A buddy and me are looking at picking up a pair of tropical Ruger #1s (the 1H model, I think).

While I'm leaning toward a 375 h&h, he's thinking of either a 405 win or the 450/400.

These will mainly be used for local hog hunts, maybe a few black bear hunts and maybe CO elk, but also for fun and nostalgia purposes.

Do any of you have any one of the big bore tropical rifles and would care to share your thoughts and/or stories with us?

I think a stainless 1H would be more practical for me, but the blued version is the one that is pulling on my heart.

Thanks,

I've owned 5 Ruger #1s over the years, currently have a 458Lott. I think they are beautiful and function smoothly and flawlessly. I see nothing wrong with the calibers you are considering and think stainless is a good idea too. I would probably choose the 375, I like the barrel contour and the balance and the versatility, but the 405 and 450/400 are probably similar. And handloaded those 40 calibers offer all kinds of possibilities in the Ruger.

I've used on in 458 quite a bit for uses like you describe. I like the great choice of bullets in 458. The frugal Scot in me appreciates the $.10 405 grain Remington for practice.

I have a Ruger # 1 Tropical chambered in .416 Rigby. It's a well made firearm with nice wood and is a good shooter. I like it a lot.

I have a #1 H Tropical in 375H&H and really like it's fast handling. The very short reciever makes the overall length so much shorter than bolt guns of the same barrel length. Balance is very good and when thrown to the shoulder quickly the sights fall in line with the eye the way it should. I'm also considering another in a larger bore, just for fun of course! R.

Teat: You'll be well-served with any of those chamberings, although the .375 will allow you to stretch your string beyond 250 yards, which might be useful in an elk rifle. I've had several No. 1s over the years, including Tropicals in .375, .405 and .416 Rigby and a .458 chambered to .450 BPE/Nitro. Frankly, I had the most fun with the Rigby, but then it was so pleasant to shoot with the RCBS 365-grain GC cast bullet over 52 grains XMP5744 for about 2,000. I did not work up cast loads for the .405 or the .375, and used BP in the .450. I am going to be very torn between the .450-400 and the 9.3 X 74 if Ruger actually chambers the former.

Owned several...Excellent, never heard of one malfunctioning...Arguably the best design to ever come out of the house of Ruger.

JW

quote:

Jeff Wemmer: never heard of one malfunctioning

rimmed, rimless, belted, high pressure, low pressure, makes no difference

Excellent rifle!

I had one in .458WM and it was an outstanding shooter, I meant 1" groups at 150 meters, with a load of 450gr Barnes X over Reloder 12 at 2350 fps.

Probably, one of the best rifles I ever owned.

i have 1 in .458 win mag.... with a millet electronic reddot 1x scope on it.... i like the 350 gr sp's...factory federal loads...more energy and speed than the 500's... and less recoil too... i shot an axis buck thru both shoulders, spine shot... my #1 handles nicely...

I have one custom in .450 NE, good rifle, but i `m getting some better sights for it now, the original are nearly useless for it.

I have purchased 5 Ruger No.1's in;

.338WinMag (1B?)
.416 Rigby x 2
.458 WinMag
.458 Lott (stainless)

What I have now in Ruger No.1's:
.416 Rigby
450 NE (stainless)
500 A2

That .416 Rigby is a sweetheart that knocks over water buffalo at 50 yards and fallow deer at 342 yards.

The 500 A2 gets me on paper in 942-yard cow pastures with 750-grainers at 2150 fps, a comfortable accuracy load.

The 450 NE was done just as a social nicety, to have a rimmed cartridge, in case some purist complained about the rimless and belted cartridges in the others, which have never missed a lick.

The way the Ruger ejectors work, it seems to be no problem with any case type.

Oh dear! My rimmed-cartridge rifle is stainless, and has a red dot and a laser sight. How careless of me!

I had one in .458 and have one now in 375 H&H. I agree with everything that everyone has said so far...my only problem is that my 458 kicked the you know what out of me....don't know if it was fit, stock design or just my shape...we just didn't get along. I would have rather shot a friend's 378 Wthby any time rather than that 458. But I do like my 375 and my 338 1S. I don't think you can go wrong.

It certainly is the best single shot for the money on the market today IMO.

For your use the .375 is probably the best choice since you included elk and they can be seen at fairly long range.

