A much underrated rifle

[S&L7x57]

I have noticed an apparent blind spot to the Ruger No1 on this forum. As the only falling block rifle in production (other than those with a near 5 figure price tag) this has surprised me. As a lefty I cut my teeth on a 270W model with the 'beaver-tail' forend, T8 and Leupold glass and killed quite a few reds with it. Since, I have gritted my teeth and shelled out the extra premium for several LH bolt action (other than the bargains I have found at auction - LH rifles can be ridiculously cheap 2nd hand) and can not in all honesty say that I killed any more deer nor have they been any more dead!
I still use a No1 in 7x57 as my high ground rifle: a lightweight version with the 'Henry' type forend, Ziess Terra and 8oz Barton Gunworks mod. In a recent thread on a suitable LW rifle for high ground work this type of combination never came up, guess I should have posted something but feared a bolt-snob reaction!
Much is made of the 'rubbish trigger' which admittedly can be pretty bad out of the box but is easily improved with the help of a good rifle-smith. Also, the 'non-floating' barrel can be fixed easily by the insert of a small spacer in the forend wood.
Others will point to the lack of a fast 2nd shot. In 10 years of stalking, a humane 2nd shot has been required only twice and both times was taken after careful consideration, not in a hurry. Arguably only the very most experienced of us should ever consider taking a fast subsequent shot. Having a single shot concentrates one's mind in making the 1st one count, not relying on laying down a hail of lead.

 

[Border]

I love the Ruger nr 1's. Don't own one yet but hope to buy one in the future.

 

[Mungo]

Horrible things. Heavy for what they are, and I find them ugly and unwieldy. But happily admit this is a personal thing.

 

[Jagdmatch]

Matter of taste of course, I started stalking with a 243 stutzen No1 and now have a 405 Winchester which is good to shoot and kills deer effectively. It did require some fettling. If you want pinpoint accuracy it might not be the best option but simple to use and relatively cheap

 

[Haggis Hunter]

One of my first rifles was a Ruger No1 in 25-06 flavour. As a leftie I thought it would be better than struggling on with a RH bolt. It was, to a degree, but I had issues with the trigger (not fettled) and the lack of a quick follow up shot caused the odd heart stopping moment on reds.

Now I am (a lot) older and (allegedly) wiser I might be tempted back to a No1, just for mooching about in woods and fields rather than humping around the hills. I really like the look and feel of them.

I'll keep my LH 6.5Lap for the hills!

hh

 

[S&L7x57]

Horrible things. Heavy for what they are, and I find them ugly and unwieldy. But happily admit this is a personal thing.

I agree it is a personal thing.
But their weight depends on the wood and barrel of the particular model. My 'standard' 270w weighs considerably more than my 'lightweight' 7x57, and the latter feels lighter than it is, probably due to that strange, little understood phenomenon of 'balance'.
Ugly to some, yes. But I was brought up with the image of the old Farqharson, Westley Richards et al FB's (shows my age!) and the Ruger was the only way to go at that time. Bolts actions were for military snipers and professional deer managers, not quirky old farts such as myself!

Don't get me wrong, I have several BA's in all my favorite calibers and stuff the magazine to capacity before taking a step but often wonder if that is more about 'I can' rather than the need or expectation. I never felt under-gunned with a single round up the pipe, I had 5 more in the Beartooth!
I have to say that the biggest problem with an underlever is the need to turn it on its side to reload when you are belly down in a sea of heather. Not a problem on sticks.

 

[Roro]

I have an International (stutzen) in .243. I love the falling block action, and the ruger. Mine has a 20 inch barrel, and together with the short length of the action, it makes it extremely short over all. The main problem with the ruger is the long lock time, caused by the long drop of the hammer, and the trigger. Kepplinger in germany makes a single set trigger for the no.1. There are solutions to the issues around the fore-end hanger bearing on the barrel too. I have a Westley Richards FB action also, and i plan for that to be a .303 brit (needs the rimmed cartridge).

Browning did the 1885 falling block too, i don't know if its in production still.

 

[enfieldspares]

I think that powerful calibre falling block rifles, nice as they are, are an answer to a problem that no longer exists as technology has evolved to solve that problem.

So just as the Webley-Fosbery was at one time, briefly, the ONLY repeating heavy calibre handgun available so these falling blocks were, at one time, other than a double rifle, the only long arm capable of firing a long length powerful wide diameter centrefire cartridge.

The design of the Colt 1905 and Colt 1911 in .45 ACP superseded the .455 Webley Fosbery and the coming into widespread use of the 1898 Mauser with its large diameter front receiver ring at last gave a rifle other than a falling lock (or a double rifle) that could handle powerful long length wide case diameter centrefire cartridges eclipsed these falling blocks.

Thus nice as they are, a late friend had a Gibbs Farquarhson Metford in .461" they offer a solution to a problem that was solved by Paul Mauser in 1898 and subsequent design of .350 Rigby, .375 Holland and Holland, .404 Jeffery, .416 Rigby, .425 Westley Richards and .505 Gibbs, etc.. And of course .458 Winchester and its derivative .458 Lott.

