Why Ruger M-77 are not the choice for rebarreling or modifications.

[boogershooter]

I love em too BigDMT! The actions look to be well built. I guess its personal preference, 25 years ago Clarence Hammond put a custom6ppc barrel on one for me and it shot pretty well.
Regards, L.Kaye

 

[JohnHenry]

Hi Boogershooter, I still have that rifle that Clarence built for you. Don't shoot it too often, but one hundred yard five shot groups still average in the low 0.3's. Best Regards, John

 

[CJ6]

Not to highjack, but I'm curious about how Ruger's AMERICAN will be treated by the Smiths as well. Aftermarket WOOD Stocks would be a GREAT 1st step

 

[boogershooter]

Good to hear from you John Henry,Hope all is well!

 

[Larryh128]

With a 358 Norma? That is a shooter!!!

 

[jeff walker]

I've rebarreled Rugers, it's not a problem...no different than anything else. What is a problem is truing a Ruger action, if the customer wants that done. It will not fit in any jig I know of, and the inquiries on Rugers are so few ( 2 in 5 years ) that I would not spend the time making a special jig. What I have noticed is that the tenon is skinny and short compared to other makes, and the action is a little more labor intensive to bed into a stock.

Personally, I've owned three Rugers over the years. They were the worst shooting rifles I ever had. I do have some friends that have them and theirs shoot great...just bad luck on mine I guess.

As I type this, I have a brand new M77 Hawkeye in my lap that I'm logging in from Ruger to replace a M77 in 270 Win that a customer fired a 308 Win round in. Ruger did not replace it free ( of course ), but the rifle was made in 1995 and they gave him a BIG discount on this one. They are a great company to deal with.

---------------Jeff

 

[Randfal]

OK. I can't resist anymore... I've skimmed this thread a couple times because I'm a closet Ruger fan. I like them for functional, reliable hunting rifles. I've been chuckling at how far this has gone.

Nat,
I think you were just poking a stick in an ant hill by starting this thread, were you not? Just trying to rile up the whole mass of ants! LOL

 

[nastynatesfish]

I'll let you know in a couple weeks, I'm in process now of doing a barrel install.

 

[BigDMT]

Looks like you're doing a restocking job too. Gonna be a pretty rifle

 

[rojkoh]

Ruger Model 77 are great rifles for their intended purposes. One of the most accurate rifles I ever owned was a m-77 in 220 Swift.

I get calls weekly asking for me to rebarrel a Ruger model 77. The callers generally say they can not find any gunsmiths to rebarrel their M-77 Ruger.

I have been told the Ruger model 77s are investment cast then they are finished machined. This technology is lends itself to cracking if a replacement barrel it torqued to tightly. There is a lot of liability to the gunsmith if something were to happen to the action or anybody that could get hurt.

There are a few gunsmiths who do work on Ruger M-77s maybe one will speak up and provide a resouce for those who need rebarreling on their M-77 rugers.


On the east coast: Sandy Garrett Northern Virginia Gun Works, West coast; John Taylor at Taylor Machine Puyallup Washington. Both are exceptional Gunsmiths.

 

[rojkoh]

Rugers aren't weak. Anything but. They are just more crooked than the others. I have no problem re-barreling them.

Ruger uses both Investment and Injection casting. Yes the 77's are investment (Mini's are injection). BUT if done properly there are no issues. I do a lot of work on the 14 types, best ever made were done in Devine Texas. Loved working on them compared to today''s mediocre M1As.

 

[rojkoh]

One more note on this, I know of the pressure testing on the 77 actions (at least in the 80's). VERY strong actions. Don't ask the pill loads.

 

[BigDMT]

I messed up on testing new powders during load development for my .358 norma. I have developed many successful loads for my rifles using powders that aren't listed in load data for them anywhere. I develop them by using a burn chart.

However, I was using 72 gr of imr 4198 in my 358 nm because this time, I read the burn rate chart wrong. Big mistake.
I fired the first round at the target downrange and was excited to see 3178 fps on the chronograph when using a 225 gr accubond! That was amazing!......until I tried to open the bolt. After I beat it open with multiple hard strikes from a large rawhide mallet and then beat the case out of the chamber with a cleaning rod, the brass piece was hardly recognizable from the explosion. I had to beat on the bolt so many times I didn't know if Iwas ever going to get it open. It was really bad.

