I have heard the Ruger M77 MK II described as a modified CRF.

Is it real mauser type CRF or something else? Also, what style is the safety? Wing on the rear of the bolt? Thumb?

They are certainly available for less money.

The Ruger M77 mkII is essentially a M98 mauser with some modifications. It doesn't have the third safety lug on the rear of the bolt (neither did the original M98 mauser). It also has a different style receiver recoil lug, which by the way, is considerably smaller than the Winchester or Mauser.

To answer your questions tersely.
1.) The Ruger is a CRF just like a Mauser.
2.) The safety is a three position thumb time (not bolt mounted).

If price is a consideration I would take the Ruger over the Winchester. I have only owned one Ruger (Magnum 416 Rigby) and several Winchesters. The really seems to be little difference in function or performance.

Todd E

Dave:

I own Winchesters and Rugers. Over the years both have made changes to their rifles. If you are speaking of older models it is necessary to be specific. Some posters have been noticeably confused about the rifles due to remembering the older styles and not being familiar with the newer.

Older Rugers were not totally CRF. Older Rugers have a tang ( slide safety ) on the "wrist". New Rugers have a side swing 3 position safety on the Right that allows for greater versatility loading, unloading and handling because of the safety's features.

If a person is contemplating buying a used Winchester, he should become very familiar with all of the pre-64 and post 64 features as some were not very desirable. Pre- 64 Winchesters bring very good money. You could be looking at $3,000 for a good one.

All in all I prefer the new Ruger M77 II rifle. But, again, it is necessary to look carefully at the catalogs as there are a large number of variations to the rifles.

Kendall Dace

Kendall,

I understand what you are saying. I specified the M77 MK II and meant the standard version. I would be comparing it to the M70 Classic in either the Featherweight or Classic Sporter (Post 94).

How is it for weight, handling and sighting? The Winchester stock looks good in that regard.

Dave,

So you want a comparison between the standard (wood stocked) M77 mkII Ruger and the Wnchester classic M70. I would strongly recommend if possible you pick-up one of each yourself and make that determination.

Both rifles weigh in about the same and have about equal balance. Winchesters general do not have iron sights. Rugers sometimes do have iron sights. The Winchester has a classic stock with cheek plate the Ruger has a classic stock wthout cheek plate. If you have a "thin" face you may find that the Winchester cheekplate aids with sight alignment while the absence of a cheekplate on the Ruger forces you to crane your neck a bit. Conversely, if you have a broad square jaw you may prefer the Ruger as you need to bury you face into the cheek plate on the Winchester.

Ultimately, you need to try the rifles on so to speak to determine which stock fits you the best. Funtion and performance is basically a wash between the two otherwise.

Todd E

If you're looking for great out-of-the-box performance, you'll have to get luck to get either a Ruger M77 MK II or a Model 70 Classic to shoot tight groups as-is. It is likely that you'll have to tune either one of these rifles to get the most out of it.

Both of these actions are excellent, but the Model 70 offers more features and it's CNC machined from a solid forging - not investment cast as is the Ruger.

I really prefer the Model 70 rifle and action. So do a number of custom riflemakers, including the David Miller Company, D'Arcy Echols & Company, Gene Simillion, plus others. These guys, collectively, make the best custom bolt action rifles in the world, and all of them base a large number of theeir creations on the Model 70 Classic action. They never use the Ruger M77 MK II action, which should tell you something........

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