I found a Ruger 1A in .270 with Leupold Scope for $525. It looks interesting, and handles great, but I have a couple of questions since I never owned a #1:
It was made in 1976 acording to the serial number. Was that a year in which Ruger had troubles with its barrels?
Closing the chamber seems pretty noisy, is that normal, or can you chamber a round very quietly?
Lastly, what am I giving up by using a 22" bbl? This rifle would most likely be used for up to 350yd shots for deer. Thanks

With a leupold scope, that sounds like a very good price..... If the wood is in pretty good shape, I would jump on it

That's a pretty damn good buy, considering the scope comes with it. Just about any #1 runs in the $600 and up range in my neck of the woods, without a scope. Ruger #1s can be a bit of a crap shoot, but I wouldn't worry a whole lot about it. Usually, with a bit of tinkering you can make a #1 shoot fairly decent groups.My #1A in .270 Win. shoots better groups with a fairly still 150 gr. bullet load. Seems like almost all my #1s seem to prefer bullets on the heavier side, FWIW.
I collect Ruger #1 rifles and of the 17 I have, only one needed to go back to the factory. All are sufficiently accurate for hunting. All this BS about needing a rifle that shoots half inch groups or better for hunting is just that, BS! Maybe for a varmint rifle, but not for deer or bigger game. Every #1 I have will shoot into 1.5" or less, mostly less. After all, you don't need .50" groups from a .416 Rigby or .404 Jeffery. My .300 Win. mags run from .375" from a #1B to .80" from a #1S. The 45-70 is a 1.25" gun with serious cast bullet loads.
My oint is, if you're going to hunt with a single shot, you're going to have to alter your hunting habits a bit. Not much, just a bit. Try to get closer, that's all and be sure of the shot.
Yes, the action is a bit noisy when opening and closing, but unless you plan to only load when game is sighted, it shouldn't be a problem. BTW, if you think the Ruger is noisy, try the clackety-clack of a Browning 78 sometime. Makes the Ruger seem almost silent.
One suggestion, should you buy the rifle. Remove the wood from the gun and do a decent job of sealing the inside areas of the forearm, and the raw spots in the butt stock, like under the recoil pad and in the hole where the through bolt goes. Ruger makes a nice rifle, but they do a a crappy job of sealing the wood. I learne that the hard was on an elk hunt in Oregon when I got caught in a very heavy rain storm. It took about five years for thats tock to settle back down to where it was when I bought the gun. Now it is properly sealed.
I'll just say this. If I was in a position to buy that rifle, I'd snap it up at that price, especially if it is in anywhere decent shape.
I had some trepidation the first time I ever hunted with one and now they're just about all I ever use. They grow on you.
Paul B.

Paul B: Thanks for the reply. The wood is in vg condition, but it looks to me that the forend piece has been refinished (verypoorly) but has no dings or gouges. It also has no open sights which I assume is standard for that model.

Have you ever chronied your handloads for the .270? What bullet are you using?

Sounds like some one removed the sights. The rear sight would be easy ro replace, but I think the that if the whole front sight was removed, then it would have to go back to Ruger to be fixed. (A good arguing point to help bring the price down.)
The load I use has never been run over a chronograph and the powder has been discontinued for about five years or more, DAMMIT! (I got lucky and scored four 8 pound jugs of the stuff, all having the same lot number.) However, the load is 57.5 gr. of WMR for 2850 FPS according to the Winchester loading booklet #15. Pressure is 58,200 P.S.I. according to the book. My bullet used was the 150 gr. Sierra game King, and accuracy was more than good enough for any animal I would be hunting with a load in that range.
I'd knock off maybe 50 FPS from their figured as they probably used a 24" barrel and the 1A has a 22" barrel. One thing to remember, the late great Jack O'Connor's favorite cartridge was the .270 in rifles with 22" barrels.
I bought my first #1 in, IIRC, 1975. When I sat down and took stock of the deer I'd shot and that most of them had been taken with one shot, I figured, "Why not?" it was a #1B in 30-06. The next one about a year later was another #1B in .300 Win. Mag. I've been accumulating them as deals turn up ever since. The last three were the #1S model (discontinued DAMMIT!) all in .300 Win. Mag. Two were 200th year liberty models. I tired the other one out and it's nicely accurate as is, with one inch groups shooting factory ammo. My handloads run a bit tighter at .75" using the 200 gr. Speer Hot-Core and 69.0 gr. of WMR. velocity is 2930 FPS.
Personally, of all the #1 models, my preference is for the now discontinued #1S. Just like a #1a, but with a 26" barrel. They just sem to balance better for me, and I really like the Victorian era look, so similar to the old Farquharson (Don't ask me how they pronounced the name, could be farkharsom or far cue harson, but damned if I know.) used in early African hunting.
I don't know why Ruger dropped them, but even when they came out, my dealer couldn't get one and I never even saw one until at a gun show where I bought my first one used, maybe about a year ago. I think they probably didn't sell because Ruger was too cheap to include the scope rings as the gun had iron sights. If you wanted the rings, it was something like $50 more. Kind of a stupid policy if you ask me. hell, I never even saw a #1A until a few years ago. The only ones I could find were the #1B and a few H models. I've only seen one #1V, and I bought that one.
Then, there is "The Money Pit". A Ruger #1 action that had been restocked and a Remington Model 7 barrel in .223 installed. $400 for the gun and another $500 to get it right, almost. If it were a true Ruger and not the conversion, it would be the 18th #1. it's not as accurate as I would like, but it's a neat little walkabout gun for spotting and stalking jack rabbits and coyotes. In fact, it's almost cute. I've given thought to contacting Ruger with the SN# and finding out what it once was. Maybe I'll have them restore it to originality if it won't break my bank account. I love my Number Ones.
Paul B.

