peacemaker45
Member
That's an astonishing piece of wood.
Rifle in 270 and/or 30-06
- Thread starter cmdc
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Still Shooting
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If the Ruger Doesn't Group Well
cmdc - If the Rugers don't group well there are certain things that can be "fussed with" pretty easily, and one that is common with the wood-stocked M77's.
My first Ruger was my tang safety .257 Roberts. Out of the box, its cold barrel shot was dead-on. Next shot was about 3" away, usually right and high. Third shot was left and high. I cursed and reloaded, to no avail. Then I ran a piece of paper under the barrel, about 5/8" behind the forend tip, and slid it back toward the receiver. It bound about 4" back from the forend tip, at 8 o'clock from the shooter's position. Removed the barreled action, sanded the high spot to clear by about .020", and done! -Sub 1/2moa.
Second was my wife's M77 mkII .243 ultralight. More binding on the forend, in 3 different places. Sanded it clear, and made a mod to the forend tip (Ruger mills the forend so that it cradles the bottom half of the barrel for 5/8" at the forend tip. If you sand it clear except for a little bit at 6 o'clock on the barrel, good things happen. In this case, one ragged hole at 100yds.
Third was my M77 mkII .270 win. Got a load for 150gr. Nosler Partitions at max powder, and no changes to rifle. 5 overlapping holes @ 100yds.
I guess the point here is, sometimes you have to "fuss" with a Ruger a little bit to get it where you want it. I don't mind this, it makes the rifle "mine."
cmdc - If the Rugers don't group well there are certain things that can be "fussed with" pretty easily, and one that is common with the wood-stocked M77's.
My first Ruger was my tang safety .257 Roberts. Out of the box, its cold barrel shot was dead-on. Next shot was about 3" away, usually right and high. Third shot was left and high. I cursed and reloaded, to no avail. Then I ran a piece of paper under the barrel, about 5/8" behind the forend tip, and slid it back toward the receiver. It bound about 4" back from the forend tip, at 8 o'clock from the shooter's position. Removed the barreled action, sanded the high spot to clear by about .020", and done! -Sub 1/2moa.
Second was my wife's M77 mkII .243 ultralight. More binding on the forend, in 3 different places. Sanded it clear, and made a mod to the forend tip (Ruger mills the forend so that it cradles the bottom half of the barrel for 5/8" at the forend tip. If you sand it clear except for a little bit at 6 o'clock on the barrel, good things happen. In this case, one ragged hole at 100yds.
Third was my M77 mkII .270 win. Got a load for 150gr. Nosler Partitions at max powder, and no changes to rifle. 5 overlapping holes @ 100yds.
I guess the point here is, sometimes you have to "fuss" with a Ruger a little bit to get it where you want it. I don't mind this, it makes the rifle "mine."
cmdc
Member
I'm going to take them out and see how they do as soon as I get the opportunity. If I have to fuss with them a little, I won't mind a bit. It sounds like it doesn't take much to get them to shoot if anything is off.
What would you recommend scope-wise for them? I'm thinking probably something in the 3-9X for both of them.
What would you recommend scope-wise for them? I'm thinking probably something in the 3-9X for both of them.
Flatbush Harry
Member
I have Leupy 2.5-8x36 VX-3 scopes on my Rugers. They're just perfect for a light stalking rifle.
FH
FH
I didn't mean to come off as anti-Ruger. I really wanted to like that Hawkeye in .264. I already had an old Rem 700 in that Caliber, really ugly gun that shoots fantastic. Saw the Ruger Hawkeye with absolutely beautiful wood, and had to have it. After way too much: time, effort and money it didn't shoot as well as the old Remington. Was also too heavy for the kind of hunting I do, ended up leaving it in the truck and carrying my backup rifle day 2 of the only hunt I took it on.
