I just picked up a 30-06 M-77 made in the late 70's and it has an adjustable trigger that looks to be factory. Did they come this way? I'm thinking real hard to re-barrel this puppy to a 35 Whelen what do you guys think?

The answer is yes. That is the way they were shipped from the factory. The factory adjustment was set for a heavy pull, but they can be adjusted to a lighter and crisp release.

It would be a dandy rifle to convert into a 35 Whelen. If your rifle is an RS model, I'd have the barrel re-bored and rechambered. If it is withou sights, I'd go with a new barrel.

Congratulations, you won't be disappointed. I have two and by polishing the bearing points have as good a trigger as my timney's. Mine are set a shade under 3lbs and they are very crisp!

I tore the trigger group apart and put a nice polish on the bearing points and adjusted the trigger.....WOW this thing is nice can't wait to got shoot it.

You did better than I, I purchased a late model M77 that has the unadjustable trigger and had one heck of a time taking out the burr on the sear. Got it out, but it was a three handed affair getting it all back together.

I also found that you really had to bed these rifles. Mine was a "tactical" model in its factory laminate stock. Well the factory bedding consisted of nothing more than routed wood. I believe that after enough shooting the action was actually sliding left and right on the recoil lug. That angled recoil screw was promoted as something good, but it really does not keep the action from sliding around. And it makes bedding the action a pain. However once bedded my rifle is a true MOA or less off the bench.


My M77 action has changes from the action pictured in Frank DeHass book on bolt action rifles. Still the basics are there and it is a very intelligently designed action. I think if you rebarreling with a good 35 whelen barrel, bedding the action, you have a very good rig.

I had my .338-06 built on a tang safety M77, love it. I keep thinking I need another one, maybe in .338Fed.?

Or you could do the .375 Ruger without ammo.

I have a few of the Tang safety Rugers and think quite highly of them. I personally would shoot it as is before deciding on pulling the barrel. In fact if it were CRF & Tang Safetied I think it'd be about perfect. Nate

Oh believe me I'll be shooting it as is first. Before I would rebarrel it. Don't get me wrong I love the old '06. But I would also love a 35 Whelen.

I bought a Ruger 30-06, 70's era, with a tang safety, no sights. I had it rebored to 9.3x62. Put a nice thick recoil pad on it and it is absolutely great. Weighs in at juat 8 pounds ready to rock and roll, 5 round magazine, puts 3 rounds of 286gr Nosler Partitins into 2 inches every time at 100yds. It also knocks the crap out of everything.

I had a 35 Whelen before the 9.3 and well, I'd have to say that having experience with both I'd choose the 9.3 every time.

Off the subject but I've also toyed with the idea of converting a tang safety 338 to 416 Taylor, now that would be fun.

Congratulations HunterMontana!!!
Best Post of the day!!

I am guessing this would be an awesome 300yd rifle with the 286's and maybe a little farther with 232's or 250's
for anything here in NA.
Do you know that Graf's has the prvi partizan 285gr softpoints for $20 per hundred, and brass for $35 a hundred, and loaded prvi ammunition for $14 a box of 20? Probably did, but it's worth mentioning for others anyway.

Rich
DRSS
X62 fan

Idaho, Graf's has my CC on file... The only thing is that some of the brass has had overly thick rims that barely fit into a #3 shell holder, maybe 5% of the brass. They function fine in the rifle but I put them aside for parctice only rounds. The 285gr Prvi bullets are accurate and hit at the same POI as the Noslers, perfect parctice stuff, also worth a try on lighter game as I expect they will expand a bit more than the Noslers.

The 232 Norma Oryx have a rather low BC and actually the 286 Nosler might be a better at longer range at least according to my ballistics program. I made some comments about their preformance in the subject re: 9.3 Norma bullet in this form.

Now, Nosler could be a bit optimistic about the BC for the Partitions. But to 300 yds would that really be different in the real world? The Norma Oryx expand like mad and might not have the best penitration, there is an excellent photo in this months Handloader in an article by John Barsness on premium bullets that shows the difference in penitration between the 232gr Oryx and the 286 Partition, considerable. If you are strictly looking at a deer bullet, I was real impressed with the Norma.

