Of all the guns Ruger has made and discontinued, I mourn the #3 the most. What a great little rifle it was. I'd like to know what you'd want to see in a reintroduced #3. Remember, Ruger chambered the original #3 mostly for cartridges they didn't put in the #1. So, tell us what you'd like to see! You may want to distinguish between what you'd personally like to see and what you think would be commercially viable.

My wish list for a reintroduced #3 goes like this:
.17 Mach IV
.221 Fireball, with the .222 an alternate choice
.250 Savage with the .260 Rem as an alt.
7-30 Waters
.30-30 Winchester, with the .300 Savage an alt.
.35 Whelen with the 9.3x62 as an alt.
.444 Marlin
.450 Marlin
.454 Casull
.475 Linebaugh/.480 Ruger

I think the Fireball, 30-30, 454, and 475/480 would sell very well.

BigIron

I'll take a 454 Casull and a 338-06.

I never liked the #3. That butt plate is painfull, the butt stock is obslolete and the barrel band is wrong.

But a light weight #1 is what I want. The 1A that I have goes 7 lbs without a scope. That's too heavy and it needs a faster lock time really bad also. The barrel shank is too heavy on some calibers and maybe the action could be slimmed.

I love the looks of the #1, but never cared much for the #3.
They seem to put absolutley fabulous wood on a lot of the #1's, and the actions are very nice looking too. I've owned 4 of them. But, I have none now and doubt that I'll ever buy another. I've never had one that would shoot very well.
Same with the now extict Thompson Center Rifle (I think they were called the '83 and the '87, don't remember for sure). Tried to like them, but never could get a good barrel from T/C. Shame too.
T.D.

38-55 in a No.3 would be nice. Also something like the 32/20 or 32 H&R. A 25/20 or 25 Copperhead would nice also. The No.3's are neat rifles, they may have all the grace or polish of the No.1, but they are very interesting in their own right.

.45-70 would be just right for that butt plate. Would make a stronger big brother to my trapdoor.

I'd like to see the re-emergence of the 30/40 Krag, the 356 Win, and just for fun, a #3 in 405 Win.

Howdy all, I just bought a #3 in .223 with a 6x Redfield on it. I hope I got a good deal for $300.00! It has an after market metal butt plate, and the sights were replaced with blanks(Still have originals) This little beauty will put 5 nosler 50 gr. Ballistic tips inside of an inch square at 100 yds. Sustained shooting will get to you, even with the .223. I could see a nice little deer rifle made out of a 6x47 or 6mm BR, remove the sights, get rid of the barrel band and put on a modern stock and....

Sorry, I just had to poke fun at you ol' traditionalists. Any of the older rimmed pistol rounds would be good, the .32 HR mag would make a handy companion rifle for Rugers' .32 vaquero. i love the #3 and wouldn't change anything. Gary

[ 08-16-2002, 20:36: Message edited by: GoWyo! ]

22 hornet, 357 maximum, 480 ruger

I shot a nice #3 the other day with a full octagon barrel on it in 45-70. Handled like a sharps but with the look of a Dakota Arms. Also shot one with a full bull barrel on it in a caliber I don't remember but it's never written about. I'll have to remember what it was as most people have never heard of it.

I would like to see Ruger come out with a smaller frame version - a Ruger #1 or #3 sized to compete with Browning/Winchester low wall - maybe in that new .17 caliber. Just a walking varmiter - we have enough of the big stuff

Chamber in the 6.5.55 & 9.3x62

I'd like to see a modified version with a pistoil-grip stock, and an operating lever that follows the contour of the pistol gip, inletted into the face of the pistol gip, with a know on the bottom fitted into a groove in the front of the grip cap, similar to some Martini's. It would have a slim, schnabelled forend piece ala 99 Savage. With this configuration, it could be called a No.2, or No. 4, or some such. Calibers I'd like to see would be: .22 Long Rifle, .22 K-Hornet, .218 Mashburn Bee, 221 Fireball, 6mm Remington, .260 Remington, 7mm/08, 7X57, .280 Rem., .308 Win., .32/40, .38/55, .40/65, .45/70
.45/90, .50/90, and .50/110.
Barrels: Choice of 20", 22", 24", & 26 ", round, tapered half-round/half octagon, or full tapered octagon. While we are wishing, we should wish for everything we would like to see!!

eldeguello's got the right idea: not a #3 at all but a #2 or some such (aka nice, lightweight single shot that's not a #1 and not so basic as the old #3's)!! And chambered for some interesting cartridges, too. Of course it'd make sense for Ruger to include their 480 in the lineup.

I've got a #3 in 22 Hornet with some decent stock work (slimmed down, straight grip, checkered, schnabel forend, recoil pad) and the operating lever modified. It's much more attractive than the standard issue #3 but a pistol grip stock would look even better.

