Yesterday I entered the ranks of Ruger owners for the first time. I purchased a new M77-II Sporter (brown laminate / stainless) in .308 for me and one of the last new Mark II .22s around (can't do internal locks on handguns... been there... ain't there no more) for my older daughter.

I'll be taking the 77 to the range for break-in and sighting-in, but I don't fully understand accurizing these rifles. The diagonal front screw pulls the action down snug into the stock, which Ruger bills as good, but how does a body work with that if the rifle isn't grouping well enough? Are 77s to be glass bedded? Free floated? Just what do you do with them?

If any of y'all could explain this to me I'd be grateful. Or, if you know of decent web articles out there on the topic, that'd be great too.


Thanks,
Uji

Seems every one of them is an individual. Some free float, some just glass the hump at the forend tip to give uniform pressure, some glass the action. I've bedded the action on all three of mine, but one wouldn't shoot well without pressure at the tip. You'll just have to experiment a bit to see what it likes. I haven't found the flat bottom actions to be any more difficult to bed than the round types, just use common sense and take your time. There are some threads on this topic on another board, but I don't want to ruffle any feathers by naming it.

Why not worry about accurizing it after you see how it shoots with a few different loads?

Maybe I'm just a bit more pragmatic, but as a target shooter, I don't expect my AR15 or my M70 to group their best without some load tuning and both rifles have had just about every accurizing trick and quality components available.

If it shoots patterns with every ammo you feed it, get to work. If it shoots 1 1/2 MOA groups with most stuff and better with selected handloads, go hunting.

Wise words, HP Shooter. T'anks a million!

Uji

I have 3 77's. The 270 I free floated several months ago, I really helped. The group size dropped to MOA or a little bigger. I just floated the 300WIN this morning and have not shot it. It shot good butit wanted to string the shots up after several of them. I do shoot some PD's with it so I get a little heat. I hope this helps.

I gotta agree with HP shooter, but being contrary I usually glass the action and float the barrel before I even shoot them

Be sure you don't overtighten the middle action screw. They need to be just barely tight enough to let the floorplate latch work properly .

I own three of them. All are glass bedded. Including an M77 MKII stainless with a 22 inch barrel. I've heard say that these need a pressure point on the barrel and that the wimpy barrel is too light and has too much swing. Well, I shot mine and it didn't group well. I took off the pressure off of the barrel and glass bedded the action and about two inches of barrell. It shot better but not what I was looking for.

I handload and I was in the process of developing a load. It took me a while but when I found it, and this rifle now gives me fantastic groups and has become my favorite.