Barrel for a hunting rifle

[Barlow]

I had a Ruger 77 ts centennial model 220 Swift with the heavy (not bull) 26" barrel. I read somewhere they were Douglas barrels, and their sporter contours were Wilson barrels. That Swift was accurate! Barlow

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I had a Ruger 77 ts centennial model 220 Swift with the heavy (not bull) 26" barrel. I read somewhere they were Douglas barrels, and their sporter contours were Wilson barrels. That Swift was accurate! Barlow

Ruger used Douglas and Wilson barrels before they started making their own hammer forged barrels in the early 90's. I can't remember the time line of barrels used exactly and I'm sure they overlapped as changes were being implemented.The details can be found with some research online regarding the history of Ruger M77 rifles. My serial number reveals my rifle was built in 1968, and I believe it is a Wilson barrel. Been a long time since i researched it. I'll have to look it up again. Could be a Douglas barrel and I just got them mixed up.

 

[JRS]

Douglas barrels were used on the early # 1's and first production M77 .220 Swift (with the dog leg bolt handle). Wilson barrels were later used on production rifles, and were hit or miss on quality.

 

[Barlow]

Douglas barrels were used on the early # 1's and first production M77 .220 Swift (with the dog leg bolt handle). Wilson barrels were later used on production rifles, and were hit or miss on quality.

Mine was not a dog leg bolt, but was a shooter. I paid $169.00 for it in 1976. A friend in town had a dog leg bolt Swift, and a pre 64 model 70 Swift. He was the guy who got me into the Swift craze. He used 41.2 grs of 4064 and a 48gr Sisk bullet to kill lots of whitetails. I have a 77 standard weight that I rebarreled with a Douglas some years back. Jim Carmichel said in his book, that his Ruger 77 heavy barreled Swift was the most accurate factory rifle he had ever owned. Barlow