Any body out there have a Ruger 1 in 7 x 57? I'm curious as to its accuracy, handling , bullet preference etc.

B

Guys don't ask me how that pesky 3 got in the title, but it's definitely there and should not be, so please disregard it.

Bob

Bob, I've had one for sometime and have found is somewhat wanting. The trigger needed replacement with one by (if I remember correctly) Timney, the rifle with a modest scope was needlessly heavy, and hasn't grouped to the standards I would like despite extensive experimentation with handloads. Please understand that I do like the rifle but must confess some disappointment.
Regards,
Inyati

Inyati, thank you for the prompt reply. I was almost anticipating such a reply. Want to purchase, but at their current cost, don't want to err.

The trigger is always a concern, as I have Tim's on all of my others except the Sako and the Tikka.

I love the look of the #1, and the concept of a classic caliber makes it even more interesting.

Bob

Bob, I have a 1A in 7X57mm. Handling is great, and mine is accurate to boot! Mine handles 140, 150, 160, and 175 grain bullets about equally well. I highly recommend it.....

quote:

Bob, I have a 1A in 7X57mm. Handling is great, and mine is accurate to boot! Mine handles 140, 150, 160, and 175 grain bullets about equally well. I highly recommend it.....

Same here, mine is not all that accurate with lighter weight bullets, the longer the bullet the more accurate. I actually prefer the 175 round nose loaded light.

Bob,
Mark me down as another extremely satisfied #1 - 7x57 owner.

I have a #1A. I love the rifle. It has shown excellent accuracy. My pet load is 140 Hornady IL pushed by IMR 4350.

I think you'll find that most of the newer #1's don't have the accuracy issues the older ones did. I've owned a total of 6 #1's. The only one that had accuracy problems was an older #1B in 22-250.

Ken

Thanks guys. I'll let you know what happens.

B

I bought a new Ruger 1-A in 7X57 last summer. Scoped it with a Leupold 2.5-8 X.

It shot moa first range session with Barnes 140 gr. TSX bullets.

Carried it for 9 days of Colorado's 2nd elk season. I had a cow tag, could have shot 3 differant bulls but no cows.

I found it a little heavy in the butt. I plan to take some wood out of the same before season next year for better balance.

I shoot heavy loaded 175 Hornady round nosers in mine. Shoots very well after installing the hicks accurizer.

Bob..
If you get one buy a newer No. 1...
I bought a used 1A in 7X57 and even with a trigger job and hicks accurizer it only gets 2.5" to 3.25" groups at 100 meters....

Thanks guys. Out of curiosity what is the going rate for new #1 A's in your neck of the woods?

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by Low Wall:
Bob..
If you get one buy a newer No. 1...
I bought a used 1A in 7X57 and even with a trigger job and hicks accurizer it only gets 2.5" to 3.25" groups at 100 meters....

Have a gunsmith do a chamber cast on your rifle. I picked up a used but very clean #1A in 7x57 that shot even worse than yours with 4.0" being the average with even the long 175 gr. bullets. i took it to my gunsmith who did a chamber cast and the throat was 2" long. I sent the gun back to Ruger with a copy of my gunsmith's report and they put a new barrel on the gun for free, other than the shipping cost and insurance to send it to them. The gun is very accurate now.
My point is, if the throat is way out of specs, you just might snag a new barrel. Just might be worth the trouble to check it out.
Based in the SN#, my rifle was made in 1979 which definitely meant it had a "contract" barrel.
I have a small collection of Ruger #1 rifles in their various configurations and the two I would keep to the very bloody end would be my #1A in 7x57 and my #1S in .300 Win. mag. Those two would be the last to go.
Paul B.

Thanks Paul for your advice...
I can only reach the lands with a Hornady 175gr (the new ones)

I'll see if Ruger has a warranty repair station here in Canada...
Shipping across the border would be costly and problematic...