I also had a #1 in 7x57 that was beautiful and acceptably accurate (<2") for a hunting rifle in that cartridge. Then the one I shouldn't have sold, a Mark II in 6.5x55 that was light, handy and delivered 1 to 1.5" with no trouble. I'd like to have that one back for my 10 year old son. He ended up with a mark II in .270, that also shoots in the 1.5" range.
My Hawkeye was very disappointing out of the box, all the others did about what I expected. It's just that the Tikka so greatly exceeded expectations that it's hard to settle. If only they weren't so ugly...
I also had a #1 in 7x57 that was beautiful and acceptably accurate (<2") for a hunting rifle in that cartridge. Then the one I shouldn't have sold, a Mark II in 6.5x55 that was light, handy and delivered 1 to 1.5" with no trouble. I'd like to have that one back for my 10 year old son. He ended up with a mark II in .270, that also shoots in the 1.5" range.
My Hawkeye was very disappointing out of the box, all the others did about what I expected. It's just that the Tikka so greatly exceeded expectations that it's hard to settle. If only they weren't so ugly...
cmdc
Member
I am looking forward to seeing how the Hawkeyes shoot. I am curious though, as to why the Rugers are considered more rugged than other rifles.
C-grunt
Member
Mauser style action.
Kachok
Member
That and it is built like a tank. Nothing about the Ruger seems light or flimsy they seem very well build IMHO. Though over the years accuracy has been hit or miss.
cmdc
Member
"Hit or miss." Nice pun. I'm hoping that they have resolved the accuracy issues since they started making their own barrels. We shall see.
What powders do they use? I was under the impression it's a proprietary blend.
cmdc
Member
HexHead, you are correct, it is a proprietary powder blend. They discontinued the Light Magnum line of ammo, as I'm sure you know, because they were getting complaints about heavy recoil. They then entered into an agreement with Hodgdon and came up with the Superformance ammo. It is a very closely guarded secret, akin to the KFC and Coca-Cola formulas. Superformance powder is available for reloaders, but according to the rep, it is not the same formula that is used in the Hornady ammo. The Superformance ammo, according to him, gives higher MV with less felt recoil than the Light Magnum stuff.
bobnob
Member
I have both 270 and 30-06 in identical rifles though one is blued and one stainless. Mechanically exactly the same however.
The 270 shoots flatter with 130g bullets for sure. With 150g SBTs it shoots dang near as flat and hits harder. In that guise it treads the middle ground between 270 and 30-06 about as good as you could want.
The 30-06 with 180s definitely kicks a bit more, not offensively so though. You can almost feel how much harder those things hit a big animal however. A bit more thought is required at mid to longer range though when it comes to holdover.
To avoid all this confusion I just load 130s in the 270 Win and 180s or heavier in the 30-06. I enjoy the light recoil especially for fast follow up shots on pigs in the 270, and appreciate the extra punch of the heavies in the 30-06.
Having said that, if I found myself in the field with either I wouldn't feel too over or undergunned irrespective of what I encountered. Shot placement rules the day.
The 270 shoots flatter with 130g bullets for sure. With 150g SBTs it shoots dang near as flat and hits harder. In that guise it treads the middle ground between 270 and 30-06 about as good as you could want.
The 30-06 with 180s definitely kicks a bit more, not offensively so though. You can almost feel how much harder those things hit a big animal however. A bit more thought is required at mid to longer range though when it comes to holdover.
To avoid all this confusion I just load 130s in the 270 Win and 180s or heavier in the 30-06. I enjoy the light recoil especially for fast follow up shots on pigs in the 270, and appreciate the extra punch of the heavies in the 30-06.
Having said that, if I found myself in the field with either I wouldn't feel too over or undergunned irrespective of what I encountered. Shot placement rules the day.
