Anyone have a Ruger#1 V? I love the #1s , but my buddy's new 1V 22-250 is not that accurate......Are they worth the money in say a 223 or 204ruger? Or should I stick with my Rem. 700s?

Hello,
Not unusual to hear that a Ruger NO. 1 is not all that accurate, but it is a fairly rare occurence to hear that a Rem. 700 is not accurate. Go Figure???? I have shot both over the years and have found that out of the box as they say, the 700 is really a top contender in the accuracy department. Some may not like some features of the 700, but everyone seems to like the accurate part!!
dsiteman
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I have a Ruger #1V in 25-06. It's paired with a Zeiss Conquest scope 4.5-14X44mm. The rig is a little on the heavy side and not something you would enjoy toting around on an all day hike but on a rest it is first rate. I handload for it and the other day I had my first 5-shot, one ragged hole, 200 yard, group. I was shooting Nosler 100 grain Ballistic Tips ove a full case of Hodgdon Retumbo powder. Not a great trigger but not a bad one either.

http://www.shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=17533&highlight=flashhole

This is what I did to my #1V.

Evening dogman

I have a #1B in 243. I have done nothing to this gun since I got it. It shoots one inch five shot groups at a hundred.

Like any factory rifle including bolt actions there are tricks to making them shoot small groups.

I personally like the feel and fondle factor of the Ruger single shots. I do like guns that shoot decent groups and my sons Rem 700 VLS 243 heavy barrel does shoot better groups than my Ruger #1. His gun is a couple of pounds heavier than mine. I use mine for coyote hunting in the winter and ground squirrel hunting in the spring.

Though the 243 is capable of taking deer I've always used a larger caliber. I shoot a 55 grain Nosler at 3900 for varmits.

Probably my next varmit rifle will be a CZ 527 varmiter in 204 Ruger caliber.

Which ever way you go good luck. Both the #1 and the Rem 700 are great guns, though take a look at the CZ 527's. I sure like them and from folks I know that have them they shoot great.

For deer I use a 280 Remington and I like my old rem 8 mag for elk.

own a ruger#1v in 220swift. other than its too heavy, it makes a great boat oar. does not make a varmint rifle. tried bullets from 45 to 70 gn. only shoots 1.25in groups. 22-250 rem 700v shoots groups ya can cover with a dime more often than not.

It still amazes me that after all these years of spotty accuracy from Number Ones why Ruger has not addressed the well-known issues with the forend hanger. The flimsy forend hanger vibrates like a tuning fork as the hammer falls, and the slow lock time means that the bullet is still in the barrel as the forend rattles around on the bench rest. The result can be predicted pretty easily - poor accuracy. Add in the spotty Ruger barrel quality, and the results can be dismal. A number of methods have been tried to fix the problem, and many work very well. They all have to do with changing the vibration pattern of the forend hanger. What is really needed is a much more robust hanger instead of the little welded-on extension.

Most high-tech solutions do not follow standard bolt action rifle methods like floating the barrel - the cause of the problem is different with the Number One and requires a different mind set. Dampening the vibrations is the most effective method, and this is done through several methods. One is to either drill the hanger or bolt on an extension so that a screw can be used to push the hanger away from the barrel. This dampens the vibrations and usually dramatically improves mediocre accuracy.

Another method glass beds the hanger firmly to the forend, then tightly beds the forend to the frame. This stresses the hanger against the frame and dampens the vibrations, again usually a good improvement.

Yet another uses a pad of silicone between the forend tip and the barrel to dampen the vibrations. Combined with a firm bedding of the forend to the hanger this works too. These are not the only ways to get around the problem, but they do address the real problem rather than trying to mimic bolt action modifications.

I’ve used all these methods and more on my many Number Ones, and they do work. Some which did not perform well were based on suggestions made thirty years ago when the rifle was new on the market and the problem was not well understood. This included the famously-misinterpreted bedding suggestion to relieve any pressure along the sides of the forend where it contacted the frame. The original author of this technique stated that he did it because his forend was warped - not because it was needed on all Number Ones. Yet, many shooters have wasted their time on this modification since then and complained it did little to help. No wonder.

