Ruger #1 in big bore calibers

[Royal27]

Royal27, just go ahead and buy a few . Why stop at just one!

Exactly!!! That's my personality for sure.

I leave for my first Safari in 20 days and I booked tickets for my second one earlier this week!

 

[jduckhunter]

Or I guess I should say I didn't KNOW I wanted one!

You want one, you really do. Your just not admitting it to yourself. I only have one at the moment in 300 H & H, but that may change at any moment.

 

[Royal27]

You want one, you really do. Your just not admitting it to yourself. I only have one at the moment in 300 H & H, but that may change at any moment.

Oh no, you missed my point. I freely admit now that I want one, or ten.

 

[jduckhunter]

Oh no, you missed my point. I freely admit now that I want one, or ten.

And you misread me I am only messing with you. I knew full well what you meant. The one I have now I won on a raffle ticket a few years ago, I wrestled with myself over weather to fire it or not, it is a one of a kind commemorative. Well I had to shoot it, and when at 100 yds. the first two bullets went thru the same hole, I knew I had to hunt with it. So far I have taken a Nyala with it but plan on using it much more. Buy one that's all I can say.

 

[Velo Dog]

In a word - "No" - you will not be able to have a custom designed stock built if the object is to get a heavy rifle at an affordable price. One of the best and largely overlooked deals out there is to find one of the old Ruger "Magnum" rifles built on the 77 action. They are of appropriate weight with a quarter rib and milled scope bases. They are even a handsome rifle. They were built in .375 .416 Rigby and 458 Lott. A quick look at Guns International shows several for sale for less than 2K. http://search.gunsinternational.com/search_results.cfm

+1 with Red Leg here on the 77 Magnum.
Several people I know have them and will not part with them.
A couple of them have cut off the small bolt handle and welded on a larger more proportionally sized one plus, shaved the forearm down a bit to make the rifle a bit more sleek and not so clubby up front.
Too bad for those who need it left handed that Ruger did not make at least a limited run of same.
Also too bad that Ruger did not go through with their original plan to offer it back in the day for caliber .404 Jeffery.
I have seen more than one converted to .505 Gibbs by the way so, the action is quite large and robust.

I have always felt that the #1 Single Shot and the 77 magnum were Ruger's two best rifles, all told in aesthetics and in function/caliber choice as well.
Both can use minor adjustments for balance and handling characteristics but, even with no modifications at all, they are well worth the relatively affordable prices they usually are found at these days.

Also, it would be excellent if Ruger would offer a more expensive "African" model in their Single Shot, with oval cheek piece, proper recoil pad, weight in the butt stock, 26" barrel, island rear sight base/one standing and two folding express leaves, Westley Richards style flip over front sight.
It could be in limited runs of 6.5 Mannlicher or Swede, .303 British, .300 H&H Flanged, and belted 9.3x74, .375H&H Flanged, and belted, .450/400 NE 3", .450 NE 3.25" straight and No2 3.5" bottle neck, and .500 NE 3".

I will wish in one hand and stack fish heads in the other to see which one fills up first.

Ciao,
Velo Dog.

 

[Velo Dog]

at around 9 pounds my CZ 550 in 375 is a joy to shoot. i have put 50 rounds down th barrel in a single sitting. although i do try to limit my shooting to 30 rounds in a sitting cause anything over that tended to leave my shoulder a little stiff the next day.

-matt

Matt85,

Aside from a rimfire and a 6.5x55 in my toybox, for some reason my several other CZ 550 magnums all weigh from about 10 to 11 lb.
Must be the variations in density with individual walnut stock blanks to begin with.
Even though I am getting old these days, I am able to carry a heavy well balanced rifle for mile after mile, hour after hour (I train with enthusiasm for a full year prior to every safari) but recoil gets me down any more.
I never have been the toughest guy against recoil but lately, I find myself loading my cartridges toward the lower end of their capabilities.

The .458 Lott is a perfect example.
Mine weighs about 11 Lb empty.
Shooting it at a little over 2100 fps, it is less painful to practice with than the 2300 fps that factory spec ammunition is going.
Soon I will be loading it down a bit more to around 2050 fps but see no reason to hunt heavy / DG with that caliber if I have to go below that.

