No. 1 Logjam

[gewehrfreund]

I keep looking at the same overpriced (based on the fact that they're not selling) No. Ones on several of the internet auction sites, and wonder
1. why the sellers don't wise up and lower their prices a little, and
2. how much trouble I might have in the future trying to sell some of mine. :roll:

Even non-prefix guns are languishing. Case in point - there seem to have been a run of non-prefix BB in 22-250 lately, and they don't seem to be getting any interest, and they are at prices that not long ago would have had them gone very quickly.
Maybe we're near saturation in the collecting arena, with old timers dying off and not many new guys taking their place with interest in single shots with walnut and blued steel losing ground in general.

I have to smile at the "this would sell" threads that never seem to go away. :roll:
Many of the guns not selling are what some of the posters on these threads have been asking for and claiming they would buy if made, and still they go unsold.

I would think there isn't much impetus on the part of the distributors and/or Ruger to keep offering new variations when the previous ones aren't moving.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Seems like demand in Number 1's is on an ebb and flow cycle. As you said, previously they were selling like mad and now they are just sitting there. The buyer pool is small but very loyal. Could be that they are all just trying to pay off Christmas and winter heat bills before they start buying rifles again.

 

[trapperon]

I feel the whole gun market is soft right now. I think the specific issue with the No. 1 was the large and quick price increase. About a year ago the rumor was it was being officially discontinued and the factory was purging its inventory. Cabelas ran sales of $899 or so, and even my local Michigan dealer (Jays) had a very good selection of them all for $989.00 I got a 1S at cabelas in 30/06 and a 1S at Jays in 35 Whelen. So basically the price jumped 50-60% in the past year!
Add in the millenial generation (throw away generation--everything disposable) who can buy a Ruger American that will shoot moa at 100 yards for $400 or so.....

Personally $1150 to $1200 is tops for me on a No. 1--And its one of my very favorite rifles! But if I am going to scrape up $1500 for a Ruger No. 1 I am rather adding another $500-$600 to the pot and going to C Sharps for a beautiful hand made custom ordered rifle.

Ron

 

[picketpin]

#1s are SOFT right now and who knows for how long? The new MSRP is high and the offerings are ......... geared to a younger generation or states that just allowed rifle hunting but in pistol cartridges.

I bought m first #1 in 1967 and have bought many since. When Ruger didn't offer what I wanted to pla with I had one built without ever thinking about it.

The lack of overall interest can be tracked to the slow down in production the the we discontinued this and that to the final the sole wholesaler idea. Personally I think the "era" is passed or passing where guys want #1s. I have friends that have sold off nearly all their #1s to use the money for other projects. Most sold them at REASONABLE if not bargain basement prices just to move them. Yes most were "commons" but just how common is a really low 130 "B" 30-06 that looks just like the non-prefix right down to having a Douglas barrel?
I would have bought it but I have one slightly lower with slightly better wood that hasn't been fired in 25-30 years. So.

A relatively common non prefix comes up and languishes because most of us old farts have one or more that we bought years ago. I'm pretty good at rationalizing but even I can't justify another "B" in 22-250. 243, 6mm or 222, that will join others just like it that haven't been fired in years.
Even very uncommon/rare #1s languish. I have a few that I paid in excess of $2k for but they were rare AND had KILLER wood.

There's a rare non prefix on GB right now. I've bid a time or two BUT at my age do I need/want another at a high price especially with mediocer wood? Nope.

I think the biggest issue is many of us have simply aged out,, have lot's of #1s, are retired and past our high income earning years and can find better places to have that much money invested, like my sock drawer.

Chances of "ME" buying a new one are just about zero. Chances of me buying a common non prefix only a bit better. Of me buying nearly ANY #1 it would have to be uncommon/rare with damned good wood nd frankly at a bargain price.

I guess it boils down to I have a collection of #1s, BUT I no longer actively collect them like I did for 35 years.

