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TOBY458
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Loc: Georgia, USA
Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro
      #281634 - 28/04/16 10:48 AM

I have a new Ruger No 1 450/400 on the way. Anyone have any experience with these?

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HuviusModerator
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: TOBY458]
      #281636 - 28/04/16 12:08 PM

Yes, many here have them.
There are some good and some bad aspects of these rifles but mostly good.
What are you wanting to know?

--------------------
He who lives in the past is doomed to enjoy it.

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DarylS
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: Huvius]
      #281637 - 28/04/16 12:27 PM

Hey Toby- well done. Can't think of too many negatives - mostly positive. The odd one needs a re-bed of the forend to the barrel hanger. The forend shouldn't touch the action with this type of bedding. The 1/4 rib should not be touching the front of the action, either. You will want .005" to .007" clearance there to prevent binding with a heat expanded barrel.

I split the rib into 2 pieces on one #1, but it didn't change the accuracy as was noted to do.

Lots of internet suggestions, but - you should shoot it first before doing ANYTHING.

A friend's .375H&H was a 3/4" rifle (109 yards) with some of my 300gr. RN handloads right out of the box. No changes needed to the bedding or other areas sometimes in need of help.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

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sharps4590
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: DarylS]
      #281659 - 28/04/16 09:45 PM

I also have one and have worked up 3 different loads. One full house with Hornady 400 gr. bullets....which leave plenty copper fouling in my rifle but shoot fine. And two cast, reduced loads with a 410 gr. and a 270 gr. bullet. The 410 gr. load duplicates my 40-70 Shiloh Sharps which wasn't planned, it just happened and the 270 gr. bullet is just a bit faster than my old 40-82 WCF. The latter two loads have been a lot of fun for kids who can tell their friends they have "shot an elephant rifle". I believe you'll like the cartridge/rifle combination.

--------------------
Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." John14:6

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TOBY458
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: sharps4590]
      #281668 - 29/04/16 01:23 AM

Thanks for the replies! I've owned a few NO 1's in other calibers, and they've always shot fairly well. I was really just wanting to talk to you guys about the 450/400 in particular. How does the full house load recoil in this gun? I had one in 458 win awhile back and it seemed to recoil more than a bolt gun of similar weight, and actually cracked the stock a little. Hopefully this one won't suffer a similar fate. I also plan to try some 41 mag bullets for some deer/practice loads. Has anyone tried this?

Edited by TOBY458 (29/04/16 01:26 AM)

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HuviusModerator
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: TOBY458]
      #281677 - 29/04/16 06:11 AM

Pretty sure Cpt. Curl had a thread a while back about his 450/400 Farquharson (Army & Navy I think) using pistol bullets.
His is a 3-1/4" but loads and techniques for light loads are the same.
I shoot 400gr cast bullets with 60grs of Varget in mine which is a practice load listed in Wright's book. Shoots well without too much recoil.
Factory loads are quite stiff in a stock No.1. Depending on your hold, you will probably knarf up your right thumb on the safety. There are some good safety replacements out there.
Yes, the No.1 does have more felt recoil more than, say, a 404 bolt gun.

--------------------
He who lives in the past is doomed to enjoy it.

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Rockdoc
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: Huvius]
      #281687 - 29/04/16 10:54 AM

I can post a pic of the inletted shotgun style safety I had installed for my No.1 450/400 3".



I also installed a Limbsaver Prefit pad on it, which made a lot of difference. If fitting a scope low rings are essential for me to stop my head being held lightly on the comb and getting slapped by recoil.

Also had fitted an express style rear sight, custom made, although I think you could get one from NECG in NH. I asked re getting from Ruger etc same as they put on the Boddington rifles, couldn't get any joy though.

Happy shooting!

Cheers,

Chris

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TOBY458
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: Rockdoc]
      #281697 - 29/04/16 01:21 PM

Nice looking safety and sights on that rifle! I would like to install express sights on mine as well. I like the ones on the Boddington guns, but I doubt Ruger would provide these. My eyes are getting a little weaker with age, so a big white bead up front is nice. I should have the gun and some ammo next week. I'll give an update at that time.

