The only model of #1 in the Ruger catalogue for this year is the Lipsey's 1-S 26" 45-70. Is the #1 about to go to a quiet grave?
Matt

I hope not ! That's a fine cartridge for a SS .I know because I have two .
How many rounds does it take you to put a deer in your freezer ??

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
I hope not ! That's a fine cartridge for a SS .I know because I have two .
How many rounds does it take you to put a deer in your freezer ??

I own one of the model they are offering this year as well. This model has been on Ruger's website for a few years now, and the word I got from Lipsey's is that Rufer is just using up the last several barrels and this run is over. I wonder if Ruger is waiting to see if anyone notices the absence. Other product lines have been much more profitable lately, so Ruger may just be concentrating on those. Since they have only been doing limited runs lately, and they've already made so many calibers in the 1-A model, maybe (but not likely) they will start making 26" 1-S variants in the calibers that were offered in the 1-A. I can only hope. They could start with 30-06, and over the next few years, progressively work down through the less popular rounds in descending order. I would love to see 30-06, 7x57 and/or 280rem, 6.5x55, 257 Roberts, and 222.
Matt

http://www.ruger.com/products/no1/images/index.jpg

Their site say that select calibers and configurations are available for 2014 and these calibers will be discontinued and replaced with new calibers in 2015.

You can take this for what it's worth, a cup of coffee maybe?

I have a friend who collects Ruger No.1's and he claims to be good friends with one of Ruger's upper echelon. He posed this exact question and was told that Ruger was considering selling their No.1's only through Lipseys sometime in 2015.

That is a shame it was one of the classiest rifles ever made, now look at that LCR revolvers that ruger makes...I will nominate that as the ugliest pistols ever made by a reputable company. zero amount spent on precision manufacturing reminds me of the saturday nite special that gangs used in the 60's

Apparently they are doing a run and distributing it strictly thru Lipsey's this year, that will be the only distributor to get any. One cartridge in each model.
Possibly;
1A 7-08
!S -06
1B 257wby
1H 375H&H
1V .223
RSI 6.5x55

and it looks like Winchester is only going to be selling the low Wall rimfires again this year.

Why a 24" 1-S in 06'? I would like to see it with a 26" tube, but 24" does beat a 22", in my book.
Matt

The 28" 257 Weatherby is interesting.

my opinion only. of course they are phasing out the number one. now that bill has died and the members of the ruger family have limited activity in the company it is on the bean counter chopping block. they have gone to limited production with only one distributor so by design it has limited availability, how well do you think it will fare.

Ruger has an interesting problem. They have is extremely popular rifle in that number one and every year they need to sell more to keep their bottom line up. So I’m sure the marketing guys are sitting there and somebody says what calibers should we do the one series in?

So they all scratch our heads and say what about doing a sporter in .30-06, a 1H in .375 H&H, a 1V in .233 Remington. So the boss says that sounds pretty safe. One guy says how about something for the collectors? Okay, put in a 6.5 x 55 in an RSI and that will also help us in the European market. Next year we can address all those of you that want to do some of the more exotic calibers like Weatherby's, .204 Remington's, and others. If you analyze what they did this year, most of the calibers were what might be called safe bets.

I happened to get a Ruger number one in 204, but I think that was pure luck! The gun store owner seemed unhappy that I bought it, which made me feel great. It is one of my favorite calibers at the moment as it explodes varmints and doesn't cost much to shoot a lot of rounds!

I was in camp with the VP of marketing for Ruger who indicated that a model had to sell 50,000 units to remain viable.


Dutch

quote:

Originally posted by Dutch44:
I was in camp with the VP of marketing for Ruger who indicated that a model had to sell 50,000 units to remain viable.


Dutch

That's very interesting Dutch, I was at a big time writer's and guests varmint hunt in Montana and there was a marketing executive from Savage Arms there as well, not to mention guys from sight companies and powder companies, etc. the guy switch to my truck because in his view I wasn't trying to prove how hard it could hit the bumps like the other guy. Seems they were there to "romance" the gun writers. Lots of free product and otherwise samples to guests and writers.

That is a pretty good job in my view, you can imagine what it might be like at Holland and Holland or Remington.

Prophet River has a special run of 275Rigby's coming in yet, they have supplied the wood for them, so, they won't be standard Ruger wood.
I believe they are being built at the moment, and the first ones are due PDQ, if not on the way already. Took him 2 yrs to get it to happen because of the wood.

Now that Bill Ruger is gone-God rest his wonderful soul-it's all about economics and business efficiency and return on stockholder's investment. Nothing personal but that's how business works.

While there are specialty websites such as AR, with dedicated aficionados of specialty guns, our numbers are miniscule compared to the general shooting public who is grabbing plastic *^(#^%^% off the dealer's shelves faster than it can be made. And I am sure that a molded glob of plastic has a tremendous profit margin. Walnut and steel-not so much.

About ten years ago at a gun show in Phoenix, I met one of the Ruger high echelon. He mentioned at the time that Ruger was only sending out a dozen #1's a week. Staggeringly sad number.

I just bought a 9,3x62. Wonderfully balanced. Now I hope it shoots at least decent.

Ruger's problem with the #1 is, and has always been, Being able sell enough of them year in and year out. The rifle has a good following, but not big enough to maintain enough across the board sales volume.

About all they can do with it to improve sales is offer more caliber choices. And even that gets old after a while. This rifle is a, "love it or hate it" sales proposition for Ruger. Guys either can't get enough of them, or else wouldn't go near one.

For a high volume sales company like Ruger, that can pose a big problem. They like to sell guns like the SR-1911 or the SR-15 because they can do it with enough volume. The #1 will come no where near that sales volume regardless of what caliber or configuration they offer it in. Look for them to go away in a year or two.

It looks like they are closing them out, CDNN has the 1S in 9.3 x 74R for $799. Well that's what it was in their weekly specials Wednesday when I ordered one, I just looked and saw they bumped them up to $999.

IIRC my Browning 1885 ,first version, was only made every other year ?
Sad as I learned to shoot and still have two 22lr single shots. These were made in the 1930s.

Not to worry, Lipskys and Halifax specialize in special runs of no. 1s and 77s, they are creating a collection fad and its working, they come up with some great stuff that Ruger won't make for the general public, that's part of the deal I suspect....

I have a 7x57 and 30-06, both Internationals, (manlicher style) with wood stocks and stainless steel metal..really nice guns and they sure do shoot well..They both have gone up in price considerably since they sold out the 250 that were manufactured, and they will never be manufactured again in that combination..