Opinions On The Hicks #1 Accurizer System

V

VarmintGuy

Guest
Over the past several decades I have owned a score or two of the handsome and intriguing Ruger #1 Rifles.
My experiences with them have mostly been happy ones but now and then I have obtained a clunker - accuracy wise!
On these occasions I often would "tweak" them and bed them and have thier triggers changed and I often went to great lengths trying to discover "the magic handload" that would turn that #1 into an interesting and accurate Rifle!
Then about 12 years ago I changed my policy with Ruger #1's! If they were not able to obtain good accuracy with a reasonable amount of load development and bullet testing then they were sold!
No more trips to the Riflesmiths for my #1's!
Well, today I am considering "modifying" this policy!
I now have a Ruger #1-B in caliber 22-250 Remington that is so beautiful of stock, so perfect and so "COOL" looking that even though its accuracy is FLAWED, I can not bring myself to sell it!
I am now considering installing one of the "Hicks #1 Accurizer" devices in this Rifle!
I have never owned a Ruger #1 with this device on it.
My question to any interested or knowledgeable person is - what are my chances of installing this device with its minor stock modification requirements and it then actually improving my accuracy!
To help with your consideration this Ruger #1-B in caliber 22-250 is stringing shots VERTICALLY!
To the EXTREME!
For instance - the last grouping (5 shots at 100 yards) I made with this Rifle produced a group that had a horizontal dispersion of .628" - I could live with that.
BUT, the vertical dispersion was 3.465"!
The group (5 shots at 100 yards) before that had a horizontal dispersion of .587" and the vertical dispersion was 2.971"!
The load test group (5 shots at 100 yards) before that one measured .296" horizontally and 3.407" vertically!
IIRC, I actually broke down and cried after that grouping!
I have a Leupold 6.5x20 variable scope on this Rifle and the trigger is pleasant and crisp enough!
I have toyed with the idea of buying another Ruger #1-B in 22-250 Remington and swapping the outstanding wood from my in-accurate #1 to the new Rifle and just "starting over".
The money I have in this Rifle and the small amount I will loose when I resell it does not concern me - but one of my concerns is I hate to sell anyone a Rifle that has this significant a problem with vertical shot dispersion!
What do you think my chances are of the Hicks #1 Accurizer system solving my vertical dispersion problem with this Rifle?
Wish me luck and thanks in advance for ANY direction or speculation with this situation.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
 
Like you I had come to the same conclusion. Mine was a battle with a .243 Winchester, It was like pulling teeth to get the rifle to shoot. I wish the Hicks had been around then. I think for the 60.00 bucks for the Hicks, I would give it a try. A lot of people think the Hick's are worth a try. I haven't read anything about them that is not positive.
 
Hicks

Could try putting a shim/wedge between the barrel and the forearm support to duplicate the effect of a Hicks, see if it helps. Do want to check that the forarm isn't contacting the barrel anywhere and keep the bag as close to the action as possible. I have one on a 7 mag, but cannot say that it did or did not help. Can say it didn't hurt it any. Yes, you can install it, I did mine. Would recommend that you use a different forearm so you don't have to drill the extra hole in the beautiful one on the gun. At the time I was kind of frantic about improving the accuracy and tried to many fixes (bedding, restocked,Tubb final finish, seating depth, loads, bullets, powders, etc.) to tell exactly what did what. I got it down to 'deer' hunting accuracy (2" @ 100 yrds, no stringing) and kind of lost interest in fiddling with it. (got a Savage 243 that was a no brainer to touch bullet holes with and went deer hunting!). Need to get it back out and fine tune the loads and the Hicks a little more, love shooting it. I've learned a thing or two since those days as well, I hope. Do try a wedge first, might save ya 60 bucks.
 
