I finally found a nice used 7mm mag. Its a 1982 M77 in 7mm mag. I want to be able to use either 160 or 175 grain bullets. Anyone have feedback on use of this weight bullets in a M77 in either handoads or factory? Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by Westernmassman:
I finally found a nice used 7mm mag. Its a 1982 M77 in 7mm mag. I want to be able to use either 160 or 175 grain bullets. Anyone have feedback on use of this weight bullets in a M77 in either handoads or factory? Thanks

Hey W, Is that a "Tang Safety" model?

My 7MM Mag isn't a Ruger. It shoots very well with 150/160 grain Nosler Partitions with 4831SC powder.
Don

If there ever was an all-around bullet for the 7mm Rem. Mag., it's got to be the 160 gr. Nosler Partition. Try H4831, IMR 4831, Reloader 22, and IMR 7828 in Winchester cases with Federal 215M primers...........

Other really accurate bullets I've used for the 7mm Rem. Mag. include the 154 gr. & 175 gr. Hornady Inter-Loct. They aren't as reliable as the Partition, however........

AD

quote:

Originally posted by allen day:
If there ever was an all-around bullet for the 7mm Rem. Mag., it's got to be the 160 gr. Nosler Partition. AD

DITTO!

Hotcore: Yes it is a tang safety. I've got a early flat bolt in .308 which is my favorite rifle. Free floated the barrel and it shoots 150 gr hornady interlocks @2825fps under 3/4 in. moa.

I just want to be sure that the ruger twist will like 160gr bullets, maybe Partitions, or Bearclaws, or interbonds. This rifle will be used for Mulies and a backup for my Whelen for Elk this fall. Overall I will mostly use it for deer at longer ranges.

quote:

Originally posted by Westernmassman:
Yes it is a tang safety. I've got a early flat bolt in .308 which is my favorite rifle. Free floated the barrel and it shoots 150 gr hornady interlocks @2825fps under 3/4 in. moa.

I just want to be sure that the ruger twist will like 160gr bullets, maybe Partitions, or Bearclaws, or interbonds....

Hey W, You are getting good info from all the posters above, because it is a very versatile cartridge. Most any weight from 140gr to 175gr "usually" works just fine, but some do shoot a specific bullet and specific weight better. Only way to know is to shoot them and see what it likes.

160gr is a fine weight for it with plenty of Sectional Density and normally a fairly high Ballistic Coefficient. The M77 I had like yours(and my current M700) really liked H1000 with 140gr, 145gr, 150gr and 160gr bullets.

It was really getting into it's own with H870 and the 175gr bullets, but lighter weights with this powder leave an extremely tenacious residue. You might not be able to find any H870 anyhow. If you do, Mr. Bruce Hodgdon recommended making a paste of "Bon Ami" cleanser and your favorite Bore Cleaner. It will cut the residue and not harm the barrel at all.
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The reason I asked about the Tang Safety is because a lot of the Rugers made back then had Bore and Groove dimensions on the "high side". It helped keep Pressure down, but they are built like a Tank anyhow - very strong. You can determine if yours has the larger dimensions if you can compare it to another 7mm rifle by using a "new" Brass 7mm Bore Brush. It will probably be a good bit easier to push through that Ruger's Bore. And if you find that to be the situation, just use a 0.308" Bore Brush when you clean it, because the 7mm Brush won't perform as well.

Now, normally that could create an accuracy problem, but my old M77 shot great. The very last two shots I put through it overlapped. Had a buddy and his nephew with me at the Range that day and the nephew decided he just had to have it. So, they can be made to shoot just fine with the larger Bore Dimensions.

It also was able to SAFELY use a bit more Powder than shown in the Manuals. Of course, each one is different, but as you develop your Loads just don't be surprised if the normal Pressure Indicators show up a bit later.

The chambers on all the M77s I had were just excellent. I got extremely long case life using regular RCBS FL Dies set to P-FLR.

Since you have had the 308Win for awhile, I feel sure you know about the Coiled Safety Spring and Wire Link along the left side. Oh yes, back then they had one of the very best Triggers on the market for ease of adjustment.

Best of luck with the rifle.

Be sure to try the North Fork 160 grain bullets before you draw any conclusions. My STW likes them best, and so do I when I get through shooting those tiny groups, like I did today. They are as tough as the Barnes X with super accuracy. Good luck and good shooting.

I've had great groups this year with the 160 gr Accubond and the 175 Partion w/ Retumbo, CCI250 primers, and Hornady brass.

quote:

Originally posted by Westernmassman:
I finally found a nice used 7mm mag. Its a 1982 M77 in 7mm mag. I want to be able to use either 160 or 175 grain bullets. Anyone have feedback on use of this weight bullets in a M77 in either handoads or factory? Thanks

IMR 7828 is a great powder with the 175-grain Nosler Partition in my Ruger No.1B 7mm Rem. Mag. I used to use N205, then MRP, then tried RE 22 when MRP became unavailable as I heard it was quite similar to MRP. But 7828 turned out to provide the most velocity with the requisite accuracy using this bullet.

ditto on 7828 for 160's

Each rifle bbl. is diff. so you'll just have to try some loads. I like 160gr bullets over RL22 or IMR7828. I am partial to the Nosler Par. right now but am going to try the NorthFork soon.

I have a slightly older model M77 in 7mm. It likes Federal premium 160 grain NP better than any other factory loads I've found. No complaints on the way they work on deer either, but haven't shot anyghing bigger with it.

I have found mine shoots the 160gr XLC's better than anything else I've tried. I'm using IMR 7828 in that one. I've also tried H1000, RL22, RL19, H4831sc, Retumbo. I think the bullets made a bigger difference than the powder. Nate