Ruger No. 3 re-barrel question

[BamaBoyinFL]

I recently purchased a Ruger No. 3 chambered in 375 Winchester that from all the pictures the seller provided seemed to be in fantastic condition, and upon receiving it I found that to be true with one major exception.....the scope base holes were not properly drilled and are out of alignment. I tried two completely different sets of bases, one original Ruger No. 3 set and a set of the Weaver #85/86 bases, and neither of them would line up correctly with the barrel. My question is this: has anyone on here ever had a custom barrel made/installed on a Ruger No. 3, and which custom barrel maker did you use? I perused the various barrel makers websites and the only one that I can definitively say makes barrels for No. 3's is PacNor, but they cost more than I am willing to pay for a new barrel, at least at this point!

BTW, I emailed Ruger's customer service and this is the response that I received....

"We no longer offer parts and service for this model. You may send in your firearm to our NH facility and we will offer you a replacement model of your choice at a discounted price. Please contact our Customer Service Department for further information at 336-949-5200 and one of our representatives will be happy to assist you. You can also check with Jack First at 605-343-9544, Moyer's Gun Repair at 208-587-6408 or Numrich Arms at 845-679-4867 or 845-679-3500. Ruger Customer Service"

I have not contacted them yet because I am still weighing my various options, but wanted to get some opinions first. Thanks much for any and all advice given!

 

[Alan in GA]

I'd. E interested in your .375 Win barrel if you sell it.

 

[pete44ru]

.

IME, it's cheaper & easier (simpler) to fill the errant holes & drill/tap two holes in the proper place.

If long screws are used for fillers, the screw sections left proud of the barrel are easily cut/ground flush with the barrel, polished & cold blued to camouflage the repair.

Just make sure that you're repairing the two errant screw holes.


.

 

[mrdix]

A good machinist -gunsmith could take a blank weaver style base and machine "offset holes " to match your gun ..allot cheaper than a new barrel ... those blank bases are available at a reasonable cost - perhaps an hour of shop time ... leave the gun alone ..

 

[5of7]

A good machinist -gunsmith could take a blank weaver style base and machine "offset holes " to match your gun ..allot cheaper than a new barrel ... those blank bases are available at a reasonable cost - perhaps an hour of shop time ... leave the gun alone ..

This is good advice. What I would do is just elongate the holes in a regular Weaver base enough to get the scope lined up properly and that would be that. 8)