Problems

[krshunter]

Not quite sure where to put this one so I'll start here. My buddy has a Ruger No.1 Stainless in .243. We reloaded some various bullets and powder charges and went to the range. Nothing seemed to group particularly well. 2" to 3" groups at 100yds. About the same luck with some factory loads. One particular load put two bullets about 1/4" apart and he thought he pulled the third shot so we went with that load. Loaded a bunch and went back to the range today to fine tune and nothing real good again. Tried five different groups. I tried on myself with the same results so I know it's not him.

Started with a clean barrel and the first shot in his rifle is always out in left field. After that one shot went about 3" high and on center left to right. Next shot was about 1-1/2" high on center and the third shot was in between those two on center. Next group put one about 4" high, second about 1" high and third almost touching the first. Third goup similar results again. Left to right seems nearly perfect but the shots always space like steps on a ladder for the most part. I got the exact same results. Two of the five groups have two shots within about 1/2" of each other and the other is 2-1/2" out but always in a vertical line. Everything is vertical for the most part. Does this sound like a load that the gun just doesn't like or a scope problem possibly? Any thoughts appreciated.

[PJgunner]

Well, Ruger #1s are known to be temperamental. :rolleyes:
Seriously though, for a .243, that's lousy. FWIW, Ruger considers 2" at 50 yards to be accurate for a #1. :eek: Fortunately, most do a lot better than that.

The first thing I would try is another scope. I don't care if the scope on the gun is brand new, try another one. I ahd a rifle that was supposed to be quite accurate, and after a lot of work and money spent, it still didn't shoot worth a damn. I replaced the brand new scope, and the gun was a tackdriver. I sent the scope back to the manufacturor and they foxed it up good as new.

Next, I would look very closely at the style of shooting you or your friend use. Ruger #1s are very touchy about how they are shot from the bench. Several methods work. Placement on the sandbags can be critical. If one time the tip of the forearm is on the bag, and them the middle is on the bag, accuracy will be terrible. Be very consistant in placement on the bag. Some get better results by placing the gun so as to have the front of the trigger guard against the bag. This does work, but has always seemed a bit awkward to me. For me, I prefer to hold the forearm in my left hand (assuming you're right handed) and my hand resting on the bag.

You can play a bit with the tension of the forearm screw too. I remove it and put a small "O" ring on mine, then tighten it up fairly tight. I try a group. If it falls within my standards for the cartridge, then I leave it alone. If not, I back it off about a quarter turn and try again. You can probably back of as much as a full turn, maybe a hair more and the "O" ring will keep the screw in place.

You can try a shim at the front of the forearm as well to increase the pressure a bit, but I don't hold much hope for that. Still, it's worth a try.

You didn't say what bullet or load you were shooting. Most of the Ruger #1 rifles I own have fairly long throats. If you're shooting one of the lighter weight varmint style bullets, the jump from the case to the rifling may be too far. I had one #1 in 7x57 that had a two in throat, and nothing shot well in it. That one went back to Ruger and they put a new barrel on the gun.

Anyway, try my suggestions and see if they help at all. I'm responsible for the care and feedding of 16 Ruger #1 rifles and one custom built on a #1 action. If none of them work, I'd be inclined to contact Ruger with your problem. They will probably have you send the gun back to them for inspection and repair if needed.

My next comment is one you can take to the bank. Do not make any alterations on that rifle. Someone will probably suggest you free float the barrel. If you do that and have to send it back for any reason, Ruger will not make any repairs until you replace the foearm at a fairly high price. I once bought a used Ruger 77 that the previous owner had free floated the barrel. The extractor would not extract. Ruger said to send it back. They notified me that they would not repair the rifle unless I bought a new stock. Now, what in hell that had to do with a bad extractor is beyond me, but that is their policy. I told them to send the gun back. I picked up a Mauser extractor and fitted it to the gun and it worked just fine.

Good luck on making that rifle shoot. Ruger #1s can be addictive. I bought my first one in 1975 and am always looking for another one. Let me know just what level of accuracy you'e looking for? I have a couple of loads that shoot very well in my #1A chambered to the .243.
Paul B.

[Rocky Raab]

For the record, that "no alterations" policy is pretty standard.

I had a customer send his Remmy back to the factory for an extractor problem. He'd fitted the gun with an expensive Timney trigger, and left it on the gun.

When it came back, it had a nice new extractor - and a nice new factory trigger, too. They refused to return the Timney! Threw all non-factory parts away, they said. Policy.

If you think about it, in today's lawsuit-happy world, it does make sense. I can't blame them.

[Jack]

PJ's given you a lot of great suggestions.
The first thing that popped into my head when I read your post, KRS, was "scope"... I'd check the ring screws for tightness- if they're tight, I'd try a different scope.
PJ's right about #1's being fussy regarding bag location on the forend. I've had good luck putting the front bag back about at where the forend joins the receiver, or just in front of that.

[krshunter]

I kind of had it tabbed as a scope problem or bedding problem. The barrel is floated and I haven't checked that part. The scope is a brand new Leupold VX II and we did check all of the screws in the field. Everything was tight. We are shooting it from a Caldwell rest and put the front swivel stud against the front of the rest every time. I figured being as every group is a vertical line it probably wasn't a case of the gun not liking the bullet. We'll look at a couple of the suggestions and let you all know what we find. Thanks for your input.

[Jack]

"We are shooting it from a Caldwell rest and put the front swivel stud against the front of the rest every time."
I think that may be part of your problem, if I read that right.
If you're putting the swivel stud against the front of the front rest, as the rifle recoils, the stud will catch on the front bag.
The rifle is attempting to move rearward during recoil, and the stud catching on the front bag is causing the rifle to snag and move around- differently every time.
Try this: unscrew the front swivel and repeat your tests. You may find that your groups improve quite a bit.
When bench shooting from a rest, I always remove the front sling swivel, so that the rifle slides smoothly on the bag, the same each time.
Bench rest shooters go to significant trouble to make this happen, like putting talcum powder on their bags to make the rifle slide smoothly, and coating their stock with teflon tape for the same reason.

[krshunter]

Well, we took the gun to someone this weekend that knows much more about them than we do. His first comment was check the barrel floating if it is giving vertical groups. He took the forearm off and Ruger didn't finish routing out the barrel channel. The channel was very rough and while 90% of the length of the barrel would take a dollar bill smoothly, there was about 1/2" of wood that didn't get taken out and it was clearly visible that the barrel had heated up and been touching that portion. He said it was just a poor finish job by ruger. Took it all down and did a float job. We haven't had it out to the range yet, but excited to go see what it looks like.