Suppressing a Ruger No 1

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jmol50

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I don't intend to flame the traditionalists here. I have a 1-S in 30-06 and absolutely love it. It's bone stock with just a Leupold 4x on it and it's my only centerfire hunting rifle. The thing is I've caught the suppressor bug and want to hunt suppressed. I don't think I want to cut my 06 down, and instead a 1B in 308 cut to 16.5"-18" may make the most sense for me. 1B's are uncommon, so I think I need to scoop up a "cheap" 1B and rebarrel to 308. Am I on the right track? Are there calibers I should look for (or avoid) to make the rebarrel "easier"? Appreciate any advice you could throw my way.
 

NikA

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Agreed, would think you might want to look for one with a Mauser-sized case head (.473", e.g. .30-06, .308, 7mm, etc.) so the extraction/ejection parts can be reused.

A bigger question for you might be whether you're considering loading subsonic loads, in which case even a .308 has a lot of extra case volume.
 

jmol50

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Thanks for the feedback @RSIno1 and @NikA.

I was under the impression that the thickness of the barrel had to match the barrel channel in the stock. I'd read that the 1A barrel is too thin to thread. Likewise, the barrel would need to be thicker than I'd like in order to fit in the barrel channel of a 1S or 1H. Or one would have to fill in the barrel channel to get a thinner barrel to fit in the 1S or 1H. Sounds like I may be worrying over nothing and I can pick any style of No 1 that strikes my fancy? Or perhaps one could make any barrel thickness fit in any barrel channel if you have the money.

As far as extractor compatibility, I should look for the 308 family, 30-06 family, or 7x57 family? Anything greater than 223 and smaller than the magnums? Perhaps it's the same here as the paragraph above - one could pick any cartridge you'd like, it'll just take more time (read: $$$) to convert extractors and other bits from a much smaller or larger case head.

@NikA - I'm not planning to hunt subsonic. Yes, there will still be a supersonic crack, but I'm just looking to get the decibels down under 130. I'm hunting elk and mule deer, and very occasionally pronghorn.

Again, thanks for the initial feedback @RSIno1 and @NikA. Learning a lot from you both.
 

NikA

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The forend wood of the No. 1 rifle is indeed barrel-weight specific as you state, but if you're going custom, it's probably not a big deal to alter it to your chosen barrel weight. I don't remember exactly what it looks on a No. 1 but on other single shots I've dealt with it's relatively easy.

As far as extractors, anything from those cartridge families will work; it's possible to buy the parts to swap in a No. 1, but obviously that'd be an added expense. I know No. 1's have been built in a number of different intermediate calibers such as .30-30 and 7.62x39, neither of which will match your extractor needs; easy enough to look up the case head diameter and if it's .473" or very close you should be good to go. None of the H&H based magnums or .45-70 extractor hardware will be close enough to work.
 
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I have no advice on the use of a #1 but I do think some models have enough 'meat' in the barrel to simply have the original barrel threaded saving any refitting efforts.
I wouldn't cut a .308 class barrel shorter than 20"(especially with the space saving single shot action) and suffer the performance lost to the shorter barrel. I have a Rem 700 'Youth' model .308 with the 20" barrel. It's ear safe with a Rugged Razor and makes a fairly handy package.
Although less available, an alternative to cutting the barrel back in order to get a solid 'shoulder' to snug the suppressor against is using a 9/16 x 24 (vs 5/8 x 24) mount. By using this alternative I was able to keep the 20" barrel length AND have an absolute solid interface.
 

RSIno1

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In the manual all the ejector parts are the same except the actual ejector (125) - they want to know the caliber when you order. I'd imagine you could shim the ejector farther in if you started with a magnum or grind some off to move it out if you started with a .223.

UhSysOEl.jpg
 

NikA

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Mobuck said:
I have no advice on the use of a #1 but I do think some models have enough 'meat' in the barrel to simply have the original barrel threaded saving any refitting efforts.
I wouldn't cut a .308 class barrel shorter than 20"(especially with the space saving single shot action) and suffer the performance lost to the shorter barrel. I have a Rem 700 'Youth' model .308 with the 20" barrel. It's ear safe with a Rugged Razor and makes a fairly handy package.
Although less available, an alternative to cutting the barrel back in order to get a solid 'shoulder' to snug the suppressor against is using a 9/16 x 24 (vs 5/8 x 24) mount. By using this alternative I was able to keep the 20" barrel length AND have an absolute solid interface.

