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Sharps Model 1874s- Setting the Record Straight!
Anschütz Model 1727F
Gold Medal Sporter
Short Bolt
Actions
Less Is
More
May 2014
No. 274
$5.99
05
Ruger’s No. 1 Favorite!
7
25274 01240
Display until 6/14/2014
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Printed in USA
$5.99 U.S./Canada
May 2014
Volume 46, Number 3
ISSN 0162-3593
Issue No. 274
Sporting Firearms Journal
8
.45-90
WCF
32
Ruger No. 1
Spotting
Scope -
Beauty, Accuracy
and Bill Ruger’s
Favorite
Dave Scovill
Brian Pearce
56
.22 Long
Rifle
Shooting the
Newest Loads
John Haviland
Page 38 . . .
38
14
20
Determining Rifle
Barrel Groove
Diameter
Sharps
Model
1874s
Light Gunsmithing -
Setting the
Record
Straight
Gil Sengel
Mike Venturino
.257 Roberts
Ackley Improved
Page 56 . . .
Page 62 . . .
Classic Cartridges John Haviland
24
Where Are
Marlin’s
Leverguns?
62
Mostly Long Guns Brian Pearce
Page 28 . . .
44
Short Bolt
Actions
Unraveling
the Ross
Mystery
Questions Still
Burn, a Century
Later
Terry Wieland
Making a
Case for a
Short Throw
John Barsness
50
Anschütz
Model 1727F
Shooting a Biathlon
Modified Sporter
Stan Trzoniec
28
Carbine
Pretenders
Page 50 . . .
Down Range Mike Venturino
4
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Background Photo: © 2014 Mitch Kezar/Windigoimages.com
Rifle 274
On the cover . . .
This month’s cover is a Ruger No. 1-A
Tropical .404 Jeffery with a nicely figured
stock. Rifle photos by G. Hudson. Lion photo
by D. Robert & Lori Franz/Windigoimages.com.
68
Nelson
Custom
Guns
Issue No. 274
Custom
Corner -
May 2014
Sportitinng Fi
Firrear
earm
ms Jour
urnnal
Stan Trzoniec
Publisher/President – Don Polacek
Publishing Consultant – Mark Harris
Editor in Chief – Dave Scovill
Associate Editor – Lee J. Hoots
Managing Editor – Roberta Scovill
Senior Art Director – Gerald Hudson
Production Director – Becky Pinkley
Contributing Editors
John Haviland
Ron Spomer
Brian Pearce
Stan Trzoniec
Clair Rees
Mike Venturino
Gil Sengel
Ken Waters
Terry Wieland
Advertising
Advertising Director - Tammy Rossi
[email protected]
Page 68 . . .
70
Advertising Representative - Tom Bowman
[email protected]
What’s New
in the
Marketplace
Advertising Representative - James Dietsch
[email protected]
Advertising Information: 1-800-899-7810
Inside Product
News -
Circulation
Circulation Manager – Kendra Newell
[email protected]
Clair Rees
Subscription Information: 1-800-899-7810
www.riflemagazine.com
78
Charles
Gordon:
Lessons
for Today’s
Collector
Page 70 . . .
Walnut Hill Terry Wieland
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All authors are contracted under work for hire. Publisher retains all copyrights upon payment for all manuscripts. Although all possible care is exercised, the
publisher cannot accept responsibility for lost or mutilated manuscripts.
Rifle 274
.257 ROBERTS
ACKLEY IMPROVED
CLASSIC CARTRIDGES
T
he .257 Roberts Ackley Improved is a perfect example
of the fallacy that merely “improving” a case by reducing its body
taper and adding a sharp shoulder
makes a cartridge more efficient.
The original Roberts is set with a
maximum pressure of a relatively
mild 54,000 pounds per square
inch (psi) and the Roberts +P pressure at 58,000 psi. However, the
.257 Roberts Improved has no established standard pressure. When
the improved cartridge is handloaded to excessive pressures, the
resulting increased velocity is incorrectly attributed to its case design. Still, loaded to a sensible
pressure level, the .257 Improved
by John Haviland • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
provides an excellent return for
the powder invested.
