Hi guys.

I'm looking at buying a Ruger No 1-A in .243, mainly to use on springbok, mountain reedbuck, blesbok and the odd varmint such as jackal over here in SA. My wife will also be able to shoot it relatively comfortably, I think.

I've had a good look at just about every factory .243 available on the market here (unfortunately, we are not blessed with such a wide variety these days) and the No 1-A is the most elegant and, for what it offers, reasonably priced.

However, I have spoken to a few people who seem to hold the view that the No 1, and particular the No 1-A in .243, is not very accurate. I would appreciate a bit of input here from anybody with experience.

Also, what would be a nice scope for such a lovely little rifle? Provided it's available by the time I get the licence (which can take anything up to 18 months these days), I thought abouth the Leupold 3-9 compact. I have VX-II's on all my other hunting rifles and they work like magic.

All suggestions, long and short, welcome!

I have a 1-A.
Mine is a 7X57. Its super acurate. I have a 2X7 VX2 on her and am prety happy.
However, the rings are spaced prety wide and I would not want a scope any shorter in tube length.
When I turn the 2x7 past about 5 its a little to far away from my eye.
I don't mind cause 5 is plenty of power...tj3006

The No. 1's have an issue with tip pressure because of the two-piece stock. There is a modified fore-end hanger available from Brownell. However, the factory piece can be modified with a screw to vary the pressure. Accuracy is very acceptable with the modification.

All Rugers had an early reputation for accuracy problems when the barrels were supplied by an outside vendor. Ruger has been making their own barrels for many years now and no longer has issues.

Don't understand the .243 thing. I wouldn't be influenced by the caliber choice, although a 6.5x55 might be a little more versatile.
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I have several Ruger #1A rifles and with the exception of one, all are sufficiently accurate for hunting normal big game animals. The exception is one in .357 magnum. Yup, the handgun bullet. I've only had it out a couple of times and am trying to figure out what the problem might be, although I'm beginning to think it's the scope, a 2X Bushnell that came with the rifle.
All my Ruger #1 rifles have been ones with the contract barrels. Of those, the only one that had to go back to Ruger was #1A in 7x57 that had a throat over 2" long. Ruger replaced it with one of their own barrels that they made and the gun is now a tack driver.
I read somewhere that Ruger considers a #1 that shoots a 2.0" group to be accurate. Fortunately, most to a lot better than that. I feel my standard for a hunting rifle for big game is a bit more realistic than some. I'll accept a rifle that does 1.5" as good. If the groups are larger, I try to figure out why and fix it if I can. If groups are less than 1.5" I'm happy. In a dual purpose rifle like a .243, I expect one inch or less. My #1A in .243 runs from .75" to just a hair over one inch, depending on the bullet and load. Mine seems to like the 100 gr. Hornady Interlock the best.
One caveat about Ruger #1s, and all Ruger rifles for that matter. Ruger seems to have an abhorant attitude about sealing the wood on inside of the stocks, be they #1s or M77s. You can use them as is and stay out of the rain, or remove the wood and seal them yourself. Me? I kept it simple. I use the Ruger #1s on nice dayd and the synthetic stocked guns come out when it rains.
i do believe that if you get that Ruger #1, you will find that they're as addicitve as heroin or meth, but at least they're not harmful to the body. They can be hell on the wallet though if you decide to collect them.
Paul B.

Maybe I was lucky, the one I had, new out the box, NO kidding shot a 3/8' group for 3 shots, 85 BTHP's and 5/8-7/8 ALL day w/100 factory and reloads, using a 2.5-8x scope.

Used the gun for the action, made a 6BR and it shot one group right at .5" at 330 yds. Usually a 1/2moa gun.

Those 1A's have stiffer tubes than similar 7mm bores, 270/30-06's.....would not be scared of them being accurate based on MY gun.

To add, had a 20" RSI, yes the full stock many say not only #1's are inaccurate, but mannlicher stocks, well mine was both, it shot 1.25 - 1.5" reloads at 200 yds, and 1.75" w/factory.

100 yds RSI usually shot around 7/8".

Don't be afraid of the #1 in 243 if you want my opinion, based on MY experience, BOTH guns unmodified, COMPLETELY 100% as out the box, and bores were very smooth and consistent.

Good luck.

Thanks to everyone who took the trouble to reply.

The reason I am looking at a .243 is simple: I already own a .30-06 and a 7x57 for "light" rifles, but I wouldn't mind something that shoots a little flatter and can more easily be used on varmints like baboon or jackal as well as the smaller antelopes. Also, my wife is VERY recoil sensitive and even my 7x57 (1927-vintage Type B Mauser with semi-octagonal barrel) is a bit too much gun for her, both in terms of size as well as recoil.