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Kachok
Member
I really hope Ruger has improved the accuracy of their rifles, they make one of the most attractive bolt gun on the market, they are built tough as hell and I love a Mauser style action. If I were confident I could get Savage/Winchester level accuracy out of one it would be the next rifle on my list. Last comparison I saw Ruger came in second to last, just one notch ahead of Remington 700 BDL and just behind the CZ and Browning.
cmdc
Member
Bobnob, what brand are your rifles?
Kachok, I'll post results with the Rugers when I get them scoped and shoot them. Hopefully the results will be good and you'll get to add another rifle or two from Ruger to your collection. Of course they are so beautiful you could get one anyway and just admire it
Kachok, I'll post results with the Rugers when I get them scoped and shoot them. Hopefully the results will be good and you'll get to add another rifle or two from Ruger to your collection. Of course they are so beautiful you could get one anyway and just admire it
Kachok, if by "savage/winchester level of accuracy" you mean around 1", you'd probably get there. I got mine a little better than that with one load. It was sensitive though, little change to powder and seating depth opened it up a lot. It's just too bad it only liked 120 grain bullets, I really wanted it to shoot the 140 grain 3000 fps+ load that I have for my old 700.
They are pretty. I'd kind of like to find a deal on one in something like .257 Roberts, where accuracy wouldn't bother me much.
They are pretty. I'd kind of like to find a deal on one in something like .257 Roberts, where accuracy wouldn't bother me much.
Kachok
Member
No My Savage/Winchester level accuracy is quite a bit better then that. The worst of my Savages shoots 1/2", my Winchester 70 Featherweight shoots 1" with factory 150gr core-lokts and under half that with Speer BTSP/Varget handloads. No I don't NEED anything tighter then 1MOA for hunting but I thoroughly enjoy a rifle that touches holes every time I do my part hence the love affair with the Tikka, not a perfect rifle but a scary accurate one.
William51962
Member
There is a silly saying where I work: "I hate a 270 - it's too big for the small-stuff and too small for the the big-stuff". I have both but always prefer the 30-06 in 150gr for whitetails and 180gr for Mulies.
sixgunner455
Member
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You're right, William - that is a very silly saying.
bobnob
Member
They are Zastava M70 commercial Mauser types, like the Interarms MkX...
Blued in 270 Win and stainless in 30-06.
Kachok
Member
How do those M70s shoot for you, I have been looking at Zastava rifles for a while now.
cmdc
Member
Nice looking rifles. How long are the barrels? The pic makes them look really long.
cmdc
Member
What scopes do you have on them?
Kachok
Member
The one on top looks to have a Redfield Revaluation the same scope that sits on my Browning, decent glass for the money.
bobnob
Member
I have had the blued one for two years the the stainless for 1 month. Stainless has the Redfield Revolution 3-9x40 so you were spot on. The blued has a Bausch and Lomb Elite 4200 2.5-10x40.
Barrels are 600mm or about 23 and 2/3 inches.
I can tell you they are both moa or better shooters with handloads. I have never shot any factory ammo through them.
The barrels have pressure points at the forend with the synthetic stocks, and while I was tempted to float them they shoot so well the way they are and there is no wandering zero with either, even as the barrels heat up.
The 270 will shoot half moa with plain jane 130g Hot Cors and the 30-06 is putting 3 x 180 Ballistic Tips into 0.8 moa already.
I am going to paint the one on the blued 270 this long weekend and if I like the way it turns out I might do the stainless one as well.
For the money they are hard to fault.
Barrels are 600mm or about 23 and 2/3 inches.
I can tell you they are both moa or better shooters with handloads. I have never shot any factory ammo through them.
The barrels have pressure points at the forend with the synthetic stocks, and while I was tempted to float them they shoot so well the way they are and there is no wandering zero with either, even as the barrels heat up.
The 270 will shoot half moa with plain jane 130g Hot Cors and the 30-06 is putting 3 x 180 Ballistic Tips into 0.8 moa already.
I am going to paint the one on the blued 270 this long weekend and if I like the way it turns out I might do the stainless one as well.
For the money they are hard to fault.
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