My best,
Velo Dog.

 

[CAustin]

Enysse I think you have the right idea. Everyone should have a couple
Of #1s. I'm heAded to Cabela's first thing in the morning!

 

[matt85]

Aside from a rimfire and a 6.5x55 in my toybox, for some reason my several other CZ 550 magnums all weigh from about 10 to 11 lb.
Must be the variations in density with individual walnut stock blanks to begin with.

this prompted me to go weigh my CZ 550 375 H&H and it weighs in at right around 9.2 pounds unloaded.

I find it strange that the weight would vary by that much... does the same kind of wood very by that much?

-matt

 

[gordon-kruger]

Velo Dog, yes Ruger should make African model with some nice details, but the idea with a falling block single rifle is that is light and easy to carry for many hoers, what is the reason to have a 11-12 lbs weapon with one shot capacity, then better to carry around the old double.. or ?

 

[Rob404]

My CZ550 in 375HH with a scope mounted and Loaded with Rounds tipped the scales at 12.8 lbs,

 

[Red Leg]

The No 1 is a fine rifle. I purchased one in .270 in 1975 when I was stationed in Europe. Was there 5 years, and became friends with a wonderful old veteran of the Wermacht who had a huge revier. He gave me the run of the place to help with the shooting plan. I bet that rifle accounted for 30-40 head of roe deer, wild boar, and foxes each year. I was a young unmarried lieutenant and poor as a church mouse so was lucky to have the gun at all. However, another friend was a gunmaker in southern Bavaria. He sent the rifle to Austria where an engraving student used it as be basis of his work to graduate. The stock was also reworked to be very dark and very European. More recently I acquired one in .300 H7H. It had been restocked in classic English lines, and I subsequently had Turnbull case color the receiver and quarter rib. It too is exquisite, and both are supremely accurate.

 

[Velo Dog]

this prompted me to go weigh my CZ 550 375 H&H and it weighs in at right around 9.2 pounds unloaded.

I find it strange that the weight would vary by that much... does the same kind of wood very by that much?

-matt

Hi Matt85,

My .375 is actually an older Brno 602 and although the 550 Magnum and 602 Magnum are very similar rifles, it would be pointless to try to document why the two separate but similar brands weigh in differently .. nonetheless, mine is almost exactly 10 lb empty, without scope or sling (on a butchers counter top scale) and is a joy to shoot with my favorite "Thornbush Load" as I call it (300 gr RNSP at 2400 fps).

I do have two CZ 550s in absolutely unaltered factory issue condition - one is a used .458 Winchester that I bought cheap, intending to have converted to .404 Jeffery when I get the $ saved up, (I have not even fired it).
It weighs 10 lb.
The other is a .375 that also I have not fired but intend to one day have converted to .300 H&H.
As a .375 though, it weighs 9.8 lb, empty/no sling, blah, blah.
These two (unaltered CZ .375 and CZ .458 Winchester) as well as my unaltered .500 Jeffery fit my earlier words: "for some reason my several other CZ 550 Magnums all weigh from about 10 to 11 pounds", as does (sort of) my .416 because when I bought it new, it weighed 10.6 lb, prior to custom work including weight added to the stock.

Not all that relevant to factory specs but, good weight and balance for caliber rifles are always worth describing - I have three semi-custom CZ 550s as well and they are to my soft shoulder's delight, on the heavy side.

One is a .416 Rigby 23.6" factory barrel cut, custom front sight set back from muzzle 1/2", a larger bolt handle, 3 position "Model 70" type safety, stock reinforced in 3 places and weight added - empty, no sling or scope is 11 lb.
Prior to modification, it weighed about 10.6 Lb.

One is a .458 Lott, custom 23" barrel but otherwise similar treatment as the .416.
It is 11 lb also.
This one had originally been a 2nd hand .375 that I had re-barreled/reworked into a .458 Lott but, I did not weigh it prior to delivering it to the Gunsmith for modification, so that information is unknown.