How 'bout it, Ruger?

eldeguello, quit your present job and start at ruger

I would like to see the 22 k-hornet. Bring in some classic european rimmed cartridges and why not the old nitro's.

I don't know what they are up to at ruger, but they need an injection of rifle nuts

/ JOHAN

Two things I saw at the Austin Gun Show last weekend. A ruger number 3 that was originally a 375 winchester, that had been converted to a 375 H&H. A ruger 1a in 22 long rifle. Both more than I wanted to pay.

22 K-Hornet, 30-40 Krag, and the 348 Winchester. A stainless/laminate version, as well. ~~~Suluuq

Yes, there are a number of other interesting calibers that they could include that I didn't list above. The .348 Win. is one, and there are several great European rounds, such as the 8X75RS, etc., which would be great, but have so little following that no commercial maker could expect to make any money on them!! And that's the problem!! Those of us who follow these boards like such things, but there aren't enough of us to make a gamble pay off for the makers. Too bad. That's why most of this stuff will remain a custom job, costing more than a lot of us can pay!!

1. 223

2. 500 NE

Actually I would also like one in .500 Jeffery

I've got a #3 in 30-40, that I put a composit stock on for a #1B (from Bell&Carlson). It looks great and shoots great!
I'd like one in 357 mag or 357 max!
A scaled down lite-weight sounds nice

30-40 Krag

I already have it. My No. 3 is in .375 Winchester. Goes great with my Marlin in the same.

1st thing would be to alter the lever similar to Sharp's/Borchardt and have pistol=grip stock as an option. (Be REAL nice if the sears came well-fitted from the factory and the lock-time wasn't soslow/light too.)
Cal.s I would like to see are .38-55 w/.375 bore and faster than std twist, "K"Hornet with 1:15" or 1:14" twist, .357 MAX, .221 Fireball, .257 Robts.1:10" or 1:9" twist.
All these would have to be NON-saami chambers fitted to the brass available, and not some arbitrary measurement that ensures bulged cases.
Also, no "typical Ruger throats", where you have to seat out to about where all the cautions are printed on the outside of the barrel to "kiss" the rifling.
(They ain't EVER gonna get it right. At least the #3 was a good starting point.)

Dave 32-20

Dave 32-20

My choices:

.25-20 Win
.30-40 govt
.32-20 Win
.32-40 Win
.357 Maximum
.38-55 Win
.40-60 Win
.45-70 Govt
.50-70 Govt

I'd also modify the butt-plate to reduce the curve and broaden it slightly. I'd improve the quality of wood in the stock. Also, I'd factory drill for aperture sights or even sell it with an OEM aperture provided by Lyman or Williams. No fiber optic colored crap though.

I had a #3 in 45-70 years ago-it was so painfull to shoot with that awful buttplate & light weight that between 3 experienced shooters we could barely finish a box of factory cartridges.Love the #1 though!

A 9.3x74 would be a useful rifle in a #3

38-55,50-90

This may sound crazy to many, but I'd snap one up in a second if they'd chamber it in 32-20 WIN.

44 Remington Magnum

I would really like to see one chambered in my favorite wildcat -- the .30 Rezdog Ramjet which is the deadly .32 Winchester Special necked down to a sizzling .30 caliber.

At the Austin Texas gun show last weekend I saw a #3 that was orginally a 375 Winchester that had been converted to 375 H&H Mag. Did have a new recoil pad however.

I hope everyone knows that replacing the wood of a #3 with #1-b wood makes a darling little rifle,no other changes needed!Keep up the pressure,maybe they'll bring it back! J.E.Roop

9.3x62 or a nice .500 whisper to play with.

Let's see---shotgun style buttplate, Alex Henry forearm, in .348, 7.62x54, .303, .454 Casull, and .50 AE ought to be interesting. Plateau Hunter

9.3x74R and 250 Savage

My wish list for the #3 (OF course they (Ruger) first needs to a hammer to make it a real single shot).

I want to see it released in:

17 Mach IV
221 Fireball
7-30 Waters
30-30
357 Max
Then one of those .45, .47, .48 caliber pistol rounds.

What I'd like to see is, make a No2 sized down to to the small things like 22 Hornet, up to 375 Winchester,with the middle includinhg the old 30-30 with a 1 in 10" twist, loose the boat paddle stock,for some better wood, shaped properly, and the 10/22 sights, for a ramp front, and peep rear! Then bring back some of the chamberings in the No1, like 30-40K, and 9.3X74R, and 405 win of all things, in both stainless and blued with synthetic, and good wood!

However if they just brought back the No3, as it was first issued, I'd let you guys have all of them!

I would like a No.3 in 222 Remington and .243 Winchester.

I can't believe it.

All those posts and no one suggested .25-35.