Ruger No1 In 303, Unfinished Business: pt. 1

[@terrymorris1335]

Sierra .311 174 gr MatchKing HPBT plus 40grn ADI 8208 powder will shoot 1" groups out of my No4 all day .Not a hot load but I would rather hit what I'm aiming at than pop primers . Hi from Australia and thanks for keeping the .303 alive .

[@davidhenry5112]

You will defiantly find an improvement when you switch to the .312" Hornady 150 grain bullet. I wish they would make a run of .314" specifically for the Ruger #1 but that wont happen due to the possibility of them getting into the .311" bores that are out there. I push my Hornady's with IMR 4064 but when I try for higher velocities over 2550 fps the accuracy suffers. This I blame on gas bypass as you were experiencing with your .311" tests. Don't give up, please continue with your unfinished business.

[@unbalancedredneck5778]

What did I miss about Hornady? I would slug the bore and measure it. That will save a lot of the guess work. If you’re not wanting to use Hornady there’s Hawk bullets. They make a 312 and a 316 bullet.

[@ianharries9480]

In South Africa, I found S355 from Somchem the only powder to work on my .303 British , Rifle is a 1932 BSA Sporting purchased by my Grand Father.

[@mossieeduanmostert9508]

Daai geweer van hom skiet soos ñ haelgeweer..

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

Ian, I looked up that powder out of curiosity and the powder I've had the best results with so far , IMR 4064, is really close to your S355 in burn rate.

[@Paul-45-70]

Very timely video I’m about to do some load testing for my Ruger number one in 303 on Thursday this week. I’m using Speer hot core both 150 and 180 round nose. When I sighted it in a couple of weeks back with S&B 180 factory ammunition and I got consistent 3/4” 3 shot groups. On a side note I use to use Hornady always but I too don’t agree with a couple of things they did.

[@leonharris1329]

39.2 gr h 4895 hornady 150 gr inner lock yielded beautiful accuracy in no1 mk iii star. Accurate 2520 shot way low with all charge weights. Imr 4350 gave fair results. Thanks for what you do Tom. God bless.!!!

[@martinfitzpatrick6632]

Love watching this #1 come along. Truck looks great as well!

[@shaneboyle9982]

Why not try slugging the bore

[@grahambamford9073]

The good old .303, originally a black powder cartridge with a blunt rounded bullet, then upgraded to smokeless, cordite to be percice, with a pointed spitzer bullet. From what I can gather it has very similar ballistics to .308. The .303 is not chambered in very many rifles mostly British service rifles of the early 20th century. Lee Enfields and Bren guns. It served in x2 world wars and apparently still used by militaries in some third world countries to this day.

[@dhooter]

I always heard the Ruger 1's were never really known to be really accurate and consistent.

[@dancrane674]

As as alternative to Hornady you could look at Hammer Products. They make a .303 bullet in .312. I've found them to be deadly accurate in my '06. These are all copper bullets and are CNC machined so they are very precise. Good luck on your journey.

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

Thanks Dan, I didn't know they made a .312 bullet.

[@dancrane674]

You can call them they are very accessible and helpful.

[@Dalesarty]

Usually I use a 180gr for the 303. And have you ever tried holding the rifle, using a bag maybe to study your fore arm on the bench but no free recoil and jumping of the rifle all over. I get everyone wants to take themselves out of it but some rifles shoot better when held and fired as intended. I only mention this as I’ve seen it make a huge difference. Same as a rifle zeroed in a sled doesn’t always have the same point of impact when fired off hand. Beautiful rifle good luck.

[@larsdahlen319]

Have done some work on .303 british not for a Ruger but for a Double rifle. The caliber is actually .311 and it does exist bullets in that caliber sorry to write that Hornaday is here in Sweden the easiest to get. The old standard loads were also with heavier bullets than 150 grains . I had loads for the double with 174 grain but a double is a double. Regards from Sweden. Lars Dahlen

[@anthonykaiser974]

The problem wasn't lack of .311 bullets. His barrel is likely .314-.316.

