Yeah, I know, depends on the uses etc. It really seems like such a nice caliber for this very rifle however.

Anyway, not trolling for flamefests. Just would like to hear opinions of others with experience of #1's in many different calibers.

And you can load the bullets loooong and gain velocity.

Wouldn't be my first choice. I like the Tropical better and a 458 can do anything the 45/70 can do better. I may have to get one in 9.3x74 too. Not sure what I would do with it though.

I figure a guy needs the following in #1, and alas this is what I aspire to own.

45-70 (or 458)
9.3x74R
338 Winchester 1b
300 Wby or Winchester or 30-06 1B
7x57 RSI
450/400 NE
405 WCF
450 NE
375 H&H Stainless
220 Swift 1V'
25-06 1V

I prefer a hammer gun for the 45-70. Sharps, hi-wall or rolling block. A traditional rifle for a traditional cartridge. But that is just me.

Considering the rifle the Ruger is based on was developed in the 1800's I don't think it matters much.

What's a 20 year difference?

How bout reaming it to 45-70 Nitro. Just search for it on this site.

quote:

Originally posted by D99:
Considering the rifle the Ruger is based on was developed in the 1800's I don't think it matters much.

What's a 20 year difference?

If you are referring to the Farquharson I think it was more commonly chambered in large British calibers then 45-70. Now I think a Ruger in a NE or similiar chambering is very cool! Like I said above the hammer gun preference for 45-70 is just my feelings.

Having owned and used a number of No.1's in various configurations, my highly subjective favorites in no particular order are:

S .338 Win. Mag. - great balance, killing power.
A 7x57 - a little light on the muzzle end - sort of like a short, light SxS 20ga.
B .25-06 - takes advantage of the long barrel. Perfect pronghorn/deer gun.
H .450/400 - custom gun with heavy barrel. A classic gun in a classic caliber.

I found myself wishing for a slightly heavier and/or longer barrel on the S in .45-70.

I am itching to try a 9.3x74R, (I love the 9.3x62 in a bolt gun) but I suspect I would want a longer barrel on that one also. I might just have to have one put together with a 26" barrel.

After some thought, the 45-70 single shot i have liked best was a Browning. The octagon barrel and hammer just seemed right for it. Shot very well. May need to keep an eye out for one at the next gun show!

I've got four at this time. 1-B in .25-06, 1-B in .338Win. Mag., a .450/.400 3" N.E. that's basically a 1-H with 24 inch barrel, and a .405Winchester SS and gray laminate.

A friend has a .45-70 that's a 1-S I believe. He had it run out to handle 500gr. bullets. I told him he should just go to .45 Basic with appropriate leade
to take a 500gr. bullet. My holy grail of #1s is a .416 Remington necked down to .411. It'd go well with my Winchester M70 SS CRF and H-S Precision stock in .411/.416 Rem. Mag.

You're right, I like the .41 caliber. However, what's the 9.3x74 equivalent in a non-metric caliber? I've got the diameter, what I want to know is the closest American caliber. Thanks.

Joe Mack
.358 is closest us equivalent. 35Whelen or 350 magnums are indistinguishable in effect with comparable bullets to 9.3s

My #1 in 45-70 was a bear to shoot with heavy loads because of the short, light barrel. I had a 26" Douglas installed by Nonnemann and it's now much more controllable, and more accurate.

Shoot the short barrel on the 1S 45-70 is what I like. It is a bit much on maximum loads. But I rarely use those. The short barrel is a better balance for toting and shooting with regular to medium loads.

I must say, the 338 magnum has always looked like a good #1 choice. Those of you with experience of both a 338 mag and 375 which is better between those two?

Have a 1B in .243 which shoots quite nice. Though when I got it was really wanting to run across a 25-06. Good round for a long barrel for sure.

