Bud Hyett
posted this
05 August 2021
Ken. If you're drummed off, we are going together, The Ruger #1 has two faults, 1) hammer fall and 2) forearm setup. I own six because I like them and for no other reason. After much work, I got four of them to sub-minute, one shooting 1.1 groups and one shooting 1.25 groups reliably. There is a lot of lead in the Windhill and Kenmore backstop getting there.
The first problem is light hammer strike. The design has a transfer bar from hammer to firing pin. my approach is to be sure the parts are burr-free and move freely, lightly lubricated. You can also stick a thin washer under the spring to strengthen the hammer strike. This keeps the trigger pull adjustment heavier but I don't mind as long as it is crisp. What I'm after is consistent firing pin strike for consistent ignition.
The second problem is the forearm setup. I experimented with brass shim stock on top of the forearm until I has a measurable gap between barrel and forearm. If this helped, I made a thin aluminum block that is inlet slightly into the forearm and slightly relieved the forearm bump to have a free-floated barrel.
The unanswered problem is where to set a breech-seating tool. The action does not drop down far enough to use the back of the action as a surface to engage the tool in my opinion. The obvious answer is to use a plugged case, which I used three decades ago on a Remington Rolling Block.
The last Ruger #1 I bought was a #1V in .220 Swift that shot sub-minute without any improvements; 37 grains IMR 4064 and a Sierra 55 grain softpoint boattail work well.
Farm boy from Illinois, living in the magical Pacific Northwest