In Volume 1 of Handbook for
Shooters & Reloaders, P.O. Ackley
does not beat his own drum about
inventing the .257 Improved, referring to it as the “Improved .257,”
or with his name in parentheses,
“.257 Roberts Improved (Ackley).”
He does write good things about
the cartridge. “. . . the design of the
improved case is such that after
fire forming has occurred the
loads can be increased considerably over and above the original
to achieve a considerably higher
total velocity,” he wrote. “In the
case of the Improved .257 the velocities are approximately 10%
higher than for the standard cartridge in the average rifle.
“Pressures must be considered
when working with such cartridges,
but here again it can be demonstrated that the improved designed
cases can safely handle higher
pressures as they are normally
measured than could be safely
used in the original case. There
seems to be no accepted explanation for this because pressures
which would be considered abnormally high for cases of rather
tapered design seem to show no
detrimental effects in a case of
similar capacity with the improved
design.
The .257 Ackley Improved
cartridge is nothing more
than the original .257
Roberts case with some
of its body taper removed
and a sharper shoulder
angle added.
sure intensity from the
correct powder in a
rifle case is mostly
what determines bullet velocity. No magical increase in bullet
speed results from a
case with a minimum
amount of body taper
or shoulders with sharp
angles that supposedly
act like a nozzle to direct powder gases toward the base of a bullet.
As an example of loads on the
edge of excessive for the .257 Im-
“It is a relatively efficient cartridge, flexible and comes close to
the mythical ‘all around cartridge.’”
The additional four to nine grains
of various powders above what is
loaded in the regular .257 Roberts
do provide a noticeable step up in
velocities for the .257 Improved,
but I take exception to Ackley’s
statement that the same case in its
improved shape is better able to
withstand higher pressures. Pres20
www.riflemagazine.com
The .25-06 Remington cartridge (left) is
much more popular than either the .257
Improved (center) or the .257 Roberts
(right).
Rifle 274
proved, the Speer Manual
for Reloading Ammunition Number 8 (1970) contains loads for 100-grain
bullets at 3,400 fps and
120-grain bullets at 3,100
fps. Powder weights for
those loads are a few
grains less than the same
weights for powders listed
for the .25-06 Remington.
Velocities for the .25-06
were about 60 to 100 fps
faster, mainly because the
.25-06 rifle had a 25-inch
barrel while the Improved
rifle had a 22-inch barrel.
These loads were developed when Speer measured case head expansion
of a fired case to determine
when maximum pressure
was reached.
Near as I can measure,
blowing out the Roberts
case to the improved
shape results in an inbullet
powder
charge
velocity
(grains)
(grains)
(fps)
crease of about 7 percent
75 Hornady V-MAX
H-4895
44.5
3,462
of total case capacity.
IMR-4320
45.5
3,295
That increase in case
80 Barnes Tipped Triple-Shock
Big Game
49.0
3,383
volume is approximately
VV-N150
48.0
3,404
10 percent less than the
87 Sierra Varminter
Big Game
48.0
3,246
.25-06 Remington. ComW-760
51.0
3,399
paring my handloading
100 Sierra Pro-Hunter
H-4831
53.5
3,295
records and loads from
Varget
44.0
3,151
recent handloading man100 Swift Scirocco
Hunter
50.0
3,233
uals for the .257 Roberts
IMR-4350
49.0
3,262
and the .257 Improved,
RL-19
49.0
3,070
the latter burns 12 to 17
110 Nosler AccuBond
Hunter
48.0
3,060
percent more propellant
H-4831
51.0
3,162
than the standard Roberts
RL-22
51.0
3,103
to achieve 4 to 7 percent
117 Hornady SST
H-4831
48.0
2,941
higher velocities. So the
IMR-4350
44.0
2,814
RL-19
49.0
2,995
increased propellant ca120 Swift A-Frame
IMR-4350
44.0
2,848
pacity of the improved
IMR-4831
46.0
2,905
case is providing that adBe Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data.
ditional velocity, not beWestern Powders’ Recause of its shape, but
loading & Load Data Guide, edilevel, 3,293 fps was the fastest vebecause it’s loaded to a higher
tion 5.0, lists 63,500 psi as the
locity for 100-grain bullets and
pressure. This is good, though, because pressure is the handloader’s
highest pressure for its Ackley
3,023 fps for 120s fired from a 24friend.
