Kalunga,

Your observations about Ruger quality in Germany have cleared up a mystery for me. Some time ago I made the suggestion to a German contributor to Gunboard.de that he consider a Ruger No. 1 as a stalking rifle, and was stunned when he replied in emphatic terms that he would not contaminate his gun case with such a rifle. I wrote this off to Teutonic rudeness and the younger generation (most of the contributors appeared to be 30 or under on this site), but now I understand the reaction somewhat better.

I have always regarded No. 1 Rugers as an anomaly. The actions are well made, the stocks fairly well designed, the iron sights are atrocious, and the barrel quality unreliable. For a long time it was rumoured that Ruger used Douglas factory seconds in the No. 1 rifles. There were also issues with the bedding and getting one to shoot could be a real problem.

I have heard less about that recently, and everyone I talk to seems to regard the No. 1 as a good product.

I own about 20 original Winchester single shots, most rebarrelled in varmint calibers back when you could buy a usable rifle or action for $25.00. The exposed hammer is a plus, but I also have several Sharps Borschardts, a truly hammerless (as opposed to concealed hammer) single shot, and I really enjoy them as well. I guess you could say that I'm a falling block fanatic.