To expand on this, a skilled operator with enough patience and the correct tools should be able to thread the barrel on a No. 1 without removing it from the action. I personally have been able to do so with bolt actions by removing any parts other than the action itself, using a rigid setup and checking concentricity with a rod in the bore.

It's something to consider given the cost of a good smith for No. 1 rifles.
 
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"a skilled operator with enough patience and the correct tools should be able to thread the barrel on a No. 1 without removing it from the action"
This is correct. The machinist threaded my 700 barrel with the action attached. I removed the trigger and sent the barreled receiver.
BTW, I can offer this machinist/gunsmith contact if desired. He does barrel threading on Mondays and my rifle left here on Wednesday and returned the following Thursday. I think this is fairly typical of his turnaround on such jobs.
 

jmol50

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Thanks again to everyone for the feedback and advice.

@Mobuck, I'll definitely send you a PM about your contact. I have a gunsmith in mind down in Trinidad Colorado that has experience with No 1 rifles but it's usually smart to talk to a few before selecting one.
 

RSIno1

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Mobuck said:
This is correct. The machinist threaded my 700 barrel with the action attached. I removed the trigger and sent the barreled receiver.

Most lathes don't have a spindle bore large enough for the Ruger No1 barreled action to fit in. Bolt action rifles are easier since everything is in line and doesn't drop away from the bore like the No1. Without dragging one out to measure I'd bet you'd need a 6" bore minimum where 2-3" will fit a bolt rifle.
 

NikA

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Depends on how long the headstock of the lathe is as well. On smaller lathes (the one I use to thread, in particular) only the rifle barrel enters the headstock and is supported on the non-work/action side by a lathe spider.

Then there's threading between centers...
 

instructor

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As for the extractor in a No.1 or No.3 changing for one that fits the specific caliber is not a major job to perform. Ruger even has a complete video on the take down and re assembly of those actions. I have a No 1 and No. 3 with two entirely different barrels/calibers ranging from 22-250 to 348 Winchester and the No. 3 goes from 45/70 to 6 BR. Only real problem is taking one barrel out and installing the other one which I have done at local shop. Brownell did carry the various extractors and were not expensive at all, something like $10 per. Now, do they still carry them, don't know for when I bought them was told they were out of stock when I purchase them, give them a call.
 

jmol50

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Purchased a new K1B today from LGS for $1026 OTD. It had been sitting there awhile b/c it's in the somewhat undesirable 450 Bushmaster. Thanks to y'all, I learned it has the same size extractor as the 308, my desired cartridge - and it tables the debate on how much time/money is required to go up or down an extractor size on the No 1.

It's not lost on me that Ruger made a K1B in 308. What would a NOS or LNIB K1B 308 go for on the market... $1500? Plus $150 or so to cut, thread, and crown the barrel? Rhetorical questions. It does have me comparing that stodgy 308 to the 284 Win or the 6.5-284 Norma or even the 6.5 Creedmoor let alone the WSM family. For my purposes (300 yards and under for mule deer and elk --- in a 16-18" carbine No 1) I'm not sure the 308 can be beat when you factor in recoil and cost per round. The 6.5 CM is close but I don't want to be adequate/marginal for elk in that 200-300 yard range when I have just one shot. The 284 Win does call my name but then the availability and cost per round considerations pull me back to the 308.

When I make my decision on 308 vs 284 Win, I'll definitely have some questions on rifling grooves, twist rates, etc. Pac-Nor is ~$650 for them to chamber and fit a stainless barrel. One smith ballparked $1k for the same work (not sure where he'd procure the barrel). I'm also eyeing a walnut stock much further down the road. The stainless and walnut No 1 rifles look so damn sexy to me. Share a photo of yours if you've got one.

That's all for now.
 

NikA

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I haven't seen one for sale in the current crunch, but I'm guessing it'd be a wash in terms of price between smithing on a .308 K1B versus replacing the barrel on the one you purchased unless you found one with a stock you really liked. Limited runs like the stainless No. 1 rifles ordered by distributors always seem to increase from the MSRP, which was darn close to 1500 last time I looked.
 
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