Anybody know?



cal30

I think Ruger made 4 or 5 # 3's in 30-06.
Ruger # 1 Guy

I doubt we will ever know the calibers least produced in either the #1 or the #3. It was not too unusual for folks with an "in" to get a reamer which Ruger had on hand for other rifles pushed into the barrel blank for either a No. 1 or No. 3. Several were apparently made for John Amber, and a few were reportedly made for Lynn Laudice.

That's why you will find a very few No. 1's out there which are original .30-40 Krag No. 1-S's, for instance.

Almost all of those rifles were essentially one-offs, I believe, although I know of at least 3 in .30-40 Krag among the No.1's.

Which were the least common truly commercial sale chamberings is a question which can be answered by books on the subject.

The No3 was offered with milder cartridges in mind. I would geuss the .30-40 Krag was the least produced because it was the least popular.

The #3 was built in .44 Magnum but was rarely seen.

I think AC is right, who would really know how many custom chambered rifles came out of that factory over the years.

According to J D Clayton the rarest chamber/caliber in the non-prefix rifles was the 264.

In 1993 there was a special production run of the 404 Jeffery in the No. 1-V configuration that was canceled. There has to be at least one of those rifles out there somewhere. In 1994 and 1995 the Jeffery was a cataloged chamber but in the No. 1 RSI instead.

I agree with SR4759, I have only seen 1 44 magnum. Have owned, and still do, 3 number 3's.

no1fan

Im not sure how many were produced, but I bet the one's in .45-70 didn't sell very well. The recoil of that light rifle with a crescent buttplate is horrendous. My dad has owned 2 others, in .223 and .22 Hornet and liked both of them.

quote:

Originally posted by FC363:
Im not sure how many were produced, but I bet the one's in .45-70 didn't sell very well. The recoil of that light rifle with a crescent buttplate is horrendous. My dad has owned 2 others, in .223 and .22 Hornet and liked both of them.

I could be very wrong, but I believe the .45-70 was one of, if not the best selling of the #3s.

I know I had two of them with consecutive serial numbers and new in the box which I advertised in the Gun List a few years back. I thought I was going to have to have the phone removed after all the calls I got for them over the next 4 or 5 weeks afterward.

According to http://www.ruger-firearms.com/...s/PS-SNH-RI-No3.html they made the No.3 from 1973 to 1986 in .22 Hornet, .223, .30-40 Krag, .375 Win., .44 Mag., .45/70 Gov't. Over the years I've seen many in 45/70, more than a few of each in 22 Hornet, 223, and 30/40, and precisely none in 375 or 44 magnum. For no other reason I'll guess these last two were the least common. I always thought Ruger missed a sure thing not chambering their tidy little carbine in 30/30.

I own a 22 hornet #3 and have passed up buying a 44 mag,30-40 krag,375 winchester and 223 over the years. I've not seen a 45/70 for sale in a retailers (which was where the others were seen)but have seen some for sale at gunshows.

I have watched #3s for years and have to agree the .375 Win. or the .44 Mag would have to be the rarest.

I have just checked the Ruger # 1 Group, they have been keeping records in the File section of the group on # 1's, and # 3's also, it's all done by serial number so there's no chance the same one will be counted twice. This is what they have listed so far:
22 Hornet - 9.
223 Rem. - 6.
30-40 Krag - 8.
30-06 Sprg. - 1
375 Win. - 2.
44 Mag. - 2.
45-70 Govt. - 6.

It's a continuing study and new numbers and calibers added as they are found.
Ruger # 1 Guy.

quote:

Originally posted by Ruger # 1 Guy:
I have just checked the Ruger # 1 Group, they have been keeping records in the File section of the group on # 1's, and # 3's also, it's all done by serial number so there's no chance the same one will be counted twice. This is what they have listed so far:
22 Hornet - 9.
223 Rem. - 6.
30-40 Krag - 8.
30-06 Sprg. - 1
375 Win. - 2.
44 Mag. - 2.
45-70 Govt. - 6.

It's a continuing study and new numbers and calibers added as they are found.
Ruger # 1 Guy.