My reloading experiments with the 9.3 have mirrored everyone elses I guess. Reloader 15 works great, 2350 with 286gr, Big Game produces 2425 with the 286gr and Varget gets me 2650 with the 232gr.

3 shot accuracy is excellent for such a light barrel, when you ream out an 06 barrel to 366 it gets a bit thin. Then again this is not a gopher rifle. I wanted something light enough to carry in my hands all day as I hunt elk in black timber and having a rifle "right there" is an advantage.

Same goes for the bushveldt of northern Namibia where I'm headed in Sept. This should give the 9.3 a good workout as it is a culling trip with a good number of wildebeest to shoot plus a few broken horns of various species. I will use the 286 Noslers in Africa as I frankly see no reason to use the 250's as they seem to me to offer no particular ballistic advantage over the 286 and will most like have less penitration.

Also, my own little rant on tang safety rifles, why would anyone have a rifle intended for either fast shooting in heavy cover or potentially dangerous game with a safety other than on the tang? I came to that conclution years ago and I have had no reason to doubt my thinking on this and a few experiences to confirm it. Moving your hand out of the firing position to disengage the safety can only be a bad thing.

quote:

Moving your hand out of the firing position to disengage the safety can only be a bad thing.

Yes, and it cost me a Turkey and almost an a-whipping (by the guide).

Believe me, nothing would suit me better than to see CZ go to a tang safety. I would "upgrade" the next morning. The tang safety ruggers are the only ones I would own...on a dare! Funny, they didn't see the need to change the safety on the #1.

Oh, well, the new ones just make the CZ's even more appealing.

regards,

Rich
DRSS

Maybe I am missing something here, but I have Rugers with the tang safety, and with the 3 position safety. I don't consider myself as having hands that are that large, but to work the safety on either set up, all I move is my thumb, same with my two Weatherby's. My pinkie, ring, and middle fingers are still on the pistol grip, my index finger is on the trigger, and my thumb is working the safety. I thought that was the way it was supposed to work???

quote:

Originally posted by T/C Nut:
I just picked up a 30-06 M-77 made in the late 70's and it has an adjustable trigger that looks to be factory. Did they come this way? I'm thinking real hard to re-barrel this puppy to a 35 Whelen what do you guys think?

http://www.itdcustomgun.com

Don't think, just do it. I like the 35 Whelen, but prefer the 338-06.

Crazyhorseconsulting, shoulder the weapon, now with your hand firmly gripping the rifle in the firing position, remove the safety. I wear only extra large size gloves and have a 9&1/2 inch finger span and I can not work a 3 position safety from this position.

My point is that yes you can flip the safety on a CZ just fine or even a 3 position or whatever but not as smoothly and naturally as a tang. Would you buy a shotgun for upland game in tight cover with a 3 position style safety? Seems to me all the best quality upland guns have tang safeties. Is this just fashion or is there a real functional reason behind it?

I would love to have all my rifles with tang safeties but sometimes a certain design and cartidge combination is not available otherwise which is why I have two CZ's, a 22LR and a 527 in 7.62x39. When it came time for a 9.3x62 the CZ crossed my mind more than once, but the 30 years of familiarity with a tang safety and the fact that I would use the rifle primarily for large big game, often in heavy cover where shot can be under 50 yds and little time for fiddle farting around with an "different culture", made a semi-custom rifle a better choice for me.

One of these days I might go wack a cape buffalo or elephant and if I do it will be with a tang safety rifle, either a old M77 redone to 416 Taylor or a No.1 in a 40+ size. Certainly my 9.3x62 would probably do fine also in most cases. Why? Because if you are nervous or surprised you revert to that "what brung ya" and that in my case was a tang safety Ruger.

T/C,

You might want to contact Ruger as they had a recall on the 77 back in the 80s. One of the screws - I think the overtravel screw, but I'm not positive as it has been 20 years - wasn't tapered and would move during recoil. They will send you the replacment screw for free.

I use lots of rifles of different make and model, My personaly favorite safty is on my 2 FN mausers.
I can use any of them no problem at all, but the FN is right there by my thumb. Hard to beat that.
The only thing I wish was different about most safties is that I like to be able to work the action with the safty applied.
I just feel better when I am chambering my loads to set my overall length...tj3006