did i get a lemon? i just bought a new .338 wm ruger m77 mkII sporter with black laminate/ss this spring. the first stock slpit out just behind the bolt after 63 rounds of factory (win fail safe). After i got it back from ruger (very promt service) it has a new walnut stock. after 87 rounds of factory loads the same crack in the same spot happened. is this just me or has ruger's quaility went down?

Sounds like the tang is inletted directly to the wood with no clearance. I'd send it back to them and "suggest" that a new stock be bedded for you're individual action, not the whatever mock-up they use for standard production. Doubt they'll do it, but you might be able to talk them into glass bedding it.

thanks, i will give that a try, can't hurt at this point

If it was me (in your shoes) when I got the rifle back again I'd just relieve the SOB like it should have been in the first place

I have an older M77 MK II Ruger (but in .243) and just love it. I agree with ole-270. Tell Ruger that since this is the second stock to do this, something is definitely wrong in their process at the factory with your gun. Try to get them to do something different to prevent the problem from occurring again. I think you'll like the gun if you can get this issue cleared up.

quote:

Originally posted by sgt. mac:
is this just me or has ruger's quaility went down?

No and no. It's not you and you are just experiencing the same quality Ruger has had for many many years.

It's not you, it's Ruger. I like their #1 though.

Odd,
I have built some REALLY big bores on rugers, and their three screw lock down system seems to work great. If you send this one back, ask them to bed it while there.

Ya'll keep smack talking rugers, it keeps the action prices down.

jeffe

Jeff, I forgot to mention that I like the RSM line.

quote:

Jeff, I forgot to mention that I like the RSM line

Yup, to bad they only come in a Ruger.

I like Ruger M 77's. They are tough and have graceful lines, but they are not perfect. On anything from .300 Winchester on up, I have the recoil lug glass bedded. The area beside and behind the tang is relieved. A trigger job, a Decelerator recoil pad, and you are good to go.

Ruger makes actions that are strong as all get out (controlled feeding, integral rail, nice safety, dead reliable), but personally I prefer the surrounding components (trigger, bottom metal, stock, barrel) be made by someone else! My experience is limited to a single stainless .338 Winchester Magnum with a laminated stock, I had to glass bed it and swapped in a Timney trigger before it would shoot worth a damn, and finally relieved the stock so it wouldn't make any contact with the barrel during firing.

Never had problems with the stock breaking but have heard of similar problems with the Hogue stocks being used from the factory. Seems as though the rear lug is taking most of the recoil and transferring it into the stock, which lets go at it's weakest point. Personally, if you're happy with the rifle, I'd glass bed it in to a high quality aftermarket job.

Sgt.Mac, I think what is happening is the action is beating the stock instead of the recoil lug distributing the stress where it belongs. This is not the first M77 Ruger in 338 Winnie I have heard of doing this. The stock needs to be properly relieved and Ruger should be the ones to make it right. Don't let them off the hook, stay on their a** till they make it right.

Well I Just got off the phone with Ruger and they wnat me to send it back in. They are going to pay for shipping this time and said a master tech will be working on it. I am about ready to send it to them in a shoe box...

quote:

Originally posted by sgt. mac:
Well I Just got off the phone with Ruger and they wnat me to send it back in. They are going to pay for shipping this time and said a master tech will be working on it.

Been there, done that. Get the shoe box ready for the next trip back!

Bed the thing. I have a 308 MKII that beat the bedding out. So I bedded it with Marine Tex epoxy.

I must have routed out between 1/4" and 3/8" of wood from sections of the stock. The cured epoxy is much stronger and harder than wood, and I really doubt the recoil of something like a .338, would do anything to the bedding.

I think the m77 mk II is the best hunting rifle for the $. I also think laminated stocks are an abomination and combine the worst attributes of wood and synthetics. If you have good wood you don't cut it up into vaneers. And if you have so/so wood, it doesn't get any better by adding a bunch of glue, it just gets heavier.

Any wood stock needs a good 0.030" clearance behind the tang in a hunting rifle. Sadly hardly anyone these days has a clue how to inlet a wood stock. I'd say you're almost better off with the cheap factory tupperware stocks.

Factories today are "mass production" and with heavy recoiling rifles you just run into these kinds of problems...I glass bed the action and tang on all of them, the last thing I need is a stock splitting out on a hunt...It is not expensive and its great insureance.

I have two in 30/06 and .338 and they shoot both very well, I did replace the triggers for those excellent Timneys.