My first No 1: 7x57 Mauser

[Teddydogno1]

Picked up my new to me Ruger No 1 last night. It is a standard model in 7x57 Mauser wearing an older Leupold Vari-X II 3x9 scope. The wood has some grain even though it is a newer production rifle (133-77xxx for about the year 2000). I'll have to remount the scope before shooting it because it is too far forward and has a pretty serious cant.

Rob

 

[mart]

Very nice.

 

[Teddydogno1]

I posted this on another forum as well and got this response:

I've got the identical model and caliber. It's my biggest piece of crap. Later learned that 1 of 4 are great, 1 of 4 are ok and the other 2 of 4 are horrible and can't be fixed. I hope for you that yours is one of the better ones.

Anyone else think there is truth in this statement?

Rob

 

[Big Old Boy]

I don't know why someone posted that all of my #1s are good shooters.

 

[Rumrunner]

All of mine have been great. Sounds like that poster may be the problem and not his guns.

 

[pete44ru]

I posted this on another forum as well and got this response:

I've got the identical model and caliber. It's my biggest piece of crap. Later learned that 1 of 4 are great, 1 of 4 are ok and the other 2 of 4 are horrible and can't be fixed. I hope for you that yours is one of the better ones.

Anyone else think there is truth in this statement?

Rob

I've owned/shot/hunted with over a dozen different #1 rifles in various chamberings, but only one 7x57 (an RSI).

That rifle was the only #1 that I ever shot that couldn't group the 175gr JSP's I like for my 7x57's, into anything smaller than a pie plate.

Besides the lousy groups, and more importantly, the 1st (only ?) shot impact from a cold barrel never hit my POA consistently. :roll:

I read later that Ruger had a batch of bad barrels about the time mine was made (I'm mis-remembering the DOM, just now), but I had already moved it on.

I hope yours turns out to be one with a good barrel.


.

 

[6mm Remington]

That's a very nice looking #1 and what a great caliber! Outstanding in my opinion. I have two Ruger #1B's and both shoot exceptionally well. I'd try some 140 gr. Accubonds and Partitions in it. Either of those bullets would work very well for anything you would want to hunt with that cartridge. Post some groups after you get it adjusted just right for you!

DAVID

 

[mikem2]

I have same rifle. Mine is early red recoil pad, with a 1x4 leupold. I opened up the forend at the receiver end and added a micro stainless washer for some space/float.

The 7x57 factory loads did fine, federal 140gr, hornady and the heavy European sellier belot.

Great all around rifle and caliber.

I have the 7x57 and a 1B in 270 after a number of different calibers, .223, 25-06, .257 rob, and magnum boomer caliber. These two shoot the best.

Check the space/float on the forend to barrel. Usually getting enough space to slide a piece of paper through ends the vertical stringing and odd groups. These rifle barrels do not tolerate heat and can have point of impact results that are not the best.

Nice rifle

 

[BlkHawk73]

Bought the same one with a nice old Batch & Lomb a few years back and have still yet to bring it to the range. Hoping to change that soon.

 

[picketpin]

What you have is a #1 "Light Sporter" or "A" configuration. 22" light barrel with factory rib and sights.

MOST #1s will require some load work and trial and error to find the bullet/load it likes.

The 7x57 was one of the chamberings that Ruger had problems with in 1973 when they switch from Douglas barrels to Wilson barrels. The problem was the throating. They initially throated them very longer, maybe for 175gr round nosed bullets. It took a year or so for that first batch to hit the market. They got it fixed not soon after and I'd be safe saying that throating has not been anisue from 1975-1975 till todays rifles.

Mine is my least accurate #1 out of 50+. That said it shoots 145s at right at 2" at 100 yards. Certainly minute of deer. All other "hunting" #1s I have in "hunting" cartridges shoot MOA with some effort. The "V"s I have all shoot .500 or very close. The paper punchers (22PPC, 22BR, 6mm PPC and 30BR) that I've spent the time and effort on shoot into the .4s and a couple into the .3s on a good day.

RWT

 

[Teddydogno1]

Thanks for all of the thoughts and detailed responses everyone.

Rob

 

[pisgah]

I posted this on another forum as well and got this response:

I've got the identical model and caliber. It's my biggest piece of crap. Later learned that 1 of 4 are great, 1 of 4 are ok and the other 2 of 4 are horrible and can't be fixed. I hope for you that yours is one of the better ones.

Anyone else think there is truth in this statement?

Rob

Some. No. 1's I've known have all shot well enough to be usable, the worst a .30-06 that was at best a 2.5 MOA rifle, with most in the 1.5 MOA category. But the scarcer good ones were so very, very good that they made the more-numerous not-so-bad ones look really bad.

 

[wunbe]

There is no sharp delineation in time for bad Ruger barrels. Ruger never marked its outsourced barrels with point or time of origin and they were all just put in stock w/o any particular reference to sequential use. No 1s were made in fits and starts not in a continuous run and final quality checks in the 70s and 80s were spotty. Thus a bad barrel from 73-75 could easily show up on a #1 shipped much later.

Even after Ruger started to make its own much improved barrels in the early 90s, they had warehoused barrels from decades earlier that still got bolted onto the odd new #1.

 

[Buckeye Bill]

Mine will not group consistently. It likes 175 grain RN best but would still group 5 or 6 inches at 100. Still beautiful and a classic rifle caliber. Be sure to take it to the range and give a report of how your performs.

Bill

 

[picketpin]

What do your groups look like ? All over the place or strung vertically?

RWT

 

[mohavesam]

The caliber is certainly as capable as they get. Mine will get 3-5" at 200y, better even.