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Ruger Stainless Steel

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You are best off to ask Ruger your specific question because they use many different ones in different places and guns.
In some examples, someone may have done your specific task, so maybe narrow down the model and part you are discussing and maybe some will know.
 
You are best off to ask Ruger your specific question because they use many different ones in different places and guns.
In some examples, someone may have done your specific task, so maybe narrow down the model and part you are discussing and maybe some will know.
My gunsmith is generalizing. But being more specific, a Ruger K77/17 VMBBZ 17 HMR receiver made in 2003.

I simply want him to drill & tap to be able to put a Murphy Precision base on. He did this with my M77MKII and told me it was very hard. He's worried about his tooling but more so about hurting the rifle.
 
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My gunsmith is generalizing. But being more specific, a Ruger K77/17 VMBBZ 17 HMR receiver made in 2003.

I simply want him to drill & tap to be able to put a Murphy Precision base on. He did this with my M77MKII and told me it was very hard. He's worried about his tooling but more so about hurting the rifle.
I would ask Ruger. They were good about answering questions in the past.

That said, assuming an Austenitic Steel or even a PH series, I never took chances with unknown metals and had the ability to analyze and hardness check when possible. Only rarely was a metal for a receiver so hard that I needed to go nuclear to drill and tap, but unless they won't answer there isn't a worry. You can still get some #8-40 bottom taps that will thread a Ruger receiver no matter what they made it with or how hard it is.

BTW, doesn't the Murphy base come in both hole spacings for the older version and the newer version?
 
My gunsmith is generalizing. But being more specific, a Ruger K77/17 VMBBZ 17 HMR receiver made in 2003.

I simply want him to drill & tap to be able to put a Murphy Precision base on. He did this with my M77MKII and told me it was very hard. He's worried about his tooling but more so about hurting the rifle.
Investment castings and are VERY hard and can be a pain to tap
 
I would ask Ruger. They were good about answering questions in the past.

That said, assuming an Austenitic Steel or even a PH series, I never took chances with unknown metals and had the ability to analyze and hardness check when possible. Only rarely was a metal for a receiver so hard that I needed to go nuclear to drill and tap, but unless they won't answer there isn't a worry. You can still get some #8-40 bottom taps that will thread a Ruger receiver no matter what they made it with or how hard it is.

BTW, doesn't the Murphy base come in both hole spacings for the older version and the

I would ask Ruger. They were good about answering questions in the past.

That said, assuming an Austenitic Steel or even a PH series, I never took chances with unknown metals and had the ability to analyze and hardness check when possible. Only rarely was a metal for a receiver so hard that I needed to go nuclear to drill and tap, but unless they won't answer there isn't a worry. You can still get some #8-40 bottom taps that will thread a Ruger receiver no matter what they made it with or how hard it is.

BTW, doesn't the Murphy base come in both hole spacings for the older version and the newer version?
 
The proper tooling and technique will poke right through it
Yeah, I was talking to Cameron at Murphy Precision this morning and he said some gs just aren't comfortable with doing it, due to the harder metal and tooling. I would think any full service gs would be setup for that. I'm going to try and go a different route and try and find some 34mm rings that will fit this model, lap them and call it good.

Thanks guys.
 
I used to work in yachts. Hardest SS I ever came across was the polished tubing they use to make railings. Just touching it with an angle grinder, followed with a small drill bit (1/8") and then whatever size you actually needed. Never found any stainless I couldn't drill. But those rails were tough stuff!

Luisyamaha
 
I used to work in yachts. Hardest SS I ever came across was the polished tubing they use to make railings. Just touching it with an angle grinder, followed with a small drill bit (1/8") and then whatever size you actually needed. Never found any stainless I couldn't drill. But those rails were tough stuff!

Luisyamaha

Almost any material can be drilled by some method if one is determined enough and can buy the correct tooling. Alien technology might be a lone exception. Probably not possible to drill an alien probe.

Danny
 
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For me it was. I once tried to drill and tap for an over travel screw for the trigger. I didn't have anything in my shop that would even start to cut.

Mine was a M77 MK2 Stainless in 22-250
I'm doing a OT screw as well. According to my GS, the trigger is a different metal and should be no problem for an OT screw. So, I assumed it was a different ss.
 
I have changed up and have decided to simply do Ruger 30mm rings and be done with it. Enough with the difficulty!
Probably the best choice.

The hardest cast stainless I ever worked with was a Remington 700 bolt handle that I was putting a new knob on.
Like jds holler said, it went from "no problem" to "big freaking problem!!!"
 
Gun manufactures found out early on that simply going stainless for corrosion resistance wasn't as easy as it seemed. Galling resistance, hardness requirements, spring properties, torque requirements, -- plain ol stainless steel ain't as plain as it used to be.
The average stainless handgun prolly has about five different kinds of stainless steel in it. And a few other sintered or alloyed parts to boot. jd
 
Gun manufactures found out early on that simply going stainless for corrosion resistance wasn't as easy as it seemed. Galling resistance, hardness requirements, spring properties, torque requirements, -- plain ol stainless steel ain't as plain as it used to be.
The average stainless handgun prolly has about five different kinds of stainless steel in it. And a few other sintered or alloyed parts to boot. jd

*AMT*

Danny
 
Ruger cast receivers are very hard on the surface, and typically soften markedly underneath, so it can be kind of easy to break an HSS tap, really needs to be carbide, and has to be minded well. But it's not insurmountable - I've done a bunch of Rugers, blued and stainless, just trying to add some security to the Weigand mounts which use the integral clamps (sometimes just drilling for roll pins, sometimes D&T for screws).

The integral mounts are exceptionally secure - I do like using alignment bars when tightening, and bedding the rings to the mounts, but that's another story - but of course, they only allow those 2 ring positions which can interfere with certain scopes, so adding a rail can and does frequently make sense.
 
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