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sharps4590
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: TOBY458]
      #281701 - 29/04/16 08:29 PM

You won't doubt you unleashed something significant. For whatever peculiar reason the recoil from the 450/400 with full house loads didn't seem as sharp to me as the 375 H&H I had in a Ruger #1 Tropical. I suspect it is because of a prejudice for the 450/400 over the 375. It certainly doesn't make any mathematical sense.

--------------------
Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." John14:6

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Rockdoc
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: sharps4590]
      #281702 - 29/04/16 09:01 PM

I did read somewhere that the rear express sight blade off a Ruger 375 Hawkeye fits the No. 1 No idea how easy that would be to buy from Ruger.

IIRC when trying to source a Boddington one, Ruger and I think Lipsey's didn't know where they came from.

That is why I had mine custom made. Getting older and even the fine bead on a double is becoming harder to see! I can't use the buckhorn rear sight on a Ruger.

The safety is very low profile and easy to use. The cases clear it well, unlike the OEM one, which bounced the empties back in.

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Rell
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: Rockdoc]
      #281704 - 29/04/16 09:29 PM

I have a SS Ruger #1 in 35 Whelen. I replaced the sights with sights from a Ruger African in 375R, they fit right in. Vertical was perfect at 75m and I played with horizontal and got it shooting really well.

The sights are a bit big and course for fine work but for snap shooting at 50m, they are great.

--------------------
450-400, 9.3x74r and 7x65r.

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TOBY458
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: Rell]
      #281710 - 30/04/16 01:03 AM

That's good news about the African sights fitting. I happen to have a set of those on hand I think! Will definitely be interested to see how it all pans out.

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chuckT
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: TOBY458]
      #281901 - 05/05/16 04:20 AM

Your going to love it. They are definitely more fun than a barrel of monkeys ! Have had mine about six years. Only changes were to have a Pacmayer Decelerator pad installed and an Aimpoint sight ( eyes have gone to heck with age ).Worked up a load with 400 gr Woodleighs and Reloader 15. Hit the classic 2150 f.p.s. no problem. Gun is sub 1"out of the box. Be sure and shoot yours before tinkering around like some people do with there No.1's. Recoil , it's not a 22 but very manageable. I'll bet a lot of 12 gauge shotguns with these high velocity turkey loads they have now belt you a lot worse. Almost forgot, don't ride the safety with your thumb, it bites ! For some crazy reason I've never had issues with cases hanging on the factory safety, go figure......

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TOBY458
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: chuckT]
      #281956 - 06/05/16 10:48 AM

Well.....I got it yesterday. Showed up in a nice cardboard package. The bad part is, the forend has a crack in it! Now waiting to see if USPS will pay for repairs. Not sure what happened, but you can imagine my feelings at the moment.
Stay tuned....

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TOBY458
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: TOBY458]
      #282721 - 21/05/16 02:05 PM

I got the forend repaired myself. Not too hard of a fix. Shot the rifle a few times with the iron sights. Pretty good kick, but not much more than a 375 h&h to me. This is one of the guns that weigh 7lbs 14oz, so she's pretty lively and points well!

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AbitNutz
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: TOBY458]
      #282723 - 21/05/16 07:54 PM

What I was surprised at with my 450/400 No.1 is how accurate it is. I'm not one for mounting a scope on this type of rifle but I would like to see what it could do at a 100 yards or even more. I was expecting "good enough" accuracy but if I could keep my concentration, I could make one hole at 50 yards with the open sights. It was one great big hole but they were all touching. This was with Hornady factory ammo.

The other thing that surprised me is how hot the barrel got after only one or two shots. This was one of my first truly big big bore rifles and I guess when you consider the amount of powder that is in these big cartridges it's a wonder they don't burst into flames.