I do most of my hunting in the swamps of south Georgia where it can get real "tight". The short overall length of the #1S 45-70 makes it easy to use, especially from a tree stand. I've had mine for about 20 years and plan to give it to my son in another 20 or so. The only change I've made is to put a Decelerator pad on in place of the original hocky puck. I load mine with 300 & 350 gr Hornadys at 2100 fps, great for deer and hogs, most are bang-flops. I think it's about perfect for what I do.
Best.

Esldude....I just got a K1A in 35 Whelen in the last few weeks...Stainless with walnut...I have not been able to take it to the range because it's still winter here but today I have been working up cast grouse loads at 30 meters and I am getting .70 groups off a wobbly camera tri-pod out the window of my computer room...Great Fun! On a snowy winter day...
For where I live and hunt I think there are better cart. than the 45-70 shooting cast over distance like the 35 Whelen, 9.3X74, .375H&H, .405 Win, and the 450-400 3"....anyway those are the cal./cart. I would get before I would get a #1 in 45-70....I do have 3 single shots and 4 levers in 45-70 however so I am familuar with the round...

quote:

Originally posted by Esldude:
Yeah, I know, depends on the uses etc. It really seems like such a nice caliber for this very rifle however.

Anyway, not trolling for flamefests. Just would like to hear opinions of others with experience of #1's in many different calibers.

I don't consider it necessarily the BEST caliber for a No. 1, but it is sure a good one for that rifle-especially if you want a light one cpable of killing BIG animals!

I've had one for a long time, and it sure is versatile! With a 350 or 400-grain pointed bullet, like the Barnes originals or X-bullets, it is no longer just a short-range proposition, either!

quote:

Originally posted by D99:
I figure a guy needs the following in #1, and alas this is what I aspire to own.

45-70 (or 458)
9.3x74R
338 Winchester 1b
300 Wby or Winchester or 30-06 1B
7x57 RSI
450/400 NE
405 WCF
450 NE
375 H&H Stainless
220 Swift 1V'
25-06 1V

Good list!!

I think the best factory caliber for the Ruger #1 MIGHT be the .30-40 Krag, but they only made about a half dozen of them. A close second is likely the much more available .30-06, but I prefer rimmed cases.

The best cartridge I have tried in them was never offered as a Ruger-assembled option in the 'States, the 7x65-R. (I think they supplied some to Heym, though.)

I had an opportunity to buy a second-hand factory No. 1-S (26" barrel IIRC) in 1978 at Guncraft Calgary, chambered in 7x57, but like a damned fool, passed it up.

My current No. 1's are
- 223 Rem (1-B),
- 243 Win (1-B),
- 25-06 (1-V),
- 6.5x53-R (1-S, 28" bbl.),
- 7x65-R (1-S),
- 7m/m Rem Mag (1-S),
300 Win Mag (1-V),
- 9.5x57-R (1-S),
- .405 Win,

& a sole remaining #3 in .30-40 Krag.

Past ones which I've used in the field also included:

-.22-250 (5 different ones over the years),
-6 m/m Remington,
-7x57 (4 of them) These 4 were all 1-A's gotten as "boot" in various trades, but they were too short to balance well in my hands. (And maybe in the previous ownerss' hands too, hence their becoming trade stock?),
-.338 Win Mag.,
-.375 Win (a "special" made up by Roy Weatherby's shop in the 70's),
-.375 H&H,
-.45-70, and
-.458 Win.

I may have left some out, but my own personal conclusion is that, for my use only, I don't care for the Ruger #1 rifle in either real large or real small chamberings. None of my really small bore (.224" barreled) rifles except my current .220 Swift (very, very early No. 1-V) ever delivered true varminter accuracy. Neither did any of the 6 mm barreled ones I have tried. The smallish bore ones delivered the odd good group, but not consistently. And they certainly were not great about holding their zero from day to day.

At the bigger cartridge end of the range, above .30 caliber, all but the .375 Winchester and the 9.5x57-R gave considerably more recoil than the same chamberings in bolt guns. I lay that to the stock design, which clearly does not fit me well, but it still causes me not to want any of the bigger bored ones.