That must be a listing for Ruger #1's, eh? The only reason I ask is not to pick a nit, but because the question of this thread was really about the rarest Ruger #3 cartridge. There must have been more than 8 Ruger #3's in .30-40 Krag. I have owned several and still have one downstairs. So, am just trying to make sure I know I don't have something rare in the vault.

I don't, do I?


P.S., I'm pretty sure there were more .45-70s than that in both the No. 1's and the No. 3's. I had a nice pair of brand new-in-the-box consecutive serial numbered No.3's that I tried to sell about 6 or 7 years ago for $300 each and could find no buyers. Finally sold the pair for $550. (The SNs were 55,555 and 55,556.) And I think there are probably more #1's in that caliber owned by members here than are listed in that report.)

Or are those numbers the RANK of those calibers' rareness, with the .30-06 being the least rare, and the .22 Hornet the most rare?

Hi Alberta Canuck,
No it's not a listing for # 1's, it's the listing for # 3's only. The # 1 Files have hundreds and hundreds more serial numbers listed.

I agree, there were many more # 3's made in 45-70 than just the 6 listed in the Files, but the ones listed by serial number are the only ones known by the members of the group.

Being that Ruger will not release any production numbers, what the members have been doing is sending in numbers on the ones they find at Gun Shows or Gun Shops.

Like I've said, it's a continuing study and new numbers and calibers are added as they are found. This is the only way we have of trying to figure out what calibers or configurations are more scarce than others, it's for sure not a fool proof system but without factory records it's all we have.

The Group has over 1250 members but they are mostly # 1 guys so there is much more Info on the # 1 than the # 3.

As to the 8 # 3's listed in 30-40, that's all that they have found so far, I don't believe I've ever seen a # 1 listed in 30-40 so if there are a few out there I would say they would be much more scarce than a # 3.

If you or any one else would like to add to the data base of known serial numbers of # 3's or # 1's you can send the serial numbers of what you have or have had to one of the group moderators, they will put them in the proper File.

No persons names are used with the numbers so no one really knows who owns what and no records are ever kept on where the numbers came from.

I am not a collector so I don't look at the data that often but seen the question here about the # 3 and thought I could help out a bit.
Ruger # 1 Guy

Thanks for the explanation.
Some day that could be a useful list for identifying fakes being advertised to collector's...enables one to see what the original chambering likely was IF the rifle was reported on the list.

Just for interest's sake, I know of two or three (can't remember which) Ruger No. 1s in .30-40 Krag. They were owned (and later sold) by Lynn Laudice of Prescott Valley, Arizona. If I recall he was asking $3,000 apiece for them at the time (about 1991). I don't know how much they actually sold for.

That was at a point where my long-standing lust for an original No. 1 in .30-40 was in temorary remission, so I couldn't justify paying the price as I am not really a Ruger collector. (Though I have over a dozen No. 1s and 3's, and another dozen or so of various other Ruger rifles and pistols.)

Also, right around the end of 1968, could have been as late as the first Rifle issue into 1970, Rifle Magazine started carrying full page ads of the Ruger No. 1. I believe it was either the first such ad or possibly the 2nd, that actually listed the No. 1 as being avaliable in .30-40 Krag. I ordered one, got the order confirmed, but never got the rifle. Went through the same order process with Bill Ruger, Jr. personally at the 1983 NRA Convention in Phoenix, AZ where he personally promised me (with Ken Howell as a witness) delivery of the gun. Never did get it, even though I provided TWO different checks at that time for the full purchase amount. Checks were never cashed, rifle never arrived, and I learned from an inside source that Zanetti himself (now Ruger'scorporate president, I think) put the kibosh on the deal.

Anyway, there ARE at least a couple of original No. 1s in .30-40 Krag out there.

Of the 6 cataloged calibers the 44 is by far the rarest of them all. There we a few that were uncataloged like the 30-06 and others. The 264 was never chambered in the #3 but certainly is one of the rarest of the Number Ones.

The 45-70 were quite common but kick like a mule. The Hornet and 375 are two of my favorites for useful carbines in the Number 3 along with the 44.

Dave

I just listed a No 3 in 44 Mag and one in 375 Win on Gunbroker. Both are new, no box.