I will buy myself the first 450-400 that becomes available to me.

I had an earlier one in 375 and one some years ago in 458. I agree with congomike on the recoil of the 458.

In my opinion they are at their best looking with the 375 barrel contour.

Mike

I have a stainless No. 1 in 458 Lott, and my current project is a 378 Weatherby on a stainless tropical action with a 30 inch barrel and some weight in the ass end.

You can't go wrong with any of the big bore No.1's but they will kick; I think they are a little light for caliber.

The actions are like clockwork, though. I love to cock mine just to hear it!

Have a 375,a 405 and a 9.3x74r and WILL have a 450/400 when they come out. The 9.3 is by far my favorite.

You have got to be kidding....EVERYBODY AGREES!!!



JW

I have the NO l in 416 Rem Mag. I can find no fault what so ever with this rifle. Could not be happier. While a bit over powered for mostNA hunting, its comforting in Grizzly country.

Have a .338Winchester Magnum, a .25-06, .405Winchester, and a .458WinMag that is going to get the .450/.400NE treatment. I'm going to compromise with a 24 or 26 inch barrel as it will be mostly plains game, moose, elk, and bear. I bought it for the wood, too. Is 250yds about the limit for the .450/.400?

Question for RIP (or anyone else who may know the answer): Did the 450NE require any receiver alterations to get the case to feed/extract? Was it a rechamber or rebarrel? Thanks!

On my 458 Win Mag tropical tha twas altered to 450 NE, the smith took out some material , but it was very little of it, it was a little bit on the fallinblock to get the rim into the rifle from the belted brass.

It was just an rechambering, and i have spoken with Boddington about it and he said that its the easiest conversion from standard magnum round to Nitro Express round , and he is hoping that the 450 NE gets an comeback like the 450-400 has gotten now, and that is desverved for that great round.

ill put in an picture of the fallingblock later this day to show how its done.

I have the 1H .375 H&H. It is a good shooter.

I have several No1s from 243 win to 458 Win, and will buy both the new 9.3X74R, and the 450/400NE 3" shortly. If I were only to have one No1, for deer, hogs, black bear, GRIZZLEY,and ELK then my choice would be the 375H&H, stainless Tropical. It gives you some range, and has all the power needed for North America. With Nosler Partitions, or Swift A-frames, it will do a yoamans job on anything you run accross in the North America, and is also legal for the Big five in Africa as well.
The modifications needed on any Ruger No1 is NECG sights, and a Pachmeyr decellrator recoil pad, a quality scope, and you have a world class rifle.

I have no interest in the 405 Win, because the 450/400NE 3" is a better cartridge, and the bores are the same size, .411, so you can use any bullet from a .41 Rem Mag pistol, to the 400 gr Wooliegh soft and solids, and the very fine North Fork soft, and solids, and shoot everything from jack rabbit to Elephant! The trejectory, however is in the woods class for hunting.

I started all my kids on single shot rifles, and shotguns, and it made "one shooters" out of all them, regardless of the type hunting they were doing, with all rifles. They make the fist shot count, just about every time!

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Wemmer:
You have got to be kidding....EVERYBODY AGREES!!!
JW

OK just to keep in the spirit of the AR culture I'll be the voice of decent. After all total agreement is totally out of character.

I don't like the Ruger #1 because they are produced in .45-70 and Purdy will not build me one in .375 Ruger. And they are finger push feed (FPF).

So in conclusion they are TOTAL useless pieces of crap.

I like the lines of the Ruger No. 1 quite well. My cartridge prefrences in the No.1 are .416 Rigby and 9.3x74. Both blue. Couple things to keep in mind:

1) If you reload plan on full length sizing as opposed to neck sizing only. The paw extractor on the No.1 may not be stout enough to extract a tight case as is the camming action of a bolt.

2) Shooting off a bench will require movement of the rifle a lot more than bolt because of under-lever.

But, they do have "single" triggers...

...

JW

quote:

And they are finger push feed (FPF).

that could go a long way.