Having said all that, my go-to for big deer (elk, moose, etc.) is the 7x65-R. With the heaviest RWS H-Mantles, it is deadly accurate and kills DRT.

My two-bits worth. Obviously mileage varies.

There is certainly nothing wrong with using a rimmed case, and in MOST single-shot rifles, it is almost a necessity. However, the extractor/ejector setup on the No. 1 works very positively with rimless and belted cases as well as with the rimmed variety.

I too would like to see a .30/40 Krag in the No. 1A. I have a 7X57mm in a 1A, and a 1S .45/70. To have the .30/40 would complete a Spanish-American war representative trio.

quote:

Originally posted by El Deguello:

Off-topic, but I really like your "handle". I wonder how many folk here know what El Deguello is?

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:

quote:

Originally posted by El Deguello:

Off-topic, but I really like your "handle". I wonder how many folk here know what El Deguello is?

A few! Click on the Mexican flag....
http://www.texancultures.utsa.edu/alamo/default.htm

Alberta Canuck,

I think your post gets at the heart of the matter somewhat. Mostly a bolt action is better in the smaller calibers. I don't have lots of experience with larger calibers other than hot 45/70's. I also feel in medium calibers a bolt gun is lighter, more accurate and usually has a better trigger with the option for 3 or 4 more shots.

But darn it, I just like the #1 rifle so much. To me the 1S balances almost as well as a lever action for toting. Though it is heavier. Somehow I just never liked lever actions (yes a falling block is something of a lever action I guess). So to me a lever action totes and balances well, but firing and reloading it sours me on that type action.

The 45/70 is consistent in its zero for the first 3 shots. Is accurate enough for those 3 shots. And if you stay away from the hotter loads doesn't kick too much to spoil the fun. A #1 in 30-06 is probably a good choice really, but a bolt gun makes more sense in that caliber. You cannot normally get a 45/70 in a bolt gun.

the #1s in 4570 is a wonderful rifle.it is light , accurate, and depending on how you load it, a pussy-cat or a fire breathing dragon. 400 grain hard cast at about 1600 to 1800 are not to bad in the recoil dept and will kill anything you aim it at. my new #1s is a 9.3x74r and although i havent killed anything with it yet, i'm really smitten with it. very accurate, and more importantly, really nice to look at. mild recoil and earth shaking effects on the other end !dang! i gotta get a #1s in 4570 now just to have a pair. they are light and balance very well. you will be very pleased with it no matter what calibre you get.cheers.

Alberta Canuck/ Jessi

First regarding the 7X57 No.1-S in 26" barrel. I did not realize that I had picked up one beauty of a gun untill I checked out some of these threads in the last couple of days. My 7X57 dates to 1974, and it was purchased used. The 7X57 was on my wish list, I saw the gun and purchased it. The gun shot great and I never thought about how old it was. Red butt pad and and nice walnut, it will be treated with new found respect.

The 9.3X74R was another gun that was on my wish list. It is paid for and awaitng a new butt pad to fit my 6'3" frame. It should be in my hands within a week.

Yesterday Ii ran back to see if a "limited" 35 Whelen, S.S. K1A with walnut stocks was still on the shelf. The gun was there...-SOLD!

Regarding the subject at hand. I love the 45-70 in many firearms. The No.1 I have totally custom stocks, color case hardened reciever, and of course deadly. I have a Shiloh Sharps 45-70 and a T/C with a custom SSK barrel with full ramp in 45-70, and last but not least a Wickliffe 45-70. One gun is still on my list the No.1 in S.S. Laminated stocks in 45-70.

Finally have any of you tried the Hornady Lever Revolution Ammunition in your no.1? This factory ammuniton is unreal!

Knockdown power 45-70! Paper punching and over all accuracy, the smalller calibers. I don't know about you but I like meat over paper.

Glenn