[@bobdayton9608]

Ruger No. 1's are well known to be finicky because of the two piece stock. I am sure you are well aware of that. I purchased a No. 1 back in about 1983 with beautiful, I mean beautiful wood. It was a model AB. Don't think many were made. Mine is a 270. The AB model has a very slim 22 inch barrel. It shot Federal Pr. 130 grain bullets about 1 inch. I then reloaded it and found a load with 150 gran bullets at almost 2900 fps. It shoots the first two into 1/2 in groups, but the third always rises. It is due to the extremely thin barrel heating up after two shots. It will always shoot the first two shots very well. But hey, it is a single shot anyway and having two quick shots has been good for me. Most times just one is needed anyway.

[@lylewalters909]

I just saw a 2 yr old video by Randy Selby, The Real Gunsmith channel. I was talking about the ruger #1 and why it strings vertical shots. Basically, the forend is pushing up on the barrel due to the bad design of the bolt that holds it in place.

[@miker9043]

Many years ago I fought a browning rifle that would group like that , almost gave up and decided to swap scopes , the rifle shot excellent with new scope !

[@BlaineTraceyPeel]

I’ve found No1 rifles don’t like a harder front rest. Put your hand between the rest and the forend. Or use a bull bag rest up front. Getting good velocity and accuracy with Hornady 150gr SP and CFE 223. Load it like a 308 !

[@tomeinicke6429]

Such a beautiful rifle! You don't find that too often here in Germany. Best regards from overseas.

[@luvtahandload7692]

Hi Tom! Might want to try a Hicks Stabilizer. Believe that's what it's called. Available from E. Arthur Brown Company. Has to do with how the forearm hangs on. I'm keeping it in mind for a No. 1 in 280 I got not long ago. Thanks for the vid!

[@garyturner8898]

Great content Tom. Always enlightening material. Plus, you drive a Chevy Silverado Z71! This just gets better. After the last 4-5 years, everyone deserves forgiveness, even Hornady. Let’s hope never to repeat the mistakes from the recent past. Thank you.

[@davidspring5149]

Mathematicians may feel free to correct me on this, but the 30-sample limit is for p-testing. You can use t-tests for smaller sample groups. Not that you want to shoot fewer shots, but if the rifle’s on the edge of manageable, it’s a thought. Great seeing the process. You always make good content. Good luck with the dream rifle.

[@js7127]

I inherited a No1, my dream rifle, in 22-250- not my dream cartridge. Uncle swore it shot bug hole groups but does not, Shotgun? Was going to rebarrel for 35 whelen but wondering how much money I want to spend on such a temperamental rifle? Strong as all get out but pain in the tail.

[@robertclozza3519]

Man! I'm impressed he said it.... Hornady is on my naughty list for the exact same reason. I'll only buy them used. They'll never see a dime from me. I'd sell the rifle before I bought new bullets from them though.

[@_MF1703]

that rifle in 25=06 is a dream rifle of mine. beauty

[@mikeh5908]

i have one and it is awesome . follow your dream and start searching

[@14goldmedals]

Ruger's older heavy barrelled Varmint Model came in 25-06. That might be a unicorn to try find. I'm still kicking myself for not buying a mint Ruger 1B 26" barrelled 280 Remington years ago.

[@MrJegjr]

Your concern of why the shot group strings higher is something I run into with larger calibers bullets occasionally. The video show a great deal of muzzle flip as you are shooting. Do you think that that "might" be effecting the results. I have found that the technique that Randy on "The Real Gunsmith" suggest has helped me. Not being critical, but I know how frustrating working up a load can be when thing do seem to come together. Your reasoning is sound. Hope you get it figured out !!!!!!

[@derek5333]

Even though im not the biggest fan of this caliber i still learn tons of valuable info from your videos, i just picked up 1 of my dream rifles yesterday. A Tikka chambered in 300 wm im waiting for some decent weather for break in and load testing, but im itching to go shoot, thanks for the video it got me over the itch today 😂😆. It's -12 up north today i think ill stay close to the wood stove. Thanks again for the quality videos.

