What caliber for Ruger #1

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Erik

New member
I apparently have to have one of these rifles... ;)

I am interested in opinions on your favorite calibewr for the cjoice. I understand there are many choices, and most of these boil down to personal preference. I guess that I should ask "which seem to be the most appropriate for a classic single shot rifle?"

Thanks- sorry if I'm being too ambiguous.
E
 
Erik,
I have the #1 International in .270 and would love to have one each in .223 and .243.

Good luck in your quest. :)

------------------
"Lead, follow or get the HELL out of the way."
 
Oh, I should mention that although I may want a big bore, it is not a realistic option for me at this. So let's try keeping it at .375 and under, if possible. Thanks!
 
I had one in .243 and it was great - my current one is a No 1-S in 7mm magnum. It's a great gun all around but I have too many - if you think a 7mm might be your ticket drop me an e-mail and you might get to own it.

Mikey
 
My friend has a Ruger #1 in .45/70.

I recommend the .45/70 without reservation.

Check the reloading manuals for the .45/70 round in a Ruger #1 rifle. You'll see that you don't have to only use 70 grains of powder. You can actually pack the entire casing with powder and then squeeze a 500 grain bullet on top. It's called a pack load.

Just be ready when you shoot that thing.

We had a good day shooting and breaking 4x4's one day. I could only handle about 10 shots. Incredibly powerful weapon when loaded this way. This is the advantage of a #1 single shot. Go big or go semi auto. Don't buy a mouse caliber for a potential cannon.

Regards,
MP
 
I have an h&r ultra in 25.06 and and I think that caliber would be great in any single shot.But why get a ruger the new enland handi rifles are just as accurate.
 
For a classic single shot, go with a classic cartridge. 7x57MM, .375 H&H, 30-06, .270 Win.,45-70. If I were to buy a #1, I would probably pick one of the first two. Wait a minute. I already have those. The first #1 I ever had was a #1B in 30-06, the second a #1B in .300 Win. Mag., I have all the above mentioned calibers in the #1A aand the "H" in .375. I just got a #1A in .243. Yup! I like 'em! :)
I would say that if you really wanted to go "classic", that is a round from the late Victorian age, go either 7x57MM or .375 H&H.
OH! That's what I said in the first place.
Paul B.
 
I have both ends of the centerfire spectrum in my #'s. On the small end I have a #1B in .22 Hornet and on the big end I have a #1H that was in .458 Win Mag and I had rechambered into a .460 Weatherby Magnum. My standard load pushes as .45 cal 500 gr. bullet at 2,600 fps. Try shooting that out of an 8 lb rifle :D.

NJw in AZ
 
I would agree 45/70 would be a true classic single shot caliber.
I have a #1V in .223 and I love it. My unmodified specimen prints 1/2 MOA with hand loads.
The NEF Handi-Rifle is a real good value for the money, but compared side by side with the #1 the difference in quality is quite apparent.
 
A #1A in .270 Winchester was the cure when I caught this bug. The A,S and H models are my choices because they have open sights and the clean barrels always looked incomplete to me.

I found that though the #1 is a classic looking rifle it's workmanship doesn't live up to its looks. After the initial glow wore off I noted several items that didn't meet my standards including sloppy checkering, thin blueing, sharp edges on the lever, heavy trigger pull. If I were to buy another one of these rifles I would put it into the hands of a competent smith and might consider having a custom stock done up. The stainless/synthetic/laminated versions of this rifle are an insult to the eye only exceeded by the egregious Ruger Red Label Synthetic.

As for caliber, I've always thought a #1 in .45-70 would be fun to play with and properly loaded a good choice within 200 yards for almost anything in North America.
 
I fired one in .338 Win Mag.
Punishing! :D
The #1 is a special kinda rifle. You can easily do things in heavy calibers that you can't do with your average bolt gun with out spending a heck of a lot of money. The reciever is very strong.
If you want a heavy caliber - the #1 is a good choice for a starting point.
If you want to do hand loading and lots of experiments with mild to scorching loads - the #1 is a good choice.
Some of the #1's options are very tempting.
You can go wild with that one.
What caliber? Man - thats just the start!
 
"....most appropriate for a classic single shot rifle?" That's easy, there's only one choice it could be - the old striaght walled .38-55, or if you wanted to go with the modern day evolutionary equivalent the .375 Winchester (case dimensions are nearly identical).

The .38-55 (itself derived from the c.1876 .38-50 Ballard) dominated the competitive shooting world from late 1870s to the early 1900s like no cartridge before or since. It's still viable for hunting any North American game aniamal, accurate as any modern benchrest cartridge inside 200 yards, and the light loads are just fun to plink with. Hot loaded in a strong modern action the .375 Win licks at the heels of the .45-70 (actually surpasses it past 100yds because of better ballistic coefficients) but has about 1/2 the recoil.

Check out this link: .38-55

-- Kernel


[This message has been edited by Kernel (edited September 30, 2000).]
 
Originally posted by George Hill:
I fired one in .338 Win Mag.
Punishing! :D
The #1 is a special kinda rifle. You can easily do things in heavy calibers that you can't do with your average bolt gun with out spending a heck of a lot of money. The reciever is very strong.
If you want a heavy caliber - the #1 is a good choice for a starting point.

George. You're absolutely right. The recoil, especially in magnum calibers can be punishing. My #1B on 30-06 feel more like a .300 Magnum of some sort, and the .300 and .375? Well, you just have to get used to it, I guess. :)
It is a special kind of rifle. I would eventually like to get at least one of each version for my collection. I really like the rifles, and I really like hunting with them as well.
I agree with whoever said the quality has gone down some. That's why I only search out pre-owned ones. :)
Paul B.
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