Improved loads. At that pressure
inch barrel.
May-June 2014
Selected Loads for the
.257 Improved Ackley
www.riflemagazine.com
21
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The .257 Improved
remains popular
enough that
Redding and other
manufacturers make
reloading dies for
the cartridge. These
dies are for the
Improved cartridge
with a 40-degree
shoulder angle.
Other versions of the
Improved have other
shoulder angles.
Roberts cartridges loaded to their
+P pressure level and shot from a
21-inch barrel reached just short
of 3,300 fps with 75-grain bullets,
3,200 fps with 87-grain bullets,
slightly over 3,000 fps with 100grain bullets and slightly under
2,900 fps with 115-grain bullets.
An additional 4.0 to 6.0 grains of
the same propellants, with Reloder
15 on the fast-burning side and
Reloder 22 on the slow-burning
end, loaded in the improved case
somewhat increased those velocities. (Roughly 75 fps of that step
up in speed was the result of
the Improved rifle’s 3-inch longer
barrel.) Seventy-five grain bullets
reached 3,460 fps; 87s, 3,400 fps;
100s, 3,295 fps; and 117s, 2,995 fps.
That’s a pretty good return for the
extra powder and only about 100
fps short of what the .25-06 Remington produces from a 24-inch
barrel.
One appeal of the Improved cartridge is it fits in a short action. A
Montana Rifle Company Woodland Classic rifle .257 Improved
I’ve shot quite a bit has a magazine
Barrel &
Gun Works
ÓäÓäÊ
7°
Ê
+Õ>

Ê
ÛiÕiÊ

Ê
i«Ì
°
Ê
,
*i
Ý]
Ê
<Ê
nxäÓÇ
22
www.riflemagazine.com
Reboring • Rerifling
Custom Barrels
Lengths to 36”
Calibers .22 to .585
Chrome moly or
Stainless Steel
Dan Pedersen, Barrel Maker
339 Grove Avenue • Prescott, AZ 86301
[email protected] • 928-772-4060
that accepts cartridges with a
length of 3.0 inches and a chamber
throat just short of that length.
The Hornady reloading handbook
lists a maximum Improved cartridge length of 3.065 inches.
Some fans of the Improved think
the cartridge is better suited to a
standard-length action so bullets
can be seated out even farther to
provide room for more powder,
but with a standard-length action
you’re better off with a .25-06
Remington. With that cartridge the
option is available to shoot factory-loaded ammunition, and cases
are readily available without having to spend the time fireforming
them.
Not much is heard about .257 Improved these days. Montana Rifle
Company and Cooper Firearms
are the only manufacturers chambering the cartridge, although it is
fairly easy for a gunsmith to ream
the chamber of a .257 Roberts to
the Improved. The .25 Winchester
Super Short Magnum delivers
nearly the same velocities as the
Improved, in even more compact
rifles that Browning and Winchester offered up until a few years
ago. But the .25 WSSM is as com atose as congressional bipartisanship. The .25-06 Remington garners
the majority of interest in .25caliber cartridges, although an increased amount of attention is
focusing on the voracious .257
Weatherby Magnum. However, before declaring the .257 Improved’s
time has passed, remember it
is a good return for the powder
R
burned.
Rifle 274
RUGER No.1
Brian Pearce
T
he first Ruger No. 1 rifles were
produced in 1966, which was
a surprising and bold move
on the part of Bill Ruger, who
had only been in the firearms business
a mere 17 years. Previous firearms offered by Ruger were widely accepted
and were in a continual back-order
mode, sometimes for years. His designs were new, and their success
proved he had a unique talent for
understanding what shooters and
hunters wanted in the way of handguns and rifles. A classic-styled, highquality single-shot rifle, with a notably
higher price tag than competitors’
bolt-action rifles, had some critics
speculating that Ruger had possibly
missed his target.
