I bought my wife a Ruger model 77 tang safety that shoots extremely well with heavier 173 grain bullets.

She is a slight woman (though hot ) and i cut the stock to 12 1/2 for her. She recently finished a training course at gunsite and the instructor (even though she shot very well) thought she struggled with the rifle being barrel heavy secondary to weight distribution from the stock being cut. She recommended the barrel be cut to 20 inches.

I do not have the rifle with me to measure but my guess is that it is 26 inch at present.

Would cutting it to 20 adversely affect it's accuracy?

All opinions welcome.

I have an old mauser with an 18 1/2" stepped
military barrel that shoots fine. It does prefer 160 gr bullets with a moderate load of imr4350. Don't know the velocity, don't know the twist of the barrel. Just know it shoots good enough for hunting ranges. It's a barrel from Numrich and you can't get much cheaper than that. Hope this helps.

Thought of another part of the question. How much do you think 6 inches of barrel might weigh?

My wife uses a mauser sporter that I put together for her on a mexican action with a 24" barrel and it works great. 26" seems long to me for a m77 in 7x57. I had a m77 in 257roberts and it had a 24" barrel I think.

If it was me, considering that your wife shoots it well the way it is, I would let her hunt with it for a season and see how she likes it, and how it handles for her in the field before I would whack that barrel off. Shortening it probably won't hurt the accuracy but you will lose some velocity (if that is important to you or her). But...that is just me!

Anyway you picked a great cartridge for your wife to use...my wife thinks her little 7mm is magic!!
Z

quote:

How much do you think 6 inches of barrel might weigh?

A lot more when it's attached to a 20" barrel than when it's conveniently tucked under arm.

The weight is one thing....where the weight is is another thing completely. That small 6" weight has a considerable moment arm to it.

I have two with 19"military replacement barrels and they do just fine. 175 gr. bullet at 2450 fps 1/2" group at 50 yds. Was not maxed out. roger

quote:

Originally posted by zeeriverrat1:
My wife uses a mauser sporter that I put together for her on a mexican action with a 24" barrel and it works great. 26" seems long to me for a m77 in 7x57. I had a m77 in 257roberts and it had a 24" barrel I think.

If it was me, considering that your wife shoots it well the way it is, I would let her hunt with it for a season and see how she likes it, and how it handles for her in the field before I would whack that barrel off. Shortening it probably won't hurt the accuracy but you will lose some velocity (if that is important to you or her). But...that is just me!

Anyway you picked a great cartridge for your wife to use...my wife thinks her little 7mm is magic!!
Z

Excellent suggestion and close to what we are doing. We are headed to Zambia in 7 weeks and the rifle will not be altered before that trip. We will see how she feels when we get back. I just thought I'd toss the question out there.

I offered to build her up another rifle but she has totally bonded with this one. I suspect she may have given it a name at Gunsite.

Jim,that barrel would be 24".If it has sights,I'll smack you up along the side of your head if you cut it .If you are intent on a shorter barrel,I'll buy you one for your old one if thats the case !!

quote:

Originally posted by Heavy Barrel:
Jim,that barrel would be 24".If it has sights,I'll smack you up along the side of your head if you cut it .If you are intent on a shorter barrel,I'll buy you one for your old one if thats the case !!

Hi Bill,

Yup, it has sights and a Pearson peep (original factory order though not on the rifle at present)

It's Joyce's gun so you'll have to smack her in the head.

just add a couple of ounces of weight in the buttstock to off set it.

As posted, some weight in the buttstock may be all you'd need but if not, I'd do it in steps. Cut it to say 23" and see how she likes that. Then maybe 20.5". I wouldn't go chopping on it too much.

If it is used with open sights I would not cut it and change her sight radius. A scoped rifle is a different animal.
Both mine are scope forward scout type facilitating quick pick up and fast swing. roger

Yo Frost-Bite,

I think you're gathering the wrong Market Survey Data from a bunch of Old Rifle Geeks that are posting here. It's your wife's rifle so make it right for her.

My wife isn't a big hunter/shooter by any stretch of imagination but she has entertained me by participating when she decides and much to my astonishment joined-in the fun on a 2 week safari to RSA & ended up taking some nice trophies, too. I gleefully paid at he conclusion of the hunt. I'm amazed at how well she shoots for someone who shoots as infrequently as she does.

