Ruger No.1's are a feast for the eyes. Graceful lines, well balanced, beautiful wood. Triggers are decent, and there is something about loading ONE cartridge into a breech locking firearm that is akin to loading a WW2 Artillery piece.
Finely crafted, everything operates with just the right tactile feel, from the locking and unlocking for the breech, the steady pace of the falling block, and the smooth feeding directly into a chamber you can look into.
They are not to everyone's taste. You can purchase a bolt gun that will shoot as well or better for 1/2 the price. But some things are worth more than the sum of their parts or functionality.
A fun test is this (especially with hunters) 10 round challenge at 150m. Everyone shoots 10 rounds into a target. The No.1 will do this easily, where a single magazine in a rifle takes time to reload, and insert and fire. But the No.1 handles this task easily.
Love these guns. They maintain a cult following not unlike the Venerable 1911 or GLOCK pistols.
To own one is to know