Ruger M77 Hawkeye Alaskan stock change caused POI change

[Rio Laxas]

I picked up a Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan in .375 ruger in a trade a few weeks ago, and I love the rifle. The previous owner had fitted a Bell & Carlson stock to the rifle. The Bell & Carlson was for a M77 long action, but it didn't have the right barrel contour and just didn't seem to fit right. I fired it a few times with that stock in place and I found that if I placed the front sight bead directly over the lowest part of the V in the rear sight and covered the target that it would hit where it needed to.

I decided to switch the stock back to a Hogue. I chose the Hogue that was designed for the Alaskan and got the one with the full aluminum bed block. The rifle dropped in fine and didn't seem to need any fitting. I went out to the range today and my shots were significantly lower. I found that I had to basically put all of the front sight blade above the V and then cover the target with it.

First is this a problem? I believe my current sight picture is an incorrect sight picture. Second, is there anything obvious that may be wrong with how the stock fits?

 

[NCsmitty]

Perhaps the B&C stock was putting pressure on the barrel compared to the Hogue, causing it to have a higher POI.
Does the new Hogue stock touch the barrel at any point?
Try changing the elevation of the rear sight to compensate for the lower POI if you're going to leave the Hogue on the action.
I personally like the feel of the Hogue stock that I have on my Mauser 22-250.

NCsmitty

 

[Fat_46]

When re-stocking a rifle there are numerous variables that will affect POI. These include, but aren't limited to:
action screw torque
bedding/lack of bedding/overall fit of the receiver in the stock
barrel channel differences

I'd start with backing off the front action screw, snugging the rear, then re-tightening the front. That may move the sight picture significantly for you. Or try vice-versa, then use some red loctite once you get a feel for what the rifle prefers.

 

[Rio Laxas]

After consulting the manual (probably should have done that already), my sight picture is in fact incorrect and the hogue is definitely causing it to shoot lower than it should. It also looks like the rear sight is not adjustable for elevation. I will try torquing the screws differently.

Also, the barrel is totally free floated with the Hogue.

 

[Reid73]

the rear sight is not adjustable for elevation

Presumably you can adjust the elevation by replacing the foresight with one of a different height (or filing to suit).

 

[Rio Laxas]

I took it to the range again and tried to torque the action screws differently but it didn't seem to affect the POI. It appears that I also have the lowest front sight available on the rifle, so I guess I will have to learn to live with it being 7" low at 50 yards. Maybe it will come in handy for quick shots. Could the bed block be causing this?

The funny thing was that I removed the bolt and looked through the barrel and centered in on the target and then looked at my sight picture. From that un-scientific test it appeared that it should shoot high if anything.

 

[ArmedBear]

Have you boresighted it?

Two things affect POI: which way the barrel is pointed at rest, and what the barrel does between when the primer detonates and the bullet exits the barrel.

I'd start out by isolating the two things.

Do the sights line up with a boresight laser in the same way with both stocks?

If so, it's ONLY something that happens when the gun is fired. If not, it's both.