This comes up from time to time, but for heaven's sake, why doesn't Ruger offer us a nice No. 1 Tropical in this grand old NE caliber, for those of us fond of the British nitros? Seems like a perfect matchup with the spirit of the No. 1, and with a 26-inch barrel it should make a fine shooter.

Their marketing department hasn't figured out yet that they could sell a lot of them. Also 500NE's.

500NE please!!!

Because Ruger's marketing department consists of former K-Mart sporting goods section employees, and compared to K-Mart, Ruger is doing a good job.

With that request how about a deposit, money talks and talk walks.

I just got offf the phone with Linda @ Ruger (203-256-3860). She said the reason they haven't done it so far is that the company hasn't thought there is enough of a demand for it. She said she has been getting phone calls on this and every one is put into a folder that is reviewed monthly. Maybe if enough people called her Ruger would see there is a demand for it and do it. I also thought it would be a good idea if they would do the # 1 similar to what Remington does with their 700 classic and offer it in a different caliber every year. If they pick up on this they just might do it in the Nitro Express cartridges.

We have spoken to ruger on several occaisions on this matter, they flatly said no , everytime. Then they brought out the tropical gun in .405 Win. We asked for the first gun to be a .470, then a 9,3 x 74R, the a 500 3" followed by a 450 no 2. I really doubt they will ever do it.

First they need to build a tropical gun in .45 70 that would be a huge step forward.

Aleko

[ 06-13-2003, 22:19: Message edited by: Heritage Arms ]

I bet they could sell more 470s or 500s than 405s or 38-55s or some of the other limited production calibers they've offered.

[ 06-13-2003, 22:22: Message edited by: fla3006 ]

They are selling Lotts like hotcakes, and I
think they figure that covers the bigbore
market.Which for me isn't a bad deal.Ed.

Gentlemen: I am betting the reason why Ruger and a lot of other gun manufacturers don't offer an e-mail address is a) because of the man-hours it would take to handle the mail, and b) because they know they would get mobbed from time to time by "the boys yakking it up on the Internet" about this or that chambering or other that they insist they would buy. No gunmaker could stay in business making expensive tooling and marketing decisions based on Internet chatter. That is not to discount the fact that I believe Ruger would find a ready market -- small, perhaps, but loyal -- for one or a series of Nitro Express chamberings in a well thought-out package (i.e, no lightweight 22-inch barrels as on their .45-70, please!).
The No. 1 is such a lovely, traditional and durable platform that it begs for an NE chambering. I have done it the hard way, rechambering a .458 to .450 NE, and having Chick Donnelly rebarrel a .416 Rem. Tropical to .450-400. But it would be so sweet to just order a nice, affordable Ruger factory .470, buy the proper dies and brass and go to it. Surely they are selling the No. 1s in .416 Rigby, which should tell them something. (They sold one to me.)
I'm just not certain they know what they have in the No. 1.
I plan to write Ruger on this matter, as I suspect they place considerably more weight on a sustained campaign of letters and phone calls than they ever would on a short burst of e-mails.

[ 06-13-2003, 22:40: Message edited by: Bill/Oregon ]

Maybe they're not doing it because the only factory .470 ammo(Federal) is so expensive, Bill Gates couldn't even afford to feed the thing.

Urodoji: Is there another Nitro Express being commercially offered for less money than the .470?
Heck, half the fun of the big old Nitros is loading for them.

Well, letter to Ruger is in the mail. By the way, it occurs to me that with a set of CH-4D dies and a box of Norma .470 brass, a fellow could work up inexpensive big-bore practice and plinking loads using any of the various .475 pistol bullets now offered by Hornady and Speer for the .475 Linebaugh and .480 Ruger revolver rounds.

I just sent mine to Hamilton Bowen and he fixed me right up

Jim Miller

Mmmm, an NE in .470, .500 or even a .577.

Why on Earth would they ever chamber a No. 1 for a .405 !!!!!!

Does anyone know if the bore dimensions and twist of the Ruger #1 405 Win would lend the gun to an easy conversion to either of the 450/400 NE's?

The case body around the base is about the same as the 416 Rigby so that would be OK.

However, I wonder if from the "factory" point of view the big rim is a problem.

With the rimmed case and super long neck and the new 480 pistol components it just has to be one of the most attractive big bangers out there for cast, paper patch and other backed off loads.