Last is my .500 Jeffery and from the SO CALLED custom shop at CZ, it likewise weighs 11 lb, with no modification done before weigh-in.
I might entertain the idea of having lead added into the forearm, under the barrel channel to make about 12 lb but not sure yet.
Will cross that bridge after it is repaired and I use it a bit at the range.

At the moment, it is in a shop here where I live, getting repaired because as I have ranted before - it did not feed or chamber live Kynoch factory cartridges and it would feed but not chamber A-Zoom snap caps.
Both of which fed and chambered in a friend's original 1920s vintage Schuler built rifle, smooth as butter (marked .500 Schuler incidentally and I have never seen another Schuler marked as such, the two other original Schulers I have seen for sale on the internet were marked 12.7 x70.)
Also, while the Gunsmith has it, he will be installing a larger "Pre-War Oberndorf" style bolt handle and a large ivory front sight bead also the barrel will not be cut (it arrived new with a 24" barrel which is fine with me).

Hopefully all the above is as clear as mud.

Cheerio,
Velo Dog.

 

[Velo Dog]

Velo Dog, yes Ruger should make African model with some nice details, but the idea with a falling block single rifle is that is light and easy to carry for many hoers, what is the reason to have a 11-12 lbs weapon with one shot capacity, then better to carry around the old double.. or ?

Hello Gordon-Kruger,

You chaps that live and hunt or have hunted in Africa for a living are a wealth of valuable information and I for one, definitely appreciate your input on the subject.

Here where I live, "elephant guns" are fired at targets much more than at game.
For people like myself and many of my friends who also own such quite large calibers here, we find that we are better off with heavy rifles to resist recoil a bit more.
We tend to shoot them for practice and as a fun hobby, quite a bit but, not often being able to go on safari to Africa or Australia for buffalo and/or other heavy game.
It is rare here to carry anything over about .375 caliber further than from the car to the firing bench, a few steps away.

In "medium" calibers like .45-70, .375 and .338 - plus a few others as well, we Alaskans do tend to carry rifles over some very remote and rugged places for sure and many have them customized with light synthetic stocks, shortened barrel, aperture sight or compact scope, etc., for carrying all day long in the wild places, where one may be confronted by some grumpy bear in the thick foliage.
By reputation, the .375 H&H with 300 grain bullet is plenty for the grumpiest bear ever to jump and breathe.

In your enviable location of residence, you can presumably hunt heavy/thick skinned game, rather often.
Unfortunately, I cannot afford to even hunt so called African "plains game" more than 6 or 7 times (at the most), in my entire life, before my age will stop me (been 4 times so far and am now in my 60s, might get back 2 or 3 more times - if everything goes perfect).
As for any animal that I will be able to afford and being suitable to hunt with a really large bore rifle, so far I have sacked one Cape buffalo.

If all goes well, I plan to hunt either a tusk less elephant or, hippo on land but not both in one safari, due to cost.
Also it is depending on how well my knee heals or not (just had surgery on it) and likewise on the political situation in Zimbabwe or whichever country is offering the best deal for me when I get the money saved up.

So, long boring story short, I totally agree with you that for hunting many long miles very frequently, I would not want such a heavy rifle, definitely lighter would be better.
But, for my situation where I live, and what I would mostly be doing with it all summer long, every year (target practice within a few paces of my automobile) an 11 or 12 pound .500 seems about right, single shot, double or repeater.
Likewise, for my perhaps 1 or 2 (maybe 3) opportunities to hunt heavy / thick skinned game in my whole life, an 11 or 12 lb .500 NE would not be a serious handicap for me.
(One of those opportunities has already been used up on the buffalo).

Kind Regards,
Velo Dog.

 

[enysse]

I agree with you Velo Dog, the guy that shoots on the range and does a dozen trips in his life carries a heavy gun. A guy that does it for a living would get sick off it.

I have a light weight .338 Win that kicks me hard, still it is nice to carry.

 

[matt85]

im with Vel Dog on this as well, I primarily shoot at the range with very few opportunities to hunt heavy game. I want to be able to fire at least 20 rounds in a sitting without any real discomfort. for my 500/416 NE , 11 pounds seems to do the trick and I can shoot extensively at the range. I admit it could probably lose half a pound to a full pound and still be manageable but I would probably not be able to shoot it quite as much.

