I just spotted a good buy on a used M77 Ruger in 7mm Mag. I have never owned a Ruger rifle. Are they comparable in quality and accuracy to Remington and Winchester? Do they have any problems I should look for? I am looking for a project rifle that I can shoot or hunt with as is, but may want to upgrade barrel\stock later to improve accuracy.

That's a "loaded" question that will get all kinds of answers. I saw much the same question on another forum this morning, maybe it was from you.
Rugers like all other factory rifles have had their problems. You'll get good ones and bad ones no matter what brand you pick. My neighbor had a 300 Win Mag Sako that cost over $1100 and it wasn't anything to write home about when looking at the groups it shot. I have a Ruger tang safety 77 in 30/06 that shoots like a benchrest rifle. You pays your money and you takes your chances. I believe that Ruger has their mud together and makes some fine guns, so I'd go for it. If you plan on upgrading later, then you don't have a lot to lose.

Overall, I think that the M77 is one of the better deals for the money out there.

They shoot fine, and I really like their "lines", especially among the factory rifles. Their stocks just seem to "fit" well.

If you found a good deal, I'd be buying it...

The best rifle I ever owned as far as accuracy was a McGowen barreled action (22-250) on a rough bishop stock. 1/4" to 1/2" groups no matter what load was used. The next best was a mod.77 varmint .257 boby vintage 1972. It still shoots 1/2" groups.Of the three mod.77 targets purchased in the last year( .243,.223,22-250 ) all shoot quite good but each needs the right load. Some times it's porterhouse some times you get the shriveled winnie. The old .257 shots all bullets under 90gr. just fine. The 7mm mag. is a different ball game and I don't know if the gamble is better or worse. If you just want a good hunter I'd say your chances were on the plus side. roger

I say buy it shoot it and if it isn't what you want sell it off. You may end up with a silk purse. Of course if its the sows ear you can start the re-barrel process to improve it. I ahve a dozen Tang Rugers and all but one shoot very well. I hunt with the others and they shoot within the kill zone in practical situations.
Frank

Check very well when buying a used rifle. Some are sold because they just don�t shoot well. I am big fan of Ruger guns and own several 77 Mk2s. All shoot well, are very robust and look very nice. Great company.

I think they are a rock solid action and as good as the Remchesters. I'm biased toward the old tang-safety models simply because I grew up shooting O/U shotguns. I've an old M77 .270 with a chopped 21" factory bbl that is MOA.

As far as out-of-box accuracy, I'm a tinkerer and reloader so that's a non-issue for me. Though a certain ultralight MkII .223 is becoming a real challenge...

They're good solid rough use hunting rifles, and most all of them will go 1.25-1.375" for three shots after a trigger job. I've got a bunch of nice guns and my son (not quite 15 then) took my 7x57 to Africa last year.