WesternMassman, Without sights are you sure it's a 1A, not a 1B. The B has a 26" barrel and no sights, the 1A should have a folding leaf in the rib, and a front ramp and bead. If it's a 1976 rifle, does it have "Made in the 200th Year of American Liberty" stamped on the barrel? It should. Over all these are excellent rifles, and perhaps the most rifle for the money in that price range. It is a steal at that price with a scope. Good luck and good hunting.

308Sako: Yes it is a 1A. THe dealer has a 1B 7mmag for the same price. I already have a tang safety M77 7mag submoa, so I didn't even look at the 1B.

I guess I will contact Ruger and get an estimate for replacing the front sight. Don't think this rifle will jump off the shelf so I have a little time to think about it.

W M M, Is it only the front sight blade which is missing? Or is it the entire banded ramp? A replacement blade could be had from NECG with far superior beads, goes nicely with their "peep" sight. Such a setup adorns my '06 1A, Liberty. This will be my rifle of choice this year do to the 100th anniversary of the '06.

308Sako: It is the entire banded front ramp.

If it has a 22 inch barrel, the beavertail style foreend instead of the Alexander Henry style and no sights (and no sight dovetail cut in the quarter rib), it's probably a 1AB, which has been out of production for a while. They tend to be a lot heavier than the 1A, but are interesting.

Before I read this far down, I was going to suggest the same, the 1 AB, that was made for a little while, I am not a historian but know they were not made long and disc.

Once years ago, I was sighting in my 270 1B at a public range, another shooter had an exact gun that had been shortened to 22" and I REALLY liked the way the gun balanced. My 26" med. hvy was too unwieldy for me. Would make a good stand or varmint gun in the right ctg.

It is a 1A. Might take another look at it next week.

Westernmassman,

I have been using a rifle like that since 1969 for hunting in New England. I have taken deer in VT, CT, PA, and ME with it. I used to take the whole week off and more to hunt in VT and it was Tuesday already and I had not seen much. I was sitting in a woodlot in Southern Vermont watching a woods road and a small clearing. It was afternoon already and what with nothing going on I opened the action on the #1 and removed the round and admired it. At that time it was chambered for the 7mm RM and loaded with the old style turned Nolser 140 gr Partitions over 4831.

Sure enough while I have the round in my fingers a buck sticks his head out of the woods and looks at me about 50 yds away. It was a nice chunky one with very long spikes. The kind thats not too hard to drag out. I slowly moved the round into the chamber but did not close it as your right the extractor clicks quite loud.

Instead I shouldered the rifle and closed the lever as I aimed it. I let a shot go from the steady sitting position into the base of the bucks neck near the shoulder.

His legs went stiff and then he just fell over.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would not pay all that much for a gun thats still made. For a few hundred more you can get one with a new barrel. Some of the olderones have much better triggers however. Try the trigger on that one and if it's light and crisp make a low offer.

quote:

Originally posted by Westernmassman:
I found a Ruger 1A in .270 with Leupold Scope for $525. It looks interesting, and handles great, but I have a couple of questions since I never owned a #1:
It was made in 1976 acording to the serial number. Was that a year in which Ruger had troubles with its barrels?
Closing the chamber seems pretty noisy, is that normal, or can you chamber a round very quietly?
Lastly, what am I giving up by using a 22" bbl? This rifle would most likely be used for up to 350yd shots for deer. Thanks

Here's a typical three-shot group at 100 yards from my Ruger No. 1A 7X57mm that was made in 1976-it has the 1976 "Liberty Model" inscription. The load was a 140-grain Nosler Partition bullet with 53 grains of WW 780 powder, MV 3000 FPS. I also once owned a Liberty 1V in .25/'06 that was consistent for 5 shots in 1" or less. And here's a group from my #3 in .30/40 Krag, also a 1976 "Liberty Model". I'd say the 1976 Ruger No. 1's are OK.

As for giving up anything with a 22" .270 Win., I doubt it! The only 270 Wins I 've ever owned were Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbines with 20" barrels. With these rifles loaded with 150 grain Nosler Partition bullets and 53.5 grains of IMR 4350, I managed to kill every critter that walks in Alaska except for the great bears..... The MV of this load from the 20" barrels was 2850 FPS, plenty fast enough for a 150 from a .270 Win. I got over 2900 from the 130-grain Nosler Partitions with 55.5 grains of IMR 4350 in those rifles. This was my "lower 48" load.....



7X57mm 1A made in 1976



30/40 No. 3 made in 1976

did you do anything to that 7x57? Just curious i.e. forearm/hanger work and/or trigger?

Had a 270 1B, and 2506 in those models, own a 6br built #1, and a mannlicher 243.

Thinking about a 1A but Ruger has yet to my knowledge made it in the 6.5 which is what I want, a x55 preferably, but a 260 would do.

May have to settle for a 7x57 or 270 to save a barrel job/dollars