Couldn't wait to get to work this morning so I could post this question. I have an older tang safety Ruger 77 in 338. Last week I tested some reloads with the new 225 Nosler Accubond - very impressive three shot groups = .675 or so - even better results with 210 Nosler partitions. So, I decided during the week to remove the action from the stock to add a little oil to the metal that is buried in the stock - Alabama humidity rust prevention procedure. So back to the range this weekend and holly cow the 225 groups went to three inches - the 210's are O.K - under an inch -but not the laser type groups I have had in the past. Removed the action and re-installed - checked the screw tension - all three screws tight - same results the next day - no change in point of impact just lousy groups - same powder, primer, cases etc. The action is glass bedded as well as the forend tip - any ideas? - Thanks

Rifleman, it's possible that the screw tensions are wrong. I'm not the most technically minded, but I have found that the front screw needs to be really tight, the back screw slightly less so, and the middle one (the one in the front of the trigger guard) needs to be snug - NOT tight. You might also check that the floorplate latches without effort. My rifle can be particularly sensitive in this regard ( I thought my wife had problems!!) but when you get it right, all is sweet (if only I could say the same about my Wife!!) Am I giving too much away here?

Sorry, forgot to add that sometimes it takes a few rounds for everything to settle back into place - not sure what effect oil would have on the situation, as where I am, the opposite is the case - we get rid of as much oil as possible, to prevent dust build up. Maybe it would be worth putting 10 - 20 rounds thru it to see if that settles things down.

Thanks Rugeruser - the oil is just a light film - my feeling is it has to do with the forend tip bedding - whatever the pressure was on the barrel before I undid everything is not the same now - what surprises me is that the 210's are still pretty good but the 225's went to hell - actually, the point of impact dropped an inch with the 210's - which suggests to me that I do not have the up pressure on the barrel I had before - the harmonics are different - so - Really tighten the lug bolt or I may add a shim to the forend or I may remove the bedding and let the barrel free float to see what happens. I just have never seen this happen before because I removed the stock.

hey rifleman:

as a fellow alabamian, i feel your humidity pain. i'd suggest you clean that under-wood metal, apply a coat of car wax, then buff. i ain't no chemist but i figure that coat of oil might be a tad thicker than a thin coat of wax.

Rifelman1 // Just would like to ask you how you like the .338 in general out of your Ruger77 seeing as how this is not a really heavy rifle. I had thought about getting one of these .338s in one of the new Ruger Sporter77s which has the laminated stock, sights and are the stainless steel models. However, these guns are not really that heavy so I wanted to ask you about your recoil and muzzle blast in this particular gun. Thanks for any input on this caliber - am currently comparing it with another one I like - the .350 Remington Magnum in the Model 673.

sizzlebird

This is my second 338 - the first one was stolen - I originally had one of the new Ruger 77 stainless/composite rifles on lay away but when this older tang safety model with the wood stock showed up I switched purshases - because - the composite stocked 77 was too light - and I could never love that hollowed out molded stock - the 338 has recoil and a little beef in a gun of this caliber is a good thing in my mind. With a 24 " barrel muzzle blast to the shooter is not much different than anything else - however guys at other benches on the range always come over and want to know what I'm shooting - 338's in Alabama are not a common thing - so the muzzle blast to the side is more pronounced. My dad use to have one of the original 600's in 350 mag that I sometimes hunted with - I wouldn't put the recoil in the same leaque as the 338 but in a carbine it is stiff - but I would say if you can shoot the 350 you can handle the 338. The recoil is not abusive - but its enough to let you know you are alive. Practice at the range or wherever you shoot is a plus. The laminated stocked version should be a good weight and balance for this cartridge. If I had only one rifle it would be the 338 - maybe because my first and every elk I shot were with it - I'm originally from Montana - and soon to be again - why I bought this thing. The only gripe I have about the current Ruger 77 Mkll is the trigger pull. - I have a used 77 Mkll in 7mm mag stainless on lay away and when I pick it up I will modify the trigger per some instructions I have found on various internet sites. This gun has the older canoe paddle synthetic stock which is beefy and balances well. On both 338's I owned I lenghtened the stock by 3/4" or so by adding a Pachmeyer Decellerater recoil pad - I creep a stock and have to lenghten most factory stocks - plus having done this before - I will not have my eyebrow punched by another scope - also stuck on a Leupold 2X7 because it has long eye relief. The advantage to that 673 is it is lighter and more compact - and that can be an issue depending on your age and physical condition - hope this helps. My dad sold that 350 and wished he didn't - as he got older he appreciated its power and handling ability.

The whole screw tightness sequence with the M77 is the same as is used on the M70. The only real purpose of the middle screw is to hold the magazine box. To tight on the middle screw causes the mag box to put pressure on the action. With the floorplate open,you should be able to easily move the mag box back and forth with your fingers,if its not over tightened. The front and rear screws should be tight.

Well - just for information sake. Swapped scopes and nice groups and then everything went to hell again - what is going on? Craddled the gun in my arms - talked to it - and then I looked closely at the scope and darned if the scope hadn't moved forward
3/8". So I tightened up the ring screws and the groups got small - never had a scope slip before but I was surprised how much the screws had loosened up since I had just installed it two days before - lesson learned. Apparently there was just enough more recoil with the 225 gr than the 210 gr to cause the scope to shift - hmm!

Sizzlebird. I have 2 - 338's. 1 is about 7-3/4 - 8# and the other is about 9#. The lighter has a fiberglass (Rimrock) stock and the other has a laminated (JRS) stock. The heavier rifle is slightly easier to shoot, probably due to the longer stock, but, all in all, the difference is not that great. If you are not using the 338 for elk, moose, or grizzly, I would just use lighter bullets where is recoil is a lot easier to handle. I use 225 grains for general hunting and 180's for deer and practice. The 180's recoil similar to a 7mm RM. Try Federal's 210 Nolser load. In other rifles than mine it is extremely accurate and softer shooting than my 225 loads. Good luck. Steve

When I was talking to an S.A.African P.H. he said that oil through capilary action can seep under the scope rings alowing the scope to slip. I can see how this could happen if oil gets on the scope. He said to use a thin coating of contact cement on both halfs of the rings and end of problems. The only time I ran into a scope slipping in the rings was with a .416 Rigby and intresting enough That is what I did several years before this P.H. told me about it. By the way since then I have done it often and when you want to remove the scope a drop or two of lacquer thinner will soften the contact cement and you can remove the scope. A little more will clean the cement off the rings and scope but do not get the stuff on the optics!