Mike

I think I read somewhere on the net that Ruger did actually make some 470 NE #1s. The guy posting was a collector and was talking about small uncatalogued runs of different chamberings that Ruger had made for some distributor. Sean

Sean: That would be interesting news. It would mean that Ruger has at one time had reamers and worked out the chambering kinks for this caliber. Maybe we really can convince them to offer a No. 1 in .470. Hope it would come with a 26-inch barrel.

Perhaps a bit off topic Gentlemen, but the factory scope mount on the #1 seems to be a bit forward, compared to other guns ?
If so, is there any problem or limitations regarding what scope to fit ?
I�m considering a # 1 in 375 H&H, but is unsure about the long distance between the eye and the scope.
Otherwise, I agree fully with you regarding a classic Nitro caliber in the # 1

Joining in the thread rather late but when the talk turns on the Ruger No 1 I have to chime in. I currently have a No 1 in 45/70 and I dearly love this gun - great wood, good shooter, loads of fun. NOW, turn over the coin as every coin has too sides. Why in the world doesn't Ruger have a custom shop, or at least a choice???? I would love this gun even more if it had a much longer barrel, say about 30"? Or at least 26" instead of the 22" it is wearing. And another thing, let's say you could make it up to weigh about 10 1/2 to 12 lbs all up, scope and all. Or have enough barrel length to do justice to a decent set of iron sights set low to the bore?
I think as someone mentioned Ruger does not realize what they have in the No 1 or they would capitalize on it. I see loads of references to gunsmiths that specailize in working on and modifying the No 1.
I would be willing to spend my money on another if I could get what I wanted - especially if I could custom order one. Can you imagine one built up as a "Buffalo Gun" perhaps in a .50/ 3 1/4" Sharps caliber??? I want one, I want one, I want one!!

Trapper- For a long time Ruger would not produce many #1's, said there was only a limited market for single shots and did not want to invest in the additional production facilities. I don't know how many of a particular caliber or configuration they need to sell in order to make it worthwhile to them, but given the occasional runs of commemorative versions or unusual calibers I'm not sure why they can't turn out a few exotic calibers. Collectors alone would buy them up.

Fellas, when you start thinking about the possibilities for the No. 1, it gets mind-boggling what Ruger is passing up. But they know the economics of model configurations far better than I.
But they could offer a couple of Nitros as "Empire Classics" in say, .450-400 NE and .470, with 26-inch barrels, and a couple of "Buffalo Classics," one in .45-70, one in .50-70 (and let the boys bump them out to .45-110 or .50-90) with 30-inch barrels (maybe even octagon?) in appropriate twists for black powder. I think they would sell quite a few. Look at all the Italian and custom rifles being sold in these calibers.
But that's getting ahead of the game. Let's write Ruger and get them to dip their toe in the water with a .470 Tropical, and if they build it we will come ...

The other question that begs to be asked...when will CZ chamber for the 458 Lott...perhaps they are waiting for stocks to clear first.

Ruger use to (and still may) do a run of Stainless 222s for Australia and I think the numbers were only in the hundreds. However they are guaranteed of one single big sale in that case.

Nosler also do a cheaper version of their 224 bullets for Australia but again it represents a single sale to the import agent.

Mike

Well, currently I have three #1 Tropical rifles in .375 H&H, .404 Jeffery, and .416 Rigby. I heard someplace that Ruger did make a few #1 rifles in the .470 N.E. as a very limited run.
Whether they make any more rifles in .404 Jeffery is something that is an unknown. I was told by the fellow I bought mine from that they only made that one for two years, and then only in limited numbers.
I too would like one in .470 N.E. Ever since reading Taylor's book on African rifles and cartridges, I've developed a keen interest on those biggies.
I did fall into a treasure a while back. A fellow had five boxes of .416 Rigby Federal factory ammo, four of solids and one of softs. He asked me if I thought $30 a box was too much to ask for them. I seriously thought about trying to talk the price down, but decided, hell, I'm stealing them at that price already. I took 'em all.
Guess I'll join the club and write Ruger a letter.
Paul B.

From a commercial standpoint the 470 doesn't exactly come down as a world beater, except on this forum....I suspect that will always be the reason...

Also in a tough ruger action you can load a std. 458 hot enough to shame the placid 470...or punch it out to a 458 Lott with your fingernail.

But, it is easy to rebarrel any of these No.1's to any of the above calibers...with a bit of action work...They are so well suited, and completely dependable, to rimless cartridges is a nice touch....