The one in the middle is a 7x57. One of my favorite calibers. Powerful enough with a great bullet coefficient for long range shooting but doesn't kick the Hell out you. Wears a Leupold 3-9x40 VXII and will shoot 1.25" groups with regularity and the magic Minute-Of-Angle on occasion.

quote:

Originally posted by BobSmith:
Guys don't ask me how that pesky 3 got in the title, but it's definitely there and should not be, so please disregard it.

Bob

Three (3) is the lower case number (#) symbol.

quote:

Originally posted by Paul B:


Have a gunsmith do a chamber cast on your rifle. I picked up a used but very clean #1A in 7x57 that shot even worse than yours with 4.0" being the average with even the long 175 gr. bullets. i took it to my gunsmith who did a chamber cast and the throat was 2" long. I sent the gun back to Ruger with a copy of my gunsmith's report and they put a new barrel on the gun for free, other than the shipping cost and insurance to send it to them. The gun is very accurate now.
My point is, if the throat is way out of specs, you just might snag a new barrel. Just might be worth the trouble to check it out.
Based in the SN#, my rifle was made in 1979 which definitely meant it had a "contract" barrel.
I have a small collection of Ruger #1 rifles in their various configurations and the two I would keep to the very bloody end would be my #1A in 7x57 and my #1S in .300 Win. mag. Those two would be the last to go.
Paul B.

Paul -
Just ordered a new No.1-A in 7x57. Dealer told me it was the only one currently in the plant, available for shipment.

Have not bought dies or components yet, but plan to (hopefully) soon.

Would you be willing to provide some input on components - & possibly load guidelines that work well for you in your rifle since the re-barrel?

I'm hoping 140's will produce good results.

General consensus is that 4350 is the hot ticket for 7x57, but I'm not sure. Nosler recommends H414. I'd like a field effective load, but willing to sacrifice a little bit of velocity - for satisfyingly tight groups.

I found 7828 & Nosler 115 B-Tips worked great in my "gone down the road" No.1-B / 25-06, but then, that's a different animal.

Also a bit tossed up on brass. Considering Norma because of it's reputation for consistency (I'm a nut for accuracy), but not sure if it's worth the extra dough. Any thought?

Thanks in advance!

Gary

quote:

General consensus is that 4350 is the hot ticket for 7x57, but I'm not sure. Nosler recommends H414. I'd like a field effective load, but willing to sacrifice a little bit of velocity - for satisfyingly tight groups.

I haven't done much with the #1 in a while, and hesitate to give load data and all my handloads are well over anything found in the manuals.
I have not used any of the 4350's in the 7x57, nor have I used H-414. However, supposedly H-414 and Winchester's W-760 are just different lots of the same powder and I have used W-760.
It is not too hard to get a 140 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip to 2800 FPS,with W-760 in a 22' barrel. I actually got to 2880 FPS, but during Arizona's damnably hot summers, which is when I do serious load workup, I started to get sticky bolt lift in the M70. I backed off to 2800 and called it good.
The loads that shot good in the #1 after Ruger replaced the barrel were the Winchester 145 gr. Power Point and the Winchester 175 gr.round nose (no longer available) and the Federal 175 gr. Hi-Shok. A load that shot really well in the M70 used W-760 and the Sierra 170 gr. round nose bullet, but Sireea dropped them I guesss about 5 or 6 years ago and doesn't plan on making them anymore unless demand goes way up. I told them to add my list to the demand to bring them back although I probably have a lifetime supply. I found four full boxes at a gun show selling cheap. From the M70 off the bench, groups witht hat bullet run from .375" to maybe .50", the latter when I've having a bad day.
My other 7x57s are a Winchester M70 Featherweight and a custom FN Mauser based on a J.C. Higgins M50 rifle. The FN is very accurate and will put three 145 gr. Winchester factory loads into one very tiny ragged hole. I give the credit for that to Randy Lawson at the Harry Lawson gun shop here in Tucson. The .280 Remington custom they built me on a 1909 Argentine is also a one ragged hole shooter. They do good work.
Paul B.

quote:

Originally posted by Paul B:

I haven't done much with the #1 in a while, and hesitate to give load data and all my handloads are well over anything found in the manuals.
I have not used any of the 4350's in the 7x57, nor have I used H-414. However, supposedly H-414 and Winchester's W-760 are just different lots of the same powder and I have used W-760.
It is not too hard to get a 140 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip to 2800 FPS,with W-760 in a 22' barrel.
Paul B.

