My Ruger .275 Rigby M77

You have made a good move. The only Ruger I have now is a tang safety 6 m/m. I had a Hart barrel put on it and have always regretted not having it chambered to 7X57. I have always thought the 7X57 was the best all around light cartridge ever made. WDB Bell proved it is also a great elephant cartridge. A coil or 2 off the spring will help the trigger but I ended up with a Canjar set trigger. Larry
 
Last edited:
tops said:
You have made a good move. The only Ruger I have now is a tang safety 6 m/m. I had a Hart barrel put on it and have always regretted not having it chambered to 7X57. I have always thought the 7X57 was the best all around light cartridge ever made. WDB Bell proved it is also a great elephant cartridge. A coil or 2 off the spring will help the trigger but I ended up with a Canjar set trigger. Larry
Click to expand...

That's W.D.M. Bell, for Walter Dalrymple Maitland Bell.
 
Texas Star said:
Larry-

You have some nice rifles. I especially like that Weatherby MK XXII auto at top. I had one for a time, and wish that I still did. I wrote about it for, "Guns", and Weatherby liked the story so well that they gave me one of their Lucite cartridge blocks. I still display it on a book case.

Is the Kimber also a .22?

My DIL used a short (women's and youth model) Howa 1500 in 7mm-08 to deck a nice whitetail buck at some 80 yards. She had Remington's 140 grain Core-Lokt ammo, and it worked perfectly. The .275 Rigby would have done the same, but the 7mm-08 is easier to find in warmer loads in the USA
Click to expand...


Thanks. The Kimber is the "Hunter" model, only made for a couple years. My most accurate .22. The Weatherby is a shooter as well, just needs a better trigger. Used it quite a bit back in CT for rabbits. Of course here in PA, it is illegal for hunting...:( Agreed, the 140 grain works very well for deer, the couple I have shot with it were down within a couple yards. Years ago I was going to buy one of those Weatherby Lucite cartridge blocks at a gun show, but saved the $$ for lunch - wish I had bought it...

Larry
 
Last edited:
tops said:
I made a typing error. :o I have never said I am perfect. My most humble apologies. Will I be forgiven if I stand in the corner for 1 minute? :rolleyes::rolleyes::p:p Larry
Click to expand...


No worries. Leave the corner after 37 seconds. :)

Seriously, I just thought that others here might want to know his full name. You seldom see it these days.
 
I've been a fan of the 7X57 since first discovering handloading in the early 80's.

I've owned a boatload of various rifles chambered for this fine round, including more than one 77 a couple of No.1 Rugers.

These days I rarely hunt, but when I saw the 2013 Shot Show Winchester Model 70 Featherweight was being offered I had to have another one.

Just a great too often overlooked caliber. Not enough flash to this ole Grand Dad of the modern bottleneck round?

Congrats on your find! It should bring you a lot of shooting pleasure...
 
This is an interesting thread and it brings back some good memories. ;)
I used to load 7x57mm ammo for a guy that had one of the first Ruger M77 rifles when they first came out. He got it second but it had been shot very little.
He had 1 box of Norma 7x57mm brass that I would load for him when they were shot up.
I loaded the Hornady 175 gr. RNSP bullet for him with IMR-4064.
He used that rifle every year to take a buck in PA during their deer season.
I seem to recall he had an older Weaver K-6 or K-4 scope on it.
With the loads that I loaded for him, that rifle would put 3-shots into 1 1/4" group at 100 yds. He was good with that saying that's all that was needed for deer hunting. :D
I lost track of him and that M77 a long time ago.
 
Cdog said:
I've been a fan of the 7X57 since first discovering handloading in the early 80's.

I've owned a boatload of various rifles chambered for this fine round, including more than one 77 a couple of No.1 Rugers.

These days I rarely hunt, but when I saw the 2013 Shot Show Winchester Model 70 Featherweight was being offered I had to have another one.

Just a great too often overlooked caliber. Not enough flash to this ole Grand Dad of the modern bottleneck round?

Congrats on your find! It should bring you a lot of shooting pleasure...
Click to expand...

What's the rifling twist rate on that M-70 Fwt. in 7mm? Euro barrels often have a faster twist than US barrels in this caliber, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the faster spin to the bullet may add to its lethality.

I wrote to a famed gun authority about this and he rejected the idea as he thinks the bullet has stopped spinning before it penetrates the hide of a deer, etc. But I think it may contribute to the 7mm's deadly reputation in view of its size and velocity. Even if the bullet stops spinning in the hide, expansion may have begun? ??

I note that Euro 9mm pistols have faster twists than say, S&W 9mm's and that I've read ballistics tests where they gave more expansion from the same ammo as was shot in the S&W's. And Colt .357 barrels rifled 1:14 give more bullet expansion than S&W barrels rifled 1:18.75-inches. Velocity was close, even less sometimes in the Colt barrels.
 
