Rebarreling a #1

[jpuke]

Maybe some of you guys out there know the answer to some of my questions about the #1.  I want to get one in 458 Win Mag so I can duplicate old buffalo loads with heavy paper patched bullets, but I'd also like to use the full-house 458 loads as well.  The problem is that I'm a skinny guy and recoil sends me flying.  What's I'd like to do is get a #1 rebarreled to 458 with a HEAVY barrel and I'm wondering what it involves.
Should I look for a used gun that is chambered for something based on the 375 H&H case?  (I think I read that the extractor needs to be cartridge specific for the #1)  Is getting a new extractor that difficult or expensive?  I won't be doing the work myself so I guess it doesn't matter except where the price is concerned - any knowledge of rebarreling a #1 would be appreciated.

[Yukon Jack]

The 375 H&H, 458 Win Mag, 405 Win, 416 Rigby, and (I think) 458 Lott are being chambered in the in the No. 1 H now.  All No.1's have the same actions.  All No.1 H's carry the same weight 24" barrel, so reboring a 375H&H is going to be like a factory No. 1 458.  The No.1 has an excellent stock design and the H version weighs in at nearly 10 lbs.  Put a 1.5-5x Leupold scope on it and it is a 10 lb rifle.  That should put the recoil in the "tolerable" department.  I've owned several No. 1's in all sorts of calibers over the years and have never felt beaten up by them.  I'm kind of wiry myself, wieghing in at about 160 lbs.  Basically the only thing you could do is to add a muzzle brake or a mercury recoil reducer.  Oh, by the way, the recoil pads are pretty stiff rubber.  You might want to change to a Kick-eze or Pachmyr Decelarator.  I've never had the need to any of those, even on the 416 Rigby.

[Nobade]

If you want to use paper patch bullets (or any cast bullets for that matter), you may find much more happiness opening that .458 up to .450 Ackley.(full length H&H brass, sharp shoulder, 45 cal.)  That will give you a straight neck instead of a taper to the mouth, which will make it a lot easier to find good accuracy with cast. You can also have the throat cut to your specs at the same time, to accomodate whatever bullet design you have in mind. As far as recoil, as the above post pointed out, I wouldn't worry about it too much. The #1H is plenty heavy, and 500 gr. bullets at 1200-1400 fps won't be any big deal at all.

[captainkirk]

Having owned both a 375 and a 458, (still have the 458), I can tell you thet the 375 has a lighter weight barrel then the 458 model.  The Ruger parts catalog lists some parts that should be the same if the barrels were the same outside diameter, seperately.  The 375 is about a pound less.  I enjoy shooting my 458 with loads like what you describe - only not paper patched - just straight lead with IMR SR4759 powder.  "Tame as dishwater" even from the bench with the factory recoil pad.  I would like to get a pacmayr pad and add some weight to the buttstock for the heavier loads, but as posters said above, the factory barrel is plenty heavy for your intended purposes...

[kciH]

jpuke,
if you are just going to use the full power .458 loads at the range or in "one shot" hunting situation, you may want to consider a muzzle brake.  I like to use the KDF style.  With a removable brake, you can use it with the full power loads, and remove it and install the threaded cap when you don't want it.  I'll advise you use ear plugs and ear muffs when firing with one in place, but that's a good bit easier and less expensive than reinventing the wheel on this matter.  I'm not a big bore guru, but this seems like the most expedient measure in my book.  

The other side of the coin is that the "buffalo loads" you want to duplicate provide for plenty of recoil in even a heavy rifle. Long strings can prove painful, depending on your tolerance. A means of getting around this ,rather than a new barrel, might be to have your stock bored for a mercury recoil reducer, or two, they do work and it will add a stock heavy bias that some find enhances off hand shooting.

PS.  Where do you shoot?  I'm down at Weeping Water often.