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

Derek, congrats on the Tika! And now I'm really glad I didn't go complaining to much about it being 36 here. I just don't think I could deal with -12 or minus anything!

[@derek5333]

@@TomRiverSimpleLiving Thank you for the reply. We should see some temps in the positives this week I'm hoping, if the weather man is correct. Looking forward to your next video, I'd really like to see more about you Ruger 338 all weather with the boat paddle stock, I've been trying to get my hands on a clean 1 of those for years. I thought I found 1 in new condition a few months ago but it turned out to be an online scam, so the search continues. Keep up the great videos. Glad I found your channel.

[@marksellers4875]

I would have LOVED to have bought one of these, the .303 being one of my favorite rounds. But Ruger messed up not going with a .311 groove. I get it. SAAMI doesn't have official dimensions for the .303, so Ruger went with British milspec... Too bad.

[@DouglasPrice-p9q]

… some use .308” dia bullets in the 303BR with disappointing accuracy … the correct bullet dia for this cartridge is .311” - .312”

[@thatsthewayitgoes9]

Did I miss you making the forend float? Removing / changing forend tightening and or floating the pressure that forend imposes on the front hanger and certainly getting any forend contact away from the barrel. You’ve already worked that out on that Ruger No.1 , right?

[@scottscheuerman8714]

After hearing what you thought was the trouble what about getting a hold of Barry’s bullets they make copper plated bullets and make them for the 32-20 which is a 314 diameter bullet they light for your caliber maybe they make them for the 303

[@runningwithscissors3997]

I would suspect if everything is ok with the rifle system, bullet diameter may be the next logical step. Btw - I have become a big fan of 6.5 Staball in 30 calibers. Shot some impressive numbers out of factory M77 30-06 w/208 grain A-Max. Like 2520 and LVR in my Grendel too. Good Luck! On a side note - check out American Reloading for projectiles. Most are pull downs, but they are becoming very popular especially with the ever increasing prices. Have had some great results especially with hunting bullets.

[@bobhammond3335]

Eye relief on my Ruger #1 is difficult for me, I had to shorten the stock to get better eye relief and am looking at a different scope to help. This seems to be a common #1 issue. Do you feel like your eye relief is OK and you are getting repeatable sight picture? Seems like shooting off a rest might make it difficult. Those inconsistent group sizes makes me think a possible scope or sight picture issue. Love your posts, keep up the good work.

[@johnnorman7708]

For a ballistic objective, a 150 grain bullet at an honest 2700 FPS muzzle velocity is a serious deer size game load.

[@davidleonard1813]

You might want to look for 8Z ammo from memory it was made to reach out futher extra few hundred yards in a Vickers canvas belted ammo. Too strong for Lee Enfields

[@chriscosby2459]

You need to drink a spot of tea when you are tweaking that .303 British. LOL

[@JamesM-l5g]

Hahahahaha

[@chriscosby2459]

@@JamesM-l5g I like making fun of the Brits.

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

It would be fitting, and come to think of it I was! It was just ice tea and not hot tea. LOL

[@chriscosby2459]

@@TomRiverSimpleLiving HA! That is a sweet rifle -- I enjoy your videos.

[@14goldmedals]

Tom, try holding the pinky finger on your right hand straight out as though you were sipping tea from a beautiful porcelain tea cup. Can't hurt.

[@lisaannaallen6283]

had a no 1 in 243 30 years ago shot like yours. never could get it to shot my self, i got P O sent it to chief A J $700 later it would shoot 3/4 inch that was 1990 $$$$

[@bernienovak936]

I have a few 303 they are great but also a pain to find the right load and I'm even Canadian we have a lot here lol

[@captaincripple7218]

I’ve always liked the idea and elegance of a ruger no.1 but I’ve heard they can be nightmares to get to shoot. The real gun smith here on KZbin spoke of how poor they were for harmonics. He did explain a fix he came up with for how he attached the forearm to float the barrel.

