Bubba'd Ruger #3

[Hookeye]

So pops bought this rig used. Ruger #3 wearing orig buttstock and homemade oak front end ( flat for bench work ). Barrel is McGowen in .219 Donaldson Wasp. A friend of his made some loads for it and said it shot good.

Ended up coming my way. So put a #1 buttstock on it and throwing away homemade crap forend. A regular B forend looked wrong on the fat 24" bbl so started shopping around. Took a chance w a Tropical forend, used. Figured tropical models have thicker bbls so less wood to remove.

Wrapped XM 177 style flashider w sandpaper and it got the channel done right.

Has Canjar trigger but is light enough I run without using set feature.

Whoever D&Td the bbl did the rear off line. Barrel contour is not same as reg #3. So bases for a #3 dont sit right. Was able to build shims w tape and use Brownells alignment bars.

Smooth transfer through bushings.

But....the rear windage base has the ring pretty far off to the right.
Kinda sets off my OCD.

Burris Posiline offset bushing ordered. Found polished blued set of med sig rings used.

No longer made apparently.

Got an old M8 10X too ( CPC reticle ).

 

[AmmoManAaron]

Cool to hear about someone still using one of the old classic wildcats.

 

[Colt556]

Nice save! Do you need any type riser to get a good view through the scope? The Ruger #1 and #3 have always intrigued me but oddly I’ve never owned one. Maybe someday.

 

[Hookeye]

Layered masking tape under rear base til aligned. Then made a brass shim.

Ordered Burris offset insert for signature ring ( rear ) to later get ring body more centered on base. Purely cosmetic.

 

[Hookeye]

Rifle wears reg Redfield bases for a Ruger #3, which take standard rings.
The Burris gloss signature rings are not available now. Dunno if discontinued or what

Ruger #1 have a quarter rib or two pc bases ( varmint model ) and both take Ruger rings. Which IMHO suck.

I could not use the 2 pc Ruger bases on this as I needed windage adjustment due to misalignment by whoever D&T'd this bbl.

Have owned a couple Ruger #1s. A B in .243 and a pre B in .280 plus an RSI in .243. inherited a B in .22-250.
Only #1 I have now. It is well worn cosmetically.

 

[Hookeye]

Ive got 90 rounds left. So figured worse case, shoot em up then part the gun out.

Or have the misaligned holes welded up and redo.

Or just rebarrel into something else.
Will need lever mod if going w something bigger than a varmint cartridge.

But a half inch gun, w dies and load data....kinda hard to argue w it.

 

[Hookeye]

Did purchase an EGW pic rail for a Ruger #1B.

Thought B contour bbl w that base, bbl chopped to 22" and done in 35 rem.
Be cool. But also 1500 bucks to build on donor rig.

And it wouldnt kill deer any better than my beater 760 in .35 rem.

HOWEVER.....that would be a cool rig....one that scratches my #1 itch, avoids my annoyance of Ruger ring system, gets me a premium bbl in a cartridge Ruger never chambered their single shots in.....and one that is simply wonderful for deer.

So i could get rid of my 760 if I had a #1 built. And if I had a cool #1 would get rid of the #3 too.

 

[Hookeye]

Beans getting tall may be late to groundhog hunting this yr. Need to bring this scope down to where its 1" high at 100. Old M8 is friction and not click so that w old Leupold " goodness" its kind of a guessing game til ya get it right.

 

[Hookeye]

I just really really hate Ruger rings. And w body falling apart, need scopes more rearward these days. The EGW base solves that problem, but looks like crap. Still better than the EABCO slip over.

 

[Jaybird1980]

Looks good, nice to see em still getting used

 

[Sitcomdad83]

I'd shoot it. I got and bubba Remington 870 express magnum last year from a local pawn shop. Barrel spray painted front sight bead had been knocked off and replaced by a screw and a couple wing nuts. Shoots great and that redneck sight setup is genius.

 

[Hookeye]

I stuck some Stoney Point knobs on the old M8 10X.
Looked too tall. So used my last little bit of Gunkote to change a NIB silver Leupold sunshade to black. Scope looks OK with it "lengthened".

Only thing to do now is add a stud for bipod in forend.

 

[Hookeye]

Man its hot out here. Ripped 50 heavy trap loads through new Benelli clone shotgun. Recoil was not fun. Ran fine though.

Chug some water, chill for a bit and adjust this one down a little.

 

[MrSmitty]

Beautiful gun! Love those Ruger #1's and #3's good to see it being shot, and not just hanging on a wall.....219 Donaldson Wasp.....neat old wildcat round, don't see/hear much about that round these days...more pictures please!!

 

[DadSmith]

@Hookeye
Who makes dies for that round? Or would it be a special order?

 

[jcj54]

Redding makes dies, including form dies. They work well.

 

[Hookeye]

I have Redding dies, plus the form dies (#1 reg, #2 reg and trim/form).
An old coworker is a .219 guru and he made some loads for this rig...

50gr Nosler BT on 31.0 gr of Varget.
Trim is 1.785, OAL 2.385
Was a Short Wasp that was reamed, so has a Long Wasp shoulder.

Have 100 new cases loaded up. Well, I have 86 loaded now (14 empty) LOL

 

[Hookeye]

Oddball ammo.................I have 3 boxes (WW Super X yellow) of .256 win.
That stuff is about like gold.
Sold some .256 dies to a bud, and some white box .256..........see if he buys that Contender barrel I loaned him LOL

If he does the yellow box stuff is for sale LOL
(and he will have to pay going rate- no more deals

 

[tomcat13]

Very Nice #3! I have a #3 in 45-70 Govt & it Is a Handful! lol

 

[warren5421]

You missed the quarter though. cool: