rifle. Even he could shoot groups at 200 yards with it that matched his 100 yard groups with his 700's or Win. 70's. But, as he is, sold it not long after, never having taken a deer with it.
It was an easy thing to fall in love with the #1. My dream rifle then, (still is, though there are others that tie it) was a Sharps-Borchardt in .30-06.
In case you are wondering, the taxidermist rebuilt the rack with the pieces we picked up and some resin. You have to look very closely to notice it.

 

[jmr40]

It's a long story that I won't go into. But I met a gentleman a few years ago who was leaving for Africa in a few weeks to hunt elephant. He was taking a Ruger #1 in 458. I was with a group of guys in his office. He pulled the rifle out of his safe and passed it around along with a box of ammo.

I'd seen one before as well as 458 ammo. Most of the group I was with were hunters, but they had not. To say they were awe struck was an understatement. Those really are beautiful rifles, but I've never felt the itch to personally own one. I think you'll get a lot more use out of the 223 than a 458 however. Congratulations.

 

[25-20 WCF]

Depending on the twist rate, the OP’s rifle may not stabilize the 69-grain Federal load. Sierra recommends a 1:10” twist or faster for acceptable accuracy with that bullet. Older No. 1s used a 1:12” twist.

Beautiful rifle, I only have three…..



.

 

[Armored farmer]

I'm a big fan of single-shots.
Congrats on your #1. Its a beautiful rifle!
I want to see pics when you get it scoped.

 

[Barbaroja]

Nice rifle! I’m a big single shot fan. I was hoping it was going to be a 458 from your story but I think you will likely get more use from the .223

 

[Grumpy_old_Fart]

Having Ruger #1 rifles gets a lot of odd looks sometimes.. I hunt with mine, and some of my buddies give me grief about it. I have watched them take shots at animals and miss multiple times.
I think using one makes you calm down and ensure better shot placement.

Nice example you have there!

 

[J-Bar]

Sweet!

Feels good to scratch an old itch, doesn’t it!

 

[BigBlue 94]

Beautiful! My grandpa had a pair of No.1s, that my uncle now has, and i hope to get some day. One a 6mm Remington and the other 7x57.

 

[George Dickel]

Nice!!! I've never owned one, but you've sparked an interest in me for one. I have a Winchester 1885 low wall in .22lr and really enjoy the slower pace shooting a single shot.

 

[Bazoo]

Congratulations

I want one bad after having seen a beat up 270 in a pawn shop. They wanted $700 for it and I just couldn't swing it. I'd have taken the scratches and dings and been happy I think, I'd have hunted with it.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Nice find. Good to see you found a gun you been admiring since high school days.

 

[high country]

Beautiful! I have long wanted to add one of those to the collection, hopefully someday I will come into one that is that nice.

Can't wait for a range report, definitely let us know once you get to take it for a spin.

 

[MEHavey]

FWIW:
Don't "firmly" tighten the forearm, so much as
"just-enough" along w/ some purple LocTite.
(trust me )

 

[czhen]

Wow congrats is a beautiful rifle.

 

[doubleh]

Nice, nice, nice. The very first time I saw a picture of the #1 I was in love. It took some time to accumulate enough spare funds to actually get one as I was the sole income for a wife and two kids. It will pass to my son along with one more that I bought several years ago.