The methods I use today, with very good success BTW, include bedding the forend firmly to the frame and hanger, then to use a 1” square pad of RTV silicone between the barrel and the forend tip. The silicone is allowed to cure with the rifle standing upright so that there is effectively “zero” pressure imposed. This, combined with an outstanding custom barrel and a synthetic stock, allows my .257 Weatherby to agg under 0.5 moa for four, 3-shot groups.

My .22-250 Stainless Varmint uses a different approach. I drove a wedge made of a piece of plastic shotgun sabot material between the barrel and the hanger tip to give a 3/32” gap between the barrel channel and the barrel at the forend tip. After bedding the forend tight to the hanger and frame the factory barrel aggs in the 0.6s for four, 5-shot groups and its favorite load.

Actually I guess I have answered my own question – it would cost Ruger too much to make the required modifications and the #1 would be priced out of the market. But if you are willing to make the correct changes the results can be very gratifying. :cool:

Hi Carpe Diem,
New guy here, but not new to Single Shots.
Sounds like you have done a lot of work on # 1's, same on this end. Interesting to hear you say the hanger is acting like a "tuning fork", I've never thought of it that way, thought it was more of a barrel vibration problem than a hanger problem, do you know who did the study that determined it was the hanger that was causing the problem ?, of course with the Hicks tuner I guess it would take care of both the hanger and barrel.

I shoot a lot of different Single Shots but the # 1's are the only ones that have a mainspring hanger. All of my Rugers shoot way better than any of my other Single Shots that do not have hangers. Don't know how to explain this but most any # 1 I own will shoot better than my Hi Walls, Rolling Blocks etc. Tried all the tricks I know of to get the others to shoot under an inch or better but not much luck, don't have a problem getting my # 1's to shoot about 1/2 inch most of the time with the right loads. I tried bedding the forend but did not get very good results so all my # 1's are now free floated. Have been told not to waste my time trying to get my # 1's to shoot any better as 1/2 inch is about it. Of course I'll keep trying to get them to shoot better as that's half the fun for me. So far # 1's are about the most accurate of any of the two piece stock Single Shots I've owned. Do you have any ideas that would get my other Single Shots to shoot as good as my Rugers ?.
S/S




It still amazes me that after all these years of spotty accuracy from Number Ones why Ruger has not addressed the well-known issues with the forend hanger. The flimsy forend hanger vibrates like a tuning fork as the hammer falls, and the slow lock time means that the bullet is still in the barrel as the forend rattles around on the bench rest. The result can be predicted pretty easily - poor accuracy. Add in the spotty Ruger barrel quality, and the results can be dismal. A number of methods have been tried to fix the problem, and many work very well. They all have to do with changing the vibration pattern of the forend hanger. What is really needed is a much more robust hanger instead of the little welded-on extension.

Most high-tech solutions do not follow standard bolt action rifle methods like floating the barrel - the cause of the problem is different with the Number One and requires a different mind set. Dampening the vibrations is the most effective method, and this is done through several methods. One is to either drill the hanger or bolt on an extension so that a screw can be used to push the hanger away from the barrel. This dampens the vibrations and usually dramatically improves mediocre accuracy.

Another method glass beds the hanger firmly to the forend, then tightly beds the forend to the frame. This stresses the hanger against the frame and dampens the vibrations, again usually a good improvement.

Yet another uses a pad of silicone between the forend tip and the barrel to dampen the vibrations. Combined with a firm bedding of the forend to the hanger this works too. These are not the only ways to get around the problem, but they do address the real problem rather than trying to mimic bolt action modifications.

