Ruger No. 1 accuracy

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Takem406

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I ended up with a redheaded step child, a 1B in 7mm Rem. Made in '69 and I believe it has a Douglas barrel.

Anyways it's just a project gun at the moment, not sure what to do with it.

In anticipation of getting the rifle I researched a lot and found threads and threads on how inaccurate No 1's are.

So I went ahead and floated her on the day she came home. In all fairness I have only shot it once with cheap ammo. However I did notice the infamous vertical stringing, even after floating her.

I have a Hicks on my shelf to install, I guess that's supposed to help. I just haven't gone ahead with it yet.

I also noticed it has a ton of freebore. A 175 gr Accubond LR doesn't even come close to the lans.

Just trying to figure out if it's worth all the trouble and money to make an expensive rifle shoot or just get a bolt gun of the same value that's accurate out of the box.

Thanks boys!
 
Did you try shooting it before you free floated it? Some rifles shoot better with a pressure point.
 
I have a #1 in 7mm Rem Mag, that for a long time wasn't as accurate as I thought it should be. I could (perhaps should) have just accepted it for what it was. It put a lot of meat in the freezer.:cool:
I eventually got quite an accuracy improvement by following M.L. McPherson's advice on dealing with two piece stocks.
IMHO, the fore end should have only one point of contact with the barrel, where the hanger is. You can go with the HIcks, or a shim (requires a little fiddling to ascertain the right thickness).
HTH
 
You seem already convinced that it won't shoot. So why bother? There is no way of telling for sure about the barrel and many #1s from that era shoot fine. The Hicks works on the principle of providing an easily adjustable pressure point. It requires some inletting and drilling a hole in the forearm. If you go that route it pays to properly bed the hanger & accurizer to the forearm. The factory pressure point that you have already removed can be adjusted to do the same thing. It's just not as convenient as turning the screw on the Hicks. How you rest a #1 can affect the groups and cause stringing. The easiest way to see if it does better floated is just remove the forearm and shoot it. Using something other than "cheap ammo" might help the cause also.
 
Ruger #1's are not designed for accuracy as they come from the factory. Had heavy barreled models in 22-250 & 243. Be happy with accuracy averaging just under 2" @ 100 yds.
 
I've haven't seen many good shooting #1s. My father in law has a matched pair of Chirstinson Arms #1s in 204 Ruger (why? Because you can't give rednecks money) and even they are only 1 MOA guns
 
I think you need to try 2 or 3 additional loads/bullet weights through it before you decide it isn't accurate. Give it a chance, it might just not like the stuff you tried.
 
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I had one years ago, wouldn't group for anything, but the first cold barrel shot was push-button death. Regret getting rid of it now, beautiful gun that I didn't have sense enough to appreciate.
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I have a Ruger #1 .204. Prettiest rifle I own and it's killed 100s of prairie dogs for me. My brother has it's twin. The only accruing we have done is adjust the triggers. Both rifles will shoot groups under an inch and have killed several 300 yard prairie dogs. We both reload and have worked to get the load right. I guess we are lucky.
 
The only #1 that I ever tried to make shoot well became a one holer. It was a heavy barrell in .220 Swift. I did just a little of the recommended stuff and a little load development and it would put 5 shots in one hole at 100yd. Your mileage may vary.

Lafitte
 
My #1 .270 Winchester gave me this group the first time I ever shot it.
Never happened again, but never grouped over 1.5" with the same load.
Traded the rifle for a #1 RSI in 7x57 that shoots really well.

P1000877.jpg
 
My Ruger No 1 in 30-06 strings about 4" groups at 100 yards. I have monkeyed with bedding the forend, using the hanger as a tensioner, all to naught. You can draw a straight line through the bullet holes, but it is still about 4" tall.
 
They really aren't made for shooting groups, as you know. What I concern myself with is shooting fast pairs. I figure I may get off 2 shots, but it would take an act of God to get time for 3.
 