Ruger #1

Had a Ruger #1-B rebarreled with a Shilen 223, 1-9 last Fall and the g'smith believes in a lot of "up" forend pressure at the tip. Had the on-going problems of vertical stringing. Removed the forend and using a wooden dowell and 80 grit, opened up the barrel channel all the way to the receiver. Am now able to pass 4 One Dollar bills all the way to the receiver: with 5 it starts to get tight. The vertical stringing problem is gone, although shots will still climb, although not nearly as much, if the barrel heats-up. Fire a 5 shot group, set it aside for 10 minutes or so, another 5, etc., and it will hold well under M.O.A. Also have proven, to myself, that the front rest must be kept as close to the front of the receiver as possible, so use a large bunny eared front bag instead of my Sinclair front rest, ( the rear leg would be in the way of the lever anyway). Tried my Harris bi-pod, but groups open up.
 
Have a Hicks installed on a 22-250, Stainless 1V. Seems to work just fine. Bedding is critical. Have a link here that explains the process,

http://varminthuntinginternational.com/accurizingnoruger.html

As far as the small hole, nobody will ever know its there except you, and it does facilitate the use of the Hicks very well. Another trick is to relieve the radius and flat where the forend mates to the reciever. Then bed that area, doesnt take much.

The way that the Hicks works is that once bedded and installed, you have the forend off, take the set screw and turn it in till it just touches the barrell, put the forend on. After that all adjustment is done by an allen wrench with everything in place. You decide on a starter load that you want to use or try, after that its range time. Shoot a group, turn the rifle over and tweak it, A little movement goes a long ways. You are basically trying to tune the rifle to the load. Trial and error.

Mine settled in with a 52-53 grain, at 3600 to 3700 fps.
 
Ttuxedo: Yes its hard to be "interested" in a Rifle that shoots 2" groups these days!
I have noted your wedge suggestion and its on the list - $60.00 is still $60.00!

F d shuster: And I have been SO careful to rest my Ruger #1's forearm exactly in its middle! I have never had it resting on my bags just in front of the action!
I will try that in the future as well.

DR4NRA: Thanks for the information and the link - I have saved that link on my favorites list and will be consulting it again and often.

Thanks all

Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
 
I had a No. 1 varmint barrel in .223 that had issues with grouping and I made a device that shimmed the forearm hanger and removed all the pressure off the forearm. No contact at all. I also installed a 400 grain hammer, with no ignition problems, and the grouping went down to 3/8 inch at 100 yards. If the Hicks will remove all pressure then I would go for it.

Jeff
 
Ruger#1/ Hicks

Jeffery: Basically, sounds like you also free-floated the barrel, as I did, only by a different method. As far as I know, The Hicks device applies pressure, in varying degrees by the adjustment screw, against the barrel, in effect, pushing it "up". My pressure pad also did the same, only at the end/tip of the forend. I still believe in trying free-floating as a first-fix: cost is zero, and if it does not work, the Hicks then can be an alternative choice. I've also considered replacing the hammer. Factory hammer is like using a sledgehammer to drive a very small finishing nail, with all the extreme vibration. My gunsmith is a master working with factory trigger parts, and gave me a 2# creep-free trigger.
 
F D you are correct, free floating the barrel is a good and cheap method to accurrizing , and you are mostly correct on the Hicks. While the Hicks does use the set screw to push up on the barrel, which is why I stated that a little adjustment goes a long ways, it also pushes the hanger down onto the forearm thereby tensioning the forearm. That is the main reason for adding the bedding material under the hanger, giving it a stable surface to contact. My #1 has the Hicks, has been floated, bedded and also had a good smithy clean up the horrendous trigger. All in all it turned out very well, no stringing of shots, and a nice varmint gun. Again with the Hicks you are basically "Tuning" the rifle to the load, instead of tuning the load to the rifle.