Any lesser action than the Ruger M77 probably would have flown apart. The ruger was so tough, I had no idea the extreme overpressure had even occured when I fired the round. Absolutely no damage to any part of the action or bolt whatsoever! Couldn't believe it. And afterwards the thing still shot perfectly as if nothing had happened. As a matter of fact, the group shot in the picture I posted on page 2 was shot after this catastrophic case rupture event

 

[Tozguy]

I'll let you know in a couple weeks, I'm in process now of doing a barrel install.

First barrel I have seen with the rifling on the outside!

Seriously, I hope to see the finished rifle.

 

[X Ring Accuracy]

I'll let you know in a couple weeks, I'm in process now of doing a barrel install.

First barrel I have seen with the rifling on the outside!

Seriously, I hope to see the finished rifle.

Thats called the quick twist turn threading. : ) All in good fun

 

[Alan in GA]

Always wonder when folks ask "when is the last time you've seen a match won with, or seen a RUGER at the Nationals?"
I never go to matches or the Nat's!
I've owned, shot, hunted with Rugers since the mid 1970s and still it's my favorite bolt action rifle for SHOOTING AND HUNTING!
I have rebarreled several and it is the EASIEST action I know of to rebarrel. And as to 'cracking' the receivers when tightening the barrel into the action, I don't white knuckle a barrel into a bolt action. In face my .250 Savage Ackley Improved SHILEN barreled 77 Mark II is HAND TIGHTENED and shoots under 1/2" @ 100 yards with Ballistic Tip 100 gr bullets. I PREFER the controlled feed Mark II and Hawkeye actions over the push feed 77R older versions. That hasn't made me sell or get rid of the two 77R's in .250 Savage still in the safe.
My 2 trucks, one Honda Accord [wife's] and Triton stick steer 40 hsp fishing boat have never been seen at, nor WON a race at a race track ether, but they TOTALLY SERVE THE PURPOSE I BOUGHT THEM FOR!

Ha! just found this line of posts, and enjoyed them. My gunsmith buddys also throw the 'never seen a Ruger win a match" line at me too, and prefer Rem 700s for custom builds or even the much more expensive actions made, ....but I stick up for the Ruger 77 for what I use it for.

 

[L.Sherm]

I have a 6.5-300wsm built on a ruger tang safty bi-centenial 7 mag. action that shots awesome had put together by Dan Coffin of Victor,MT. It sports a lilja barrel. I've been a Rem. fan all my life but this rifle made me a believer in the older tang safty rugers anyway. I believe that the reason many people use the 700's are there easy to true up, strong and there is and endless supply of aftermarket parts.

 

[Raythemanroe]

I have a 6.5-300wsm built on a ruger tang safty bi-centenial 7 mag. action that shots awesome had put together by Dan Coffin of Victor,MT. It sports a lilja barrel. I've been a Rem. fan all my life but this rifle made me a believer in the older tang safty rugers anyway. I believe that the reason many people use the 700's are there easy to true up, strong and there is and endless supply of aftermarket parts.

I too like the Rugers I own and have built some that shoot excellent, but I have turned to the easier route and more accessible.

 

[kudukid]

TREcustom:
Pre-64 Winchester Model 70s were machined from bar stock, not forged.

 

[fyrewall]

I have a 10-12 Ruger M77's both tang safety and MKII and Hawkeyes re-barreled by a very well known and respected Seattle area gunsmith, PacNor, and McGowen (including squaring up receiver ring and lapping bolt lugs, $85). No reservations from any one. What I like is the tough rigid receiver, precise investment castings allowing for minimum or no lathe work to square up the receiver ring and a small amount of effort with valve grinding compound to lap in bolt lugs. True, there are better rifles for competitive, and especially precision shooting. What I don't like about the Ruger M77 type action is the diagonal bedding system and restrictions forcing use of Ruger or Ruger type ring mounts. Also the availability of after market triggers of the extreme light touch type is limited. Possibly, reintroduction of the old round top M77 compatible with Remington 700 mount hardware would solve the mounting problems to allow more mount adjustments vs restrictions of scope internal adjustments - like long range - 1000 yards or so.

I have very little knowledge of metallurgy and that stops me from any analysis of the strength of M77 type actions and I would refuse to speculate on that aspect which would show bias and prejudice - stuff that I just don't do ever.

Go ahead and be amused with this - my ideal M77 rifle would be a round top compatible with R700 bases, no diagonal bedding system, one piece bottom metal, a Timney trigger, and get this - a bolt face breach barrel system like the Jap M38 type.