The Ruger No.1 is not known for its accuracy and I don't think many folks consider high degrees of accuracy as an important consideration in a dangerous game cartridge. However, the Ruger NO.1 in 450-400 NE I'm thinking is capable of 1 MOA accuracy.

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DarylS
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: AbitNutz]
      #282728 - 22/05/16 02:07 AM

The larger the bore size & lower the ctg. pressure, the less the idiosyncrasies of gun design and load effect the potential accuracy.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

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TOBY458
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: DarylS]
      #282769 - 23/05/16 12:09 PM

I would also think the thicker barrel of the larger calibers makes a less finicky rifle. I plan to put Leupold 1.5-5x20mm scope on it and see how it shoots at 100 yds.

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fourbore
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: TOBY458]
      #283676 - 10/06/16 03:57 AM

I picked up one over the winter and found it a pleasant shooting and relatively accurate rifle.

I can place 5 shots just under 2" at 100 yards with Hornady factory ammo.

The gun is surprising easy to shoot and no more recoil IMHO than a 375H&H. Some one else said the same thing and I have the same impression. The 416 rigby recoils quite a bit more. I guess the low pressure and moderate energy (as big 40's go) is the reason. I have the c weight barrel. That is most common and the lighter of the two options produced.

I shot mine off the bench, with a front rest and rear bag. No cheater vest, no lead sled, nothin. I shot it just like I would a 30-06. No pain, no next day black and blue - no problem. The muzzle rises and I lean back a bit when it fires. I take about 30 minutes to fire a group. That keeps my central nervous system happy and allow the barrel to cool. The barrel get quite hot, quite fast.

I have some Hornady 300 grain .411 SP Interlock bullets to try and reload. That could theoretically be of some practical value. Seriously, I expected more recoil. I may go ahead and get some 400 grain bullets and try and duplicate factory loads. I would be nice if POI for the 300's was close to the 400 bullets at 100 yards, or 50?

I used standard factory Ruger rings, no offset. The scope is a Nikon Omega 1.75-5x which has a bit longer eye relief for black powder rifles. It seems to be working out very nicely.

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Postman
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: fourbore]
      #283680 - 10/06/16 05:54 AM

Looking at thus particular thread is very timely and extremely relevant for me: Not 15 minutes ago, waiting for me when I go home, I just received and unwrapped my very first Ruger #1. It is a 1H heavy barrel tropical in 450-400!!!

Wood is pretty plain, but I am very impressed with the overall look and feel, and fit and finish look pretty good too. I am really impressed with just how short this thing is..... It ranks among the shortest rifles in my safe. LOP will need an extra inch to get it to fit me perfectly, but it does feel very nice in the hands and seems quite lively, big thick barrel notwithstanding.

I can't shoot it for at least a week from now but am really looking forward to the experience!!!

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CptCurlAdministrator
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: Postman]
      #283696 - 10/06/16 09:09 AM

Here's the thread Huvius mentioned above:
http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat....9&fpart=all

My load should adapt well in the 3 inch cartridge.

Good luck with your rifle.

Curl

--------------------
RoscoeStephenson.com

YOUR DOUBLE RIFLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.



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sharps4590
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: CptCurl]
      #283711 - 10/06/16 09:41 PM

I know I am a nostalgic old curmudgeon but how can one not like the 450/400, either iteration? Especially when in a historically correct rifle. Cpt. Curl, I'd trade 5 Ruger #1's for a Farq. like yours!!..(if that would be enough). Beautiful and so obviously a shooter. Congrats sir!! A Henry also pulls strongly at my heart strings.

--------------------
Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." John14:6

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TOBY458
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Re: Ruger No 1 450/400 Nitro [Re: sharps4590]
      #283754 - 11/06/16 11:10 PM

Thanks for all the replies. I just got in some Hornady brass and bullets, so hopefully I can get some loaded soon. I'm very intrigued by the thought of shooting cast bullets such as Curl shoots in his Farq. I have plenty of Varget on hand, so it would be a cheap way to put together some target/deer/hog loads.

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