I posted this message on another forum catagory and got little response, perhaps I posted on the wrong forum.
I have a ruger number one in stainless 45-70 caliber. I want to convert it into a 500 N.E. 3", with a specialy quoted pac-nor brl. One forum member suggested however that if I rebarrle that it would have to closly match the contour of the sporter 45-70 brl. Is this true? if so why and how could I aviod that?
Take care, smallfry

smallfry--

The only reason to use a light barrel is so you can use the same forearm. As long as the barrel can be installed past the forearm hanger it'll work.

There IS some work that has to be done in the cartridge feed area....which interfers with the safety operation. You'll need to check this very carefully before you spend the $$$ on a barrel.

I thought that your question was answered already from the previous post. If you call JD Jones and ask him this question, he would tell you that you need stay within the original profile because he does not seem to want to take the effort to investigate to see if it can be done otherwise. If you take the fore-end stock off your No 1, you will see the under side of the barrel and the fore end hanger. There should be a gap between these items because the 45-70 has a smaller barrel profile. With the 458 Lott No 1, the barrel diameter is much bigger so it should be contacting the hanger, leaving a zero gap between them.

Of course, unless you want a barrel profile large enough to interfere with the hanger then there is a problem. I don’t see why the barrel shank diameter has to be any bigger than the one current used by the 458 Lott No 1. You could have a custom profile with the hanger section having the same profile as the one on the 458 Lott but instead of tapering the barrel all the way to the muzzle, you could have the barrel straight out just before the fore end so the muzzle diameter will end up to be somewhere around .800-.900, which should be plenty for your 500 Nitro. Regardless, the fore-end stock of your 45-70 No 1 will have to be modified to accommodate a bigger barrel profile. Good luck.

I've had 2 Ruger No. 1 rifles rebarreled by McGowen Rifle Barrels. Both in 45-70 26" Contour was 1.125 Straight,no taper. Just cleared hanger with no problem. Both are tack drivers at 200 yds. Easy sub MOA groups with 400 gr.Gas Check hard cast bulets. Supurb quality work. A bit pricy but, no other way to get a decent bbl. on a No.1 Ruger. Wish Ruger would put a decent length barrel on it's No.1 in 45-70. It still would not match the quality and performance of the McGowen. Simply open up the forend to free float the barrel.
Just my .02

Thanks Bob for the info about McGowen's. I have heard a lot of good thing about their barrel. Unfortunately, Harry did not want to do a custom profile when I spoke with him last time so I have been getting barrels from PAC-NOR.

A straight 1.125" diameter barrel without any taper would look a little strange but who cares about look if it is a tack driver, right? The barrel of my 458 Lott No 1 measured at around 1.200" diameter at the front of the receiver so it would even be better for a very big caliber. Thanks.

[ 11-03-2002, 23:05: Message edited by: Mingo ]

I had a 300 No. 1 Weatherby converted to 460 Weatherby a few years back. Some observations on that conversion:

1 - the barrel diameter was limited by the position of the forearm hanger, which limited the barrel to almost exactly 1" at that point. Not sure if this is the same for all No. 1's but I heave heard it is.

2 - if the replacement barrel does not have the same contour as the original, the scope mount rib will have to be altered (or not used).

3 - the 500 rim measures .660, somewhat larger than the 45-70 or the 460 Weatherby. You may have to alter the loading trough or the locking block or both. I'm not sure how you can tell this before the barrel conversion, as the loaded rounds won't go into the barrel. here is where you probably want the expertise of someone who's done this conversion.

Good luck!

Smallfry,

I just sent you 3 pictures of a No.1 in 45-70 that I recently built with a heavy fluted barrel. Forend modifications were straight forward even though the barrel diameter through the forend is 1.200. If you want I can send you pictures of the bottom side with the hanger.

Malm

Smallfry,
If you look on the AR big bore forum a week or so back there was a discussion about big bore single shot rifles. I have done what you are contemplating, and built a 500 NE on a # 1.
It is not a problem, you can have the barrel a lot thicker than the 45-70 without interfering with the working pieces. The forend will need to be opened up.
I modified mine to suit the new barrel and added a piece of Buffalo horn for the end cap.
There are some pic's of my rifle on the thread.
I also had the safety modified so it does not interfere with the loading/ejecting and also does not become a vicous weapon under recoil

I built a 500NE x 3" on a ruger No.1 about 10 years ago. Mine has a 28" heavy barrel and the outfit weighs in at 12.5lbs. the finished profile touches the hanger and the gun shoots superbly.

My working load of 95gr 3031 behind a 530gn Woodley soft point is truly awesome at both ends.
My smith had to machine the top of the breach block down because the rim would foul on the rear face; the safety also had to be re-profiled to suit the lowered breachblock.

The very best fun has been a 500gn cast with 130gn FFG black. The whole range stops when this load is fired.