[@craigbenz4835]

What and when was the last thing that shot well? Slug the bore and measure the diameter. Hornady raised my ire by discontinuing many of their bullets I shot.

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

Craig, the last time it shot well was with 4064 off the led sled and those rounds are ready for retesting now, and there's a pretty good story to go along with that! And I am really curious as to what diameter is running?

[@johnsnyder5470]

You have way more patience than I. I would not waste my time with a rifle having such accuracy problems. The bedding on Ruger No 1s has always been problematic. I also would look for a cartridge with more velocity potential.The fact that this cartridge has such great diameter variation from barrels and bullets further complicates the issue. Make life simpler.🤨

[@BornAgain2019]

Do they make a swaging tool to compress .323/ 8mm bullets to the desired bullet diameter for your bore? That could be an option.

[@davidleonard1813]

Not shot 303 for 30 yrs back then it was just buy cordite mil surp consistant loads worked well. I never ever did real9ding though tbh

[@dougalmcalpine6804]

My no4 mk1 strangely only likes 174g fmj .3105 hornady bullets, it's a very naughty rifle.

[@Releasethehounds_01]

Thankyou sir ! Another great video 🍻

[@justinriley8651]

I've owned a couple no1s and there nice rifles but I don't know how accurate they are. generally speaking rugers aren't known for their stellar accuracy! some of the newer bolt guns in the chassis may be better?

[@alvincorn2176]

Have you thought about changing the scope?

[@terrymorris1335]

To add to my last post get a gunsmith to tell you what your bore is ,even old lee enfields will shoot well with .312 projectiles.

[@clintonlayne9253]

Tom There's a lot of good recommendations. Here's one that I thought of in the first few seconds of the video. Try removing the sling stud band it may interfere with the harmonics

[@lylewalters909]

Your going to think I'm nuts but try a copper ttsx and superformance powder. I'm betting you will be extremely surprised.

[@sgtmajtrapp3391]

Foreend loose? May impact bullet groups but not velocity.

[@patrickgallagher4344]

I think you need to borrow your buddies led sled again Tom! This is only my opinion but I think you should take the LS and find the most accurate load you can taking yourself out of the equation! Once you get to that point go back to your bags and learn to drive your number 1 like you did your model 70 feather weight in 257 Roberts. Like I said this is my opinion. Just an idea I hope it helps

[@denisleblanc4506]

I know you don't want to change your shooting procedure but you have to reconsider holding the front of the rifle down. You were seeing big elevation changes even when the velocity was only about 30 fps faster. The elevation change shouldn't be that much for 30 fps. As for the bore diameter discussion, I would shoot a bullet in water jugs just to see what it looks like. An undersized bullet would show stripping from the rifling and this is easily seen on the engraved portion of the bearing surface. It will show up as straight engraving on the forward portion that might even reach the base of the bullet in bad cases. Once it reaches there you'll get terrible gas blow by. You'll also be able to see if the bullet even contact the bottom of the grooves or not. But before you try anything else just slug the bore and find out for sure what you're dealing with.

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

Thanks Denis! All good points and I especially like the idea of checking a fired bullet. And I'm torn on holding that front down. You are spot on that those small increases in velocity shouldn't cause such a rise in the point of impact. I might have to try that the next time out. In the past I did hold the front of the rifle and then I got on this kick of not doing. I felt like not holding the front made me work on my fundamentals, and it did and it made me a better shooter. With that said some rifle just have to much recoil for the weight and they're going to be squirrely and on those I'm starting to think holding the forend is the way to go?

[@308guy8]

Good to see you, Mr Tom. Have you tried reloader 15? It's similar to varget I have had good luck with it in 308

[@JeffBush-h6d]

You are going to have to work on the bedding of the forearm

[@michaelshubr4084]

Whatever happened to the Parker Hale Sporter-seems like you’d just figured out the mounting issue?

[@DouglasPrice-p9q]

… did you slug the bore to see what the bore dia of YOUR rifle is?

