[opos]

No, don't want to borrow any money...got some questions please

I am a long time shooter and loader but have somehow never owned a #1 in the years I've shot rifles....I'm too old to hunt so we are looking at paper plinking only...

This morning as I sold a couple of hand guns and had a pocked full of cash..there on the wall at the LGS is a very nice #1....I'll try and describe what it is..the store was full and I was not able to really spend a bunch of time so just going on what I noticed..

Wood and steel fit was very tight...checkering was great and the wood quality and grain were very nice (certainly not "just a stock" but not a presentation quality stock either..don't know what grades Ruger made in the #1...but this is a very nice and attractive stock)...barrel and action bluing was near perfect (no indication of a reblue)...barrel is a stock factory barrel and is a heavy weight barrel...don't know that I'd call it a bull barrel but definitely got some heft....It's a 22-250...has a single set trigger and mounts a 4x12x40 Bushnell scope (did not get the model)..scope has medium fine cross hairs with 2 horizontal lines and one vertical line...scope is clear and focus, adjustments, etc all seem as they should be..Scope mount was not noted but I did see the rings look like the standard Weaver "quick detach" type so nothing special...the butt pad is red if that makes any difference..

All in all a very nice looking rifle...the barrel condition was only a visual inspection and I could see no difficulties...I've shot many 220 Swift rifles in the past and understand the 22-250 can have the same issues of barrel life if shot much and allowed to heat a great deal but since I've not shot one I don't know...I do know I was awfully careful with the 220 Swift not to really over heat the barrel..you can seriously damage one of those little hot rods if you get carried away...perhaps the same thing here??

Hard to tell from just chatter but he had it marked at $800 plus tax and fees and said he'd take $700 plus tax and fees for it....Any ideas if this is even in the ball park?

Not like I got to have more paper busting rifles...I have a 25-06 that is a "one ragged hole" custom with a Douglas heavy barrel...also have a 7mm Mauser Mark X that is close to the accuracy of the quarter bore...

Please give me guidance oh mighty Ruger #1 owners or at least folks that understand the beast...Again, I do handload so ammo is not an issue..

Many thanks

opos

 

[Slowshot]

Sounds Like a Fine Deal

[
I also had a 220 Swift rifle. It was a Ruger No. 1V. It was extremely accurate. It was also a powder hog and recoiled more than I thought was needed to throw 55 grain bullets down range. I sold it. Though I sometimes miss that rifle, I am not rushing out to buy another. About a year ago, I bought another No. 1. This time a 1A in 222 Rem. I was disappointed in it's accuracy and spent a bit (yah sure a bit) of cash re-barreling and re-stocking it with a 1V stock and a Shilen varmint barrel. I also replaced the trigger with a Jard 1.75 lb trigger. Now I have a very accurate Ruger No. 1 in 222 Remington with about $2000 invested in it.

From your description, I would guess the rifle is a 1V. $700 for a 1V in 22-250 sounds like a pretty fine deal to me. At worst, you might want to do one of the various forearm isolation tricks described in other threads on this site. Even then, you could have a fine rifle for under $1000 with all taxes and other fees paid. Sounds pretty fine to me. If I was offered such a rifle at that price, I would be dropping my credit card on the counter with no hesitation.

Any high speed cartridge loaded to the max. can be a barrel burner, even 243 Winchester or your 25-06. 22-250 is no worse or better in that. You do not need to see how much powder you can cram into the cartridge. As an experienced hand loader, you surely know you never get the best long range accuracy with the hottest loads anyhow. My manual suggests 36.5 grains of N150 as the most accurate load with a 55 gr. Jacketed V-Max bullet (3663 fps). That is 200 fps slower than I was loading 220 Swift and my rifle showed no excessive wear after hundreds (thousands?) of rounds fired through it. I cannot say what the final round count of my 1V Swifty was as I bought it used.

 

[HAWKEN]

Old piece, I do not own a 22-250, even though I would like to someday. I do however have a #1 Ruger in .270 Winchester . The #1 is a fine rifle, well made, with good bluing and decent wood. The $700.00 price tag is fair, considering the condition of the rifle, as you described it, and the scope would be close to $200.00 by its self.........robin

 

[terry_p]

I'd ask them how much they'll knock off the $700 without the scope just to see what they consider it's value to be in the deal.

 

[021]

I'm not a Bushnell scope fan, and as has been said, I would ask what they would do on price without it. I like the older red pad guns, and do I understand you are saying this is a 1V varmint model with a "24 barrel? That might make a slight difference in price over a 1B. The 22-250 is among the most common chamberings in the #1, so that, in and of itself, is not something that would elevate value. If the gun is in very nice shape, the wood would be the deciding factor in price, and the older red pads generally had nice timber. If you have never had a #1, I think you will find they tend to accumulate. Regards, 021

 

[opos]

Hey, thanks for all the input...it is a 24" bbl. The scope is not my favorite as well...I would much prefer a higher end scope and mount to what is on it but considering how and were I'd be shooting it I think it would probably work fine (assuming it's not damaged)...the seller won't split the scope off...I already asked as I have an NIB Leupold and also a Nikon that is still in the wrappers...

