Several years ago I bought a Ruger Number 1 in 22 Hornet. The reason I bought it is because when I was 16 year old kid in 1950, I had a Savage Model 219, single shot, in 22 Hornet. That was my chuck rifle back in Pennsylvania for several years. I couldn't afford anything better then. So, the Number 1 is my way of connecting to some great times spent with my father chuck hunting back then.
Anyway, after getting the Number 1 scoped and some loads worked up for it, I went to our local range and shot all of the ammo I had loaded. The groups were terrible. The best groups had strings vertically about 1 /3/4 inches, but were very good horizontally. That was at 50 yards....
A buddy of mine had a Number 1 in 25/06, and I asked him if he had experienced the same problem. He had the same problem. And, he gave me several articles written with fixes for the problem.. Reading them gave me the clue that there are a bunch of folks out there with similar problems with this beautiful rifle.
So, it was off to the gunsmith for a fix, or what I hoped would fix the problem. Since I wanted to do the least intrusive thing to fix it first, I had him releive all interference between the rib on top and the forend, both with the reveiver. I also had him glass bed the forend.
Shooting it after he did the initial work showed no improvement; still the same bad vertical strings.
So, it was back for the ultimate fix; drill and tap a hole in the hanger that attaches the forend. A set screw is then threaded into the hole and goes up and puts a force on the bottom of the barrel at that point, to eliminate inaccuracy due to barrel harmonics.
I picked the rifle up on Monday. After getting home, I took the forearm off to look at the work the gunsmith did on it. He did a neat job of drilling and tapping a hole, and he put a small pad on the barrel at the point the screw meets it to keep the end of the screw from marring the barrel.
I then loaded up some of Clint Starke's 36 grain bullets with H-110 powder. That's all I had on hand. I used Federal Small Rifle Match primers. After sighting it in, I shot 6 different 4 round groups, with powder charges ranging fom 10.0 gr to 13.0 gr of the H-110. With 11.0 gr I shot a 5/16 inch group at 50 yards!!!! Not too shabby.. You may wonder why I only shot 4 shot groups. That's because Clint Starke isn't making bullets anymore, and I don't have many left. But, I'm a happy camper!!! On the way home I bought a box of cigars.. And, I smoked one on the rest of the way home....
Don

Don,
Could you post photos of the fix? I'd like to try it on mine.
Thanks
TDLefty

TDLefty,
Sorry but I'm digitally challanged and don't own a Digital camera. I'll look around for the articles on the fix and figure a way to show the fix to you.
Don

TDLefty,

I found the articles on the fix. They have pictures and descriptions of "How To". If you send me your address, I'll mail them to you.

My e-mail address is: dbuckbee@i2k.com

Take care,

Don

I'm happy that you got your .22 Hornet to shoot. I am fortunate. I have never had your kind of problem with any of the Ruger Single Shot rifles I have purchased (five No. 1's and a No. 3). They all shot well out of the box. For example, I have one (a 1B) in 7mm Rem. Mag. that has always shot 1" groups at 200 yards. But none of mine have ever been tested with factory ammo. Perhaps I have just had the good fortune to stumble on a good load for each of them pretty early in the testing phase.

www.gun-tests.com/performance/feb97money.html has good photos and instructions.

I sent everyone on a wild goose chase. Sorry!! The article and photo's for Ruger #1 is in Guns magazine Dec 1994 on pg62. There is five pages on it. If you cannot find the article, send private msg. and I will copy and mail it to you. Again, sorry for the mix up. Bishopgrandpa.

Whew! I thought I was nuts, I didn't see the #1 in there at all!