When it comes to rifles anything that seems HEAVY to her - she simply does not care for; dunno why? Whether it's the weight or the balance but she that's the way she prefers rifles and there's only 2 fly-weights in my stable; a Mini-Mauser in 22-250 and a Blaser K-95 Luxus Stutzen in 7x57R.

As has been reco'd above I'd initially attempt at balancing the rifle to see if that option makes a difference; maybe she'll prefer that approach; worthwhile IMO, too.

Having said that the Blaser Luxus Stutzen only has a 19.6" octagonal tube and Irene prefers this rifle over all others in my safes (and there's a broad selection to choose from). It barks a bit but the recoil is; well, negligble & very managable. 140 grain Sierra Gamke Kings or the old reliable 177 grain TIG's; she doesn't care.

IMO the 7x57; like a 250 Savage or .308 Winchester just seem to lend themselves well to a nice carbine-length barrel IMO. Yeah, you loose a coupla hundred fps, but WTH-O, haven't had any 177 gr. TIG's trotting along at 2200 fps (Chrony-ed) bounce off anything we've shot with the Stutzen yet.

I'd take the "What-ever, Dear" approach and do the rifle to her satisfaction.

Have fun on your Safari!

quote:

Originally posted by Gerry:
Yo Frost-Bite,

I think you're gathering the wrong Market Survey Data from a bunch of Old Rifle Geeks that are posting here. It's your wife's rifle so make it right for her.

My wife isn't a big hunter/shooter by any stretch of imagination but she has entertained me by participating when she decides and much to my astonishment joined-in the fun on a 2 week safari to RSA & ended up taking some nice trophies, too. I gleefully paid at he conclusion of the hunt. I'm amazed at how well she shoots for someone who shoots as infrequently as she does.

When it comes to rifles anything that seems HEAVY to her - she simply does not care for; dunno why? Whether it's the weight or the balance but she that's the way she prefers rifles and there's only 2 fly-weights in my stable; a Mini-Mauser in 22-250 and a Blaser K-95 Luxus Stutzen in 7x57R.

As has been reco'd above I'd initially attempt at balancing the rifle to see if that option makes a difference; maybe she'll prefer that approach; worthwhile IMO, too.

Having said that the Blaser Luxus Stutzen only has a 19.6" octagonal tube and Irene prefers this rifle over all others in my safes (and there's a broad selection to choose from). It barks a bit but the recoil is; well, negligble & very managable. 140 grain Sierra Gamke Kings or the old reliable 177 grain TIG's; she doesn't care.

IMO the 7x57; like a 250 Savage or .308 Winchester just seem to lend themselves well to a nice carbine-length barrel IMO. Yeah, you loose a coupla hundred fps, but WTH-O, haven't had any 177 gr. TIG's trotting along at 2200 fps (Chrony-ed) bounce off anything we've shot with the Stutzen yet.

I'd take the "What-ever, Dear" approach and do the rifle to her satisfaction.

Have fun on your Safari!

Thanks, I like your attitude.

For others, the rifle is presently scoped with a Swarovski so the front sight is a non-issue shooting wise and the Pearson peep is sitting in my gun safe.

I need to explain something both for you all and for Bill (heavy barrel). Bill has collector cars as I have had and probably will again. Those cars are only original once. Sure you can restore them but once they are stripped and painted or hot rodded and taken back to original no matter how nice they are they are not "survivors", the term for an unaltered original.

This Ruger 77 apparently is quite rare, which I personally didn't realize when I bought it for her. For someone like Bill it's blasphemy to cut it. I understand that.

BTW, the original stock is not cut, I bought a separate .270 Ruger 77 for the doner stock that was already cut and switched them out.

I think Joyce and this gun have bonded and regardless of it's rare status if she wants it cut when we return from Zambia then it will be cut. If she wants to trade Bill for something comparable so he can preserve the lineage of originality I will let them hash that out.

I thank everyone for their input and opinions. You gotta love AR!!

If it shoots well I would be very reluctant to change the barrel.

If she is can handle it, add weight in the butt. A properly fitted and balanced rifle oftn feels lighter (to shoot) than it really is.

How does it feel to her with the scope removed? If better I would suggest a lighter weight scope such as a Leupold fixed 6x, 2-7x or the like. That with a bit of weight in the butt if needed.

