Hi,

Have a question and looking for suggestions. I have an M77 Tang safety ruger in 7mm magnum, which I don't use much anymore as I mostly handgun hunt now. Was thinking about having it rebarreled into something for larger game and wondering what my options were or would it be a waste of money rebarreling a ruger bolt action? Would like to do it in something like a .50 Alaskan or one of the big sharps cartridges or if that isn't feasible without sinking a fortune into it, maybe something like a 35 whelen or 375.

Any other suggestions? would I be better off just starting over?

Thanks,

Lance

It would be real easy to do a .375 Taylor, the .338 necked up to .375. Just screw on a barrel and you would have .375 H&H ballistics. Just use a heavy enough barrel that it will weigh nine pounds with a scope.

Usually when one looks at the cost of rebarreling he sees the cost of barrel, fitting to action, chambering, crown, polish reblue barreled action and if one wants iron sights that too gets big dollar.....truthfully it's less costly to just trade guns.....besides this allows you to own a real gun instead of the Ruger.

As to caliber...You have a 7MM Mag and IMO if you can't do it with the 7MM Mag you need at least a .375 H&H.

IMO rebarreling is reserved for special cases where the gun is family or has a custom stock...that kind of thing.

welcome to the forums

if you want a true big bore, the ruger is an EXCELLENT candidate for a 550 express. Details for the 550 express are on my website.

or, if you are "just" wanting to get into big bore rounds, a 416 taylor is a new barrel, headspace, and bluing away from being done.

Stay away from even thinking of rimmed/flanged rounds in a bolt gun... go lay down, and hope that idea fades.

jeffe

Jeffe,

That is a pretty website!

I thought you might suggest doing a .376 Steyr. I know Dan Pederson is set up to rebore and rechamber to .376 (assuming the donor rifle has enough metal in the barrel and the rechamber will clean-up).

I have a .338 Win Mag M77 Mk I (tang safety) model. Mine has the Ruger iron sights, and I like the looks of those sights, stylin' I guess.

I agree on the rimmed cartridges: you need to take two aspirin and lay down.

jim

Jim,
since the bolt started as a mag, the steyr would probably work, but MIGHT have feeding issues... I am building my second, and responsable for yet another one being built

jeffe

Thanks for the input guys. The Taylor sounds like a great idea or maybe a rigby. Thanks for the input, and I will stay away from rimmed cartridges. I'll leave those to my encore.

On another note, if I decided to go with a new rifle, what action would you recommend starting with for a 375 or 416?

Well, my choice if wanting to stay with a factory round would be a rebarrel to .338 Win. mag. If you want to go to a wildcat, either the .375 taylor (my personal choice) or the .416 Taylor would be the way to go. The .375 Taylor will do anything the .375 H&H will on a standard action and the round is very accurate. I have no experience witht he .416 taylor, but I do have some with the .375 Taylor. Mine is on a tang safety Ruger 77, and yes Vapodog, they are real rifles. So much for gun snobbery. Dies for the .375 Taylor are pricey from RCBS. I don't know what Redding charges, but they might be a bit less. I think Huntington's might have the chambering reamers, but I don't know if they still do barrel work.
My rifle is in a Ramline stock, has a 22" barrel and weighs 7.5 pounds with full magazine, scope and sling. Off the bench, recoils feels less that the 9.5 pound Ruger #1 I have in .375 H&H Mag. shooting 300 gr. bullets. Should be a great elk rifle, that is if I can ever draw a damn tag to try and get one. The only thing not yet on the rifle is a good set of back up iron sights.
Paul B.

quote:

if I decided to go with a new rifle, what action would you recommend starting with for a 375 or 416?

M-70.....one could also look at the CZ rifles.

re barrel to .458 win mag, heaps of brass and 45/70 style lighter bullets, and practically just a re-barrel. I feel the .458 win mag is more practical than the .416 taylor.

.358 Norma

338, 358 Norma, 458 Win. With the 458, you'll need to put in crossbolts.

What action? Why that would be easy. The Weatherby Mark V. The come all done in any flavor you want. 340, 375, 378, 416, 460. It a sweet line up. Otherwise the Ruger will be fine.

I personaly would go with the 416 taylor put a stainless barrel on it to save buleing cost make it a bit more weather proof.

I have the same gun. Looked at all kinds of nutty stuff, Then I just bought a 375H&H for less than the rebarelling. Taking the 77 to next
gun show to trade.

I'd agree with selling your 7 mag, and picking up a Win mdl 70 or CZ in 375 H&H. Say you can sell your gun for $350, and buy a new one for $750, so you are out $400. You'd be hard pressed to get a good barrel blank, have it fit and chambered and blued for much under $500. Now if the tang safety M-77 is your favorite action, and you just have to get something built on it, my choice would be the 416 taylor.

quote:

Originally posted by PC:
re barrel to .458 win mag, heaps of brass and 45/70 style lighter bullets, and practically just a re-barrel. I feel the .458 win mag is more practical than the .416 taylor.

Agree 100%. I friend of mine did that and now he has a fantastic rifle ( a Ruger, of course! ) and with the nice looks of a custom job. She wears a Douglas 1-14" cutted to 22". Blued, no sights.