The ups and downs of Ruger 77s????

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

MCgunner

Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2005
Messages
26,423
Location
The end of the road between Sodom and Gomorrah Tex
I've heard plus, I've heard minus on the Rugers. A friend in the gun club who knows her way around rifle accuracy, her and her husband are big time shooters/hunters, told me once that if you get a bad Ruger, all the bedding and free floating in the world won't help it, but if you get a good one, it's a keeper. Well, I know that even cheap Remington 788s were accurate to the extreme, so I've been a Remington kinda guy with rifles, though I own 6 Ruger handguns and a 10/22 I like.

I like the controlled feed, Mauser extractor on 'em and my buddy was recently down here hunting with his boy who shoots a very accurate little M77 in .22-250. I was well impressed by that little gun, though he can keep his scope (Simmons...:barf:) But, what do THR types have to say about the Ruger? I've never owned one and not had the chance to even fire a M77 over the years. I'm interested in personal experiences, good or bad. It's a handsome LOOKIN' gun, I know that already, but how does/did it work for YOU???? After seeing Dustin's gun, I sorta got the hots for one, not that I really need another rifle or caliber, but hell, I don't have a .22-250. Not sure why I'd WANT one. Maybe I'll find another caliber I'd want better in a Ruger, though. If they still chamber the 7x57, I could definitely see that. I have dies and love the caliber.
 
ive got 2.

i have one in 7.62x39 that i have used and always worked well for me.

also have a .308, i got it used 'cuz a friend needed money and was selling it. i have had it fro over a year now and have yet to fire it.(wait, i think i might have takent it out once when i just got it????)

personally, i like them. i am a remington guy myself, i wouldnt consider buying a win unless it was a deal i couldnt pass up, but i like these rugers :)

as far as your question, i dont know from experiance, but i have heard that the older ones that had the tang saftey were hit and miss in quality (mostly miss from what ive heard) both of mine are the newer ones with the swinging saftey on the bolt.
 
I'm not a big fan, though they look nice. I'm just not one of those people that is all wrapped up in Mauser copies, or CRF. I've gotten where I like modular guns I can gunsmith myself (Savage). It does seem like they're either shooters or not though.
 
I owned a number of Rugers Model 77 Mark II rifles ( 22-250, 25-06, 243, 270, 30-06 and 7 mm) and all have functioned flawlessly. I have also been able to shoot sub MOA with most of these although I never achieved that type of accuracy from the 7 mm. They are a great value as well as a good looking and reliable rifle.
 
I have a 77MkII in 7.62x39, and it's quite accurate with standard .3105 bullets with no pressure signs that would indicate a tight bore. Either it's a full .3105 bore, or they do the same trick that they did for the older Mini-30s where they neck the barrel from .311 in the throat to .308 at the muzzle.

I think Rugers are very nice; I'm really wishing that they made the 77MkII (the CRF version) in 7x57. So far, the only 7x57 Rugers I've found have been the older MkI models.

I have a Frontier in 7mm08 that is fixin' to become my primary woods rifle.
 
Can't complain about mine. I've got an M77 in 6mm that shoots ~ MOA, bought my sister an KM77 Mk II .280 that also shoots ~ MOA and last spring I picked up a KM77VT .220 Swift that is consistently sub-MOA (.6-.7 on average).

I love my Remingtons as well, but the Ruger is a fine rifle.
 
I had a heavy barrel varmint/target model with a laminated stock in .220 Swift. It was sub-MOA (don't remember exactly, but it was good). I really miss that gun. Sold it when I got out of college and needed the money.
 
I avoided them from reading the horror stories of their accuracy. Last year i bought two stainless MKIIs 300mag and 30-06 because of a good price. They have been great and shoot as good as any of my other centerfires. I really like the controlled feed.
 
When someone is recommending the M77 they always try to sell you on the controlled round feed. Right there is a load of BS.

If you take a Remington 700 (push feed) and load a round into the magazine and move the bolt foward the bullet doesn't pop out of the magazine when the bolt is at the rear of the action. The bullet pops out of the magazine when the tip of the bullet is almost in the chamber itself. The bullet will load into the gun whether its upside down, sideways or even tumbling around.
 
The one that I owned was horrible. It had a bad trigger, and I could not get it to shoot accurately (even after free floating the barrel and having the trigger worked on). It would shoot 3-4" patterns, which is utterly unacceptable in a bolt action. I got rid of it and bought a CZ, which has been a trouble free CRF rifle that is scary accurate. Caveat emptor with Ruger rifles.
 
