hello group;  i have a ruger #1 and am thinking of rebarreling it to 32/40. iwould like to make a accurate shooting cast bullet rifle to shoot for fun at 200 yds with a vintage scope. any opinions or tips on this project would be appreciated.  thanks art

Art, 

     I bought a Ruger #1 that had been rebarreled with a Douglas Premium barrel (heavy round profile) to .32-40.  It was one of the most accurate rifles I have ever owned for offhand work.  Some folks feel like you need to change the fore end mounting arrangement to get them to shoot, so be aware of that possibility.

Froggie

there have been a fair number of schuetzenized #1/3 that have shown up on the range at EG.    as with any other rifle that action choice is just one of the parts of the equation for an accurate rifle. 

one question,  are you thinking a strictly offhand rifle with schuetzen stock or a heavier dedicated bench gun or something for both?

some feel that the factory hammer and trigger setup is too heavy, slow, and jarring.  all of which are remediable.  Frank Zika's speed hammer and spring setup go a long way and a good trigger can be obtained by careful honing and fitting---even while leaving the safety mechanism in, though some guys take it out to use the slot for a breechseater.  Frank is working on a replacement trigger that will, so I've been told, go a long way to help in this area, though its not a set trigger.

forend fit and mount can be an issue but there are aplethora if articles of tuning #1s for accuracy and it seems to be pretty much a rifle to rifle  problem.

barrel selection and fitting/chambering can be real important and accuracy potential is closely aligned with the degree or care and precision taken at that stage.  not that its the only factor,  there's lots of other ways to screw up , even with a rifle that's properly barreled and chambered

Art:

  Over the years I have built a number of rifles on the #1 and #3 Ruger actions. The rumor that they are not accurate or hard to get to shoot seems to be unfounded. At this time I have 5 assorted Ruger SS in calibers ranging from a 22-380 (based on the 380 ACP) to 45-70. I have found that when re-barreling a Ruger action accuracy can be enhanced by truing up the action. I have made fixtures that allow me to true the face of the receiver to the action threads, and then surface grind the breech block square to the receiver face to within .0005. My latest #1 is chambered in 38-50 Remington Hepburn with a Green Mountain 1-12.5 twist barrel and consistently shoots 1/2" groups at 100 yards with fixed ammo. My rifle is also fitted with the above mentioned Frank Zika speed hammer and hammer spring. If you are interested in using the Ruger action to build a rifle the suggestions offered by the other Forum posters should be a good guideline to follow for building a fine rifle. Good luck on your project.

SSS
           

i do all of my competitive shooting in black powder sil. and black powder target rifle . i have a #1 in 223 that i dont shoot much anymore and thought it would be fun to make it into a 32/40 that shoots well for my own pleasure, as there is no schutzen type shooting in my area  connecticut.  thanks art

Leadball is correct in that the schuetzenized Rugers seem to have less cachet than the rifles built on more "traditional" actions like Ballard/stevens/'walls" etc.  If you rigged an outside hammer spur on it it might make a big difference
However that does make them attractive to guys who are just getting into the sport.

 it also does not make them any less accurate.  thinking back, as best I can , over the past few years of shooting on the Etna Green range I recall seeing some matches won with ruger barrelled rifles so they are capable,  however winning matches is done by the shooter, the rifle is just the tool he uses.   Most winners are guys with a lot of experience, in the game, and with their gun.
 I think most of the bench rest matches are won with dedicated rifles using modern design short-stroke or strikerfired heavy barrelled and bench stocked rifles chambered in modern high velocity (for lead bullets) small capacity cartridges. I don't recall a bench match being won with a "traditional cartridge" in a while--I may be totally wrong on this but its the impression I have.
In offhand it seems to me that most of the matches are won by guys who have been shooting their guns for a long time and again they are dedicated offhand rifles.
If there were a match that required the use of the same rifle, stock, sights, and load for 50 shots bench and 50 shots offhand it'd be interesting to see what evolved over a few years.
I see no reason why a well tuned and set up, properly stocked #1/3 in experienced hands should not do as well, especially in offhand.  As a pure bench rest gun the lock time even with a lighter hammer and improved springs might put it at a slight disadvantage.  but there are so many other factors . .   

In fairness I should add that I LIKE the Ruger SS and have 2 of'em set up for ASSRA competition, one in 22rf for the 200 yd bench targets and another in 38-55.  I'm wanting to build a #3 as an offhand rifle.