| Ireload2 |
| (.224 member) |
| 12/03/16 04:17 PM |
Re: What makes the Ruger No.1 such a strong action?
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It matters little that you have to pay so much for a 120 year old Farq.
An original Sharps in good condition is expensive too but no one suggests that its strength is related to the current cost. Design and materials are much more important for predicting strength. The modern steels used in a #1 Ruger are much stronger than the steels used in any antique Farq.
If you have any doubt you can read the following book
Materials Selection in Mechanical Design, 4th Edition by Michael Ashby
Your British markets were never very large and cottage industry manufacturing (lot size of one or a few) results in inflated manufacturing costs. Modern materials and manufacturing processes will result in superior products at lower costs.
You should also remember that the old Farqs were not chambered in modern high pressure rounds so lasting 120 years is more an issue of maintenance.
There is no issue with rimless or belted rounds in a Ruger #1. Most of the Ruger #1 chamberings develop much higher pressures than the old rimmed British rounds and give no trouble in operation.
Quote:
I very much doubt that the No1 action is any stronger than the early made actions, for a start it is made in the cheapest way possible, a lost wax casting, which can never be as strong as a forging given the better grain structure, but the fact that it is both very cheap, and available, is why so many choose to "hot rod" these actions, thankfully, not many people are willing to destry a Farquhason costing £5000, to build some modern whizz bang caliber rifle, the Italian Sharps and Winchester copies are all made on very strong forged actions, so must be up to most rimmed calibers, the firing pin size being a limiting factor, but as for the "old" Farquharson actions I have .577NE and 475 No2 NE ,as well as .303" that have done 120 years of hard service in Africa and India none of them showing any sign of loosening up. The lost wax (investment casting) is sufficient as has been proven in service, and I think the American made copies choose this method for cheapness, but I am sure they are all strong enough, there should be very little cut out for any rimmed caliber, the problem comes when rimless calibers are used, there is certainly more recoil bearing surface on a falling block action than there is on a bolt action rifle.