I've been looking at the ruger 77/22 in 22hornet,
I was wondering if any of you guys have had much experience with this rifle, and if so what do you think of it, is it accurate,and any oppinons or comments on the rifle.

squirrel skinner-

Not exactly what you're looking for, but I have two 77/22's in 22 LR and love them. They look great and shoot wonderfully.

However, I've heard various reports of accuracy problems with the Hornet version. Not having one personally, it's "second hand knowledge", so take it for what it's worth.

Hopefully somebody that owns one will chime in for you.

I have a heavy barrel that is fairly accurate. It shoots around an inch and a half at a hundred yards. I bought one of the standard models and couldn't get it to shoot less than 3 inches at 100 and usually a lot worse.

I have a 77/22 in .22 WMR.

I really like it. I just recently installed a Dayton Traister adjustable trigger from Brownells. There are some models that come with an adjustable trigger. Mine did not. It was a good trigger, just too heavy. I have the new trigger set at about 2 pounds. Much Better!

Accuracy is good. With CCI or Winchester it will shoot inch groups at 100 yards. I really like the rotary mag. I have a Leupold M8 4x on top.

Good rig. Dropped it once in a creek bed. It was my first time out with it too. I panicked, but they are tough. It barely put a dent in the finish. No harm done.

I will buy one in .22 one day soon.

This site will give some very good info.

http://rimfirecentral.com/forums/

The 77/22H in .22 Hornet has a very poor reputation for accuracy, although some individual rifles do pretty well. I have one which the previous owner had extensively reworked (Krieger barrel in K-Hornet, replacement trigger, bolt shimmed, etc.) and it shoots marvelously, so they can be fixed. The expense of fixing them, however, can be pretty steep. The more recent "varmint" model appears to be doing somewhat better than the original sporters in terms of accuracy, so you might want to consider it if weight is not an issue. You'll still need a new trigger, or some competent workmanship on the original trigger.

My 77/22VHZ shot about 6" @ 100 yards right out of the box.
I floated the barrel, bedded the action, had a gunsmith reduce the trigger pull to something under 4 pounds, installed a Spec-Tech adjustable trigger and Volquartsen target sear myself, shimmed the bolt (no help here). All this, plus finding out about Lil'Gun and using small pistol primers, and the Ruger shoots under 1" @ 100 yards all the time.
My CZ 527 American came with an adjustable, set trigger, floated barrel, bedded recoil lug, and shot under 1" right out of the box.
I think there's something to be learned here...
Regards, George.

The worst thing about the Ruger 77/22VHZ is the trigger. Before I ever dented a primer I changed the trigger. I also free floated the barrel but I do this to every rifle I buy. Groups from my Ruger M77/22 .22 Hornet were about an inch until I found the right powders and seating depth of the bullets. It now shoots groups around a half inch with many different loads. This is my favorate fun gun. I tried other .22 Hornets and they were either to light or did not feel solid enough. Go with the Ruger you won't regret it. Lawdog

I agree 100% with both Gary and George:
While I love my Ruger 77's in 22 mag, and 17 HRM everyone I know who got the hornet was disappointed. One guy did have it rechambered to a K Hornet and had the gunsmith do about $200.00 worth of work to get it to shoot.

One other guy bought a 22Hornet in CZ and that was a tack driver. Most of the other 22 Hornet guys also converted and went with the CZ. However following that same guys lead, they also had their Ruger Hornets rebarreled to the 19 Calhoon, instead of getting rid of them. That is one heck of a little round, and it is a great rifle in the Ruger 77/22.

[ 09-03-2003, 23:21: Message edited by: seafire ]

I've had mine for about 5-6 years. It shoots very well. It did not shoot well when I first got it, but I have added a Timney spring and sear to it, and that helped alot. Lilgun powder helped about as much as the spring/sear. My rifle shoots best with a max charge of Lilgun and small pistol primers. It will now shoot under 1" when I do my part...Fred in Colorado

Afraid I have to side with the crowd warning about poor accuracy. I've never seen ANY of the little M77 small action rifles that weren't disappoint on accuracy. They look and feel and function great...but none ever shot it. Not for me or anyone I knew who had one. Most get rid of them.

There is much contriversy about the accuracy/lack of accuracy on the Ruger 77/22-Hornet. The old tried and true 11.5gr. of 4227 is in accurate. I use a HOT load of 9.7 grains of 2400. I get a 1/4 inch group at 100 yards. Hodgdon's "Lil Gun" is said to shoot well but, I do not have a load for it.

If you own a hornet, you need to try lilgun. It helped make a shooter out of my Ruger. A buddy bought the same gun last year, and with factory ammo, the best he could do was 2-3". My handloads cut that in half (he also added the Timney spring /sear).
My loads: WW case, Win small pistol primer, 45gr Sierra sftpt, 13gr Lilgun, loaded with Lee Collet dies...also, 50gr Hornady sftpt and 11.5gr Lilgun shoots great (this will be my Fall Turkey load)...
Fred in Co.

I bought my 77/22 about 10+ yrs. ago as a squirrel gun in .22 cal. It's a carbine and was the first available stainless bolt action .22. It was well balanced, handy and very light but I was disappointed with the accuracy at first. My gunsmith replaced the trigger with a Traister. He said Traisters were easiest to install and as good as any. I topped the gun with the Tasco A.O. air rifle scope that Ballentine Scopes recommended. Tasco no longer makes the model. The gun is a picky eater but once I found the .22 ammo it liked best (CCI Mini Mag +V) the combo shots well - 1/4" or less at 35 yrds. I love the little gun and take it places during the early squirrel season I'd never carry a heavier rifle.

I love my 77/22 mag in the stainless model. Vari-X II 4-12AO Leupold and CCI +V shoots all 9 into .75" at 100 yards. It has to be no wind as a little bit blows it around pretty bad out past 75 yards or so. I really like the small size and I redid the trigger myself to 24 ounces.

I had a 77/22 Hornet once. It was a real POS (see my post on the worst factory rifle thread). You might get one that shoots and you might not. My point being, when a person plunks down four or five hundred bucks for a rifle, he shouldn't have to spend another two or three to get the thing to shoot right (and they might not ever shoot well). If I were you, I'd pass on the Ruger and get yourself a CZ.

I've owned two. Both were dogs. Spent a lot of time and trouble trying to fix them. Now they are on someone elses gun rack and I have a Browning A bolt which is excellent. With the Rugers, accuracy is a matter of luck. The real problem is the split bolt with a pin to hold it together that can wear thin and cause random bolt head seating leading to poor accuracy. No amount of good loads will fix that problem. The more you shoot the more inaccurate it will get. Making the Hornet into a K Hornet has worked well for a lot of people.

Why buy a gun that you have to fix to get it to shoot when you can buy a Browining or a CZ and start having fun right away?