Ruger's Classic Model 77 Rifle Review

My brother-in-law has a M77MkII in .22-250 that groups 1/2" at 100 yards with several different handloads. He also has one in .30-06. Both of these rifles seem to be made to a higher standard than rifles being made right now. Due to the Obama scare, American gun manufacturers have learned they can sell just about anything. I have no intention of buying anything new until the scare dies out and manufacturers decide to bring back higher quality. I have had very bad experience with Winchester brass and ammo during the past couple of years. Guns made on the latest CNC machining centers like CZ and FN produced Winchester seem to be best holding onto quality. Essentially, any factory rifles depending on much human labor have taken a big hit in quality. Manufacturers depending mainly on government contracts are your best bet as their production demands haven't increased as much lately. CZ and FN are big on government contracts, with consumers being a sideline business. A huge spike in consumer demand is still small compared to total production capacity. I look at my new CZ rifles and compare them to older CZ rifles, and in some ways the newer rifles look better, as CZ upgraded their CNC machining centers recently and they are expecting massive government contracts on their new pistols and brand new service rifle.
 
Any time I see mention of any 6.5s my eyes and ears snap to alert. It was great to read your article and I too would grab a Ruger M77 in this caliber and add it to my herd of 6.5 Swedes and 6.5x54MS. My all time most reliable hunting rifle is a Ruger M77 in 3006, but if I could get one in the 6.5 it surely would become my most used deer rifle.:)
 
Any time I see mention of any 6.5s my eyes and ears snap to alert. It was great to read your article and I too would grab a Ruger M77 in this caliber and add it to my herd of 6.5 Swedes and 6.5x54MS. My all time most reliable hunting rifle is a Ruger M77 in 3006, but if I could get one in the 6.5 it surely would become my most used deer rifle.:)


How about an old flat bolt ruger 77 in 6.5 Rem mag. It shoots very well and the best part is the magazine box is long for bigger bullets. Unlike the ones that Remington made.
 
How about an old flat bolt ruger 77 in 6.5 Rem mag. It shoots very well and the best part is the magazine box is long for bigger bullets. Unlike the ones that Remington made.

Hi Marty, are you in Canada, land of gun control freaks? If so drop another note if you are looking to sell or trade your Ruger 6.5........thanks.....karl:D
 
The Ruger 77 is also available in the classic 7x57mm Mauser if you can find a used one. My brother had a 6.5x55mm Swede which I shot, so I am familiar with the cartridge. The fact remains that if you are a handloader, the 7mm Mauser is the more versatile cartridge that can take larger animals down quicker, and it does so with a very minimal increase in recoil. Both rifles are available with very fast twist rates, which allows the use of long, heavy, soft bullets. Across a wide range of game weight, game toughness, and distance, that kind of bullet launced at moderate velocity will outperform the much faster magnums with slower twist firing a tougher but lighter bullet. The 162 grain A-Max in a 7x57mm Mauser is something I learned from a New Zealander. BC of .625 means it is traveling fast enough at 500 yards to give reliable expansion without hitting any bones. A local here with a 6.5 Swede that used Berger bullets had nothing but failure several times. My 7x57mm CZ 550 has had nothing but outstanding results with the Hornady 162 A-Max. I blew a Mule Deer Buck spine completely in half at 200 yards (instant knockdown) and the recovered bullet had 38% weight retention. At 150 yards, a Mule Deer Buck shot broadside just behind the shoulders had his lungs turned into oatmeal that poured out when field dressed and a decent sized exit wound. The 162 A-Max has been working more like a Nosler Partition for me as far as terminal ballistics, but it has the accuracy and retained energy of a long range match bullet. Without bonding of the core and the associated price tag. At under $30 per 100, and at a longer range of reliable expansion than an Interbond and Accubond, unless you are breaking Elk shoulders or something like that, it is THE go-to bullet for long range hunting in 7x57mm. I don't believe the A-Max in 6.5mm has quite the same reputation. People with slow twist 7mm rifles cannot use it and there is no A-Max in 7mm that is lighter as an alternative. The 162 A-Max is a 7mm Mauser handloader insider secret and once you use it you realize you have hit the jackpot with a combination that cannot have its performance explained by reading charts and must see performance on game with your own eyes. It is not available anywhere from any factory in the "above lawyer load" that I use and so it is strictly for those with fast twist rifles. Any loading that is weak enough for old Mauser 95 rifles will not launch it fast enough for truly long range work, but would work well at close to medium range. You MIGHT get similar performance in 6.5mm with proper handloads. If I had a 6.5mm Swede, I would try it. However, commercial rifles often have a slower twist than the original 6.5mm Swede. My MODERN and STRONG 7x57mm Mauser has the original fast twist with long leade for long and heavy for caliber bullets. It does not really like the 140 grain and lighter bullets. If you shove the 162 A-Max into the case far enough to magazine feed in an intermediate length receiver, you would cut case capacity and possibly be far below jam length. Most of my 7x57mm loads are compressed loads, and I have a .270 Win length magazine box that lets me seat long bullets out as far as I need to. My receiver was made to handle 65,000 PSI Win 270 ammo, so even hot Norma ammo at around 55,000 PSI places no undue strain on the rifle. Norma ammo is around 2750 fps with a 150 grain bullet, far above anything you will see factory loaded in the USA. A modern 7x57mm loaded to its true potential will about equal the original .30-06 loads for energy, and that's considered enough to hunt just about anything in North America.
 
