Ruger No. 1
A single-shot rifle may not be for everyone, but if you are a little more discerning and value the true essence of hunting, then the Ruger No.1 is a beautifully crafted and great-looking rifle. Many sportsmen and women enjoy the quality and designs of times long gone, but also demand top-notch accuracy and reliability. The Ruger No 1 fulfils both these briefs and is one of the classic rifles of this century.
The No.1 was introduced in 1967 and its single-shot design, with falling-block action, gives a very strong lock-up not dissimilar to the old English Farquharson rifle.
Ruger No.1 Tropical rifles are available as light Sporters, varmints or tropical gun configurations, but this medium Sporter version with open sights and barrel band is perfect as it stops that recoil cutting your hand if the sling was placed on the fore-end as on a normal rifle. The barrel is 24in long, and barrel diameter is 0.674in at the muzzle and not threaded.
The falling block design is utterly reliable.
As No.1 owners will know, the accuracy of these guns can be excellent but also annoyingly contrary. Any problems that people have with these guns emanate from the fact that the forearm exerts a good amount of upward pressure against the barrel, affecting the bedding and consistency of the gun’s performance.
This can be rectified in several ways. You can glass-bed the forearm to the fore-end hanger and then free-float the barrel to allow the barrel to vibrate consistently after every shot. Alternatively, the amount of torque exerted on the fore-end screw can affect the gun’s performance, particularly accuracy, both group size and point of aim.
The classic fore-end profile is practical and looks good
With a .30-06 Springfield round, you have a huge choice of factory loads. One of the best is the Sako 123-gr Gamehead load. The No.1 shot honest 1.25in groups with a scope fitted at 100 yards, and with open sights at 50 yards was about the same, with a velocity of 2,920fps and 2,329ft/lb energy — more than enough for any British deer species.
The Remington Core Lokt 165-gr shot 2,707fps and 2,685ft/lb, and the Hornady 180-gr SST loads grouped at 1.25in at 100 yards and 2,610fps/2,723ft/lb.
Reloads can boost performance, both with regard to velocity but more crucially accuracy. The Hornady SST 150-gr load with 50 grains of RL 15 powder achieved 2,813fps for 2,636ft/lb. A lighter 125-gr Nosler Ballistic Tip shot 3,057fps and 2,595ft/lb with 55 grains of Vit N150 behind it. A better deer load was the 165-gr Nosler Partition bullet with 54 grains of Alliant RL 17 powder, which shot 2,767fps/2,805ft/lb and 1in 100-yard groups.
The Sierra GameKing 180-gr bullet and a load of 57.5 grains of Reloder 22 powder is deemed classic for the .30-06 and gives the hunter 2,685fps and 2,882ft/lb.
I know it is old-fashioned-looking — so am I — but the Ruger No.1 is reliable and accurate. I think it looks superb and, with a scope or not, shooting a No.1 is always a pleasure. With only one shot to hand, it certainly sharpens up those stalking and aiming skills. These rifles are quite pricey now, but isn’t everything? It is a true modern classic and in a classic cartridge, too.
The so-called ‘precautionary principle’ is increasingly applied to shooting, but on rewilded land nature is allowed ‘to take its course’
Reports of fraudulent attempts to buy firearms online are highlighted by police, as BASC urges its members to follow strict legal procedures