A local gun store has a relatively early Ruger No. 1 in the 130-10xxx range. It is like the tropical models except it is a lighter barrel and is in .45-70. Gun has nicely figured wood and is in excellent conditon the only modification bing that someone replaced the stock recoil pad with an adjustable position butt plate like is popular on trap and skeet shootguns. I don't think the wood was modified or shortened.

Rifle has price tag of $595 on it but the store will probably come off $25- $50. Is that a fair price for a that Ruger No. 1 now days?

I've looked on gunbroker etc. but it is unusual to find one of the older guns for sale. This one is not quite as nice as the pre-suffix SN guns but is still better fitted and finished than the later guns I've examined.

In my definition, that is not an older rifle, in this case I would call a non prefix s/n an older No.1
No matter how it is defined I would not want the rifle with that but pad or lack of. I would deduct the cost of putting a Pachmyer or factory pad on it.
I would want to buy that rifle and have my final cost at $550 or less. Don't be in a hurry, I would think this time of year most people won't even look at that rifle.

Older would be more corret I guess but a lot of guns have been made since the 130-prefix. I don't know if Ruger kept the SNs in seqeuence when they added the 130 prefix or not - if so it ould be in the first 10,000 or so produced.

The pad is not an issue to me as I have an orginal red pad to go back on it.

I'm in no hurry myself - I won't lose any sleep if I miss it but unlike other places the spring bear hunting start sonn and that gun is fairly popular up here. I may go back by the store today and see if it is still there and how much dickering they are willing to do.

As a side note I bought a Ruger M77 in 6mm at the same store some 25 yrs ago. It is SN 13X; it is still in my safe.

Thanks for the input.

quote:

In my definition, that is not an older rifle, in this case I would call a non prefix s/n an older No.1
No matter how it is defined I would not want the rifle with that but pad or lack of. I would deduct the cost of putting a Pachmyer or factory pad on it.
I would want to buy that rifle and have my final cost at $550 or less.