Barrel length, of itself, has nothing to do with accuracy. In fact, shorter barrels are a bit stiffer and stiffer contributes to better accuracy. I suspect she would have more problem with the increased muzzle blast than any accuracy change.

Rugers are fairly heavy in both the action and stock. She might still struggle after mangling the rifle.
Many people do not shoot enough to ever get the hang of shooting, so all rifles seem hard to manage.

Get her a light air rifle to practice with while you figure out what she might do best with.
Then maybe one of the Brazilian slide action .22s. then step up to a Mini Mauser or CZ 527.

A Ruger 77 7x57 rifle with more than a 22" inch barrel from the factory is a rarity. I did not know one existed. I would love to see a picture or two but I guess we will when you get back from Africa!
The older Rugers carry a lot of wood in the forend and that could be trimmed down a lot too.
I love long barrels by the way and find they are an asset in field shooting in holding steady.
Best of luck to you both on your hunt!
dmw

From a handloader's point of wiew, 23 inches is about right on a 7x57

M

quote:

Originally posted by SR4759:
Rugers are fairly heavy in both the action and stock. She might still struggle after mangling the rifle.
Many people do not shoot enough to ever get the hang of shooting, so all rifles seem hard to manage.

Get her a light air rifle to practice with while you figure out what she might do best with.
Then maybe one of the Brazilian slide action .22s. then step up to a Mini Mauser or CZ 527.

She shoots a CZ 452 (her's) with the stock cut to 12 1/2 same as the Ruger and is very proficient with it. She shoots a lot!!

quote:

Originally posted by Fury01:
A Ruger 77 7x57 rifle with more than a 22" inch barrel from the factory is a rarity. I did not know one existed. I would love to see a picture or two but I guess we will when you get back from Africa!
The older Rugers carry a lot of wood in the forend and that could be trimmed down a lot too.
I love long barrels by the way and find they are an asset in field shooting in holding steady.
Best of luck to you both on your hunt!
dmw

I will try and take some pictures of the rifle later. You can see some of it here.

Thread

quote:

Originally posted by Boxhead:
How does it feel to her with the scope removed? If better I would suggest a lighter weight scope such as a Leupold fixed 6x, 2-7x or the like. That with a bit of weight in the butt if needed.

The Swaro is 12.7 ounce, A leupold 2 x 7 is 10.5 I doubt the 2 ounces in the center of the rifle is an issue but thanks for the suggestion.

quote:

Originally posted by Fury01:
A Ruger 77 7x57 rifle with more than a 22" inch barrel from the factory is a rarity. I did not know one existed. I would love to see a picture or two but I guess we will when you get back from Africa!
The older Rugers carry a lot of wood in the forend and that could be trimmed down a lot too.
I love long barrels by the way and find they are an asset in field shooting in holding steady.
Best of luck to you both on your hunt!
dmw

Pic#

Side of receiver showing two screws for Pearson Peep originally on rifle.

Whats a Pearson Peep ?

Thanks
Bob

quote:

Originally posted by manhasset:
Whats a Pearson Peep ?

Thanks
Bob

Oops!! It's a fine example of my bad memory. I believe when I bought the rifle for Joyce it was actually called a williams peep sight. At any rate I was told it was a factory option and the fact the barrel has no rear sight nor mounting spot for them I suspect that is how the gun originally came with the peep sight and front sight.

I've been told, as "Heavy Barrel" alluded to earlier in the thread the front sights on the 7 x 57 was not very common.

Jim,

I had a Ruger 77 in 7x57 I shot quite a bit and it was amazingly accurate with the 175 Remington load. The barrel was 22" and I think you'll find Joyce's is also. Cutting 2" off will only drop the velocity 50 fps so for killing power it makes no difference and I'd be very surprised if it was less accurate. Measure from the vent hole in the receive to the end of the barrel for the real length.

Mark

Jim.out of curiousity,what stampings are on the barrel ?

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Jim,

I had a Ruger 77 in 7x57 I shot quite a bit and it was amazingly accurate with the 175 Remington load. The barrel was 22" and I think you'll find Joyce's is also. Cutting 2" off will only drop the velocity 50 fps so for killing power it makes no difference and I'd be very surprised if it was less accurate. Measure from the vent hole in the receive to the end of the barrel for the real length.

Mark

Mark

Thanks Mark,

Seriously though, how much can 2 inches of barrel weigh, although that front sight is pretty big.

quote:

Originally posted by Heavy Barrel:
Jim.out of curiousity,what stampings are on the barrel ?

