Quality/Accuracy of Ruger M77

12 February 2004, 09:45

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.

12 February 2004, 09:53

Bobby

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.

12 February 2004, 10:00

Cold Bore

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...

12 February 2004, 13:48

wildcat junkie

Quote:

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...

Hey Cold Bore:

I thought you were a "died in the wool" M700 Rem fan.

Here you are recomending an American copy of the M98??????

12 February 2004, 17:38

bartsche

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

12 February 2004, 20:08

Frank Martinez

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

12 February 2004, 23:31

DUK

Check very well when buying a used rifle. Some are sold because they just donï¿½t 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.

13 February 2004, 02:47

Cold Bore

Quote:

I thought you were a "died in the wool" M700 Rem fan.

WJ-

You are correct. I *am* a true M700 fan. Most of my stuff is built on the M700 action.

HOWEVER, I still think that the Ruger is a good deal, and I do like it's lines better than say a new factory BDL stock. (That's why I change most of my factory stocks. I like the M700 Classic WAY better than the factory BDL...) I don't currently own a M77 (other than 77/22...), but have in the past, and would again if I found a fair deal on one that I "needed".

I don't think they lend themselves to "customizing" as well as a M700 action, but if you find one that shoots as-is, I think they work just fine.

Don't worry, I'm not abandoning my M700's.

But I'm not the "rabid fan" of ANYTHING that some guys seem to be, at the exclusion of everything else. I have my definite likes & dislikes, but that leaves a lot of room in the middle for things that are just fine, but not at the "top" of my list.

(I knew when I wrote my first post here that someone would probably "challenge" me on my M700 allegiance.

)

13 February 2004, 19:55

steve y

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...

14 February 2004, 16:03

jstevens

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.