Ha! I have a #1 in 218 Bee and have been thinking of rebarreling to 30 Badger.
The 218 was bought with a rebarrel in mind but shot so well I kept it! How the world turns.
Ha! I have a #1 in 218 Bee and have been thinking of rebarreling to 30 Badger.
The 218 was bought with a rebarrel in mind but shot so well I kept it! How the world turns.
Oh boy, a rifle I traded years ago & wish I hadn’t is the Ruger #3 200th year of American Liberty in .30-40 Kraig. Sometimes we really goof up!
U.S.A. " RIDE FOR THE BRAND OR LEAVE!"
I'd have loved to have a #3 in 30-40 Krag about 20-30 years ago, but I guess I've gotten way too old to take on many more quests.
Anybody wanna buy a slightly tilted windmill?
Froggie
Last edited by Green Frog; 04-26-2023 at 10:24 PM.
"It aint easy being green!"
My #3's are both 30/40, one with a #1 buttstock made in 1976 and the other with a custom buttstock (not by a master stockmaker) and reshaped forend made in 1974. Both shoot okay but are not MOA rifles. Didn't try a lot of loads with either cast or J but even so will do better than 2 MOA, fine for steel plates and deer.
The #1s and #3s make a great custom single shot rifle, if you did not get exposed hammer withdrawals..... Some folks also get freaked out by not having a second shot, but if you learned to shoot on a one shooter, you do not miss the next shoot all that much, especially if you carry the next shot(s) between your fingers on the off hand. With practice it is quick.
Of course making the first shot count gets to be all that counts.
“There is a remedy for all things, save death.“
Cervantes
“Never give up, never quit.”
Robert Rogers
Roger’s Rangers
There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.
Will Rogers
Rapier,
My bench gun for ASSRA for about the last twenty years or so has been a Peregrine built for me by Charlie Dell. I don't need no steeenkin' hammers!
I've done a fair amount of shooting with Winchester high walls and low walls, so that lever on the #3 fits my fingers just right!
Froggie
"It aint easy being green!"
I’ve got an early #3 that was my Brothers who guided in Wyoming between drilling jobs. He was always running to Salt Lake to Parker Ackley for various project but one was this #3. Parker pretty much talked him into a custom rifle chambered in the 444 Marlin. Ackley was interested in this job as he told my Brother that Bill Ruger would never chamber the round in either of his single shots as he did not get along with the management at Marlin. To this day I could never figure the 444 being absent from his line up as it’s perfect in so many ways so maybe the story was true. Me Brother waited a year for the rifle and when picked it up Ackley told him he has run about fifty rounds through it as was very happy with results.
It’s got a 25” 1-18” barrel around a #4 or #5 contour and deep blue black bluing. Custom Claro walnut stock with cheek piece and nice figure. The butt cap is a checkered steel Niedner and the scope bases were made by a guy named ‘ Phillips ‘ ? Trigger break clean at 3.0 lbs with absolutely no creep. My Brother installed a nice early Weatherby German 2 x 7 scope the ones with the twin turrets on top with Euro style heavy post reticle. Not sure what else Ackley did to the action but it’s real smooth. This rifle will put bullets from 220 grain to the old big 300 grain Barnes without enough spread to worry about. It’s an honest 1/2” shooter but then I’ve almost always found bigger bullets to more accurate.If you need to drop a big moose near water and not worry about getting muddy and wet the 444 will blow both shoulders out and drop the animal where it stands. The 444 is a contender and gains range with pointy bullets
300 Gr Barnes: 2250 fps
265 Hornady : 2360 fps
H335 compressed loads firm crimp
Rick
Nice old P.O. #3 rifle. One day I may find an Ackley or Pope gun to own, if I am so lucky.
“There is a remedy for all things, save death.“
Cervantes
“Never give up, never quit.”
Robert Rogers
Roger’s Rangers
There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.
Will Rogers
Nice rifle indeed!
Garble, that stock is gorgeous! It reminds me somewhat of the old high wall Special Sporter stock.
Froggie
"It aint easy being green!"
Thanks but no thanks. You should have caught me with that one twenty years ago. At my age that caliber has one too many 4s in it!
Froggie
"It aint easy being green!"
My #3 was given to me with a buggered stock, so I ordered a fancy one with cheek rest. It is being converted from the stubby 30-40 Krag barrel to a 30" octagon 38-55. Barrel is in the mail from BRC in New Mexico - then off to Bobby Hoyt to be fitted. I love the 38-55 round, and converting the Ruger seemed like a better solution than buying a lever gun.
The #3, properly stocked, has the potential to be the basis for virtually any traditional single shot caliber. The 38-55 ought to be a great match.
Froggie
"It aint easy being green!"
I've a 1982 #3 in 223, I bought it with the intention of rebarreling in 6.5 swede but shot it and was hooked on the 223, I also had a #1 in 308 but sold it on as my knees are just about shot and, being a similar age to Froggie, have no intention of having knee replacement surgery and I've done my bit for deer management here in the UK.
I transferred the Zeiss 1.x6 scope that used to be on the #1 and finally got it sighted in this morning.
Is it me or is there a lot of BS about the accuracy of ruger's single shots? I bought an electronic torque meter and snug the bolt up and both guns would put 3 shots into an inch at 100 yards.
My #3 has the two screws on the trigger, the gun came to me and the trigger set up was fine I've never altered it or wanted to even.
Now it shoots 50 grn Barnes varmint grenades at around 3200 fps and this am prone with a cheap chinese bipod shot 10 into about 1.25" with 1 flier.
I was going to sell it but I bought it so cheap it's not worth it and it goes out with me on most range trips now, especially with the Zeiss glass on top. I love it to bits. I should point out I'd been loading it with 55 grn gas checked cast boolits but bought a 1000 barnes VGs in a store blow out and they were cheaper than cast.
Nice #3, Braddock. What varmints are available for hunting in the UK? That 223 would be just the thing for our Virginia groundhogs. My best friend here used to use a 222 bolt gun on them here in VA, so I guess I could keep my #3 as-is for that purpose if I weren’t Jonesing so badly for a 327 FM in a single shot rifle.
Froggie
"It aint easy being green!"
Is 38 long cox a 35 KRAG with a long neck? It started as a 45-70 but if I'm not mistaken 45-70 and 30-40 Krag have the same shellholder.
Nope, the 30-40 and the 444 may take the same shell holder from some manufacturers. The 45-70 has a larger base diameter and rim diameter.
Froggie
"It aint easy being green!"
I had a FFL back in 1986 and remember getting flyers from Southern Ohio Gun ( SOG ) when they were selling off large stocks of Ruger no. 3’s they had. The sale price was $ 149.99 ea. with further discounts for buying in quantity. I had the money but not the knowledge needed to buy a bunch back then.
Jedman
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |