This quetion is simmilar to QUATERBORE's question in regards to a good chambering for a #1-S. I am looking for a good deer cartridge for ranges from 0-150yrds in thick brush. The 45-70 is a classic choice but it seems like a bit too much horsepower. I have heard rumors of a #1 in .405 win. This may work as well. The .35 caliber seems like a good comprise, but wich one? Maybe a 7x57? I handload so wildcats are not out of the question.
Any help would be great.

Thanks
DWLSHOOTER

DWLSHOOTER I would go with a .338win you would have good range and a good brush gun.What ever you go with good luck.And good shooting.

Thanks for the response, SHORTMAG. The .338win is a good choice, but I have a couple of problems with it. First, I think it is a little too much gun for the deer we see here in northern Michigan. Second, I would like to keep a 22" tube, wouldn't the accuacy/velocity be affected significantly?

DWLShooter

If your talking Houghton as in da UP eh and not Houghton Lake then consider the 358 Win. I hunt in both the cedar swamps of Menominee cnty and around Big Bay. A pre 64 m70 fwt in that calibre has served me well. The 358 just doesn't get the good press it deserves. Another consideration would be a 35 Whelan.

DWLShooter I have used a Ruger No1 in 45/70 for deer hunting. It is a real peach! If recoil is a concern, use the factory 300gr. loads or similar handloads. I have used 300, 400, and 350gr. bullets on deer, all work real good. My favouite load for my No1 is the 350gr. Hornady over 56gr. of IMR 3031. This is a fairly stout load. This same load with 300gr. bullets kicks less and kills deer real good. The only 45/70 bullet I have recovered was a 300gr. Sierra SP [they made these before the current HP]. I hit the Buck at about 30 or 35 yards at the neck shoulder junction. The Buck went right down, the bullet was against the spine perefectly mushroomed.
The 405 No1 would also be an excellent rifle. I have used Hawk 300gr. .025jkt at 2330fps out of my 450/400 3 1/4" on deer and pigs and it works very good.
Either caliber would be an excellent choice, and a fun rifle to hunt with. With proper bullets they are suitable for any game in North America, and all but the Largest game any where else in the world.

DWL,
I believe the only factory Model 1's with a 22 inch barrel are the Medium Sporter 45-70, and the four "Light Sporter" calibers. Right now I think that they are .243, .270, 7x57, and 30-06.

Your best caliber selection comes in the 1-B series. These are all 26" barrels. None of these guns are particularly "long", due to the "no action length" design.

By the way...

If a factory .35 Whelen was offered, I'd be on that one in a minute.

...and, so far, the .405 is still just a rumor.

DWL,

For thick brush hunting I prefer my #1A as it's a lot lighter and shorter than the 1S. I just don't like the balance of the 1S that much and just sold mine in fact even though it shot well. I don't buy the mantra that the single shot with a 26" barrel is shorter than something else. They may be but somehow I don't like their feel for a rifle that I have to carry. It's the heavy barrel that I don't like about it. For a woods rifle or even a mountain rifle the barrel is too heavy. If it were a varmint rifle to be fired from prone I would feel the opposite.

I got my 1A in 1969 and have used it quite a bit for game hunting and range shooting. It was a 7MM Rem Mag until 1995 and now it's a 30/06.

All I have done to my #1A is to free float the barrel. It stays sighted in and is a very reliable rifle.

[ 01-28-2003, 01:01: Message edited by: Savage99 ]

Gentlmen,
Wow, thanks for all the great feedback! The info on the .358 cal stuff and the .45-70 is very helpful.

Also,it is good to hear a word from Mr. Anderson in the UP,eh. In regards to the 35's, are any of those rimmed? If possible I would like to stick to rimmed cartridges(I had a bad exsperence with a rebarreled 25-06 Dakota No10)

As a reply to NE450 No2, how much do your deer weigh that you shoot? Also, did you find a great deal of meat loss? Another question, what range limitations do you have with that rifle?

Again, thanks for all the info and putting up with a lot of questions from a lowly college student.

DWLSHOOTER

Since you asked for advice.....

I would suggest the 7x57 in a 1A or a .243 in a 1B

Jim

Jim,
I have gotten some poor feed back on the 7x57. I like the cartridge on paper, as well as its classic appeal, but word of mouth from a reliable shooter that uses quality amo is hard to beat. What are your (or anyone else's) opinions.

I am surprised no one has spoken up for the .30 cal's. Just a thought.

Thanks again
DWLSHOOTER

DWLshooter We never weighed any of the deer on that lease, but I would guiss the Doe would range form 75 to 85 or 90 lbs field dressed. One reason I liked the 350 Hornady is it did not blood shot the meat as bad as the 300 or 400 gr. bullets with max loads. I also felt it would hold together better on raking shots. The No1 had a 2.5 Kahles scope on it. I killed deer at @230 and 250 yards. This was in the days before range finders but the distances were stepped of pretty accurately. Not much expansion at this distance but a 45cal hole in the vitals always works. This rifle is very accurate. It is an older gun and has more throat than the newer No1's. You will have to seat the 350 Hornady deeper that I do. Start out with the starting load if you have an older loading manual and work up. I really like this No1, and if I was not using my doubles so much I would be using this No1 on the lease I am on now. I always enjoyed hunting with the No1.
I cannot believe Ruger does not make it in the 1-A version in 9.3x74R for the European market.

NE 450 No2,
Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like the deer you guys shoot down there in Texas are about the same size as the large coyotes up here in the UP of Michigan
Sounds like you have a pretty good set up for that gun. I might be tempted to use a 300grn Barnes X bullet given this little theory turns into reality.
I do have a question. You say you have a 2.5x Kales scope. I have been looking into the 1.5x-6x-40mm Kales for this particular gun. What are your feelings on the Kales stuff in compairison to Leuopold? I have been using leuopold exclusively for a wile now and love them, but I want a scope with the largest field of view possible. The Kales seems to fit that bill best. At least, that is what I see from the data in the Cabela's catalog.

Let me know what you think.
Thanks
DWLSHOOTER

My No. 1 for deer is either a .45/70 or a 7X57. Either would serve for your uses. But so would a .280, .270, .30/'06, or a .257 Roberts.

[ 01-29-2003, 18:54: Message edited by: eldeguello ]

DWL I don't know what bad info you got on the 7x57 but what YOU got was bad info IMHO. The 7x57 is a great round and with the heavier bullet weight like 175"s would suite your purpose. I have both a 7x57 and a 7x57Ackly Improved and would take either one hunting anywhere without worry. When I head to da UP eh my first pick is the Pre 64 FWT in 358 though. Damn I just love that rifle!!

DWL

Since you say wildcats are not out of the question then that would mean a rebarrel on a #1. I am all for that.

Let me see.

I would suggest

6.5x55

7mm-08 I think you might find this in a stainless #1B.

6.5-284

Thats it for me.

Jim

DWLShooter Kahles scopes are great. If I started using my No1 a lot again I would put some kind of variable scope on it,something in the 1xto6x range. Either a 45/70 or a 405WCF will make a great hunting rifle in a No1. A 300gr. Barnes XFN should make a good bullet in the 45/70.