question about rebarreling a No. 1

[mzimmers]

Hi, all –

I got a No. 1 a couple years ago in .204. It just doesn't shoot tight enough for me. I was thinking of replacing the entire rifle, but someone yesterday suggested that I replace the barrel.

If I go this route, who makes really good (heavy) barrels for the No. 1?

Thanks.

 

[Mike Armstrong]

I had mine done by Bulberry Barrel Works in Hurricane, UT. Excellent work with a Shilen blank. Cal is .250-3000.

 

[picketpin]

Both Shilen and Douglas will turn the barrel to factory profile.

Others are Hart, Krieger and a raft of other great makers.

To be honest unless your barrel has actual damage or has been shot out it should be able to shoot decent groops, with enough load work and a few of the known accuracy issues applied.

A custom barrel in and of itself seldom produces better accuray than a custom if the problem is load work. The biggest single issue is barrel harmonics and that is usually solved by finding the specific load, bullet weight and velocity your rifle has a preference for.

You didn't mention group size. My brother and I both have 204s. Both his and mine shoot sub MOA. They both take an entirely different load with a different bullet weight and a different velocity.

If you want to re-barrel and change caliber then it makes sense.

If your factory barrel is doesn't have damage or a worm throat, it should produce all the accuracy of somebodies custom

Joe Miller that has 3 of the 4 records in in the various calibers ranges over on the Ruger #1 Group has done so with factory barrels.

 

[mzimmers]

Well, I just don't know what to do. My groups are probably 1 1/4". I've tried multiple loads with multiple powders behind multiple bullets, and...I just don't get anything that works. All I hear about are what tack drivers the .204s are, and it's getting frustrating.

I'd get a bolt-action if Ruger made a lefty with a heavy barrel.

 

[picketpin]

mzimmers: Have you fired the rifle for groups without the forearm on the rifle?

 

[mzimmers]

No, I haven't. how would that work? Where would the rifle rest?

 

[picketpin]

Mzimmer: Use either a rest or just sand bags. Rest the rifle right on the bottom of the reciever. Then use your sand bag at the rear. With as little recoil as the 204 has you shouldn't even need to touch the rifle forward of the trigger.

Shoot a couple of 5 shoot groups with different ammo/reloads and see what the groups do and what they look like. Then let us know. Essentually what you have done is remove any and nearly all issues that have to do with the forearm bearing on the barrel unevenly or too much tip pressure or a myriad of other things.

It's then about the barrel harmonics and that makes it easier to isolate those by elliminateing another area that often causes problems.

If it all of a sudden shrinks a group/groups under an inch then there is a forearm problem that we can look for.

If it doesn't do anything different without the forearm then we'll need to look for something else.

To be honest you are close enough to sub MOA that I would NOT re-barrel until I exhaust a whole bunch of other things first.

Please post what happens without the forearm and then we can go from there. We'll find it.

Understand that you are real close. The #1 isn't designed as a target rifle and anything sub MOA is really good. That being said many of us have #1s, especially in the "V" that have managed to shrink groups down to or even below .5 MOA. I have a few that are even into the .4 and one that slips into the .3s if I do everything correctly.

Stick with it, your close to getting where you want to be.

respectfully

Ross W Thomas

 

[mzimmers]

Thank you, Ross. I'll review my shooting records and figure out where to start, and will report when I have something.

 

[picketpin]

Mzimmer: I know you already know this stuff but change one thing at a time.

If I was reloading I'd start with the load that gave you the best groups to date and then use a couple of different bullets with it. Your rifle may finicky regarding the bullet, either manufacturer or weight.

I'm going to start with my own #1 in the 204 Ruger in a stainless/laminate "V" that I just bought, as soon as it cools off a little.

Even though I already have 2 other #1s in 204 I won't even start with the loads from those rifles, an "AB" and a "B".

What I usually do is look through the manuals and find the accuracy load from Nosler, Hornady, Speer, etc. I'll load 5 different loads that utilize 5 different powders and see what this rifle likes. One will be better than the others.

I then use the powder that worked and load 5 loads with 2 on either side of the base load and see if velocity makes a sinificant difference. If it does then I refine that till it quits getting better.

Then I'll use a variatey of bullets and find the bullet weight the rifle likes.

Then I play with the primers that are available and see which it likes.

Then predicated just how much I want/need to shrink groups I mess with seating depths.

When I'm done with all that I install the foreaen and just barely tighten it. Then I increase the screw tension till the groups go to Hell.

When I'm all done I know what forearm tension the rifle likes along with the powder, bullets, primer, seating depth and velocity that the rifle likes best.

A classic example of the same rifles different loads thing is Cousin Waynes and my 17 Mach IVs. We built identical rifles starting with the use of a #3 action. Both have 22" long Shilen tubes in the same profile and both were chambered, threaded and the rest of the work done by Shilen. For rifles that for intent and purposes it's amazing when you look at the loads. Mine likes a 25 grain Remington factory bullet, with IMR4227 and a CCIBR4 primers at 3200 fps. Whnen we tried that load in Waynes rifle it shot patterns. I thought Wayne was going to cry, he was so frustrated. I sent him away and started from scratch. It turns out his rifle prefers a 20 grain Hornady V-Max bullet, a Remington 7 1/2 primers and H1000 driving the bullet to 3600 fps.

We just have to be careful to not mix ammo. Mine are in blue boxes and his are in green.

Ruger #1s can be finickt. ;-)

the best

Ross