Is there something special about my Ruger #1 ?

[pertnear]

I have a Ruger #1 chambered in .45-70 Govt. According to the serial number it was manufactured in 1990. It has a red factory butt pad & the front sling swivel is on a barrel band. What's unusual about it the caliber & Strum-Ruger writing on the barrel is gold filled. I didn't think too much about it, but now I can't remember ever seeing another one with the gold fill. I'm pretty sure this was factory done. I have never pass a #1 by without taking a good look at it!

Any insight or info would be most appreciated!

[baogongmeo]

You can buy lettering and inlay filling sticks in several colors including gold plus Bonanza sells a liquid inlay filling kit in gold. Most likely one of those was used on your rifle.

[Tom W.]

ALL #1's are special......

[MrHarmless]

ALL #1's are special......

You beat me to it. I really want one, but I don't know what caliber I want.

[1Hawkeye]

For some reason ruger used the same contour barrel on the .45-70 and tropical .458 win mag. I guess it was a cost saving measure. I know that on the tropical the sling stud is on the barrel so it doesn't bust your hand in recoil.

[pertnear]

I'm trying to determine if this was a factory thing or someone did this. Gun seem totally unaltered in any other way.
Attachment 239937
Attachment 239938

[pietro]

.

That never came like that from the factory.

I used to do just that to select guns via cleaning the stamping out with lacquer thinner, and let it evaporate before flooding the stamping (using a Q-tip/cotton swab) with Testor's gold model paint from a hobby shop.

After the paint set for a minute or so, with a facial tissue lightly wetted with the thinner, I just wiped off the area - which left gold paint only in the stamping recess.

It looks good on only some stampings, as many roll-marked/stamped areas are not done evenly, or the stamping is too shallow to effectively hold the paint.

[country gent]

I have done it with the sticks and brownells kit.for people. It has to be a polished blued or polished stainless finish. Parkerized or matte finishes the rough surface also holds the filler. We engraved gages when they came back from blueing or anodizing we filled the engravings with white paint, best was the paint sticks, rub it in and wipe off with a towel wrapped around a block.

I seem to remember some of the bi centennial year guns ruger made were filled engraving. The Made in 200th year portion.

[Tom W.]

That looks good on the Smith. I may try it on my Ruger LC9S Pro or CZ 75 SP01...... maybe.

[oldred]

I did that letter coloring way back in the 70's, I did it first on my Colt pistol and when everyone saw it I got real busy for a while doing guns for my co-workers (I worked at a mine in KY and believe it or not we all brought guns to work, we even had a make-shift range set up behind the maintenance shop). I did this with a simple kit that cost very little and was sold at the local Hardware/gun shop, never thought about that paint but I bet it works just as good or maybe even better.

[marlinman93]

As mentioned above, Bonanza Gold was designed specifically to do this and has been used for many decades to do it.

[pertnear]

Does the paint alteration detract from the value of the rifle?

[country gent]

Its one of the few modifications that can easily be put back to original with just a little solvent and bamboo skewer point. Scrape paint out and clean remove with solvent and its original again. I have done the caliber markings on some guns. My 243 match rifle has the caliber and neck dia ( its a tight necked chamber) filled in with black paint. The newer machine engraved legends are easier than the older roll stampings are. Its a little deeper and no raised metal on the engravings.
At work in the gage room we had black red white paint sticks for this on gages legends and or instructions.

Another place for the paint sticks or even a wax pencil is when trying to read that faded stamping. rub in and wipe off may leave the faded areas showing better to read.

[white eagle]

ALL #1's are special......

Agreed I have been having a hankerin for one for some time now

[RED BEAR]

+1 for the gold paint works and looks great.

[MDC]

I've done color fill on a couple of AR15s with the Testors paint. Mixed up some FDE for black rifles. I had an 870 Express Cerakoted to get rid of the super cheap factory finish. I found a green paint with gold metallic in it and color filled it. It's really close to Remington green with metallic flakes, looks pretty good.
I'm not near any of them now or I'd post pics.

[Deaconllb]

I had one with gold inlay from factory but it said 1 of 500.

Deaconllb

[Hardcast416taylor]

Does this make the firearm shoot any better?Robert

[crackers]

I don't know of anybody highlighting "Read The Owner's Manual..."

[725]

Hey crackers. I know a few that should have the "Read The Owner's Manual" highlighted.