The .405 Winchester Shines In Ruger’s Single-Shot No. 1

Photos & Story
by Glen I. Voorhees Jr.
Western Field Editor

This story is about the late William B. Ruger Sr. and his guns, more specifically, his Model No. 1. Not as well known by the general public as Col. Samuel Colt, John Browning, or Smith & Wesson, Ruger is one of the truly remarkable firearms inventors of the shooting world. There are many other companies that make fine rifles and pistols, but they are producing products that are variations of existing firearm designs.

By all logic, you might want to challenge me for not including the famous Winchester line. Oliver Fisher Winchester was one of a consortium of 40 buyers who bought shares in the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company. Winchester was elected to the board of directors and became chairman in 1855. Upon Winchester's rise to the chairmanship and becoming the major shareholder, Volcanic soon became the Henry Rifle Co. and then later the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Winchester was not a designer or a gun man. His commercial lineage was that of a shirt maker. However, he realized the potential of the firearms business, put his money into it, and hired the best design engineers available.

Ruger's name is not as well known because Hollywood has not yet introduced his name to the world as it has Colt and Winchester. The average Joe or Jane is clueless about the firearms industry. They learn about firearms and the industry by parroting that which they see on the big and small screens.

This year is the 50th anniversary for Ruger and they have filled the plate for Ruger shooters and collectors. They have opened up two new markets. The first involves the new .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire (HMR) caliber, which Ruger is offering in their Single Six revolver and Model 77. The M77 is a full-size rifle, like the rest of the 77 Series and is not a redesigned .22.

Ruger and Michaels of Oregon have barrels chambered for the .17 HMR that will fit the 10/22 Magnum. Incidentally, I also plan to write about the Single Six in .32 H&R Magnum. I am in the process of evaluating these guns and will have a report shortly.

.405 Win. Cartridge
The other recent new market involved the reintroduction of the .405 Winchester. Ruger reincarnated the .405 Winchester cartridge, first introduced by Winchester for their 1895 lever-action, into the Model No. 1 single-shot rifle. This cartridge, until recently, was the most powerful round ever developed for a lever-action rifle. Last year Winchester (US Repeating Arms Co.) brought back the 1895 chambered for the .405. Ruger, seeing the potential of the caliber, jumped into the market by offering the Ruger Model No. 1 in .405. This is an excellent brush buster.

The only commercially available ammo in the US for the .405 are the 300-grain Hornady, jacketed softpoint, and the Old Western Scrounger 300-grain softpoint. Both are capable of handling most game found in the world. When properly hand-loaded, the .405 will drop anything that walks.

For handloaders, Barnes is already making their excellent "XFB" in a 300-bullet. Mt. Baldy Bullet Co. is offering two new hard custom cast bullets. One is the traditional 300-grain bullet and the other is a 350-grainer. I believe this last bullet is the heaviest bullet in that caliber on the market. Mt. Baldy offers a wide range of affordable cast bullets. They recommend that you use the crimp groove with enough pressure to grip the bullet firmly.

Loading information for the .405 Win. is scarce at this point, unless you dig into some of the older reloading manuals. I was told and am now convinced that the .405 is particularly fond of cast bullets. The loading info I have at this time will get you started on the right foot.

In conversations with Frank Renford, owner of Mt. Baldy, I received a wealth of information about the .405 and other info about cast bullets in general. This man really knows his "stuff." He can be a real help to anyone who reloads cast bullets. Information on how to contact Renford is at the end of this article. Anyone who has further information about .405 reloads is welcome to contact me through The New Gun Week magazine with that info. I would greatly appreciate it. I think this round is going to be another old-timer that "might" make a comeback. This round is not Cowboy Action ammo.

The other caliber that has grabbed my attention recently is the .45/70-thanks to Tony Aeschliman, with Marlin, Jim West of Wildwest Guns, and Randy Garrett of Garrett Cartridges. All three of these companies should look at the .405 for future projects. Gentlemen, I want first chance to test your products if you work with this round.

Barrel-Tuned Ammo
With the acquisition of the .405 Winchester, and because of experimentation with the .45/70 and other older cartridges, I have found that, for greater accuracy, each barrel needs its own particular load to achieve its maximum potential, particularly those which have an appetite for cast bullets. Other hints include:

1.) If you have no information on that particular caliber, try to find and look through some old reloading manuals. If you can't access them, then I would suggest any of the Lyman reloading manuals which can be purchased through: Lyman Products Corporation, 475 Smith St., Dept. GWK, Middletown, CT 06457; phone: 800-225-9626; on-line: www.lymanproducts.com. This will be your best single resource.

