Ruger discontinues 77-17, 22, 357, 44's

Just got an email that says they're temporarily discontinued and that you should see your local retailer for your LAST CHANCE to own one of these great rifles.

Guess the high cost of the .17 and .22 without the out of the box accuracy expected limited sales (along with the semi-auto craze).
I always liked the 77's look, should had grabbed one when had the chance.

 

I'd love it if Ruger started making the American Ranch rifle in .357 mag/.38 SPL as a handy affordable gun

 

That's a shame. I liked the concept of the 77/357, and if I didn't already have my lever gun I may have gone that route.

I think the 77/357 didn't have the greatest reputation for .38 Spl compatibility, and that would likely be a real killjoy for a lot of folks. At least that's the impression I got from reading boards like this. Can't really speak to the other calibers; didn't pay nearly as much attention when they came up.




People always claim to want item X, and that oh if only they made them they would sell a truckload. But the market never lies...

 

I have read that before also, but have had almost no problem using .38 spl. in mine. The times that I have feeding issues with the .38 spl. is when I have been trying to operate the bolt too fast.

I am also sad to see them discontinued.

Anyway, I have found this to be not only a fun little rifle, but also a potential lightweight hunting rifle also. I love what it can do for the .38 Special and .357 Magnum cartridges. I have gone from lightweight plinking .38 Spl. rounds at @850 fps to .357 Mag. rounds (125g) at over 2300 fps.

I like the all weather stainless steel. The composite stock is a perfect match for it and makes 30-30 rifle level loads feel to have the recoil of slightly more than a .22 LR. The 18.5 inch barrel makes for a nice short rifle that is easily maneuvered through the woods. The open sights are rugged and get me on target easily, but I did put some yellow fingernail polish on the brass bead front sight to contrast better. The bolt is strong and smooth.

The rotary magazine is probably my only real complaint; though it is minor. It would be nice if it was larger than 5 rounds. A 10 round one would be better, but I understand the issue of a rimmed cartridge in stacked magazines. Having said this though, the magazine does function flawlessly in both .38 Special and .357 Magnum. Easy to load and snap into place, but it does have a little tricky learning curve on getting it back out of the gun.

 

Really like mine as well, though I can understand the reasons why it probably wasn't a huge seller.

Handloading really brought out the best in mine. Cast lead round nose cat sneeze loads are nearly as cheap as .22lr & great for practice & plinking. Hot loads with appropriate bullets make for good, if relatively short range, hunting rounds. All of mine are in .357 Magnum brass, so can't really comment on .38 Special feeding.

Not a tackdriver & doesn't have dangerous game power, but it sure is a fun rifle to shoot.

 

I'm sure they'll bring it back.

Ruger does this from time to time. Look at the .327 Fed Mag SP-101s. Sometimes models just go on hiatus for a while.

 

I guess everybody in Ohio already has a deer rifle!

 

As well built as the 77/22 is built too bad they don't shoot better from the factory.

 

If it's RIMFIRE you are after get a CZ 452, 453, or 455. They are half the price and shoot as well or better than the 77/22

 

I think most people now are buying 357 lever actions for the Old West nostalgia. So a 357 rifle that doesn't have that hook isn't going to be desirable.

 

I purchased a 77/357 about 2 years ago. Darn things are expensive for a PCC. It's a great action and I have at least 1000 rds thru mine already. I can say that it would make an excellent 100 yd brush gun for hogs or deer. 77/44 would be the same deal. Not the most accurate rifle I own but darn cheap to run if you reload. Good solid carbine. I think Ruger will discontinue them because they are just too expensive for what most people would want them for.

 

I got Ruger's email and it said "temporarily discontinued." I interpreted this to mean "all our machinery is working on semiautos for the coming panic." I expect the centerfires to be back in a year or two. The rimfires may not be, because with Ruger's other rimfire offerings there's little reason to pay $500+ for those models.

 

life goes on. They got into black rifles and cheap bolt black rifles. Something had to go.

 

^
Along these lines there was a sign on Cabela's rifle counter today that said Ruger AR 556 was no longer in stock and was on back order. I saw a guy pick one up while I was waiting in line. I think it was an online purchase.

Ruger AR seems to be popular with the dark star getting closer to earth everyday.

 

The current Ruger catalog...

Pages of boring black plastic striker pistsols.... Thumbs Down.
Pages of chincy black plastic bolt guns.... Thumbs Down.
Pages of AR's, Tactical Mini's, and 10/22's crossbred with AR's.... Thumbs Down.

Other than the revolver section, the Ruger product line is a pathetic shadow of its former self.

 

I wonder if pistol caliber Ruger American rifles are in the works...

 

I'm surprised the 77 rim fires made it this long with the American rim fire being available, at substantially less money and every bit, or better, of a shooter.

 

I'm curious about the "temporary" nature of this discontinuance. This sort of thing has happened before (the Redhawk comes to mind) so I'm not overly worried about it, but the 77/357 and 77/44 both interest me and are on the "some day" list, so I'd hate to see them disappear for good.

 

I can't say that I blame them, especially regarding the rimfire models. Those guns have been overpriced and hit or miss on accuracy for many years.

Now the 357 and 44 are kind of niche guns. And while I don't own either, I hate to see them go.

 

My guess is that they are no longer making guns that aren't selling well, but leaving the door open to offer them in the future in limited runs. They "temporarily" discontinued several models recently including the All Weather Hawkeye. Arguably the best rifle they make.

But I can't blame them. The American line of rifles are proving to be very successful and I'm betting the profit margin is much higher. Why continue to make slow sellers that are expensive to manufacture with low profit margins when you can't make the highly profitable American rifles fast enough to meet demand. They are in business to make money and have proven to be well managed.

Personally all of these are too expensive for what you get for me to buy one. But for those who want one I expect to see them available in limited production from time to time.