For some time now I have been playing with my 45-70 Sharps and my eyes are getting old, so what use to be groups are now more like patterns. I told my wife that it would be sacrilege to put a 3X9 scope on a Sharps and I needed something I could put a scope on (any excuse for a new gun ). Last night when I got home from work there was an anniversary gift from my wife on the kitchen table. A new in the box Ruger #1 in 45-70. I could not believe it. I am a lucky man.

Now all I have to do is shoot it. I was out of reloads and wanted to use factory ammo, just in case something was wrong. I don't want to listen to the Ruger guy tell me that the problem is my reloads. Wal-Mart is the closest place. They want $28.84 + tax for a box of 300 grain Win.. It will be a cold day in you know where before I pay that much for 20 rounds. So now it is back to the reloading bench. Now I am going to have to label all my boxes of ammo for original Trapdoor, Sharps and Ruger #1.

If any of you folks have any suggestions for the care and feeding of the #1, I would sure appreciate hearing from you.

My only other problem is what to get my wife for our anniversary, a dozen roses seems a little week considering her gift.

Thanks

kbis: now, that's a great story. IMO the Ruger is King of the 45-70, but, it looks as though you have had some exprience with the round.

If taking the No1 toward the maximum with 300 to 350gr bullets, I have found Reloder #7 giving superb accuracy and velocity.

Have fun and let us know what load works best for you.

Get the wife pearls or diamonds. A pearl necklace is good, a diamond pendant is better. On the plus side the pendant will cost less than the diamonds. That and the roses should make you a hero - write a pretty note and you will be happily married forever.

Maybe I should get her pearls and diamnds and tell her they are special and not to get them wet

I have not sure the body is up to full house loads with a light rifle (compared to the Sharps). I have been using IMR 3031 and AA 5744 with some luck, of course the way I have been shooting, hitting the side of the barn is considered a tight group :). If I can ever find a gun shop that carries #7 I will have to give it a try.

Thanks

Kbis,
What to do, what to do? Wife gets hubby a new #1 and now he has to seperate his loads, aw shucks....:-D

Now that you have a gun capable of making the 45-70 walk and talk, you might want a good recoil pad, like a Limbsaver. Also you could look into a Lead Sled, best $120 I ever spent on shootin stuff, sept a gun, of course.

Oh, if you have any 2015BR, try about 59 grains with a 300, it shoots with a push recoil, very plesant and does 2,262 fps in my Mauser. Very nice off hand load.
Glad for ya. Wife and gun both....
Ed

Kbis,

Now thats a good wife!

Enjoy the gun!

Dimitri

2,262 FPS has got to hurt, when hunting you get meat at both ends

No, 2200 with a 300 is pretty plesant, really. You are used to those steel butt monsters. Remember, you have a real honest to goodness shooting gun now....
Ed

Diamonds > real pearls...

Real pearls stain from makeup and perfume so you have to take exceptionally good care with them. They say its jewelery thats "last to put on, first to take off".

But congratulations on the gun! I remember coming home from work on my Bday years ago to a RemM700ML my wife bought me...


-DallanC

We have been married for 30 years and after awhile you just sort of take your wife for granted until she does something like this or when a good looking gal walks by and you get jabbed in the ribs .

Swampfox- the butt plate on the Ruger does look a lot more user friendly that those on my Sharps and Trapdoor.

PaulS wrote:

Get the wife pearls or diamonds. A pearl necklace is good, a diamond pendant is better. On the plus side the pendant will cost less than the diamonds. That and the roses should make you a hero - write a pretty note and you will be happily married forever.

Paul, you old softy you. I have to agree with you.....jewelry is the way to go. Never met a woman who didn't appreciate some good honest fair dinkum new baubles.

kbis, sounds like you have a fine lady there mate. After 30 years of marriage maybe a nice Eternity Ring. I have been married 31 years this year and when I got my wife one she absolutely loved it.

Look after your wife mate, you have a champion by the sounds of things.

Cheers, Vince

Yes, I agree with the sentiments of "take care of your woman" You have a real good one there kbis. sounds like she's a real peach.

You guys are right, she is one of a kind. In a few days, it will be our 31 anniversary ( she could not wait to give me her present). After this many years your wife becomes more than the wife , she is also your best friend. I could give her a card and she would be just as happy as if I had given her the crown jewels. I am very lucky.

I finally got to shoot the #1, wow what a pleasure to shot. I had some old Speer load data that listed a start load for a 45-70 lever gun at 55 grains of IMR3031 with 300 grain JHP (newer books list this as a #1 load) so I gave it a try. I loaded 20 rounds and did the break in thing for the first 17 rounds (shoot 1, clean it, shoot another, ect., took for ever). The last 3 rounds I tried on my steel plate at 150 yards. I was impressed, 3 rounds inside a 2 1/2" circle. Can't give you an exact size since the metal was pretty well messed up, there is not much left of my bull's-eye .

George to the rescue kbis. What would really make her happy is a Ruger #1 in .243 Winchester. Tell her you want her to be with you when in the sport as she means that much to you & want her close by. I can't believe what the other's have recommended in a forum like this.

If you get her the 243 & she doesn't love you that much more for it, then I'll take it off your hands.
Keep it coming...

You are so thoughtful, I could drop off the 243 when we visit my son in Tucson .