I've heard plus, I've heard minus on the Rugers. A friend in the gun club who knows her way around rifle accuracy, her and her husband are big time shooters/hunters, told me once that if you get a bad Ruger, all the bedding and free floating in the world won't help it, but if you get a good one, it's a keeper.
Click to expand...
Well, that's the standard line re. 77s, and it was true at one point in time. A big part of the problem was that Ruger used to outsource barrels, and they were very hit-or-miss, if you'll pardon the pun. Some were fine. Others were godawful. And the godawful ones weren't fixable, short of rebarreling.

For the last decade at least, though, Ruger has made their barrels in-house, and they are very good quality. Yes, Ruger -- like any other manufacturer -- will occasionally turn out a lemon. Folks who have based their opinions around a sample of one are doing the company a disservice, IMO.

In my experience, the 77s tend to be fine rifles. They are not as amenable to tuning as the Remington 700 -- the Ruger's somewhat oddball action screw set-up is mostly to blame here, IMO -- and the triggers are about as sucky as anyone else's factory triggers these days (they can be tuned nicely by any competent 'smith, just like anything else), but as long as you are not expecting your model 77 to be 1/2 MOA with a hunting cartridge, you will likely not be dissapointed.

Honestly, my experience with Remington, Winchester, Ruger, and several other "major" rifle manufacturers has been that they all turn out a fine -- but imperfect -- product, and most all the imperfections can be fixed by a competent gunsmith for a reasonable amount of money. I see no reason to pay attention to the "_________ sucks!" people regarding any of the major manufacturers, and figure you should buy from any of them based upon whatever whims personally suit you. Chances are you'll be pleased with any of them.
 
They are not as amenable to tuning as the Remington 700 -- the Ruger's somewhat oddball action screw set-up is mostly to blame here, IMO
Click to expand...

the angle of the rear action screw is to blame. I share your opinion :)
 
I purchased an original version in .30-'06 about '92, just as the Mark IIs were showing up with "anti-lawyer" triggers. Mine eventually was treated to a Timney trigger, Brownell's Steel Bed in a relieved forend (I like a bit of forward balance.) and Mag-Na-Port muzzle brake. I stripped the original finish and, after a bit of stain, wiped some linseed oil on it. The 'scope is a simple, Leupold, 6x42 with a heavy duplex reticle.

I think it's accurate: 1.0 to 1.5 inch groups at 100 yards with 165-grain game bullets are routine. It bagged a couple of whitetail. I wanted to see if I could build a very good hunting rifle for not many dollars. I'm pleased with it.

Ruger has a new version that they label "Hawkeye" or some such. I have plenty of nice rifles now, so I have no interest in them. It's said that this new version has shed the "anti-lawyer" trigger. If I were to purchase one now, that'd be the version I'd select.
 

Attachments

  • DSCN0350-small.JPG
    DSCN0350-small.JPG
    973.7 KB · Views: 44
Last edited:
mc gunner,

i have never actually measured the bore.

i dont claim to be a world class shooter. at 100 yd i can get about a 2-2 1/2" 5 shot group. dont know if a better shooter could do better.that is with my handloads. i use sierra 110 gn 308 diam bullets in it and win 296. definatley not the best powder to use, but i got a s@#t load of it with my reloading bench when i bought it, and at the time i didnt have any other cartridges that listed that powder in the manuals, so i had to do something with it :)

i had assumed that it was a 308 bore (it may possibly be tapered like the mini30) so ive always had bad feelings about running cheap (wolf) ammo through it cuz of the 311 bullets. ive heard that its ok, but i cant immagine that that would be too good for it.

it is possible that the accuracy would increase with a 311 bullet too, i know from trying at 25 yd w/ my sks, factory us ammo w/ the 308 would give me a 8-10" group, while wolf cut that by 2/3 easily.
 
btw, im sure working up a diffrent load with a more appropriate powder would help alot too.
 
A buddy of mine has a 300 winchester magnum in a model 77. I have seen him and that rifle make 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards. That rifle was well worth the money he spent on it.
 
If you take a Remington 700 (push feed) and load a round into the magazine and move the bolt foward the bullet doesn't pop out of the magazine when the bolt is at the rear of the action. The bullet pops out of the magazine when the tip of the bullet is almost in the chamber itself. The bullet will load into the gun whether its upside down, sideways or even tumbling around.
Click to expand...
This may work sometimes, but will not work reliably when the non-CRF rifle is being jostled (e.g. while you're reloading on the move). More to the point, this only addresses pushing forward. If you need to remove the round, you can't pull back on the non-CRF bolt anywhere in its travel and have the extractor drag it out - you have to completely chamber the round to get the extractor snapped over the rim.

