Ruger No 1 Scope Mounting

[Jaybird]

Just spent a couple of weeks mounting a scope on a Ruger No 1. Model 1 B with a 26” barrel. For those not familiar with the No1 it is arguably the most beautiful factory rifle of all time but it can pose real problems in scope mounting. The No 1 was released in 1966 when most scopes were considerably longer which allowed the scope to slide back further in the rings to achieve a full sight picture before the turret hit the rear scope ring or the front bell contacted the front scope ring. The rear ring mounting location is further forward than on bolt guns so many of today’s shorter scopes require an extended ring in the rear and possibly the front as well. If this didn’t create enough problems there is the added issue of the “quarter rib” which is present on all but the varmint model. Scopes with front objective lenses larger than 33mm will require medium height rings in order to clear the quarter rib when slid back in the rings. For whatever reason rings for the No 1 are difficult to find right now. I ended up with four sets of Leupold rings: two sets of medium height extended rings and two sets of high extended rings. Only one extended ring comes with a set so you have to buy two sets to get two extended rings. I wanted to be sure I had two extended rings in both heights in case I needed extended rings front and rear. I ordered both medium and high rings because I didn’t know which height would be necessary to clear the quarter rib with a 1” scope that has a 40mm objective. The first scope I tried was a Vortex Diamondback 4x12 Tactical 40 mm on medium height rings. I hoped the longer body would give more leeway allowing the scope to slide back further before contacting either ring. The extra length didn’t help and I would have needed to use extended rings front and rear to get the scope back far enough for a full sight picture. The scope was also very disappointing in regard to field of view and was almost like looking through the wrong end of the scope. Next I tried a standard Vortex Diamondback 4x12 40 mm (also 1” tube) on medium height rings. It had just enough eye relief to give a full sight picture with only one extended ring in the rear. The front bell of the scope just cleared the front edge of the quarter rib with medium height rings. I have several Vortex Diamondback 4x12 scopes with a 1” tube and a 40mm objective and really like the scope. I realize this is a very long post but I hope this helps someone who is looking for solid info on specific rings and scopes that will work on a Ruger No 1. If I had found such a post I wouldn’t have had to order and return scopes and rings in order to find a combination that would work. I talked to Ruger Customer Service and they told me I would just have to use trial and error.

 

[gewehrfreund]

Older M8 Leupold scopes work fine on my No. Ones. I have 7.5X, 8X, 10X and 12X. Most of the full-sized Vari-X II's and Vari-X III's work good too. Other than that, I use the old Burris Mini series of scopes

 

[Jaybird]

Thanks for the reply. I wanted a decent variable for the No 1 but didn't want to spend the money for a Leupold. I have several Leupold scopes all Vari-X II's and III's and I considered taking one off of another rifle and trying on the No1 but decided not to in favor of the Vortex(which I did remove from another rifle to try before ordering a new one). I knew some of the older scopes would work since they are usually longer with more room between the turret and the front and rear objectives. Among current scopes the Leupold 2x7 with a 32mm objective seems to be the favorite choice for the No 1. This may have been the best choice since I probably could have used low rings instead of the medium height I needed for the Vortex 3x9. The medium height actually worked out better than I expected and I have a good cheek weld with the stock although the scope is still a fraction too high to be perfect. I keep looking for a good cheek pad for the stock, preferably leather, that will give the additional height I want. The No 1 has nice wood so I'll have to wrap the stock anyway if I actually deer hunt with it since all my deer hunting is from a tree stand, raising and lowering the rifle with a rope. A cheek piece couldn't look much worse added to that.

 

[thinckley]

I took a Leupold 4-12 X 40 off of my M1917 elk rifle to put on my No. 1, using the factory rings that came with it.

The 1917 will get a new scope from Hawke once my GS is done putting a muzzle break on it.

 

[Jaybird]

I took a Leupold 4-12 X 40 off of my M1917 elk rifle to put on my No. 1, using the factory rings that came with it.

View attachment 54457

The 1917 will get a new scope from Hawke once my GS is done putting a muzzle break on it.

What a beautiful rifle! I read an article by Craig Boddington recently (it was an old article from Guns and Ammo) where he said the No 1 is the most beautiful non custom rifle ever made. I totally agree. The wood on your rifle is even prettier than on my No 1. Yours is an earlier model judging from the red butt pad vs the black pad on mine(manufacturer date 1999). The scope position shown in the picture would not even be close as far as providing a full sight picture(for me) on 9x with any of the several scopes I have tried. I had to use one extended ring in the rear and that barely got the scope back far enough and that’s with the Vortex Diamondback 3-9x40mm 1” tube with an eye relief of at least 3.8” at 9x as confirmed by Vortex technical. When the corrrect eye relief(for me) is reached the rear edge of the scope is directly above the rear edge of the tang safety. Obviously everyone is slightly different in the way they achieve a proper cheek weld with the stock and one or two inches here can make a huge difference.

 

[thinckley]

Yours is an earlier model

1982

the rear edge of the scope is directly above the rear edge of the tang safety.

Yeah, that is pretty far back.

 

[Guv]

Leupold scopes always had around 4” eye relief. The old 2x7-32 and 3x9-40 Vari II or newer equivalent will work.
It’s funny but the least expensive Vortex scopes, Copperhead, Sendero, etc. have around 4” eye relief too. Move up to the Diamondback and you loose 1” of eye relief!