doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Won a Ruger 1-B!!!

I won a Ruger 1-B in .204 Ruger!!! Not sure what to do with it. I don't Varmint hunt & Can't use it for Deer in this state. Its Got Some Beautiful Wood on the butt end!!!
Should I sell it?

Have it rebored to .25-35, .30-40, .32-40, or .38-55. Or experiment, go out on a limb on the cutting edge with one of those newfangled "rimless" ctgs! I hear some of them work (never investigated it myself--"if it works, don't.... you know).

Congrats--you got the basis for a really great rifle there!

Did you win it from Gander Mountain? Trade it back for a No. 1 in a different caliber. Even trade.

E. Arthur Brown used to have an "accurizer" package on Ruger 1s. I believe that's discontinued but they may still rebarrel them.

jack

My "1A" .22 Hornet was done by E.A. Brown with a Shilen barrel about a year ago. Took a while + $300 (cheap) and it REALLY shoots.

Mike, did you float the forend, add setscrew to adjust the harmonics, swap triggers?

jack

Yeah, rabbit, when I had the work done they fitted their "Hicks Harmonizer" or whatever they call it, which allows you to tune the tension on the forend. I twiddled that a little and it did help some with vertical stringing, but the stringing was minor so the "help" was minor. This gun always had a good trigger right from the factory, so I never did anything with that. For the forend, I simply sanded out the channel until I could run a sheet of typing paper thru it with the barrel on, and then sealed it.

I suspect one reason this rifle shoots is that it was originally a 1S .45-70. Original owner stuck a case while hunting and then scored the chamber with a hardened gun screwdriver prying it out. REALLY scored it, so much for field maintenance (How can you stick a .45-70 case? Takes a special talent, I guess....). When I made my "1A" out of it, I kept the barrel contour as the original 1S, just had EAB make a 22" 1S. So the barrel is short and stout; a good formula for accuracy IMO.

EAB also makes a very "tight" chamber if you ask for one, which really helps with an "original Hornet" (not K) chamber. Mine likes the expensive stuff (35gr. "premium" bullets); thank heavens I handload. I put a barrel band front sight on it so it wouldn't "look funny" (not that my eyes are any good with irons on a 22" barrel any more).

I inletted the forend of a stainless 1-B .243 for the Hicks and changed to a Moyers trigger. Although I've put five in .75 (edge to edge) off the bench 100yds, barrel heating and stringing still appear regularly as do bad days and pulling a shot or two. More consistent shooting with a box-stock 1-V in 6mm so I agree that a lot of barrel wall helps with repeatability. I also like the 1-s .45-70. Have a 2.5X Weaver on mine.

jack

I have to admit I only shoot 3-shot groups with any single shot rifle (the only kind I own).

I too had a 1S .45-70 for some years when I lived in Idaho. You couldn't ask for a better big game hunting rifle; I could alway make the first two shots touch from a cold barrel at 100 yds, offhand. However, I found it a real bear to bench each season to check the zero; not a fun gun for the recoil shy to blast away with on the range, unless loaded down to .45-60 levels. Ultimately it got turned into a 26" barrel .30-40, which I find much more shoulder friendly and a plenty adequate big game killer....

I DON'T LIKE scopes, which for me are an ugly/expensive side effect of my aging eyes. For a #1, the old straight-tube fixed scopes with a longish eye relief work the best anyway and don't look too odd....I have a Burris Mini 4 on the Hornet, and a Redfield 2 3/4x on the .30-40. All the scope I need (and more than I want!).

(Rabbit, shouldn't we maybe hop over to the rifle forum?).

Probably as have wandered afield. Further OT, I like those Sierra target bullets.

jack