Beauty, Accuracy
and Bill Ruger’s
Favorite
The No. 1 offered elegant lines reminiscent of the big
British/Scottish Farquharson rifles, though notably
trimmer, and internally it was completely modern. The
falling block breech lockup was carefully engineered
to offer improved support and strength and easily
housed modern high-pressure cartridges.
The trigger was adjustable, reliable and broke cleanly.
Most versions came with factory integral steel rings
32
www.riflemagazine.com
Rifle 274
Left to right: Ruger No. 1-A Light
Sporter 9.3x74R with 22-inch barrel,
No. 1-B Standard .243 Winchester with
26-inch barrel and Ruger M77 MKII
.30-06 with 22-inch barrel. Note the
1-A is notably shorter than the M77
while sharing the same barrel length.
The 1-B has a 4-inch longer barrel but
is slightly shorter than the M77.
that clamped directly to the quarter-rib via dovetailed slots. On select models, the quarter-rib also
housed a folding rear sight, while
the front sight was mounted atop
a barrel band, which added beauty
to an already handsome rifle.
During his previous years of firearms manufacturing, Ruger had
been innovative in using investment
castings that effectively shaped
firearms receivers and other parts
close to form that were then machined to their final state. This
substantially reduced machining
costs and manufacturing time. But
in Ruger’s testing, this casting technique also changed or rearranged
the metal’s grain structure, when
compared to bar stock, and actually increased its strength. The No.
from the axis of the bore. Additional clever engineering allows
dry firing without damage to the
firing pin. The upper edge of the
breechblock is beveled and helps
push cartridges home when the action is closed. The extractor works
reliably with rimmed and rimless
cartridges and is unusually positive. Considering that it extracts
cases directly backward and lacks
the camming power associated
with bolt-action rifles, its positive
function is a great accomplishment. I recently worked with two
No. 1s, a .270 Weatherby Magnum
and .416 Remington Magnum.
Each was fired extensively, first
with factory loads, then with a variety of handloads with some at
maximum pressures of 65,000 psi.
In each case, the rifles extracted
cases with ease, illustrating the reliability of the extractor even when
dealing with comparatively highpressure sporting cartridges.
The sliding two-position, tangmounted safety blocks the sear
while a safety bar blocks the hammer. That said, when carrying No.
The No. 1 action is compact
and features a lever-operated
falling block and tang safety.
May-June 2014
1 receiver was
cast and machined
from 4150 chrome-moly steel, then
heat-treated. When subjected to
controlled destruction tests, it
passed with flying colors.
1s on horses, I leave the chamber
empty. Neither do I consider it safe
to place a round in the chamber
and pull the trigger while closing
the action; it’s a potential disaster
waiting to happen.
Other No. 1 features include a firing pin that is angled at 5 degrees
Early guns offered beautiful machine work and displayed outstandwww.riflemagazine.com
33
Left, many No. 1 rifles feature highly figured walnut stocks,
such as this 1-A .45-70. Above, all No. 1s feature a quarterrib that houses a rear sight (when appropriate) and is cut
with dovetails to accept factory scope rings.
RUGER No. 1
ing wood-to-metal fit. The American black walnut stocks often
displayed considerable figure and
beauty, offering a truly custom look.
Essentially, the No. 1 was a factory-produced rifle with classicstyled stock; clean, artistic lines;
and elegant beauty that was pleasing to the eye. Suggested retail was
$280.00, or approximately twice
the price of competing bolt-action
rifles from Remington and Win-
The NEW
Gebhardt
Machine Co.
Rimfire
Cartridge
Gage
“The Gage
That Works!”
$15000
This is a gage to measure consistency of rim thickness on
.22 rimfire ammunition (a .22
rimfire rifle’s headspace is determined by case rim thickness).
