Somebody closed out their gun collection. A local gun shop had around a dozen Ruger #1' s on the used gun rack. They looked to be in good condition. Supposedly some have never been fired. Various calibers - 218 Bee, 223, 22-250, 243, 7mm, 308, 375H&H to name a few. Two that caught my eye were a wood/blue 22-250 for $595 (no sights) and the laminate/stainless 375H&H for $650 (open sights).
Apparently some of what was put out have already been snatched up. So if I' m going to act I need to act fast. I' d be interested in hearing opinions on whether these are good rifles and/or a good deal.
The Ruger #1' s for the most part are very accurate. They have a very strong action.I picked up a S/S 45-70. Before buying it I took a couple shots with it, At 100 yards they were low but were touching.I didn' t sight the rifle in. I would of had it shooting a few inches higher. The guy I bought it from worked up a good load for it. I think you' ll be very happy with a #1.Check www.gunsamerica.com and see what they are going for.The prices you mentioned sound good.They have gotten expensive.
Ruger Redhawk
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Those are decent prices, in my book, Ruger lists them at $880 or something like that, I' ve been told I could order a .458Lott #1 in at one shop for $675 (actually any one I wanted was that price, that' s just the one I enquired about), so you' re not really saving any money on the .375H&H, but like I said, ONE SHOP, at all others they are over seven and a quarter, so you' d be saving quite a bit, by going with ' slightly used' .
On the .22-250, that' s a good price, check the ' bolt face' and the wear on the falling block to note the usage, I' d get one or the other (probably the big bore honestly) if it were me, but I' m rather partial to both of those calibers and that gun.
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"When you tell a fellow to go to hell, you had better be sure you can get him there."--LBJ
Cal,
Ask yourself what are you going to use it for?
Targets? Single shots are great.
Hunting? Single shots aren' t so great, that is unless of course you are perfect like most the hunters on this board and never miss and never wound, always drop them in their tracks, and never need a second shot.
On the 22-250 beware, varmit/target guns get their barrels " shot out" more frequently.
On the 375 HH, it has a built-in defence mechanism that discourages over usage, so you are probably safe there but 375HH? That is a hunting cartridge/caliber -- follow up shot.
You can get a new 375 HH in CZ in the low 600' s and oldelkhunter knows of one sitting on consignment.
Never Go Undergunned,
EKM
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Never Go Undergunned, Always Check The Sight In, Perform At Showtime!
Good judgment comes from bad experience! Learn from the mistakes of others; you' ll never live long enough to make them all yourself!
My personal experience with Ruger' s #1 is very bad.....they finally admitted that their standard of accuracy for a #1 varmint gun was 1.5" at 50 yards.
I' ve heard good and bad about Ruger #1s
Flip a coin and buy as many as you have guts for.....I wouldn' t give you a dime for a truckload of them.
I was in the same boat as you. Back in January I saw a #1 in 7mm mag with a Leupold VarX-II in our local shop. Beautiful wood and in near new condition. According to the Ruger website, it was manufactured in 1989. Did a search of the net and found several places where guys had a lot of experience with them. About a 50-50 mix between GREAT and POS. Sort of put it out of my mind.
Two weeks ago I went back and the rifle was still there. Have to admit there is a fondle factor with the #1. Not sure what the length of time in the shop means but single shots, magnums, and northern Maine don' t usually go together. Made the shop owner a real low ball offer and he took it. Paid about the price of a new Vari X-II. That probably should tell me something also. So it now sits in my safe.
I figure that all I' m out is the price of a scope and I think I could sell the rifle elsewhere so I' m not real concerned. I am planning to be disappointed and have begun to look for gunsmiths that accuraze them. Hopefully, I' ll be happy.
I priced them recently with a local dealer and he sells new ones for $600. We were just checking the prices before going to a gun auction . Most of the used ones I have seen run around $450 to $550 if they are in very good condition . He did say the price had just gone up recently on the #1s ,but he will sell any gun you want to order for twenty over his cost . I bought a new #1 RSI at the auction for $425 .
Thanks for your input everyone. I' ve decided to pass on this opportunity. I' m not quite ready to step up to the 375H&H but when I do it' d be for hunting, not for the range. EKM and Portage make a good point - single shot hunting rifles can work, but may not be the best path to take. Since the 22-250 would primarily be a range rifle, I might just pick up a 22 some day to plink with while the barrel cools on the rifle I' m really there to shoot. Perhaps if it' d been more of a bargain....
And perhaps a more hard to define reason, just got back from the range where I was sighting in a new scope on a Sako, and breaking in a new Tikka that I just couldn' t walk away from, I may very well stick with those guys for all my rifle purchases. They really good shootin' guns.
Opinions on used Ruger #1