In that line of thought a guy recently wanted to buy some from me. He wanted a really low price. the deal fell through when I pointed out his price point was less in actuall 2017 dollars than I paid for them in 1970s, 80s and 90s dollars. Unless I end up dead broke before I cash in, I guess they'll all just go to the grandsons. They probably just sell them but at least they won't cringe knowing what I originally paid for the.

Age catches up to all of us, if we are lucky.

RWT

 

[gewehrfreund]

I can relate on most of those points, Ross. But it seemed to have crept up on me pretty quickly!

My issue(s) is a combination of having run out of room for any more guns and there not being much out there that I really want that I don't have, or have had in the past.

 

[picketpin]

YEP

RWT

 

[grobin]

I agree that the shine is off the No 1. Overall the market is pretty saturated. I don't see the demise of the No 1 but for me to really be interested there would need to be a caliber I really want at <$1,200.

 

[Heliman]

I think it is a generational thing..... What is the average age of #1 enthusiasts? 30 years or more ago interest was in Colt SA's, Winchesters, Lugers etc. Where are those guys now? Dead probably with their collections scattered. Someday in the future folks might be after "rare" plastic guns..... :roll:

I wouln't say the #1 market is dead, but the enthusiasts herd is thinning. JMO of course.

Dave

 

[rowdy1972]

Theres a lot of younger people that like No 1s but they can buy a Savage,Marlin or Ruger American for that matter for 300 bucks and they shoot really well. I personally believe its the cost that deters most.

 

[rangerbob]

The most expensive rifle I acquired last year was a new M70 Supergrade in 280 Remington as I have been a fan of the 280 for nearly 50 years. I purchased a M70 Featherweight in 280 in 2016. I figured that neither would be catalog items long. I bought the #1A in 280 when it became available prior to that. I've owned and sold other 280's from Remington and Marlin. My other #1A's are in 308 and 303 British, both also limited run calibers. Like most of responders to this thread, I've owned and sold #1's in 7x57, 6.5x55 , 257 Roberts, 35 Whelen, 30-30, and 45-70 to name a few. Everybody has a #1 model that they like and I like the A and S models with sights. Right now, I'd love to have the 450 Marlin #1S, simply because I have other 450 caliber rifles. Like most of us, my maximum earning years are behind me and it's hard to justify 4 figure money on a rifle. Bob!!

 

[Alan in GA]

Interesting thoughts. I've been mostly a bolt action user but have had and used about anything you could think of. With the help of an enabler friend I have gone a bit nuts over No.1's the last couple years and have spent a good bit of time and money on them.
Something I wonder about is how I indulged time and money before on pre safety Marlin lever guns, most very nice collectible specimens. What's alarming is how I sold over a dozen of them I had accumulated almost overnite when the Ruger No.1 bug bit! I have learned something about myself and that is that I am narrowing my desire to No.1's with beautiful WOOD. Almost to the point that really nice wood is the main and final factor in what I buy.

 

[gewehrfreund]

I think it is a generational thing..... What is the average age of #1 enthusiasts? 30 years or more ago interest was in Colt SA's, Winchesters, Lugers etc. Where are those guys now? Dead probably with their collections scattered. Someday in the future folks might be after "rare" plastic guns..... :roll:

I wouln't say the #1 market is dead, but the enthusiasts herd is thinning. JMO of course.

Dave

I wish I had a bunch of Colt snake guns to sell , or that my No. 1s were worth what they're bringing right now. :shock:

Theres a lot of younger people that like No 1s but they can buy a Savage,Marlin or Ruger American for that matter for 300 bucks and they shoot really well. I personally believe its the cost that deters most.