DR
 
I once built up a #1 B in .223 using a special barrel tuning fixture, which probably works somewhat like the Hicks. This was a sliding Delrin "V"block (and frame) inletted into the forearm and controlled through a long piece of all thread rod accessable through a small hole in the forend. Essentially, it was a pressure point that could be moved fore and aft along the barrel without anything else touching the barrel. The forearm attachment to the hanger was relieved and glass bedded. The gun also had the trigger improved and the buttstock glassed. It shoots about .5-.6" with the right loads in the factory barrel, but is rather sensitive to bullet seating depth and also resizing length. Other #1's have responded well to free floating and with the huge amount of vertical indicated in the subject rifle, something is pretty wrong wih the existing setup. As with most 2 piece stock setups you also might that there is no lost motion in the butt stock attachment, no extreme pressure in the forend (try shooting without the forend on), and good bench technique used. The best cure for sick #1's is a proper rebarreling with the action clearance set so that a bit of pressure is applied between breech block and barrel face as the action goes into battery. Slightly long cases will also make the action lock up a bit more tightly, which I believe lessens vertical a bit.

Scott
 
Funny I noticed the same thing on my 22.250 that Scott noticed. It is very and I mean very particular about what types of reloads you feed it. Mine will only let me neck size once, then have to full length size, or you will not be able to close the breech. Also seating depth is another spot that really plays havoc with my #1. A couple thousandths long and it doesnt group, a couple thousandths short, and it doesnt group. Had this rifle 6 years, and it made me age about 10 just trying to figure out what was up. Nice rifles, just can make ya old before your time making them shoot right.

Heres another link to look at, dont know if I would do all that is suggested, but some of it looks worth a try.

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_notes/archive_tech_notes.htm/4

Good luck

DR
 
#1v

I bought a #1 V at a pawn shop for what the leupold scope was worth on it a 6.5x20 . It shot fair 1-1 1/4 " After a while I went to R-15 powder, brought it down to just under an inch. Then found a article on the net about the Hicks accurizer & drilling & tapping the Hangar I opted for that & groups dropped to under 1/2 " as long as I do my part. this is a 220/swift. I also have one in 223 that will get the hicks just for the simplicity of it when I get back to those rifles. Id say either will work as their the same principal. Drilling & tapping the hangar is cheaper but not nearly as easy. I didnt bother the bedding on the forend Now Im afraid to bother it anymore.
 
I've had a bunch of experience with Ruger #1 rifles. After much knashing of teeth I gave up on any version other than the 1V.

Hicks sent me one of his accurizers that I installed in a friends model 1V and it worked excellent. We used his gun because it was a true 3" rifle. With the Hicks and nothing else, it is now a sub 1" gun (220 Swift)

I modify my rifles to have 100% free floating barrels, five wraps of electrical tape on the barrel at the tip of the forend, I then grease up the hanger bracket where the forend attaches and bed this area the hanger screw passes through, and I bed the area that the forend touches the receiver face. This process will allow a 1V to shoot as good as the barrel will allow. And Ruger barrels a "pig in a poke", you might get a good one, but you might not.

I find the 1V shoots better with a Harris BiPod than they do off the bags.
Fire-lapping helps the bores in many cases.
Check the crowns, many of them need attention.
Some Ruger #1 rifles will just not shoot, no matter what you do.

More info here:
www.rvbprecision.com
 
Ruger No. 1V

I bought a new #1V last year,and had a gunsmith (who is good with them)

check the barrel/stock area for any problems and work on the trigger. I did

some 25-06 load development at 100 yds. Then I took it to a 1,000 yd. BR

Match to see what I could do with it. The day before the match I tried

sighting it in on clay berm birds. I found that the gun was accrate enough,

at 1,000 yds. - but with the round factory fore stock I couldn't keep the

torque from rolling it so for to the right that I couldn't get back on my

sighter bird in time to see where I was hitting. I had Al Forbes, who shoots

a round stock 25-06 Rem. factory class gun, try it and he said it was good.

However, I enjoy shooting my flat stock BR guns too much to want arm

cramps fighting the round factory stock at 1,000 yds. The 1V is a beautiful

gun and I'll keep it for Prairie Dogs, but not BR shooting. Gerry Nordmann
 
Gentlemen All: Thank you very much for all the tips and links and suggestions.
I have been re-newed in my interest in getting this Rifle shooting as good vertically as it does horizontally!
I will keep you informed.
Thanks again.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
 
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