I am familiar with what you do to a bolt action (ie. blueprinting) when customising but what do you do to a Ruger No.1. The rifle is new in 7mm Rem Mag but was without a stock. Suited me cause I wanted to have a single shot custom.

Would appreciate the input from those that have gone down the custom Ruger No. 1 route.

John T--

The Ruger #1 is almost always just a little hing-hong. It depends entirely on *where* it's out of whack. That determines what has to be done to fix it.

The basic design calls for four surfaces to be square with the bore line and the threads parralel with it.

First is the face of the action because that determines how the barrel seats.

The face of the breechblock should be square with the threads *and* parrallel with the face of the action.

The rear of the block has to have flat and even bearing against the rear rails of the block mortise......which HAS to be square with everything forward of them.

Then there's the bushing of the hammer and lever to make those parts tighter with less side play and vibration on firing . Trigger and safety parts are re-fitted, polished and bushed as needed and the transfer bar refitted and polished.

Of course anything that moves is de-burred and polished (never understood why they don't tumble polish the mainspring strut), and bearing surfaces trued and polished. There's a lot of friction in a #1 that doesn't have the be there.

....then there's cosmetics........

At the NRA show in Orlando about 1987 a Ruger rep ask me why the ACGG members didn't use more Ruger actions. There were three of them on display within his reach.......he didn't recognize any of them.

Jack,

Always appreciate and value your comments. Your ACCG Video on custom guns is excellent for a new comer like me. Is there a tape 2?

So a fair bit can/ may need to be done just like a bolt action. I noticed on mine that the screw on the face plate like to work itself loose. Is something not square here?

Regards,
JohnT

John T---

Wow!! An ACGG tape is in Aussieland? I'm impressed! No tape two yet. I'm thinking of a project to introduce to the Board, but I have to wait and see if I got elected to the Education Committee first.

You have me confused with your nomenclature....where's the face plate on a #1? Y'all talk funny down there.

Assuming its the hammer/op lever pivot pin screw that goes from side to side through the receiver if it loosens it means the pivot pin is too short. The keeper screw should bottom out on the end of the pin squarely. If it's right it never comes loose without effort.

I've seen two Ruger Number Ones so crooked they couldn't safely be made right, but that's a REAL rarity.

The early "numbered block" Number Ones are mostly perfect.

Numbered block?

scrollcutter--

The first generation #1 was hand fitted and the breech block was numbered to the receiver. The stocks were also numbered. They were the "custom equivilent" to the Dakota.

I highly reccommend Joe D. Clayton's book on the Ruger Number One.

Gentleman,

Any idea on the serial number range where Ruger stopped handfitting the Number One?

Thanks,

Reed

Reed--

Number Ones were not assembled according to serial numbers. According the only definitive book on the guns, by Joe Clayton, says, "......early guns had handfitted breech bolts and were numbered with the serial...."

The one pictured in the book is #834. I had one, #1948, that was numbered but according to the stock finish date in the barrel channel was made before #834.

There were about 7500 receivers made into rifles (nearly a thousand were scrapped and melted down) "the old way", with hand fitted stocks and hand rubbed GB Linspeed finish.

There are HUNDREDS of variations of #1s and factory records are very incomplete and scrambled.

Please excuse the ignorance but I have had a #1 in the back of my mind and this information has sparked some interest...

Are there any pointers you could provide on how to recognize (without disassembly anyway) these versions of the #1? For example, I'm an Enfield fan and when I'm at shows, etc., I use that dogleg bolt as an indicator along with the potbelly appearance on military versions, and even the safety.

I realize I'm asking for more subtle differences as we're comparing #1's to #1's and not to other models, but was simply curious if you had a few indicators?

Thanks in advance.

Reed

Reed---

Look for any Number One without a pre-fix serial number. When you find that hold it bottom up and muzzle to the left. Open the lever and look at the bottom of the breech block. The serial will be written in vibra-pen on the half of the block just below the receiver serial number.

Thank you all for your replies.

Jack if you think we Aussies speak funny you should listen to our Kiwi friends from across the ditch. Just went there in December beautiful country, great fishing but the names are so difficult to pronounce even the locals have to say it twice so they understand what they are talking about.

By the way what is "Hing Hong" ? Is it a gunsmithing term? & u say we speak funny.

On a serious note thanks for your input & I'll chase up availability of that book by Clayton.

Thanks.