I still want one in 416 rem mag.They are getting harder and harder to find.I think its an awesome gun.A friend has one in 375 H&H its very accurate.He did have an oil around the firing pin issue once.I think it was put on at the factory .I think if they are ever discontinued they will become classic guns.I could kick myself.I turned down a 458 win mag and 375 H&H # 1 for $350 each.They are hreaded up in price.I think the Tropical # 1 is the prettiest # 1 also and have the best wood on them.

quote:

Originally posted by sjmci:
Question for RIP (or anyone else who may know the answer): Did the 450NE require any receiver alterations to get the case to feed/extract? Was it a rechamber or rebarrel? Thanks!

sjmci,
All that was required was to reshape the extractor/ejector to accept the rimmed case, and the safety button was reshaped just a smidgeon to allow the rim plenty of clearance when loading and ejecting. This was the stainless/laminate .458 Lott. A 450 NE 3.25" reamer cleans up the .458 Lott chamber nicely.

I disagree with surestrike. It is a "Finger-Controlled-Round-Feed" action: FCRF.

Te .577 NE can be chambered in a Ruger No.1, but that rim is considerably bigger and requires significant work on the tang safety button to allow clearance of the rim in FCRF-ing and ejecting.

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
reamer cleans up the .458 Lott chamber nicely.

I disagree with surestrike. It is a "Finger-Controlled-Round-Feed" action: FCRF.

RIP,

They are only FCRF if the shooter has a thick rim.



There are a pair of #1 tropicals down in Clayton NM at one of my favorite gun store/rest stops when commuting to the ranch in Texas.

One is in .416 Rigby the other is in .375H&H. They are priced @ about $850 new and they ALMOST came home with me two weeks ago. I should have bought them....

Knotsberry sporting goods in Clayton NM. It is one of those "oh my gosh I can't believe the cool stuff you've got in here" places for such a podunk town.

Yes Jeff Wemmer, the Ruger No. 1 does have a single trigger and that is one more trigger than you have brain cells.

quote:

Originally posted by surestrike:
There are a pair of #1 tropicals down in Clayton NM at one of my favorite gun store/rest stops.......

Use to pass through there on my way to Raton, NM. Is it on the main drag???

Keith

Keith,

It is on the main drag on the north side of the road. The sign is yellow and orange and building looks like an old dinner. It is in about the middle of town and it's always worth a look.

My Ruger #1 Tropical is a .416 Rigby and with my 3X9 Ziess it will stuff 370 grainers by North Fork in a neat cloverleaf when I do my part. It also has the most georgeous Red Walnut I have ever seen on a #1, it pulses red stripes in the sunlight. Good shooting.

My sole #1 (for now) is also the #1H in .416 Rigby. This rifle has fired everything from the 300 X Bullet at almost 3000 fps, down through thousands of cast bullets (RCBS 416-350) at speeds which are barely supersonic, or 1100+ fps. Top-end cast loads can push 2600 fps.

The rifle gives pretty decent accuracy with almost any load, and VERY good accuracy with some.

The single minor flaw I can identify may be peculiar to just my rifle: the lever latch spring seems a tad weak. Someday I'll take it apart and see what can be done. In the meantime, I love the rifle dearly and will be looking for some other #1 rifles to keep it company on my rack.

So - is the Ruger No.1 just a way to try out different big bores, or what? I mean, since it have become a fact on this board, that it by no means can be considered a DGR?

quote:

Originally posted by SuperSpeed:
I had an earlier one in 375 and one some years ago in 458. I agree with congomike on the recoil of the 458.

In my opinion they are at their best looking with the 375 barrel contour.

Mike

I've been considering buying one in 375H&H, but do they need an after market trigger to get a decent trigger pull?

Bent Fossdal ----- I share your concern over the Ruger #1 as a DGR rifle, considering it is a single shot and repeat shots can only be one at a time. The reason I bought mine was at the time I was planning a Safari and already had a .416 Rem in Model 70 Winchester and was figuring out the reloading for it for my upcoming hunt. At that point my son expressed the desire to go on the Safari and very quickly I had to come up with a second DGR rifle, figuring I would let him shoot the Model 70. While on the quest I ran across the #1 at a real bargain and had always wanted the Rigby chambering. Long story short, I had briefly considered Buff hunting with a Bow and decided the single was far wiser, and while not the best for dangerous game, far better than the bow, thus I bought the #1. My son didn't go on the Safari in the end because his wife had their daughter the week of the hunt and of course he canceled. I still shoot the Rigby ( very useful when you can load the 370 grain to 400 grain bullet from 2400 to 2700 fps) and thoroughly enjoy it and may use it someday down the road. Good shooting.