Hi guys.New here.Anyone had any experience with the No.3 in .45-70?I have one and I love it.Real solid gun.Just wondering if anyone else enjoyed them?

Thanks

Kyle

Oh Yeah,
I also love mine. I have a red dot on it, and use it specifically for wild boar. Could not ask for a better tool.
My usual load is a 350 gr. Hornady in front of 59.6 IMR 3031. MV is Chrono. at 2070 fps. Kicks a bit, but does the job.
As far as accuracy goes, I have a witnessed kill on a woodchuck at 200 yards. Gun shoots into 1 1/4 all day.
Glad to find another #3 shooter

Sounds like a superb load.I want to use mine on deer.I figure a 300 JHP will be more than adequate.I want to mount a scope but I haven't found the right one.I don't want some humongus one just a little 3-9X or a 4X.I'm gonna go with Simmons I'm sure.

quote:

Originally posted by Kyle:
....I want to mount a scope but I haven't found the right one.I don't want some humongus one....

Got a 2x7 Leupold VX-II on my #1 45-70. Great eye relief, & plenty of magnification. Perfect for my purposes.

That's an expensive scope though isn't it?I've been using Simmons since I started shooting as a kid and they hold up on my Ruger M-77 in .338 Win Mag.Never had much use for the more expensive brands but I'll look into it.

Congrats on your Ruger No3, I too love the Ruger Single Shot rifle. Mine's a .458 Win #1 with a Burris 2x7 compact, but essentially the same gun. I really enjoy mine and it's a very graceful and classic rifle in every way.

First "45gov" I ever owned was a No3 (back in the dark ages). From memory I had a 2.5 leupold on the Old girl, but man did it shoot.I used it for scrub work on Cammels & Water Buff' with great sucess.Like so many of us when we're young & stupid ,I let it go to buy my first "Marlin". You've got a "good honest rifle", that won't let you down when the going gets hard! Good Shooting & Hunting.

I recently bought a #3 in 223 and also have experience with four different #1's, one in 458 Lott. Love all Ruger single shots.

quote:

Originally posted by Kyle:
That's an expensive scope though isn't it?I've been using Simmons since I started shooting as a kid and they hold up on my Ruger M-77 in .338 Win Mag.Never had much use for the more expensive brands but I'll look into it.

Not that bad - think I paid about $240 from Midway.

I didn't know what to get for my newly acquired #1, so I looked around to see what everyone else was using on theirs.

The high dollar imports were out for me.

Warranty & a good customer service rep were important, so w/ all this in mind, I started eye balling the Leupold VX-II & III compacts & Burris compact lines.

I compared field of view (high & low power), eye relief, size / weight, front to back adjustability, durability reports (from users), & basically all feed back from past & present owners that I felt was relevant. Couldn't decide between the Burris & Leupold - so I flipped a coin & the 2-7x33 VX-II Wide Duplex came out the winner.

Excellent optic!

Wish it would have been $150 less, but I probably could have paid $400 more, & not gotten a better scope.

That said, I am sure that you are going to enjoy that #3! Can you post a pic so that we can all benefit?

I would but I have no camera.Spent that money on guns!

I've got a #3 in 30-40 Krag, shoots cast bullets great. Deadly with 170 gr 30-30 bullets!
It's usually the gun that gets the call when deer season rolls around!

Bought one in the 70's, scoped with a 1 1/4x4 Bushnell back then. Shot great (don't remember the definition but under 2" for 3) and was deadly on Maine whitetails. Problem was I had just read John Wooter's article on loading 45-70 in a #1 for an African Hunt, so figured I would duplicate those in my #3 . The 405 gr. load was also deadly on the back end at least off the bench. Love the gun, still have it and a twin in 30/40. #1s in 220, 300, 375 H&H and 416 Rigby. Use it and enjoy, light and handy, fun to shoot and carry.

Yeah, I have one and decided to load 'er up heavy. Wound up cutting the curve out of the stock and putting a kik-eez pad on it but it would still slam you. My brother shot it and dropped it. Of course, I was taking 450 grain Lyman .451 "volunteer" bullets and paper patching only around the two bottom grease grooves so I could seat the bullet out there really far. This was loaded over more IMR 3031 than I want to tell and was only shot at bowling balls. It was not terribly bad if I was wearing a heavy coat, but I haven't gotten around to developing a load for that bullet with Re7.

The funny part is that I originally got into shooting 45-70 as a heavy hitter companion to my guns in 45 Colt. I did not know then that the bore is .006" bigger on Big Brother. I like the idea of a battery of one caliber that allows me to use the same bullets for various firearms. I have a couple of Blackhawks and a Win 94 Trapper chambered for 45 Colt. I cast Lee 300 grain bullets for them and paper patch them to plink with the #3. I cast 230 grain Lee TC profile bullets for practice in my SIG P220 and plinking in 45 Colt. It is a good system, though if I get another #3 I will rebarrel the extra to 460 S&W for a better match to its companion arms. I just don't want to do that to the "Hammer"

Anyway, the factory stock is not uncomfortable with stock ammo and it is not bad with moderately hot ammo, but it is pretty light for the really heavy stuff.

This is my #3, it's in 30-40 Krag and I love it!
It's a great cast bullet shooter and has accounted for lots of venision!

It's wearing a #1 stock from Bell&Carlson!

I hated mine until I put a No.1 stock on it. Had to heat and bend the lever. The resulting surface finish is poor since the lever was cast.

quote:

Originally posted by Old Elk Hunter:
I hated mine until I put a No.1 stock on it. Had to heat and bend the lever. The resulting surface finish is poor since the lever was cast.

I didn't have to alter the lever on mine at all, I did have to fit the stock to the action, just a little, all it amounted to was squaring the front to fit the action. I did have to open up the barrel channel to fit the heavier barrel.

Reloaderman,

That's good that yours fit without modification. You really don't want to bend a Ruger lever since it is a casting. We found the surface to be a bit porous when it was reblued.

quote:

Originally posted by Old Elk Hunter:
Reloaderman,

That's good that yours fit without modification. You really don't want to bend a Ruger lever since it is a casting. We found the surface to be a bit porous when it was reblued.

Thanks for the tip! I have a No. 3 in .30/40 that I have been considering fitting with a No.1 stock & Alex Henry forend, then inletting the reshaped lever into the front face of the pistol grip with a notch in the front of the grip cap and installing a rotary knob on the end of it, a'la Martini action. I guess I'd have to weld on a different piece of steel in place of part of the factory lever to be able to do this.

I loved my #3 in 45-70 until I shot 500 grain bullets in it. GET THAT METAL BUTPLATE OFF and buy a $6.00 pad.

quote:

I loved my #3 in 45-70 until I shot 500 grain bullets in it. GET THAT METAL BUTPLATE OFF and buy a $6.00 pad.

Experiance is something you get about 2 seconds after doing something like that.I learnt all about long relief scopes after my first ever shot with a 375 h&h.(yes kiddies one WEATHERBY EYEBROW)