Also, bear in mind that we are not exactly spoiled for choice here in the RSA these days in terms of new factory rifles. At this point in time it is very much a case of buying what's available and the Ruger is available. To give an example: the Ruger's price locally is about R 10 000 NIB (the M77 Hawkeye is about a R 1 000 cheaper, but the No 1 is so much classier). The Sako 85 sells for almost R 20 000 and the Tikka for R 17 000. Remington is unavailable, and a new Steyr Mannlicher or Sauer sells for more than a top-flight custom gun in any calibre that will fit into a standard-length Mauser action, including a Burris or Leupold scope.

I can load the .243 with 80-grain bullets and shoot crows as 200 metres, or use 100-grainers and kill blesbuck at 300. Download the 100-grainers to 2 500 ft/sec and my wife can use it comfortably on impala. That's my thinking, anyhow. Another big plus is ammo availability. Yes, the 6,5x55 is wonderful, but have you tried buying ammo or reloading components/equipment for it over here? Or, for that matter, tried selling one to somebody? At least PMP over here loads for the .243. The ammo is shit, but it goes bang and that counts for a lot when you find yourself stuck in the middle of the Free State and realise you left your ammo bag at home (it happened to a friend of mine two years ago...).

Another factor (sorry if I drag things out a bit) that we have to contend with locally, and this is a big one, is the licensing authorities. We have to motivate every rifle and calibre applied for and are not allowed to own more than one calibre/rifle in the same ballistic class. Try and motivate a 7x57 and 6,5x55 (or whatever) over here and your hair will go gray overnight or, like mine, simply fall out in big clumps. Trust me, too many "x"'s in a calibre designation confuses many of the locals no end... This is the very reason I got rid of my 9,3x62 - it was too much like my .375 and the local authorities gave me heaps of trouble about it.

Thanks again to everybody, I think the 1-A .243 is the way to go. It makes ballistac and practical sense from my point of view and will lead to marital bliss during winter time as well. That is as valid a reason to buy a new gun as any!

The one I had was a reliable 1 to 1-1/4 inch three shot gun at 100 yards with most of my handloads. I had a 2x7 scope on it. If one with nice wood came along, I'd buy another.

Dave

A hunting buddy of mine went on a search for the ultimate accurate varmint rifle and tried a Ruger No. 1 Varmineter in 22-250. He spent around $500-$600 and trips to two different gunsmiths and could not reach his goal of accuracty which was around .4-.9 with the gun and ended up selling it.

This is what I did to my #1V in 25-06.

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

A couple of suggestions if I may. Most of my Ruger #1's are set up for one load. Changing bullet weights will require resighting the rifle in whenever you change weights. I have mine set up to shoot the 100 gr. Hornady Interlock spitzer flat base bullet and use that load for everything. Even loaded flat out, recoil is quite mild as the Ruger really is not a lightweght rifle. If it is still a bit too much for your wife, put on a good recoil pad like the Pachmeyr Decelerator, Limbsaver or whatever equivilant you have in your neck of the woods. I put the Pachmeyr on my .300 Win. mag. and it sure took the bite out of that rifle's kick.
Paul B.

quote:

Originally posted by jvw375:
Another factor (sorry if I drag things out a bit) that we have to contend with locally, and this is a big one, is the licensing authorities. We have to motivate every rifle and calibre applied for and are not allowed to own more than one calibre/rifle in the same ballistic class. Try and motivate a 7x57 and 6,5x55 (or whatever) over here and your hair will go gray overnight or, like mine, simply fall out in big clumps. Trust me, too many "x"'s in a calibre designation confuses many of the locals no end... This is the very reason I got rid of my 9,3x62 - it was too much like my .375 and the local authorities gave me heaps of trouble about it.

Your comprehensive reply is very much appreciated. It gives us a better perspective for evaluating the legal environment in your part of the world. Thanks for asking for our opinions.
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Every number one I ever owned was very long throated and would not shoot for beans unless I got my loads touching the lands.
Cool thing about that however is with no magazine to worry about if you want to make one really hum for yourself you can get another couple grains in it and it really puts wheels on it.

I like mine.Shoots well when i do my part.An experimental load of 38gr IMR4064,75grVMax,CCI primer,2.755" overall length.Yep...2.755"


I like the way it handles and carries on my shoulder.

jvw375,
Your wife should be able to handle it easily.Mild recoil in my opinion.

Factory ammo`s performance was dismal,thats why I started reloading.Collet Die and the Factory Crimp Die with a very light crimp works for me and my hunting.A LeeLoader would work fine also.Mine shoots best with neck sized brass.The VMax works well but can be very destructive if not plain explosive.Would stay with one bullet weight if I were you.

With a 100yd zero it drops roughly 5 inches at 250yds with the afore mentioned load,or one mil dot down.Ranging is easy that way.Have shot everything from a squirrel to a horse and it is instant death.Mostly shoot off sticks.The groundhog shot in last post was 250yds.Most pictures are too graphic for forum use.

I have a cheap Tasco 6-24 mil dot on this rifle but the scopes you mentioned will work fine.