I think I finally shot out my ruger 77 tang safety 338 win mag .I am trying some speer 200 grain again .This gun use to shoot clover leads at 100 yards with Winchester 200 grain power point ammo .I have used it 34 years now .I wish I could find a good ruger barrel but maybe a stainless would be nice .

have you try REALLY cleaning the barrel?

I like mcgowen, shillen, pacnor, then douglas XX barrels, for the price .. all of which can exactly match your barrel profile...

if you like stainless, (i do) i'd considered a POWDER coating one first, then the various other types.. take .003 off the profile, which should then drop in

rgds

I cleaned the heck out of the barrel .I know I have shot it between 1400 and 2000 rounds and it was almost all 200 grain bulkets at around 3000 fps .It use to shoot clover leaf now it's patterns .I will try speer 200 grain bullets it shoot them well .I am thinking of putting a stainless barrel with a Winchester boss system on it .I have two sets of those parts they worked awesone on my Winchester rifle .This is my favorite hunting rifle just been through the program .

Try seating the bullet further out or try using a longer bullet, maybe a 225 grain.

Douglas. Nothing else comes close when all factors are considered.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Douglas. Nothing else comes close when all factors are considered.

+1

quote:

Originally posted by Toomany Tools:

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Douglas. Nothing else comes close when all factors are considered.

+1

That is a bold statement. If it had been posted by one of this forum’s knuckleheads I would have just rolled my eyes and moved on. Seeking that it came from two of the members who I truly respect, I would be interested to hear from both of you what factors make Douglas barrels so superior in your opinions?

I bought my first 338 in 1977. A Ruger 77 with the tang safety. It accounted for quite a few moose and several black bears. From brand new it would not shoot 200 gr bullets worth a dam. 225 Hornadys were a little better. 250 gr Sierras would group into about an inch @ 100 yds and so would the 250 Partitions. The best bullet was the 275 gr Speer. It would group 3 shots into a ragged cloverleaf. That rifle has a long throat and just doesn't like light bullets. Still have that rifle and it still shoots the same. Try some 250 gr bullets before you give up on that barrel.

just a random thought, have you looked at the crown?

Statements are not bold if they are true. they are just facts. Additionally, it is not an opinion; it is fact.
I started using Douglas barrels in 1970. Visited the factory many times since them. Back then they made both muzzle loading and CF barrels.
I have also tried most every other make, just to see what they were about, and Douglas, and Stan, who you will talk to there, far surpasses ALL other makes in the following parameters:
Quality, meaning interior finish. Achieved by meticulous manufacture and testing techniques the others may or may not do. Like double heat treat and 100% mag particle inspect.
Accuracy
Range of calibers
Range of contours
Delivery time
Delivery time on custom contours, which all of my orders are.
Super nice people to talk to and work with.
Easy to work with this set of technical and business factors.

Could have more life left if it wasn't overheated, so I've heard. 3,000 plus for that caliber. Sorry, hear-say may not be worth much help. But, they may have something there. Sure makes sense.
Also, Do you have a friend that has a 17 inch bore scope that you could borrow? My Hawkeye Shooting Edition shows everything.

Those early 77s used Wilson barrels, the bottom of the barrel, barrel.
See what I did?
Half of them would shoot hunting ok, another 25 percent would hit deer at 100 yards, and the rest wouldn't hit a barn.
OP is lucky to get what he had.

Good to know that.

Pretty sure RUGER will rebarrel it for you if you stick to the same cartridge.

Yes Ruger will rebarrel it for you and they make their own barrels today Im told..

I like Lothar Walthar barrels best, but they are expensive, however Brownells has some in limited size and caliber that are priced reasonably and the ones I tried shot pin holes in every case, the same as the ones I used from LW themselves...Douglas barrels are good barrels for the price and most shoot from good to great..

Ruger has no barrels or parts for the tang safety rifles .The crown is perfict .It started last year doing this .I want a stainless barrel on it and treaded for a Winchester boss system .This rifle loved 200 grain Winchester power points shot then in clover leads at 100 yards and under an inch at 200 yards . It hated all hornady bullets shot them in 6 inch patterns . The speer 200 grain were the only ones close to the Winchester they shot good the last time I tried .I will get my cousin to scrub the barrel one more time but I think it's done with .I thought about foreboding it but I dought that would help .I am using my 260 rem till I get it fixed hunting till Jan 12 not enough time to fix it before season ends !

Will a MKII barrel fit it.

I could have a non fired stainless MKII barrel laying around.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
Will a MKII barrel fit it.

I could have a non fired stainless MKII barrel laying around.

Good option since they share the same threads and same tenon length between the two - comes down to bolt nose clearance and headspace.