The more consistent the rim
thickness, the more consistent
the ignition of the primer and the powder
charge in the case. In other words, the firing pin will fall the same distance every
time if the same rim thickness is used on
every case being fired for a particular
group. By sorting the shells into various
groups by rim thickness, a reduction in
group size of up to 25% can be realized
in some IF NOT MOST rimfire rifles. This
information about group reduction comes
from the .22 rimfire benchrest participants who compete in the extremely difficult BR-50 matches. All of the top
shooters sort their shells into groups by
checking rims and weighing the unfired
cartridges.
Gebhardt Machine Co.
101 Allison St.
Lock Haven, PA 17745
TEL (570) 748-6772
Bill Gebhardt, Owner
(NRA Benefactor Member - IBS Life Member)
chester. In spite of steady inflation, the price was eventually lowered, and it is unclear if this was
an effort to gain more sales, or perhaps the company became more
efficient at producing the rifle. Regardless, with the exception of the
Deer Stalker 44, Ruger had not
previously produced a centerfire
sporting rifle, but this rifle caught
the attention of savvy riflemen,
and due to high demand, for several years they were extremely difficult to find on dealers’ shelves.
Single-shot rifles have some advantages over traditional bolt-action repeaters. Perhaps the most
obvious is the psychology associated with carrying a rifle afield
that has only one shot. Rather
than rely on a magazine full of cartridges for repeat shots, a hunter
must place the first and perhaps
the only shot correctly the first
time.
The falling block action design
also results in an overall shorter
rifle when compared to a bolt gun
with the same barrel length. A conventional bolt-action .30-06 with
a 22-inch barrel has an overall
length of around 42.75 inches,
whereas the No. 1 fitted with the
same length barrel measures just
38.5 inches, around 4.25 inches
shorter. If a shorter rifle is not
important, then barrel length can
be increased to 26 inches (No. 1
Medium Sporter with 42.5-inch
overall length), which usually results in notably greater velocities.
Most single shots, especially the
No. 1, are excellent for either rightor left-hand shooters.
I would hunt dangerous game with
a single shot, such as the Ruger
No. 1. Absolutely. The key word
here is hunt. Again, the first shot
is critical and should be placed
with precision. Would I use a single-shot rifle as backup on dangerous game? Not my first choice,
unless that was the only rifle available. In these circumstances, a reliable repeater can offer distinct
advantages.
Generally, No. 1s offer respectable accuracy, at least with correct load development. Over the
years I have owned and shot several dozen in many different calibers. Often the big-bore calibers,
such as .375 H&H, .450-400 3 inch,
.458 Winchester and .458 Lott
(Tropical), will stack bullets under
Many No. 1s, including Light Sporter
and Tropical rifles, feature attractive
and functional iron sights.
Many times I have been asked if
34
www.riflemagazine.com
Rifle 274
ured under .75 inch using Hornady
400-grain DGX bullets pushed
2,300 fps by 78.0 grains of Hodgdon Varget. With correct loads bigbore Tropical rifles often shoot
well.
Above, the sliding tang safety works
equally well for right- or left-handed
shooters. Right, the extractor is suitable
for rimmed or rimless cartridges.
one inch with correct loads, and
some groups have been recorded
at under .5 inch. For example, a
No. 1 .375 H&H (1976 manufacture with Wilson barrel) was prepared with lightened trigger pull
and carefully tailored handloads,
with no accuracy work being performed to the rifle. Using Barnes
270-grain XLC bullets seated to an
overall length of 3.769 inches,
pushed with 74.0 grains of IMR4320 powder and Federal 215
primers, this rifle could put three
shots in a single, ragged hole. The
May-June 2014
first .458 Winchester Magnum I
owned was a No. 1, which likewise would place Hornady 500grain FMJ bullets atop 75.0 grains
of Hodgdon H-4895 (2,150 fps)
under .75 inch, at least until the
glass in the scope let go. (It
sounded like a baby rattle.) Recently, while using a No. 1 .416
Remington Magnum to develop
loads for LoadData.com, and neck
sizing cases only, one group meas-
The heavy barrel Varminter, with
stiff barrels and small caliber cartridges, also generally shoots well.