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I also have a Brother who owns a Ruger 77 and he loves it. he got his back in the early 70s.
Its a .3006 and he has taken lots of Deer..
 
Back in the late 70's I bought a NIB Ruger 77 in 257 Roberts that was "Made in the 200th year of American Liberty" that refuses to shoot well at all. "Well" being under 2" @ 100 yards with any size bullet of any make or style.

3 Smiths have worked on it over the years and one of them told me if I wanted it to shoot any better, I'd have to rebarrel. But I hate to give up, so I'll probably put a few more $$ into it, maybe true up the action/barrel interface. Lord knows I've put enough into the stock by now.

I also bought, used, one of the 7X57's, made back in the 70's I think. I haven't started to wring it out yet, I guess I'm scared it'll shoot like the Roberts.

Then there's the 7mm Mag in stainless and composite stock that I won at a RMEF raffle that shoots into > 1" with a load put together by an old friend for his rifle.

I guess it's just the "luck of the draw" when it comes to the Ruger 77's.

By the same token, I also have a 6.5 x 55mm in a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight that was apparently assembled by monkeys it was so bad. A heck of a lot of work by a good Smith turned it into a real shooter, no thanks to Winchester!
 
markIIs and hawkeyes are a bit more consistant then the tang safety guns were but you still can get bad ones. Just a month ago i traded off a hawkeye 06 that after spending abou 200 bucks on bullets, powder and primers never found a load that went under a 1 3/4 and most were well over 2. I even floated the barrel and bedded the stock and it still refused to shoot. Ive got two other hawkeyes right now. A 7mag and a 264 mag. The 264 will do one inch with one load it likes but most go around 1.5 inch. the 7mag with its best load is a 1.5 inch gun. thing is with that gun is at least its consistant as most loads go 1.5 to 1 3/4. Whats all this mean to me. Rugers have gotten better but they still suck hind tit for accuracy in out of the box rifles.
 
Yes, the tang safety legacy is what is keeping me from really experimenting with my Ruger 1973 manufacture in 7x57, a cartridge I really admire.

Once I have my reloading facility back I'll undoubtedly try to put something together for both this and my Remington 8x57 "Classic" from a few years ago. I do like both the 7 Mauser and the 8 Mauser, so I'll try. We'll see.
 
I have two of the tang safety M77's one in a 257Roberts Ackley Improved that shoots cloverleafs all day.The other is a 7x57 Ackley Improved that loves 160gr magtips.Had them both bedded and free floated. Nice guns.I also like that they both have the longer action for seating bullets out.


Randy
 
I only buy the old M77 Tang actions. mostly because of the better positioned floor plate release and excellent adjustable trigger.

The MKII is only good enough for your standard hunting rifle at medium ranges. nothing more.

I have an all original M77 tang in 6mm Remington with the original Varmint contour barrel. It will shoot 1/4 MOA with my hand loads using 75gr Sierra HP bullets at 3480 fps.

My other M77 tang is a custom rifle with a hand made walnut stock and a Lilja barrel chambered in 358 Norma Mag. It shoots extremely well also.
 
I have 77-22 RF, 204 Ruger. 22-250 Rem, 220 Swift, 257 Roberts, Ruger bolt action and a 243 Win and 25-06 Rem single shot falling block rifles. Except for the 204 Ruger Target Varmint rifle some tune up work was required to get them to shoot acceptable 100 yard groups with reloaded ammo. Glass bedding the action, free floating the barrel and adjusting the trigger tune up on the old tang safety and newer safety models improved accuracy.. I found the forearm was more difficult to work on than the falling block rifles but I did get the 243, and 25-06 to shoot deer hunting accuracy.. But the Ruger took less work than some Rem 700 rifles I own where they also needed the bolt locking lapped, and the barrel re-crowned in addition to glass bedding the action, free floating the action and adjusting the trigger. I have not tried out the latest Ruger models but if I were to get a new rifle it would be a Ruger , not a Remington rifle.
 
i have a mid 80s m77 in 7mm mag that i purchased a cpl years ago that was in pretty decent shape. i just did the pillar bed job on and both action and stock glass bedded then free floated the barrel. waiting to get a scope for it. i hope its a shooter after the work in put into the rifle....gun)
 
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