I had one in 375 H&H, bought it for an Alaska hunt. Messed with it for about 3 months before the trip. Tried 5 different types of premium ammo, only 1 would stay under 6" at 100 yards. Tried the various things mentioned about the hanger forend, etc... to no avail. With the trip 2 weeks away I was getting desperate. Traded it in on a Winchester model 70 in 375. Adjusted trigger to 3 lbs, went to the range and the worst group of all 5 loads was just over an inch. The best was .75 with Remington 300 grain swift A-frame. Went to Alaska, fired 3 rounds total and killed a grizzy, a black bear, and a caribou, all past 200 yards.
 
I had one years ago, wouldn't group for anything, but the first cold barrel shot was push-button death. Regret getting rid of it now, beautiful gun that I didn't have sense enough to appreciate.
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Click to expand...
#1s aren't target rifles, they're stalking rifles. In this dedicated role, they're superb.
 
Had 2. One a 7x57 rsi that wouldnt shoot under 2.5 inches. Case necks would sometimes split and expanded enough to fit a 30 cal bullet. Sent to ruger and they said it was ok as it was safe to fire factory ammo. Second was a 45 70 medium sporter. Ok shooter with cast bullets. Good to great shooter with jacketed bullets. 300 grain sierra or remingtons at 2200 fps would go into about an inch. Makes an impressive cloverleaf when the bullets are 45 cal!
 
Accuracy with the #1 can be a tossup. Some are nicely accurate out of the box and some respond to a bit of tinkering. Sometimes nothing can be done because of the barrel. Attached is photo of a half dozen 1's in my collection. Two of them, a .223 Rem. and .220 Swift are nicely accurate. A couple more, a .218 Bee and 6mm are no better than an inch or so for 5-shots. Another, a heavy barrel .22/250 with pretty stock, will never shoot well because of the bum barrel.
 

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I have had 5 Ruger #1 rifle and they have all shot very well.
Ruger #1A in 270 Winchester would shoot 3 shot groups of and inch or less at 100 yards. it liked 160 grain Nosler partitions.
Ruger #1A in 7 x57 with the same accuracy as the 270 but with 140 grain Nosler partitions.
Ruger #1B in 270 Winchester with the same accuracy as the 1A but with 130 grain Nosler partition.
Ruger #1B in 22-250 would all day long with Nosler 55 grain BT and usually around .750 or less at 100 for 5 shots.
Ruger #1S in 45-70 would do 1.5 inch groups at 100 yards for 3 shots with handloads using 300 grain Remington HP and 405 grain SP.

I happen to like Nosler bullets and that is what I start with in any rifle.

I should point out that all of these rifles were shot just as they came out of the box. the #1A's in 270 , 7 x 57 , #1B in 270 and the #1S in 45-70 were late 1970's or early 1980's gun with the red recoil pad. the #1B in 22-250 was an early 1990's gun with a black pad
 
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River was outsourcing barrels for a long time and I've heard was a big factor of past M77s not shooting well sometimes. I also read that since River has gone to their own barrels the M77 is now known to be a decently accurate rifle.

I wonder if the #1 had the same problem? Anyone with a newer model #1 have accuracy problems?
 
Flashhole - that is one mighty impressive group from any rifle! Great shooting. May I ask which version of the No. One were you shooting and which caliber? I don't recognize the blue tips.
 
#1V in 25-06. Those particular bullets are 100 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. I shoot their 115 grain Ballistic Tip bullets too. All of the 87 grain bullets I've tried shoot well. Nowhere near as good results with 117 grain and 120 grain bullets. The exception there was a 120 grain Round Nose bullet (Hornady I think) but that bullet has been discontinued.

Right1.jpg
 
Takem....I think you hit upon what I always considered one of the main problems with getting groups out of the #1....freebore. Ruger seems to put a lot of freebore in there as sort of a CYA, to keep the pressures down. I know of one friend that redid his by taking the barrel in a turn and rechambering. He shot sub MOA after that, but that's a major renovation.
Very pretty rifles, but in my experience just not the accurate rifles we would like them to be.
 
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