Can anyone please tell me how a ruger #1 shoots new OOTB?

[surg_res]

I'm lookin at getting a #1 in 243 for my lefty wife (thats left-handed, not the other, more evil type). Nevertheless, I've never seen one shoot at the range but would expect them to hold their ground, being that they do seem well made. Any 1st hand experience would be appreciated.

I don't expect nickel-sized groups, however, with such a price tag, I would hope for something that wouldn't need much work and would certainly be a pleasure to shoot. Thanks for your input.

[stevelyn]

I have a # 1 RSI in .30-06 that shoots better than I can hold with open sights.

[cdrt]

I had a Ruger #1 in .30-06 that shot okay with 150 grain bullets and nothing else. I sold it since it was a little heavy to carry hunting and the safety had a habit of going from safe to fire on it's on if I bumped it while carrying it with a sling.

One of the complaints about the #1 and accuracy, that I've heard, is the way the forend can influence group size. I can't remember the exact fix, but some guys would shim the front end where the forend is attached to the rifle to alleviate the stress on the barrel. Not sure if that makes sense, but I included the owner's manual when I sold the rifle and I don't have the internal drawing to reference.

[nate45]

My Ruger No 1 Standard in 7mm Rem Mag is very accurate I have managed .75 in five shot groups @ 100yds.

Way beyond whats needed for hunting applications.

They are nice rifles I like them.

[K20350]

Had a No. 1 in .22-250. I was in love with the gun and saved for it for a few months (As I am not a rich fellow). Biggest let down in my gun buying career. I tried every trick on every No. 1 site and forum and it just wouldnt shoot under 2 inches. I already had a 250 that shot about 1/2 moa so it was a pretty big dissapointment. Damn that gun was pretty though. I never wished a gun would shoot good as much as that one. I handloaded till I was blue in the face and just couldnt get it to shoot. Multiple scopes (leupy 6.5-20 VX3 and Burris 6-18)Etc. They have barrel harmonics problems stemming from the barrel hanger for forend and the ejector spring. I put a unit on there called a Hicks Accurizer that is supposed to help you tune out the harmonics. It helped a little but just not enough for what I thought a heavy barreled varmint caliber rifle should shoot. If it was used as deer rifle I suppose it would have worked but I just cant stand it if one of my rifles cant hold at least MOA out to 200. I have heard you just have to get lucky to get one to shoot OOTB. The manager on my local gun haunt has one he has done nothing too and it shoots about 1MOA. So good luck. I think they are beautiful rifles but be prepared. K2

[LHB1]

Some years ago I owned Ruger No 1 rifles in 6mm and .25-06. Despite shimming the front ends and MUCH experimenting with different loads, neither of them would do better than 1.25 MOA on a regular basis. My other guns (Win M70's and Rem M700's) would usually shoot 3/4 MOA with same handloads. Despite this I hunted with the No 1's for at least 15 years with considerable success. I also was a frequent winner at gun club in 200 yd offhand shooting matches using the 6mm. The No 1's are fairly heavy which hinders carrying but helps in shooting (slows down the barrel wobble for me). They are also very quick to reload if you keep spare rounds handy on your belt because the fired case is ejected when lever is dropped. Despite not being tack hole rifles, I enjoyed shooting and hunting with them.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

[Martyn4802]

Out of the box accuracy with a Ruger Number 1 is a crap shoot. Some shoot, and some do not. Mine did not, and it took me several trips to the gunsmith to get it shooting right. Vertical stringing was the issue, which means the forearm wasn't bedded right and the barrel wasn't tuned. My neighbor had the same identical problem with his Number 1. Mine is a 22 Hornet and his is a 218 Bee. A hunting buddy of mine has one in 25-06. His had the same problem.
So, you can use the info to make your decision. The fix isn't bad, if you want to go through the hassle. It involves drilling and tapping a hole for a set screw in the forearm hanger so the set screw can engage the bottom of the barrel to tune it. All three of the above rifles were fixed the same way, by different gunsmiths.

Martyn

[Socrates]

To put it another way:
Ruger barrels are a roll of the dice, period.

Dr S

[surg_res]

Thanks for the insight. I've been down the Ruger road 4-5 times before, and am currently left with just my little 10/22 and its bull barrel. After hearing the issues, I'm considering holding my $$ and looking into other rifles or waiting for the right deal.

I was recently at a show and saw a gorgeous ?-Browning-? single-shot rifle chambered in .260 rem, but let it go...:( I was reaching for my walet and asked the guy to open the chamber for me--he couldn't it was jammed, so I walked. I haven't see a similar gun since.