Hello gentlemen, I recently acquired a Ruger # 1 chambered for the .416 Rigby, seeing that I already have a good .416, I would like to have the gun converted to one of the "Big .50's" which one do you guys recommend?

Personally ... 500NE ... it's classy on a Ruger No1 in a way that the other newer 50s aren't.
Cheers...
Con

option B:

the 50-110 Winchester. In the Ruger you could load a 500gr bullet to over 1900fps. And, it is a classic.

Rich
Buff Killer

Since I already have a heavy-barreled 500A2 Ruger No.1, my next 50-cal Ruger No.1 would be a lighter and shorter 500 NE 3", so I could extend my flexed pinky finger for giggles now and then. Proper flanged cartridge for a single shot, don'tcha know.

Or maybe this one, still found in the latest edition of COTW:


Notice text recommendation of a Ruger No.1 for this.

Ruger No.1's are Finger Flickin' Good!
Here are
Rimless: .416 Rigby
Flanged: 450 NE 3.25"
Belted: 500 A-Square



The 500 A-Square started life as a .416 Rigby.
No ejector changes were needed to handle the 460Wby case head, nor any safety button mods.

The 500A2 has a barrel with straight 1.2" cylindrical shank/Knoxform for 6" ahead of the barrel threads (1"x16tpi),
then a straight taper to 1.000" muzzle at 27".
The screw-on brake adds 2 more inches for total barrel length of 29".
The dry weight of the rifle is 10.75 pounds, without scope, sling, or tripod.
My forearm has never been ripped off by recoil, despite the tripod and sling.
And despite the 1:10" TWIST by McGowen.

The other two Ruger No.1's have the 24" factory barrel.
416 Rigby: unadulterated factory.
The other was a .458 Lott stainless rechambered and re-ejectored to 450NE3",
and the safety button re-contoured to clear ejection better.

For a 510 Nitro Express, I think I would go with a 26" barrel of same contour as the factory barrels shown,
about 0.810" at 24" muzzle, exclusive of the barrel band.

A 26" Ruger No.1 is as short as a 22" bolt action. Plenty handy.

I would not want no stinking muzzle brake for such a gentle sporter.

Ruger #1 has a 1"-16 shank so you probably wanna stay at .577 Nitro with traditional pressures or SMALLER. The .500 Nitro Express or the 50-110 would be mui bueno...but I might be tempted to try the 475 #2 ...

Here is a Ruger No.1 idea:

Mass produce it scaled up by 1.5X factor, able to handle 1.5"x12tpi barrel threads, and chamber it for 12GaFH and 50BMG, or even the less powerful 700 NE.

Will Ruger ever come around to this modest proposal?
I won't hold my breath.

Set-up to make investment cast product at reasonable unit costs...?? Doubt they'd sell enough at Ruger prices. At $3,000 for a finished action in the white and an order of 50 to 100 units ...a few guys might invest the time to do the design work and set-up to CNC machine them. The Ruger action has WAAAAAAY too many parts to be cost effective. A simpler but similar design would be better. Would definitely fill a HUGE (no pun intended) void in the market for single shot actions of quality. Now at 2x and 2"-12 threads I'm intersted...

I may be filling that Void real soon. I and another local machinist with a wire EDM are actively discussing making some large Single Shot actions. I am thinking of another Borchardt and/or maybe a scaled up Winchester High Wall. 50-100 actions would pretty much be within the realm of our joint capabilities.-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by Robgunbuilder:
I may be filling that Void real soon. I and another local machinist with a wire EDM are actively discussing making some large Single Shot actions. I am thinking of another Borchardt and/or maybe a scaled up Winchester High Wall. 50-100 actions would pretty much be within the realm of our joint capabilities.-Rob

Good stuff Rob!! Lemme know if you want some help with the smaller precision parts...screws, pins, hammers etc.

RIP, what brand is the synthetic stock on the No. 1 500A2?
Cheers, Chris

Hi Chris,
Bell and Carlson.
It was supposed to be for a medium sporter, but there is plenty of forearm to allow scraping and sanding until the fat barrel fit.
No problems.
Glass bed for supreme confidence.

May we all live in less interesting times someday.

Thanks RIP. Will look into them.
Best wishes, Chris