2.) Reload a few cartridges with a favorite bullet and start with minimum suggestions for each caliber and bullet weight. I like to go up in increments of 1 grain until you reach the maximum. Five to 10 shots will give you a good benchmark of bullet and powder performance.

3.) Erase from your mind-set the velocity of a bullet and concentrate on the accuracy. Remember that a deer standing at 200 yards should be yours with proper placement and accuracy. At this point, the difference between a 300-grain bullet at 2,000 feet-per-second (fps) and the same bullet at 2,300 fps will make no difference to the animal. The satisfaction will be yours, knowing that you are shooting a rifle whose loads have been tuned to that particular barrel.

4.) I have learned the Lee Turret Press is also compact and portable. I carry a Lee press and Redding dies with me to my shooting range. Using C-clamps and some deer hide for padding, I clamp the Lee Loader to the tailgate of my Dodge Diesel and move my shooting bench a few yards away. Now I am in the perfect position to load one to five rounds while on the range. This method is the fastest I have found and decreases the time to develop a perfect load for my rifle. Obviously this goes for pistol rounds as well.

I load various rounds on my RCBS Press at home and I must say, in my experience, it is unquestionably the strongest turret press that I have had the opportunity to work with. It's solid as a rock. You have confidence and the feeling that this friend will never let you down. Because of its portability, I have transferred my Redding dies to the Lee Loader. I now refer to the Lee as my portable turret press. With the dies pre-set at home and without the powder measure (I measure each round by scales), I find the Lee Loader easily transferable to where I am shooting. The portability and fine engineering of the Lee press can work as your field press just as I use mine.

Quality Single-Shot
In days gone by, the single-shot rifle was either a very inexpensive rifle that the average newcomer to the frontier could afford or it was a specially made, expensive target gun. Many of us who have been shooting for years have had a desire to own a good double rifle and a top-notch, accurate, "proud to be on the line with," affordable single-shot. The double rifle has never been available to the average shooter because of the high prices. Bill Ruger decided to build a fine single-shot for the average shooter. His first shipments of the single-shot rifle were made in 1966. In his first advertisement in 1967, the ad read: "A more efficient long range rifle . . . the single-shot action is approximately 4° inches shorter than that of a standard length bolt-action . . . the single-shot may have a longer barrel than the bolt gun, if they are both to be of the same overall length. As a result, the single-shot will deliver increased velocities from modern magnum cartridges. . . . This modern classic puts to a true test the skill and marksmanship of the hunter."

The total produced by 1993 was in excess of 180,000 rifles. It has been made in almost every caliber from the .218 Bee to the .458 Winchester Magnum. In 1967 its advertised price was $280. It was expensive but attainable, at a price five times less than other deluxe single-shots.

I happened to be at a gun store when the first Ruger No. 1 reached El Paso, TX. When the shop owner, Bobby McNellos, cleaned it up and set it on the counter, I knew that .243 was going to be mine. It was my show piece to take to the line, with many of the shooters coming to me between matches to see this affordable, well-designed and built, single-shot rifle.

That .243 has been responsible for filling my freezer for many years. I have Ruger No. 1s in .243 Winchester, .338, and now the .405. In two of the three cases I have used a Bushnell scope wrapped in Warne quick detachable rings. Both of these products I keep going back to because they have worked so well for me and tens of thousands of others. Check them both out.

All of the pistols and rifles that Ruger has built over the years have been well-made, "proud to own," accurate, and affordable.
Here are the reloading recommendations I can pass on: Powder Maximum Load Velocity
Barnes Bullets Inc.
300-grain XFB IMR 3031 51.5 grains 2,119 fps
300-grain XFB IMR 4895 53 grains 2,091 fps
Mt. Baldy Custom Cast
350-grain cast Reloder #7 53 grains 2,261 fps
300-grain cast Reloder #7 53 grains 2,242 fps
300-grain cast Reloder #15 57 grains 2,075 fps

I strongly recommend that you reduce these loads by 10% to start.
Keep in mind these recommendations are for the Ruger No. 1 only.

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