Condition: Excellent

1997 Ruger No. 1-S Medium Sporter .50 Alaskan Single-Shot Rifle, 22” Barrel, with Reloading Components
Today, we are pleased to offer something very unusual: this Ruger No. 1 chambered in .50 Alaskan. This single-shot rifle has been professionally rechambered to the wildcat .50 cartridge. Included in this sale is a Hornady 3-die reloading set, a box of 80 hard cast bullets, and a box of both factory- and hand-loaded ammunition. All factory rollmarks are present, indicating its place of manufacture as well as original caliber designations and the like. A large “50 AK” has been applied above the original caliber rollmark.

Condition
Overall Condition: Excellent condition, showing only extremely minor signs of prior use. The action appears to be in excellent working order.
Bore Condition: Excellent – clean, mirror finish, crisp lands and grooves. The original .45 cal bore has been professionally rebored to .50.
Furniture condition: Excellent – only extremely minor wear, nicks, or dings on the stock and forend are noted. Checkering is crisp.
Specific Condition Notes: A soft Kick-Eez buttpad has been fitted. Quarter rib is tight. One noticeable scuff is noted on the grip. Under studio lighting, the receiver and some other small parts are visible as a wonderful plum color, common to the bluing on older guns. The finish appears as a dark blue under normal lighting.

What's Included

  • Ruger No. 1 .50 Alaskan rifle

The Ruger No. 1 was the culmination of Bill Ruger’s desire to make a distinctive, classic sporting rifle inspired by the best traditions of English gunmaking. In many ways, the No. 1 bucked the trend of utilitarian products for which Ruger had been known to that point. The No. 1 combines the venerable Farquharson falling-block action with Ruger’s modern manufacturing methods, permitting this extremely strong, simple rifle to be brought to market at an accessible price. This particular rifle was made in 1997 and has lived quite an interesting life.

The rifle bears “BNP” Birmingham proof marks on the barrel, receiver, and breechblock, as required by British law. The inspector’s mark dates this proofing to 1998, indicating that this rifle spent quite some time abroad. Present also is the importer’s mark, who confirmed reimport of this rifle back to the USA in 2025.
The No. 1 was designed to be both handsome and durable. Classic lines include the aforementioned falling-block action and lever, the famous Alexander Henry forend, barrel-mounted front sling swivel stud, fine checkering on the furniture, and the distinctive quarter rib on the barrel. As a No. 1-S Medium Sporter, it hosts a medium weight barrel. A simple Nikon ProStaff 3-9x40 scope is fitted.

The action of this No. 1 is in Excellent condition. The action lever operates smoothly, and the falling block moves freely with no binding. The ejector appears to be fully functional. The quarter rib features integrated mounting points for scope rings, as well as serrations to eliminate glare. The tang safety moves smoothly and positively.

The rifle’s 22” barrel started life as a .45-70 and has been professionally rechambered to the wilcat .50 Alaskan. This massive cartridge is primarily meant for brown bear hunting in Alaska and similar northern climes. The bore is in Excellent condition with only exceedingly minor wear noted. The crown is in similar condition.

The rifle’s furniture is factory standard, with a beautiful American walnut stock and forend. Both feature fine checkering and a glossy finish. Very minor nicks and dings are noted on the stock and forend. The stock features a semi-pistol grip complete with original Ruger grip cap. A large Kick-Eez rubber buttpad has been fitted to tame the massive recoil of the .50 Alaskan. The forend features the distinctive Alexander Henry notch. Both front and rear sling swivel studs are present.

Included with the sale are a Hornady 3-die reloading set; 80 hard cast, gas-checked 465-gr SWC bullets from Rim Rock Bullets; and a box of .50 Alaskan ammo with 17 rounds of ammunition – 8 rounds of apparently factory 450 grain SP, and 9 rounds of what appear to be handloads with the hard casts.
The Ruger No. 1 is a classic sporting rifle whose distinctive falling-block action, graceful lines, and traditional walnut furniture have long captured the imagination of rifle enthusiasts. This 1997 example has been rechambered to a deadly serious hunting caliber, and comes with all the dies and components necessary to continue serving in this role for many years to come.

Specifications

  • Manufacturer: Ruger
  • Model: No. 1
  • Submodel: 1-S Medium Sporter
  • Caliber: .50 Alaskan (originally .45-70)
  • Action Type: Single-shot rifle
  • Locking mechanism: Farquharson-style falling block
  • Firing Mechanism: Internal hammer-fired
  • Safety mechanism: Tang-mounted safety
  • Magazine type: N/A
  • Capacity: 1
  • Barrel Length: 22 in
  • Barrel Material: Steel
  • Barrel Features: Medium weight; quarter rib with serrations
  • Sights: Rear adjustable buckhorn, front blade with brass bead
  • Scope Mount: Quarter rib accepts Ruger rings; Weaver mount also present
  • Scope: Nikon ProStaff 3-9x40
  • Receiver Material: Steel
  • Finish: Blued
  • Furniture: Factory walnut stock & forend
  • Furniture features: Kick-Eez pad, Alexander Henry forend, fine checkering, Ruger grip cap, front & rear sling swivel studs
  • Size: Full-size sporting rifle
  • Country of Origin: USA
  • Year Manufactured: 1997