[@warrenporter302]

the smallest number you get at the end of the barrel is you bore diameter yes? also if you try to put just the bullet in the barrel it either fits or it doesn't correct? a .308 should clear a .311-.316 bore with ease and so forth and so on maybe? and you should be able to use a 308 dia die as a neck sizeing die if you back it out of the press say like a 3030 or 308. you shooting imho isn't bad looks like your handling the recoil well. the only thing in my mind when im at the bench is my trigger finger and nothing else period. oh and you could buy a crimp die. my bullets are crimped. other then all that i have no clue whats going on with that gun maybe OAL . any way im watching and learning lol

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

Warren, the bullet being smaller than the bore still wouldn't clear because of the rifling. And I did check with a 30 cal bullet it was surprisingly tight? And checking with a loose bullet is a good way to check old Lee Enfield's for wear. This one was the opposite of what I expected so could be small? As for using a different die, I don't think it would work? The neck of the die makes the case smaller and then the mandrel expands the case neck to the proper size. I would be worried about what the die would do to the shoulder if I pushed it in far enough to size the neck of the case? But the 303 having so much taper that shouldn't be a problem on a 308 die? I'll have to play with that at some point. And thanks for the comment on me handling the recoil because that little rifle is beating the snot out of me, LOL. I was load testing the 1903a3 at the same time and I couldn't wait to go back to the 30-06 to get a break from that No1. And those were some pretty hot 06 loads with a 165gr bullet running over 2900 fps!

[@JamesM-l5g]

High end chrono’s are worth their weight in gold. Others are just not trustable.

[@scottscheuerman8714]

Did you run your bore scope in the barrel I have a project rifle I’m re-barreling because the chamber wasn’t cut straight to the bore

[@paulsimmons5726]

Tom, I hate to see you suffer trying to get this rifle to shoot perfectly… I’m gonna help you out, just send me the rifle and I’ll figure out what the perfect load(s) might be! DISCLAIMER - It might take me 10, 15, or even 20 years to solve the mystery… So yeah, just send me the rifle and I’ll keep you updated on my research, lol! Great video, Tom, that’s a beautiful rifle, best of luck with your research!

[@strangemayc]

could you pull the bullets from the 154 grain tula soft points in 762x39

[@Varnaj42]

My Nr one that I bought twenty plus years ago is chambered at .223. I am wondering if I can buy a conversion kit for a larger calibre? I have heard that the bolt assembly is strong enough to take the extra load. Is this something that people do? Just wondering.

[@JamesM-l5g]

Yeah, for me, I need to hold that forearm tight and have my body very tight, having the strongest foundation possible. The Hopeful Ballistic does seem to believe he only needs to hold it only on heavy kickers. I say 👍👍👍👍

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

Believe it or not this little No1 is a heavy kicker! And I'll probably try holding it soon.

[@brycedunscomb57]

Number 1's are like your high school girlfriend,....beautiful but a heart breaker!!

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

Bryce, just so you know I'm going to steal that line! LOL

[@clintlanier8534]

New truck?

[@barryw5911]

Option 3 : send it back to Ruger!

[@richardadamson2983]

Slug the bore...until you know exactly what it is you will be "shooting in the dark". It's like trying to fix a car when you haven't identified the problem and are just replacing parts!

[@AnglerErik]

No offence to the other posters, but as competition shooter at Camp Perry, one simple thing stands out right away. Not you, but the gun. Variance of 1" or greater is common in temperature differences and etc.... but that first group tells me something else is wrong with that rifle.

[@mattpeacock5208]

If different manufacturers use bores ranging from .311 to .316 in the same caliber, I believe I would stay away from that caliber completely.

[@mossieeduanmostert9508]

I aggree. What would the reason be for all the sizes....

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

It's not that manufactures choose bores in all of those different sizes they just sort of ended up that way. There are almost no modern rifles chambered in 303 so not an issue anymore and if the Rugers actually did run that big in diameter my guess is it would be because it was a special run. Manufactures tend to have more errors with special runs because they don't have the time to dial everything in before the run is over and it requires special tooling and that sort of thing for special runs. As for the older rifles, there is so much variation because so many were cranked out absolutely as fast as they could be made during WWII. England was barely hanging on and they didn't need perfection. They just needed something they could trust. And they did an amazingly good job considering the circumstances but now you add in 80 years or more of wear to those rifle and they tend to have a lot variation in the bores.