Definitely! It's a bang-for-buck thing for those who aren't necessarily No. One loonies, like some of us. :wink:

Interesting thoughts. I've been mostly a bolt action user but have had and used about anything you could think of. With the help of an enabler friend I have gone a bit nuts over No.1's the last couple years and have spent a good bit of time and money on them.
Something I wonder about is how I indulged time and money before on pre safety Marlin lever guns, most very nice collectible specimens. What's alarming is how I sold over a dozen of them I had accumulated almost overnite when the Ruger No.1 bug bit! I have learned something about myself and that is that I am narrowing my desire to No.1's with beautiful WOOD. Almost to the point that really nice wood is the main and final factor in what I buy.

You're entering the final phases of the No. One loony affliction. :lol:

 

[021]

As the price of no. 1's escalates it becomes more important to buy quality wood. Wood and caliber are what sets them apart from the plain wood/common caliber rifles in price and desirability. I do not see any 300 H and H, 250 Savage or 357 Magnums with killer wood languishing at the bottom of the barrel. There are certainly others that could be added to that ultra short list. As the price of any commodity rises, there will be people who will drop out of that market, unable to purchase or justify a purchase. This doesn't mean the product will not sell, as those who were once buying a higher priced product of similar type (rifle) will "drop down" when THAT product rises above what THEY can pay. I think there will be a market for the No. 1 going forward, you may simply see new contenders in the arena eventually.

 

[Ohio Mega Bass T/T]

picketpen got it right (unfortunately). I'm in my 70's and just recently got the No 1 craze. Luckily I bought when the pricing wasn't so high as it is today. A fellow board member helped me out with one of his safe queens, which is now my safe queen :lol: The only one I really need at present is the .308 but I'm not interested in the International version of it, want the older one if I can find it out there. I will say I've become attached to the "black guns"; love my AR556, SR 762, new Precision Rimfire, the new PC 9mm carbine (lucky to get one), and my SR 22. Round out my 25 No 1's are a Ranch and a Mini 14. Course I'm not even gonna bring up the Mark I, II, III or the IV's, let alone my LCP's. Is it really wrong to like one's collection so much that during these winter doldrums, when you're sittin back in the ol easy chair, to run the wood down with stock treatment or keep the blue in tip top condition?

 

[eastbank]

I had 13 # 1,s, I sold 9 of them and kept two B,s(red pad 223-300win mag nice wood) and two A,s( black pad good wood 35 whelen-460 S&W).

 

[Heliman]

I had 13 # 1,s, I sold 9 of them and kept two B,s(red pad 223-300win mag nice wood) and two A,s( black pad good wood 35 whelen-460 S&W).

I had a dozen or so at one time. Now down to just one, a 1S 300 H&H. The only #1 I would consider now would be an offering in .348 Win.

Dave

 

[rangerbob]

I'm down to 2 now. One of my retired trooper buddies called yesterday for the 303 British #1A. The 308 and 280 are calibers that Mr. Bill did not like in the 1A version and both were I year runs. I failed to mention in my previous reply that I had a 300 H&H as well. The same person above bought it and the 6.5x55. He stated the had a good run at our local gun shot, selling 5 figure money's worth. Bob!! :mrgreen:

 

[picketpin]

(52 ) 17 non prefixes. 30 other red pads most are 130s 5 black pads, only because they were never offered any other way. All the "V" calibers with the exception of 222 Rem and 280 Rem. But I have slowed WAY down in the last 3-4 years.

I've always said that guys that buy Savages, Marlins etc have and will buy them because they will do the job. That hasn't changed in my life. They are not the least bit into "Pride of Ownership" Sadly I've always liked really nice wood and bright blue. It probably the generation I was raised in ;-0 I have dumped most of the high dolar Remingtons and Winchsters in the last 20 years. On the other hand my pickups are over 20 years old and I don't have a bass boat or..................................

RWT

 

[wunbe]

chase women?

wunbe

 

[picketpin]

Married 49 nine years this April. The wife lets me look, but NO TOUCHING. ;-)

Ross

PS: She does however put up with guns and dead critters hung all over the house. She's a keeper.