Ruger No. 1 forearm hanger question

Is the Ruger No. 1 forearm hanger investment-cast integral with the receiver, or how is it attached? I don't have a No. 1 to check, and photos on the web don't make this clear. I would like to know if the forearm hanger is robust enough that free-floating the barrel (eliminating contact with the wood) can eliminate POI shifts when resting the forearm at different points, or shooting with the sling (if a swivel is installed at the forearm attachment screw).

I see a lot of home remedies for No. 1 forearm issues, and many of them include tuning forearm pressure. It seems like floating would eliminate the issue -- unless the forearm hanger flexes too much or is not firmly attached to the receiver.

The hanger is welded to the frame. I have heated a few and bent them down a bit when installing octagon barrels. As they are they will clear the contoured round barrel but a tapered octagon barrel will hit and can not be screwed in.

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Originally Posted by John Taylor

The hanger is welded to the frame. I have heated a few and bent them down a bit when installing octagon barrels. As they are they will clear the contoured round barrel but a tapered octagon barrel will hit and can not be screwed in.

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True, exactly my experience with them. BTW, I really like Ruger #1's even though they can be a bit finicky finding the right combination for accuracy.

I have talked to expert gunsmiths on the matter of the Ruger #1 forearm. They told me that the Ruger #1 needs forend tip pressure to shoot well. I have tried the device made to suspend the forearm. It was worthless.My two. best shooting #1's have fore end tip pressure.
The #1 can be finicky. I have a #1V in .204 Ruger that shoots so good sometimes ,that it is amazing. Then at other times not so good.I would like a better trigger .Ruger puts good barrels on the guns now ,so it is not the barrel.
I have found that the larger calibers shoot really well. I don't know why,and I can say, but that is my experience.
I love the #1 and can't seem to leave it alone.,why..because it has sex appeal.
I truely love the look and feel of those rifles..and I dearly love hunting with them.

Thanks, gentlemen.

I can't argue with the experts. But I don't understand why a No. 1 would prefer tuned forearm contact to being free-floated with the forearm glassed at the front of the frame.

I can easily understand why tuned forearm tension is better than random contact a loose-fitted No. 1 forearm from the factory has on a given day.

The 1V has a longer forearm, no? Maybe more position-sensitive?

I do own a #1-H in 405 Win, and yes, it is my favourite CB rifle. Accuracy is better than I can hold as well!

The difference between the1-H "Tropical" rifles vs. the regular 'skinny barrel' 1-A, 1-B etc is that the 1-H has much more preload from the forearm hanger pressing under the barrel. i.e before and after firing, there is still substantial pressure and which keeps a consistent load between the barrel and the fore-end. The heavy barrel 1-H would likely be the most accurate, but trying to shoot benchrest groups with a .458 Win is not much fun...

One can only guess that the 1-H was the barrel template for the original Ruger #1 fore-end hanger design, and the thinner barrels just had to make do...

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Originally Posted by JHeath

Thanks, gentlemen.




The 1V has a longer forearm, no? Maybe more position-sensitive?

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I believe the #1V is very position sensitive off of the bench..The next time I shoot a fantastic group with the gun I will try to make a careful notice of the position and even mark it with a piece of tape for a reference.I have found that the .204 Ruger likes the Berger 35gr flat base bullets and IMR 3031 best..

My 1 v in 220 swift and 1 - b in 300 win mag both shoot very well. The swifts hanger has the forend bedded to it to free float the barrel, the 300 mag is as it came from the factory. One thing I have noticed working with these and other Number 1s is they are true to the 2 piece stock desighn. Like SHarps, Stevens 44 1/2, remington rolling Blocks, H&R handi rifles and the big double rifles bench teqnique is alot they dont like down ward pressure and or a lot of cheek pressure normally. The big doubles were regulated standing with a big padded post under the forward hand to keep everything the same as normall shooting. I have seen alot of "cures but also remember every firearm is unto itself. Some barrels want some forend pressure the next may want floated.

My .45/70 and .405 win both shoot amazingly well just as they came from the factory.They do like certain loads,and Rel 7 is the most accurate power I have tried for both guns..

"I see a lot of home remedies for No. 1 forearm issues, and many of them include tuning forearm pressure. It seems like floating would eliminate the issue -- unless the forearm hanger flexes too much or is not firmly attached to the receiver." ...JHeath

JH, I have a ca. 1983 Ruger #1 (.243Win.) whose forearm was attached so tightly (by Ruger) that it wore the bluing off the underside of the bbl. I tried shooting it with a loose forearm and then no forearm, which only worsened accuracy. I then read an article (American Rifleman?) on a simple modification using a flat pc. of plastic like the ones used to keep bags of bread or muffins closed: trim it to fit the pedestal, contact cement it to the pedestal, reinstall and tighten the forearm (but don't use gorilla force) and you're done. It is a very simple and effective fix IF forearm issues are the cause of your ills. Btw, C.E. Harris, who worked for Ruger until 1988, discussed accuracy problems with the #1's owing mostly to variable bbl. quality (American Rifleman article). I was fortunate as mine shoots better than m.o.a. with jacketed bullets and 1.3 - 1.5 m.o.a. with cast (Lyman #245496). Hope this helps!

Here is a forend accurizer for the No1.

http://www.eabco.com/HicksAccurizer1.html

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Originally Posted by Doc Highwall

Here is a forend accurizer for the No1.

http://www.eabco.com/HicksAccurizer1.html

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That is the one I used and the accuracy got worse..

I have a No 1 re-barreled in 6mmBR med varmint weight the gunsmith set it up with forearm pressure it strung groups vertically
I lowered the pressure until it grouped properly by then it was free floating, I have since bedded the the forearm to the hanger
and it now groups 1/2 moa when I do my part, I guess you need to try different fixes until you find the right combination

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FWIW, I've owned several #1 & #3 Rugers in multiple various chamberings (.22H, .30-06, 7x57, .300 Win Mag, .375H&H, and .45-70), and the only one I had an accuracy issue with was the 7x57RSI.

I was able to partially correct the 7x57's accuracy via D/T the forward end of the FE hanger for a long setscrew, which could adjust barrel up-pressure - but only partially. . [smilie=b:

All the others showed excellent accuracy out of the box, if I did my part. (Some were scoped, the others used the issue open sights or a NECG peep sight.)

I feel bad, that others didn't have the same experiences............ :sad:


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http://rvbprecision.com/shooting/acc...e-ruger-1.html

this might help

CE Harris wrote an article on #1 forearm pressure years ago. He stated that upward pressure generally shot best but that pressure from the factory tended to be excessive. Saying factory pressure often exceeded 20# and that 5#-6# was about right. The hanger is welded on but annealed according to Harris and heat is not needed to adjust the pressure. He said to drive a plastic wedge between the hanger and barrel close to the receiver to reduce pressure and to whack it (the hanger)closer to the barrel with a lead hammer to increase pressure. Testing was done with a scale and the old dollar bill or piece of paper.

I had two #1's, one in the .22-250 and a .25-06 both would scatter the shots. I took the forearm off and found the vibration null by tapping the barrel. Marked the spot then I drilled and tapped a screw through the hanger at the null point and put pressure with the screw on the barrel and that stopped that nonsense.

Thankfully my #1 tropical .405 win and my #1 .45/70 shoot.I can usually get 5 shots with cast bullets into an inch and a half..at 100 yds.That is good enough for my purposes..
I would love to have another .405 as that is one of my very favorite calibers.