Recently I was at a friend’s house
while he was trying a new handload in his No. 1-V .220 Swift. I
watched as he placed four shots
into about .40 inch. I commented
that was a pretty good group, to
which he replied: “Yeah, but about
twice as big as my old handload.”
A few years back I used a No. 1-V
.223 Remington on a prairie dog
shoot, and while I never put it on
paper, it quickly became apparent
that this rifle hit where it was
aimed, shot after shot, as far out
as 400 yards and beyond.
No. 1 Light and Medium Sporters
can occasionally be a bit more
temperamental and are often re-
www.riflemagazine.com
35
RUGER No. 1
liant upon a load that is tailored to
a given rifle. Early rifles manufactured from 1966 through 1973
were fitted with Douglas match
barrels and most of those had
the potential to shoot well. Many
years ago I owned a two digit serial numbered No. 1-B Standard
.30-06. This rifle would stay inside
.75 inch with a handloaded Nosler
180-grain Solid Base, as well as
with Federal Premium factory ammunition with Sierra 200-grain
bullets, and occasionally it would
stay inside .5 inch.
In 1973 the use of Wilson barrels
Left, with handloads, a No. 1
.243 Winchester
produced this
.25-inch group
with Barnes 80grain TTSX bullets.
Right, the No. 1
has recently become
available in .475
Linebaugh, which
makes an excellent
companion rifle to
revolvers. It is
capable of pushing
a 420-grain bullet
around 1,800
fps from the
22-inch barrel.
began, which occasionally produced substandard performance.
In 1985 Ruger began manufacturing hammer-forged (or swaged)
barrels, which have been continually improved over the years. These
are generally quality barrels that
shoot well. Handloads for a No. 1
9.3x74R were recently tried using
Hornady 286-grain Spire Points;
54.0 grains of Norma 2030B powder provided 2,250 fps, and groups
were consistently ranging from 1.2
inches to .80 inch. This is plenty
accurate for hunting any big game
species.
The importance of tuning loads
(factory or handloads) to a specific
rifle can be seen with my son’s
No. 1-B .243 Winchester. Using conventional 100-grain factory loads
from three manufacturers, this rifle
was a very consistent 2- to 2.5inch gun. We experimented with
several handloads with different
bullets but settled on the Barnes
80-grain Tipped TSX and 45.0
grains of Winchester 760 for over
3,400 fps. He then experimented
Ed LaPour Gunsmithing
3-Position Safeties for:
M-98, CZ 550 & BRNO ZKK 600
Win. 70,54 - Spgfd. 1903, 1922, - Enf. 1917
Swedish Mauser 94, 96 - Rem. M30
Sako Pre Model 75
Sako Vixen
Send $2.00 for information:
908 Hayward Ave. - Bremerton, WA 98310
Tel: (360) 479-4966 Fax: (360) 479-3902
www.edlapourgunsmithing.com
36
www.riflemagazine.com
with eight different bullet seating depths and recorded group
sizes with each, ultimately settling
on an overall cartridge length of
2.590 inches, which will consistently produce sub-.5-inch groups.
When a No. 1 just won’t shoot,
often it is because of the accuracy
trap built into the forearm hanger,
or perhaps incorrect forearm pressure against the barrel or even the
receiver. A great first step solution
is to install a Hicks No. 1 Accurizer system, which requires minimal modification (inletting) to the
forearm and then acts as a tension
adjuster that allows tuning the
barrel vibration to a specific load.
With a little effort and tuning, accuracy improvements can be significant. The Hicks No. 1 Accurizer
(available from www.brownells
.com or call 800-741-0015) sells for
less than $60 and is a great step
for a struggling rifle.
The late Bill Ruger was clearly a
great firearms designer, with words
such as strong, durable and reliable often being used to describe
his many firearms. But Ruger also
appreciated and owned fine guns
that displayed beauty, elegance
and outstanding workmanship. Although the No. 1 rifle has never
been priced out of the reach of the
average working man or woman,
it has all the above attributes. Incidentally, it was Ruger’s favorite
R
rifle.
Rifle 274

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