-matt

 

[gordon-kruger]

Yes that's sound very reasonable Velo Dog !

Best wishes,
Gordon

 

[Red Leg]

So Velo I think most who have hunted DG with nitro calibers would agree with your final choice. If we are going to be traditional about it, the finest DG doubles and singles built in the golden age just preceding the Great War were perfectly balanced, mechanically flawless, but hardly feather weights. The British gun makers could and would build anything for a client. But one would be hard pressed to find a hard bitten ivory hunter sipping something amber in Lado pining for an 8 or 9 lb stopping rifle. And they carried those rifles for leagues and leagues. When it came to putting a couple of rounds in the sticking place, the last thing they needed to do was undouble their vision. What they did need to do was rock slightly forward out of recoil and deliver that second round fast and accurately. My question remains. Has anyone honestly lit off a .577 0r .505 from an 8 1/2 pound rifle? Not sure how far I'd want to walk, however comfortably, for that opportunity. And Velo you are correct - this aging process largely sucks. Only so many good seasons left.

 

[Velo Dog]

I agree with you Velo Dog, the guy that shoots on the range and does a dozen trips in his life carries a heavy gun. A guy that does it for a living would get sick off it.

I have a light weight .338 Win that kicks me hard, still it is nice to carry.

Amen to that.

 

[Velo Dog]

Yes that's sound very reasonable Velo Dog !

Best wishes,
Gordon

Thanks Gordon, great mind think alike.

 

[Velo Dog]

So Velo I think most who have hunted DG with nitro calibers would agree with your final choice. If we are going to be traditional about it, the finest DG doubles and singles built in the golden age just preceding the Great War were perfectly balanced, mechanically flawless, but hardly feather weights. The British gun makers could and would build anything for a client. But one would be hard pressed to find a hard bitten ivory hunter sipping something amber in Lado pining for an 8 or 9 lb stopping rifle. And they carried those rifles for leagues and leagues. When it came to putting a couple of rounds in the sticking place, the last thing they needed to do was undouble their vision. What they did need to do was rock slightly forward out of recoil and deliver that second round fast and accurately. My question remains. Has anyone honestly lit off a .577 0r .505 from an 8 1/2 pound rifle? Not sure how far I'd want to walk, however comfortably, for that opportunity. And Velo you are correct - this aging process largely sucks. Only so many good seasons left.

Thanks Red Leg and I am in 100% agreement with you,

Have actually fired an 8.5 pound (approximate weight according to what I recall about it) in .500 NE with full pressure loads - 570 gr Barnes monolithic at 2100 plus or perhaps minus (20" barrels).
It was custom built on either a Chapuis or Verney Carron action but, I think the owner said Chapuis receiver and built it to his specs by a company in Idaho called "Evo-Rifle" or some such, and he wanted it that way, intending to hunt elephant.
I managed to fire one barrel and then the other without throwing it down and screaming like a little girl (however, I really was quite tempted).

I handed it back to the smiling owner and I told him; "That rifle is nonsense" at which time others there also thought all was comical as well.
Looking back, my face must've been contorted in pain because it looked funny I guess (kinda looks funny even when not in pain, some have said).

Conversely, another chap I know (Cal Pappas) has an older English made SxS in .500 NE that is over 11 lb, I think closer to 12 but I cannot remember what he told me that it weighs exactly to the ounce.
I have fired it with full pressure 570 grainers (Woodleighs) at about 2125 or 2150 (24" barrels) and it is a tad easier on my shoulder than my Heym SxS in .458 Winchester (9.9 Lb)
Also, I have fired Cal's .600 NE (also a Pre-War London or Birmingham SxS) with less discomfort than that custom .500 mentioned but the .600 was very heavy.
I am guessing it is 16 pounds - too much to actually sport hunt with but he has taken at least one buffalo in Zimbabwe with it that I know of.
He is a way better man than I am.

Anyway, weight and balance is almost everything, then particular recoil pads need consideration.

Over and out,
Velo Dog.