So they are a retrograde solution to a problem that had its solution now over a century ago. If you enjoy it shoot it. The pleasure of a weapon is a pleasure you can enjoy regardless of if you see or grass anything when you take it out to "hunt". But there are now better mousetraps.

 

[teyhan1]

I have the smaller brother of the 7x57, the .257 Roberts.
My gun, no one else ever uses it.
Needs some fettling but eye relief solved with Conetrol mounts.

 

[Muir]

I have had a few, and have rebarreled many back in the days when Ruger made such terrible barrels. I don't know if they have changed the foreend mounting but back in the day, there were full magazine articles written on how to bed the foreend for consistent accuracy. I used to change the foreend hanger and related hardware on target rifles rebarreled for 200M Schuetzen competition. These accuracy issues did nothing to help it's popularity during it's production life. I still want a No3 Ruger in 30-40. It's on my bucket list.~Muir

 

[enfieldspares]

I still want a No3 Ruger in 30-40. It's on my bucket list.

Mine would be OUR .303 "British", regulated for the 215 grain bullet, or .450 Nitro Express. Then, very possibly like you Muir, quite what the hell I'd do with it when I got it i don't know. Maybe kiss it, cuddle it, call it "George" and put it at the back of my gun safe. But other than that I don't know. But they'd both have to have a barrel band sling swivel too. LOL!

 

[Muir]

Mine would be OUR .303 "British", regulated for the 215 grain bullet, or .450 Nitro Express. Then, very possibly like you Muir, quite what the hell I'd do with it when I got it i don't know. Maybe kiss it, cuddle it, call it "George" and put it at the back of my gun safe. But other than that I don't know. But they'd both have to have a barrel band sling swivel too. LOL!

I'd take one of the 303's with equal pleasure. I am a fan of both cartridges and load for both!~Muir

 

[S&L7x57]

'So they are a retrograde solution to a problem that had its solution now over a century ago. If you enjoy it shoot it. The pleasure of a weapon is a pleasure you can enjoy regardless of if you see or grass anything when you take it out to "hunt". But there are now better mousetraps.'

Elegantly put. If I had to objectively justify each on the shotguns/rifles I use, I would be in trouble!

 

[cervus]

I have 3x No.1s 45/70 Gov,.243 and 7x57 ...all tack drivers!

 

[Heym SR20]

I very nearly bought a 7x57 No1 as my first rifle. I had seen it advertised in gunmart at J Roberts and Sons when they still had Rigby and were on Great Suffolk street. I was working in Oxford but got a meeting with a potential client in London. Allowing plenty of time for traffic etc I arrived. Dry early in London with more than enough time to go and have a look at it. Nice rifle but stock far too short for me. But lurking on the rack was my Left handed Heym sr20 in 243. It was nearly new, and its owner had bought it whilst his Rigby was being built. My meeting was successful so there would be cash coming in. So I went back and paid a deposit on 2 conditions - I needed a variation and that I would like to shoot it - no problem sir, we regularly have days at the west London shooting school were we test lots of rifles - come and join us. Any way a month later with variation in hand I had a wonderful afternoon test firing my rifle and trying some much bigger African rifles

i like single shots. I have looked at many beautiful ones. The Ruger no1 is a bit crude, but is sound and can be into something very nice. Heym did a lovely single shot based on the Ruger action.

 

[Roro]

Some say retrograde step, but the revolver wasn't made obsolete by the semi-auto pistols. The bolt/pump/lever weren't made obsolete by the semi-auto rifle either. Just because the car came along, the motorcycle didn't disappear.

 

[enfieldspares]

[FONT=&quot]Moreover, the revolver is now obsolete, and there is no use learning to shoot it[/FONT]

So fellow SD Members, any idea WHEN this was written (and possibly by whom)?

 

[GOMX]

I love them , me & my brother own a shed full ..
22 Hornet x 2 Ruger #3
204 1A/S rare cute little rifle
223 x 2
243 x 2
6mm rem
308 stainless /walnut
30.06
300 WSM Carbon barrel custom stock one of two made
300 weatherby my brothers beast !
35 Whelen stainless /walnut limited run my favourite .
375 H&H stainless
458 Lott brothers proper beast ..

 

[Laurie]

1919 and by Walter Winans ('The Modern Pistol and How to Shoot it')

I bet Elmer Keith wouldn't have agreed if he ever heard or read that!

I seem to remember hearing on a semi-serious radio discussion that sometime around this same end of the Great War period one A. Hitler, corporal in the Imperial German Army and trainee dictator was heard to pontificate that there was no military future for aeroplanes.

 

[enfieldspares]

Yes. Walter Winans. Here's a link to Pistol Shooting his last major work. It is still valid today. And has passages of writing in it of interest to us as deer stalkers.

The Modern Pistol and How to Shoot It, by Walter WinansA Project Gutenberg eBook