CRF is exactly that - controlled from the instant that the cartridge starts to come out of the magazine. You may not value that, but it is still a valid and definable behavior.

And yes- I have more Rem700s than I have Rugers, and I have considerable experience with both CRF and non-CRF in the field under field conditions. :)
 
Folks who have based their opinions around a sample of one are doing the company a disservice, IMO.
Click to expand...

i understand what you're saying and agree w/ it in part. however, i gotta say after shelling out enough money to buy one, i wouldn't be too eager to repeat the behavior again on the possibility of a repeat performance in the name of statistical signifigance. isn't the definition of insanity doing the same exact thing and expecting a different outcome?

as for rugers... i really like the tang safety rugers, and if i am in the same area as one that is for sale, it won't be for sale for long. for the newer stuff - mk 2's and hawkeyes - i have limited, but positive, experience w/ the mk 2, and no experience w/ the hawkeye. (if a sample of one is a bad experience, that is statistically irrelevant... so, it must hold true for the good experience, too)
 
I bought a M77 in 1985, and as I didn't reload then I shot factory ammo. It would shoot 1.5 moa and took many groundhogs. When I started to reload my groups shrunk to about an inch. About 5 years ago I had the barrell fully freefloated, the action bedded and the trigger worked on. I also went to Berger bullets and it will now shoot 3/8" groups consistently, with an occassional 1/4" thrown in. I haven't had it on paper in a few years, but it still smokes groundhogs out to 350 yards.
 

Attachments

  • dimegroup.JPG
    dimegroup.JPG
    8.2 KB · Views: 22
I bought a 77/22 Hornet used two years ago. The barrel is free
floated. It shoots ten rounds into less than an inch at 100 yards
Hornady 35 grain VMax with 13 Grains of LilGun powder at somewhere
around 2800 fps. AOL just clears detachable magazine. I originally
bought it for the action to make a 17/Hornet by rebarrel. Will keep
it as is:D
 
I also went to Berger bullets and it will now shoot 3/8" groups consistently, with an occassional 1/4" thrown in.
Click to expand...

Two shots isn't a group.

Last week I put 6 of ten shots into 7/16" with my M96 Swede using open sights. The group was still 1-15/16".

M1896target.jpg
 
i understand what you're saying and agree w/ it in part. however, i gotta say after shelling out enough money to buy one, i wouldn't be too eager to repeat the behavior again on the possibility of a repeat performance in the name of statistical signifigance. isn't the definition of insanity doing the same exact thing and expecting a different outcome?
Click to expand...
Well, I think we can pretty much guarantee that there's someone on this board who has owned an innacurate model 700, someone else who has owned an innacurate model 70, etc., etc. That deosn't mean the Remington and Winchester make bad rifles.

The point, of course, is that any time humans are involved in the process, you're going to end up with some lemons. The fact that every large manufacturer of rifles occasionally cranks out a bad one doesn't mean anything, really.

Now, if you bought a rifle that turned out to be a stinker, returned it to the delaer, and then bought it back again expecting it to be better this time, you'd be meeting the definition of insanity...
 
I've got three Rugers (4 if you count the Ruger 77/50 muzzle loader)

Ones a 308, a 223, and a 22

I've hit cup saucers at 300yds + with the 308

ground hogs with the 223 at 300 yds

Dimes with the 22 LR at 100 yds.

off a "rest"of course

I use the same round for the Ruger 308 in my DPMS AP4--both are accurate as HELL

I use the same round for the Ruger 223 in both my Ar15's, one is a Colt SS HBAR--pretty good at golf balls at 300 yds!!---don't know if the Ruger is that good----haven't tried it yet

My Rugers are stock---nothing done to them----out of the "box"

Can't beat them for the $$.

UJ
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

K
  • Locked
Re-boring a Ruger 77 from 7x57 to 8x57?
Replies
11
Views
1K
Jim K
J
G
  • Locked
ruger m77
2
Replies
33
Views
2K
PapaG
P
R
  • Locked
Ruger Rifles
2
Replies
26
Views
3K
usmc1371
U
D
  • Locked
M77 mark 1 stock
Replies
4
Views
2K
homers
H
T
  • Locked
Cabelas and Ruger M77s
Replies
13
Views
2K
dvdcrr
D
Back
Top