[@WayStedYou]

@@TomRiverSimpleLivingI was going to say you could always get a different modern rifle and the njust get someone to make you a barrel chambered for .303 in .312 or .311

[@johngardner2807]

I can't understand WHY Ruger would run an oversized bore ( .314-.316),when most .303 british are .310-.312 dia. It's like they were engineering an accuracy failure!

[@chriscosby2459]

Some early Ruger Mini Thirty models were .308 diameter -- that seems odd as well.

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

I think it was just because these were a special run and they just didn't quite get it dialed in before the run was finished? And that's if it's running oversize. It could be running small or be exactly what it should be? Hopefully I'll know for certain soon.

[@cory8791]

Short barrel blues!

[@Paul-45-70]

They are a 22” barrel, that’s standard length.

[@russellk6415]

303 or a 12 gauge?

[@easttexan2933]

All my fingernails would be gone by now lol. Good luck.

[@darwinswille3795]

Shells $150 a box

[@kaptnblaubaer]

Cool background music, who is that?

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

The band is Binkley. I had never heard of them but I found this song on site with music for videos and I really liked it.

[@brianrobinson1975]

if your ruger no 1 hits the same spot with a cold clean bore everytime thats all thats necessary from a single shot hunting rifle

[@brianrobinson1975]

ruger no1 will make you crazy trying to chase a 5 shot group

[@HWHolmgren]

Steve Hornady runs a private business. He has the right to do what he feels is best for his employees. There is no God-given (nor government-given, for that matter) right to infect another individual with a pathogen.

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

HW, I'm not a particularly smart person and I don't have any inside information or anything like that. All I have is the same thing you and Steve Hornady have which is the ability to ask questions and look up basic things when stuff doesn't make sense. And there is a lot about the vaccines that don't make sense starting with the fact that they are not vaccines. They are an experimental gene therapy. They also do absolutely nothing to stop or even slow down the transition of covid. They don't stop anyone from getting it or spreading it. That is not quackery or conspiracy nonsense and please just do a simple interest search if you don't believe me. Now, that being the case how did the vaccine mandates make any sense?

[@HWHolmgren]

@@TomRiverSimpleLiving Tom, on the Internet, everyone is smart. And all things are true. And false.

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

@@HWHolmgren You're absolutely right about that.

[@sapago4166]

​@TomRiverSimpleLiving Tom, I can see why you might be confused about the vaccine because it is different than traditional vaccines. Traditional vaccines use an inactive form of the virus, whereas this is an mRNA vaccine that causes your cells to produce specific proteins. That being said, it is NOT gene therapy and it does NOT contain DNA or alter your DNA. I do not know where you are getting this information, but it isn't a reliable source and I suggest you do your research elsewhere.

[@hunteranglin3750]

Slug your barrel and see what size it is

[@davidshearer6932]

Go back to powershock

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

David, I was just thinking the same thing, LOL.

[@justinriley8651]

that thing is garbage 😮! reminds me of a mini 14! shots patterns not groups!

[@whiskeyriver4322]

I just found myself a No. 1 in .300WinMag; a bicentennial rifle. Now I have to find me the right scope. It came with 1 inch rings already mounted. Any suggestions?

[@edwardabrams4972]

Get a Leupold VX3 scope. Lifetime warranty made in the USA and lots of choices in size and power ranges!

[@TomRiverSimpleLiving]

I'll 2nd what Edward said on the VX3. They are pricey, at least for me, but I think that's what I'll be going with in the future for myself. And depending on what your budget is the VX5 looks really nice as well. It's out of my budget but I can still dream!

[@cbsbass4142]

I had the Ruger#1 in .300 Win Mag in the Medium Sporter barrel. Beautiful rifle. It shot well at maybe 1.5 MOA but just had too much recoil for my liking.