I don't load anything much hot...the 25-06 will "leave a mark" if you don't let it catch it's breath between rounds..the one I had years ago was a rifle that needed a good amount of rest time if you fired over about 3 rounds in succession..As was said...when I load for the quarter bores and my 7mm Mauser I load 'gentle" and it saves powder...it saves the gun...it saves my shoulder and it saves costs as I don't shoot near as many rounds.

I watched a guy at the range fire about 20 rounds from some hot shot small bore rifle and jam the rifle back in his foam lined case..he's probably still trying to pick the foam off the barrel so he can work on the curve it now has.

Thanks again...I'm going to let it sit over the weekend and see if it is still what I might want...I've heard good and bad and at my age I don't need any more projects...

 

[Slowshot]

If I did not make it clear, I consider the rifle to easily be worth more than $700, without the scope. You could buy the rifle/scope combo and recover tax and other costs by selling the scope cheap.

For a comparison price, here is where I bought my 1A in 222 Rem. He has a 1V in 22-250 for $1,150. Ruger No. 1s are getting harder to find, especially now that only a limited number of chamberings are being built each year.

Ruger No. 1 Rifles for Sale « Classic Sporting Arms

These are all of the options for 2016. You will notice the 1V is only in 223 Rem.

Ruger® No.1 Distributor Exclusives Single-Shot Rifle Models

I will say it again and then I will drop the subject. I would not hesitate to buy the rifle you are looking at for $800 much less $700. There, I am done.

 

[cptpoly]

$700 is a great price

 

[Bob Lewis]

opos, if the cartridge suits your desires then get the rifle, the price is fair to good with or without the scope. My No 1s, .22 Hornet and .218 Bee, have very nice wood and are fun to shoot. As I said in another thread I'm looking for a .243 Winchester.

 

[Big Ol Boy]

Imo it is a great deal with or without the scope, if it is not a heavy barrel it may be a #1b your looking at.

 

[opos]

Imo it is a great deal with or without the scope, if it is not a heavy barrel it may be a #1b your looking at.

As I'd mentioned the barrel appears to be a "heavy barrel"..I have shot rifles in the past that had a full Bull Barrel and those seemed heavier than this...the barrel on this one is heavier than I'd expect to find on a general sporting rifle...I was not sure that since it's a 22 caliber if it was just the small bore that made it seem heavier but I don't think that is it....it's a plenty meaty piece of steel hanging on the end of that receiver so I'd guess it's not the 1B...Thanks for the heads up, however.
opos

 

[021]

If its a "24 barrel it is the 1V varmint model, it will not have the quarter rib that the 1B has, but its own scope blocks. Good luck. 021

 

[Slowshot]

A picture is worth 1000 words.

If the rifle looks exactly like this, it is a 1V:



The main clue is the lack of the "quarter rib" for scope mounting. Instead there are scope blocks mounted directly to the barrel of a 1V.

Hopefully a picture is worth 1000 words here.

A 1B will look very much like a 1V, but the 1B has a quarter rib for mounting scopes. The barrel and forearm of the 1B are also not the same as the 1V but the differences are not so obvious at a glance, as is the scope mounting system.

 

[2296mag]

buy it shoot it enjoy

 

[opos]

Well the situation has ended...the rifle is still sitting at the LGS and is going to stay (at least I'm not interested any more)...when I was looking it over on my first visit I didn't have the time or the inclination (the store was overrun with customers) to really do a super thorough investigation...today I was there when he opened and the place was empty...I spent a great deal of time examining the bore with a real honest to God bore scope and the bore is not good...it looks ok at the crown and the throat area seems ok but about a foot or a bit less into the throat there is a serious amount of wear and the bore looks very suspicious...I think it's been run hard "and put away wet"..No way am I going to lay out money and then just rebarrel the rifle...the comments that have been made about 22-250 are like what we used to talk about when I shot a Swift...something screaming out at 4000fps++ will do some damage if the barrel is not cared for...and I got a feeling this barrel is old enough and may have had enough mistreatment to make it something I don't want.

So again, thanks for all the input and commnets...pretty is nice but it's got to be solid under all the pretty to get my dollars..

 

[Whitesheep]

Good decision. I only sell inaccurate rifles not worth fixing and doubt I am alone. Buyer beware.

Just to be clear, I haven't sold any rifles ever.

 

[msp3903]

While that was a decent price, if it was indeed a 1V, it was not a great deal as some surmised. The scope was a wash. Cheap scope on a nice rifle ads zero value. You also said it had Weaver rings, which suggests that if it was a 1V, the factory blocks and rings were gone.....another deduction. You also always have to be careful with a "varmint round" in an older rifle. Chances of the barrel being shot out are good

 

[2296mag]

the life span for a rifle barrel can measured in seconds of use as each bullet passes down the and away & super quik 22/250 even less time