Thanks for the input Paul. Understand your position, not wanting to post specific numbers.

Basically, I'm just trying to find out what bullets & powders seem to give the best results, in the newer Ruger barrels.

Gary

I am also thinking of buying a Ruger 1 in 7x57. The question is.... how and where go we define the new from the old rifles? I also love the looks. But it needs to be accurate, not just a looker.

Unless you get lucky and find a new one on a dealer's shelf, lots of luck. I don't think Ruger is making any in 7x57 right now, based on comments in other sites. However, the older ones will have a red rubber buttplate and the newer ones will have black buttplates. I know that if I find another one, I'll buy it just to have a spare.
Paul B.

I am rather proud of my handloads and the way my rifles shoot. My 1A 7 x 57 shoots up to my standards. I get less than 1 inch groups at 100 yds. Have the trigger done and then try Imr or H 4350. The manuals are all over the place depending on whether or not they stick to the original pressure limits or up it as Speer has.
With 140g bullets, start at 43 grains and work up. I went to 50g, but got better groups w/ 49 g.
W/ 160g bullets, again start at 43g and work up. Mine likes 47g w/ a 160 Nos ABs. CCI br primers in both.
I also took a long spade bit and hollowed out the buttstock under the recoil pad and the inside of the forearm. Good luck.

I have a 1A that I have had for years and it is one of the most accurate rifles, (let alone one of the 3 most accurate No 1s) that I have, being capalble of shooting sub 1/2 inch groups at 100 yds with Sierra 140 gr #1910 bullets, WW cases, IMR 4064 (45 grs.). It also likes 150gr Nosler Partitions and Norma 204 powder. This rifle has a long throat and the Nosler load is at 3.125" OAL. As of right now, the only 7x57 No 1 that Ruger is making is the RSI

A .220 Swift 1B that I stocked myself will keep 5 shots in .3" or less at a 100 yds with with 52 gr Speer Match bullets.

As an aside, the tang safty M77s also had a long throat.

I bought a new 7x57 No1A about 18 months ago and I'm very pleased with it. I've got a 4x Conquest on it and it's putting 3 Norma factorys (154gr) into a group just under the inch.
I picked up the Norma ammo off an elderly gent at a very good price and considering how well it shoots in this rifle, I probably won't be handloading for it.

I recently picked up an older 1A (red pad) in 7x57 and have just started loading for it. I've read that the older models are throated very long which can contribute to the accuracy issues mentioned. Mine does have that long throat and my first loads using 140 Partitions strung vertically up to 6". Switching to 160 Accubonds, I can seat them .030 off the rifling using about 1/2 the case neck. The loaded rounds look odd, but I just shot two 3 shot groups at 100 yards with max charges of IMR 4350 and H 4350 that are both hovering around 1/2" MOA. Groups working up to max were so - so, but as soon as I hit the top, it tightened right up with both 4350's. I'm hesitant to list the charge, but my older Hogdon manual has "Ruger No. 1 Only" 7x57 data separate from the standard 7x57 data, and my loads are max for the No.1 Only data. This is the same max load as Ken Waters lists in his "Pet Loads" volumes. I'm quite pleased and am thinking that an even longer 160 Barnes TSX might be interesting...

A 7x57 brass question while we're at it. Does anyone know who made the 7x57 brass for Herter's? I got a smokin' good deal on 100 rounds of herter's 7x57 brass in their original factory boxes, but all it says on the box is "Made in Sweden". I'm thinking was this brass made bt Norma for Herter's or someone else.? I haven't done any load work with it yet. I'm hoping someboby might know for sure. It looks like it's quite well made.
Paul B.