Bill,

Top of the barrel halfway down has a warning to read the manual and you can get one free from Sturm Ruger of Southport, Conn, USA

Left side of the barrel towards the chamber end is stamped 7 x 57 and there's a small stamp on top of the barrel just in front of the chamber that looks like a backwards P mated to an R by the stem with a circle around it. I'd try a picture but it's under the scope and hard to see.

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
Thought of another part of the question. How much do you think 6 inches of barrel might weigh?

I'm not sure it'll make much difference, have a play with these barrel weight calculators:
http://pac-nor.com/cgi-bin/pnb/bweight.cgi

http://www.border-barrels.com/barrel_weight_S2.htm

My vote is not to cut, a lighter replacement stock with a bit of ballast might be the solution and save permanently altering the metalwork.

One ounce of barrel at 24" is about the same effect as .............
removing that ounce of barrel and tieing a 1 pound weight to the hand on the foregrip.

Its not the weight per-se.........its the polar moment of that weight where it is.

conversely, a couple of ounces of lead in the butt stock can balance that ounce out on the end of the barrel.

a notoriously bad equation for balance when the rifle is at the shoulder for a static shot.
More influence on inertia in the balance when taking a running shot ( at need).

IME a strongly forward balanced rifle is more steady in the hold with a heavier scope than with a lighter one.
Again this is a relative inertia balance when moving the rifle for the sight picture & holding it there for the shot.
Of course the rifle weighs more to carry in any solution to improve balance with the barrel at full length.

I would be inclined to add ballast weight to the butt which is just a tad more than the approximate weight of wood removed from the butt to shorten LOP and call it good ( as an initial step )........as a weight & balance approximating the original rifle at full LOP ex factory.
You can tape that weight to the butt & the good lady can see what she thinks of the potential difference.

The advice of an independent expert observer to the good lady's rifle handling is not to be sneezed at as a whim.
the LOP adjustment fits better but changes the rifle balance characteristics, the lady is adapting & accommodating the rifle balance issue as best she can & more than adequately it seems.
Nothing lost in temporarily taping some ballast to the butt & seeing how she feels about it as a ballast weight for a potential permanent adjustment inside the butt stock.
She might feel it does something .....or she might not.

Taking a shot off sticks , its neither here nor there much in effect.

Thanks for the pictues! Nice rifle. Looks like my 7x57 with a 22" barrel except: mine was a slick barrel and indeed your looks a bit thicker. Just hard to day from the pictures but a Ruger RS with no back sight must have left the factory after dark I would say. Meaning Ruger never had a real custom shop but maybe somebody just put a Front sight on a Ruger 77 and wanted a Peep. A Williams Peep is a common aftermarket sight. Still; if your wife wants it to handle better, work on the stock not the metal until it fits her as she wishes. That is where the improvment can be realized!
Have a great hunt!
dmw

quote:

Originally posted by Fury01:
Thanks for the pictues! Nice rifle. Looks like my 7x57 with a 22" barrel except: mine was a slick barrel and indeed your looks a bit thicker. Just hard to day from the pictures but a Ruger RS with no back sight must have left the factory after dark I would say. Meaning Ruger never had a real custom shop but maybe somebody just put a Front sight on a Ruger 77 and wanted a Peep. A Williams Peep is a common aftermarket sight. Still; if your wife wants it to handle better, work on the stock not the metal until it fits her as she wishes. That is where the improvment can be realized!
Have a great hunt!
dmw

I believe the gun is dated to 1980 if that changes anything.

Jim,here is mine from 1972,unfired 24" barrel,no sights.

Interesting. Does the barrel contour look the same to you?

I wish Ruger would still put that length barrels on their sporters like the ones you fella's obviously have! My 7x57 was purchased new in 1983-4 maybe and had the 22" tube. Other than mags, the 25-06 and now the 6x5 Creedmore, they all have the 22"s today I believe. I sure like the 24's better. The Ruger 25-06 is probably the nicest balance Sporter they make with it's mag contour barrel at 24". I have not held a Creedmore. I wish they made a 260 Remington in the Creedmore 26" profile barrel. I would have one if they did.
dmw

I was surprised when I chronoed a load in my 20" RSI No.1 to find the same load in my 22" M.98 7x57 is only 17 fps faster.