I’ve used all these methods and more on my many Number Ones, and they do work. Some which did not perform well were based on suggestions made thirty years ago when the rifle was new on the market and the problem was not well understood. This included the famously-misinterpreted bedding suggestion to relieve any pressure along the sides of the forend where it contacted the frame. The original author of this technique stated that he did it because his forend was warped - not because it was needed on all Number Ones. Yet, many shooters have wasted their time on this modification since then and complained it did little to help. No wonder.

The methods I use today, with very good success BTW, include bedding the forend firmly to the frame and hanger, then to use a 1” square pad of RTV silicone between the barrel and the forend tip. The silicone is allowed to cure with the rifle standing upright so that there is effectively “zero” pressure imposed. This, combined with an outstanding custom barrel and a synthetic stock, allows my .257 Weatherby to agg under 0.5 moa for four, 3-shot groups.

My .22-250 Stainless Varmint uses a different approach. I drove a wedge made of a piece of plastic shotgun sabot material between the barrel and the hanger tip to give a 3/32” gap between the barrel channel and the barrel at the forend tip. After bedding the forend tight to the hanger and frame the factory barrel aggs in the 0.6s for four, 5-shot groups and its favorite load.

Actually I guess I have answered my own question – it would cost Ruger too much to make the required modifications and the #1 would be priced out of the market. But if you are willing to make the correct changes the results can be very gratifying. :cool:

I found out the "secrets" I posted from the Single Shot Rifle Assn, Precision Shooting magazine and several high-accuracy gunsmiths who wrote for PS in the early 1990s. Kenny Jerrett for example did the metal work on my .257 Weatherby, he recommended some ideas for the stocking, but I already knew to try what he suggested. Another thing he did was to fit the barrel so that it "pinches" the breachblock between the barrel and the frame. At first it was difficult to cycle the action, but in a few hundred shots it loosened up and now fits perfectly. Kenny claimed that this made a big difference, and the rifle sure does shoot well considering its chambering. It aggs in the high .4s but I get an occasional group in the low .3s - hard to believe.....

I really don't know much about improving other SS actions besides the triggers. My 14-year old Pedersoli RollingBlock in .45-70 shot very well from the factory - aggs moa with cast bullets and I won a number of CBA matches with it - and all I did was improve the trigger.

Carpe Diem,
I have been subscribing to those Mags for a few years and enjoy reading them, however I may not subscribe to PS this year as it does not seen to offer much in what I'm interested in. I know what your talking about when you say to fit the barrel so that it "pinches" the breach block between the barrel and the frame. I guess most any falling block will shoot much better when the barrel is fitted like that.

I also have a Pedersoli Creedmoor Rolling Block in .45-70, it shoots about 1 1/4 inch with cast bullets, Have a real early Uberti Winchester Falling Block in 45-70, serial number 16, no matter what I do I cant get it to shoot better that about 2 1/2 inches at 100 yds. with cast bullets, does about 1 inch with jacketed. I've done over the triggers in both of them, other than that there both factory stock.

It was interesting reading your post about how to improve the accuracy of the # 1, I just never heard of the hanger being called a "tuning fork" so was curious about it.
S/S



I found out the "secrets" I posted from the Single Shot Rifle Assn, Precision Shooting magazine and several high-accuracy gunsmiths who wrote for PS in the early 1990s. Kenny Jerrett for example did the metal work on my .257 Weatherby, he recommended some ideas for the stocking, but I already knew to try what he suggested. Another thing he did was to fit the barrel so that it "pinches" the breachblock between the barrel and the frame. At first it was difficult to cycle the action, but in a few hundred shots it loosened up and now fits perfectly. Kenny claimed that this made a big difference, and the rifle sure does shoot well considering its chambering. It aggs in the high .4s but I get an occasional group in the low .3s - hard to believe.....

I really don't know much about improving other SS actions besides the triggers. My 14-year old Pedersoli RollingBlock in .45-70 shot very well from the factory - aggs moa with cast bullets and I won a number of CBA matches with it - and all I did was improve the trigger.