Indulge me...Ruger no 1 thoughts.

[leslie hetrick]

i had a #1 B in .280 that i liked, but a gentleman stacked up usd 100.00 bills untill i gave in.

 

[Safari Dave]

I love Ruger #1's, but I would not care to own one in a heavy recoiling cartridge.

.45/70 or .375 H&H would be my limit.



I would also not carry one to Africa, because of the potential need for a fast follow-up shot.

 

[DrBob]

The No. 1 in 458 is a puddy tat. Recoil is more so with the Rigby but sooooo classic. Room in butt for extra weight.... lead filled copper tube. Nothing wrong with hunting DG with one with a good PH behind you. It's the first shot that counts and a single shot makes that clear.

 

[BossBuck]

I may have a couple in the safe.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

I have not read all the replies, so apologies if what I am typing has been spelled out by others. But! Here is why I love Ruger no.1's.

1) There is a certain appeal to a single shot. I think it relates to the idea of the commitment to accuracy, to use single shots in the field is to say: "I intend to take exactly one perfect shot, and to have that shot settle the matter". This ideal appeals to me, single shots are a perfectionists rifle.
2) The length is a huge advantage. To use a single shot is not just to give up extra round in the magazine, there is a trade off, which allows you to save around 4" as other have pointed out. So if you want a handy gun to hop out of a vehicle with, or to backpack with, any No1 with a 22" barrel is the ticket.
3) The Strength! There are lots of single shots that take advantage of the first two points. BUT, unless they are also a falling block based single shot (like the M10) they will not nearly be as strong. And the strength of a Ruger No.1 is no joke. I have two in DG calibers, a 500NE and a 450/400. And those two can be safely loaded up such that the 450/400 hits the 404 jeff levels of energy. And the 500NE hits 505 gibbs levels of energy... However... Your shoulder may disagree with this practice.
4) Ease of making stocks, if you are a handy wood working guy, it is relatively easy to make a ruger no.1 stock. You just need a router table, and an angle grinder with a flap disk. With those two things it takes about a weekend to make both pieces of a stock, and have them sanded to the point they are ready for oil.
5) Accuracy. Yup... I said accuracy. Many bemoan the accuracy of the ruger No.1 but I have yet to own one that does not shoot. I do float the foregrips on mine, but that is standard accurizing for bolt action rifles as well. Once this has been done, every No.1 I have had shoots around or just under 1" when I do my part. The one exception is the 500NE, that shoots around 1/2", but that has a match grade stainless 50bmg barrel that was cut down and re chambered to 500ne. Alas the only way to get that accuracy is to shoot it off a bench, and that is horrendous.
6) Cals. A Ruger is a bit of a pain to change barrels on, as you need to change your extractor, and get the blank end milled for the extractor slot. BUT... It allows you to change a ruger to any cal you want. The same action can be a 7x57 OR a 500NE with a barrel swap.

Here is my favorite, the 500NE... We were tracking a buff when we came upon this sable, it was late in the morning so we figured why not, and it took a 600gr cup point solid through the chest. Stock made by yours truly.
View attachment 674596

Nice work.

 

[CAustin]

Over the years I have owned #1's in 7x57 to 500 NE. In the larger calibers with the factory stock recoil can be a bit sporty. I have a abnormally long LOP for someone my height so I have replaced most of my stocks with a shotgun style stock set I buy from tree bone carving. This changes the fit and recoil management on #1's. I currently have a 9.3x74 (Went with me to Namibia in 2021) and a 7x57.
With practice you can load a #1 very quickly but what I have found is that when hunting with a single shot I concentrate more on proper bullet placement without really thinking about it. It is to each his own kinda event. If I am planning on hunting with a single shot in Africa it is something I have talked about with the PH in detail and we both agree on the approach. 90% of the time I take one of the doubles. But have some great memories also of the 10% times.

I love the No 1 as you well know. Like you I have taken many animals in Africa with the 300 Win Mag and the 375 H&H. Also, Like you I think I’m a better shot with the single shot and no PH has ever given me any concern even on dangerous game.

 

[Tam Dl]

I’m just more about practicality and function over form. I have two semi-custom AHR CZ 550 bolt action rifles. One 375 H&H and one 458 Lott that are setup for Alaska. These rifles hold six and five rounds down. I also have a Dakota 76 Traveler for Africa. It holds six 375 H&H rounds down and five 458 Lott rounds down. Just makes more sense to me for dangerous game and remote third world countries.

As for semiautomatic rifles, not a fan of those for big game hunting due to accuracy concerns and cleaning issues, even where legal, but I do like semiautomatic rifles in 22LR for small game and small varmints. If I won’t hunt with a rifle, then I won’t own it. That said, I do appreciate the simplicity and beauty of the Ruger No 1 and my comment was somewhat in jest. Shoot whatever floats your boat!

Take it from me as an outfitter-guide for 35 years, the professional shooters you mention aren’t really a good comparison to a lot of hunters!

I agree with all that, basically.

Professional shooters are not a good model for average joes. But if one wants to improve certain approaches it often starts in some form of competition. In the case of cowboy action shooting, there isn't a direct line to much of anything, but they have developed some good strategies for single action operation. And these things eventually tend to get into the wider public. Of course with Ruger No 1s there currently isn't a wider public.

I'm generally not so happy about the influence of competitions on sports (as opposed to games). I have seen it do things to fly fishing and rock climbing, that I would rather had not happened. But it has created a lot of "progress". I am not convinced we actually know what the most efficient way to reload a No 1 is. It would almost be odd if we did know that. Maybe some day we will.

 

[Uncontrolled_round_feed]

My trio - from top, 25-06, 7x57, and 375H&H. They are delightful.