I am thinking about getting a ruger #1 stainless/laminated in a .458 lott and was wondering what the recoil is like in this particular rifle and what are the best ways to reduce it. I was thinking about a decelerator pad and a mercury recoil reducer. How much will these mods reduce recoil?

I've got a Limbsave pad and a 16oz mercury tube in my #1 and it seems to help quite a bit.

I have one of these. I just put a black rubber slip-on Pachmayr recoil pad over the existing tire rubber on the No.1's gray laminate stock.
This gets the LOP over 14" and is comfortable enough for me. This is about equivalent to switching to a 1.5" thick Pachmayr F990 Triple Magnum pad, but cheaper and easier.

I found that a 2X Leupold Scout Scope pushed as far forward as possible (on the quarter rib with the Ruger rings) gives an adequate sight picture up close and fast as well as far and deliberate aiming. I like it just fine.

In fact with such a scope setup I have shot deer at 350 yards and water buffalo at 50 yards. In this case it was a .416 Rigby Ruger No.1 Tropical with a 2.75X Burris scout scope, with a 350 grain X-Bullet at 2700 fps.

The .458 Lott with a 350 or 400 grain X at "steppin' out" velocity would be a fine plains game gun, and allow 500 grainers at 2250 fps for defensive and offensive action on nasties.

A single shot for DG is a fine art form, practiced well by the likes of Ross Seyfried.

Also, remember that you can seat those long bullets out to greater length and equal the .458 Express 3" chambering in a Ruger No.1, since there are no magazine constraints.

A wrist band ammo carrier and buttstock carrier make reloading almost as quick as a bolt action, and there are no CRF vs. PF "issues."

My #1 is in .458 Win and to me it's not all that bad as far as recoil, but of course tolerance from one person to another varies alot. It gives you a punch, but it's not terrible. I'm fairly recoil tolerant, so doesn't bother me even off the bench if you mount and shoot it properly.

You can always tone it down a notch or two and grow accustomed to it with slightly lower velocities or lighter bullets and make it more comfortable.

The #1 is a graceful and elegant rifle, one of my favorites.

I have a #1 Lott too. Mine has a 1" Decelerator pad and a brass dowel in the buttstock that puts the balance right at the action and gets the weight up to 10.25 lbs. Recoil isn't that bad but is still definitely there.

Thanks for the great feedback. Hopefully I will purchase one of these in the next month.

I have both a Ruger #1 and an RSM in 458 Lott. The #1 definitely deals out more felt recoil than the RSM, especially stock. Put on a good pad (or a Limbsaver slip pad on for 30 bucks) and scope it and it will be much better. I LOVE my RSM Lott but the #1 is the cheapest way to get into the big leagues! I think buying a #1 in 458 Lott is a great way to get to get into the heavier stuff. If you like the cartridge you can stay with the #1 or go to a bolt rifle with little loss if you want to move it.

I am selling my #1 to finance a tune of my RSM. If you want you can email or PM me for a great deal.

John

JKS,

What are you planning to do to your RSM?

quote:

The .458 Lott with a 350 or 400 grain X at "steppin' out" velocity would be a fine plains game gun, and allow 500 grainers at 2250 fps for defensive and offensive action on nasties.

This is sort of what I'm working toward with my Number 1 in .458 Win Mag - a lighter, flatter load. Currently working with H322 powder and Hornady 350's. Any advice would be appreciated...

Jason

JT,
Great powder choice according to the Hornady manual, for the .458WinMag and 350grRNSP. They say for
H322 powder:
start: 63.6 grains/2100 fps
MAX: 78.1 grains/2500 fps
Winchester case and WLRM primer, 24" Ruger M77.

In my .458 WinMag, I had no problems getting up to 2500 fps with IMR-4198 and the 350 gr Hornady RNSP, and it would shoot into 1.25" for 3 shots at 100 yards. My load was over MAX according to the Hornady manual, so I won't repeat it.

2500 fps ought to be a reasonable Max velocity with 350 grain Hornady RNSP's.
You probably have the best powder (H322) to get there with the least pressure, in the .458 WinMag.

Thanks for pointing this out to me.

Even in the .458 Lott, I wouldn't expect more than 2600 fps with a 350 grain Barnes X-Bullet. Barnes does claim over 2700 fps with 82.0 grains H4198 (2732 fps), and 85.0 grains of IMR-3031 (2741 fps), in a 26" barrel.

Now someone else can discuss trajectories and ballistic coefficients, a non-issue out to 200 yards, for sure.

458RugerNo1,

I need to get the RSM bedded properly, the trigger tuned, a good pad on it (I have a Limbsaver slipon pad now), feeding perfected and the floorplate fixed. I haven't had the rifle that long (and haven't had the time for a smith to get to it), have close to 200 rounds through it and don't want to frag the stock. On my last ground squirrel shoot I put 90 rounds through it and the floorplate will no longer latch shut. Electrical tape is a great field repair but I think i need to fix it

I am going to call Roger Ferrall(sp?) and see if he will do the work-a lot of AR people love him.

John