Last edited:
Winchester's published spec is 1 turn in 9.5".

To my not so good anymore recollection, I think this has been a common rate of twist on many .284" caliber factory tubes.
 
I've had two M77s but I sold both. The last was an RSI in 308 that my friend wanted so badly I finally sold it to him a bargain price.

As for the 7x57, maybe my all time favorite CF rifle caliber. I've had a bunch of them over the years including one I built from scratch (come to think of it, that same friend talked me out of that one, too). I currently have three rifles in 7x57, two BRNO Mausers and a Ruger #1.

I have a couple thousand rounds of European military ammo stamped 1970 that I bought for a song (like 6 cents each in bulk) and this stuff is pretty hot. A 139 BT FMJ moves out at a super consistent 2925 FPS. I mean maybe 5 FPS variation.

On Grace Kelly, from what I hear she "got along" with nearly every man she met. You'd think a woman that gorgeous could afford to be more selective but apparently she liked all men.
 
Texas Star said:
I wrote to a famed gun authority about this and he rejected the idea as he thinks the bullet has stopped spinning before it penetrates the hide of a deer, etc.
QUOTE]

In he words of another gun writer, Jack O'Connor, "he's full of prunes". At normal huning ranges, the bullet has lost essentially none of its rotational speed. And quite possibly the faster it spins the better it expands. They spin pretty fast, too; a one in 12 inch twist at 2700 fps is spinning 162,000 RPM (2700 RPS X 60). Consider that the best F1 engines developed 22,000 RPM and were capable of that for only brief periods.
Click to expand...
 
I know I've dug this thread up from years ago. A Ruger M77 7x57/.275 Rigby was I rifle I always wanted. Last year my dream came true when Lipsey's Distributors had Ruger do a limited run of 250 Hawkeye Africans chambered in and stamped .275 Rigby.

I had it out to the range today and had pic or two snapped.

168020025.D1DHObEQ.275_bill.jpg


168020024.UrDaIAIS.275_rigby_1.jpg
 
I like Ruger 77s. First one I bought was a 220 Swift. When I finally shot the barrel out of it, (toasted throat area). I had it rebarreled with a Douglas premium bull barrel in 6mm and stuck on a Canjur trigger. Since I have picked up a heavy barrel 223 and 25-06 as well as a 300WM and a 338WM. They all shoot well.
 
Glad the thread was brought back to life, enjoyable reading. I've got a M77 flat bolt in .308, just getting started working up loads for it. I'd read something else about the long throat chamber, so I'm guessing the heavier longer bullets would be to it's liking ? If anyone has or has had the rifle in .308 I'd appreciate hearing load recommendations.
 
i bought my first Ruger M77 in 1975. It is a nice old tang safety .243 that has put more than a few deer in the freezer. That rifle has always shot lights out and still does.

The .275 is my second Ruger M77. My third will be when Lipsey's does a limited run of Hawkeye Africans in 9.3x 62mm that match the .275 Rigby.

Here is an average group from the old .243; a target I shot in 2015 just double checking if it was still sighted in. I has an old Leupold 3-9 on it that hasn't moved since being put on that rifle. I double check it the beginning of every season. Shot a few groups from the bench and put it back in the case.

163068282.RLHxVSmb.group243.jpg
 
Last edited:
I have a early M77 in 270. My dad bought it for me as Christmas
present. They seemed like the only way to go with the demise of
Winchester M70. You can tell the difference in the older ones by
the stock contours. I don't know if it's true but the original 77s
were said to have Douglas barrels. I never get rid of a gift gun
but the one I have would have stayed in keeper status because
it's above average accurate. I have had several 77s in 308, 3006
220Swift and they were all decent rifles. The only one that was
not up to standard was a "1776" model in 257 Roberts. It was
like new and took it as trade in. The guy claimed it wouldn't
shoot and knowing he wasn't a hand loader thought I could
wring it out. Turned out he was right, best I could get was 3".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

RM Vivas
Rigby Mauser Project
Replies
6
Views
671
jscheck
jscheck
sigp220.45
Going rate for a Ruger M-77 tang safety 7X57
2
Replies
27
Views
3K
trailmix
trailmix
chief38
DAMNED RUGER - HAS CHANGED MY THOUGHT PATTERN A BIT
2
Replies
32
Views
3K
Gamecock
Gamecock
chief38
RUGER MARK 4 TARGET PISTOL - AN OPINION
2 3
Replies
48
Views
3K
oink
O
C
Ruger American Ranch in 5.56/.223 caliber, takes AR-15 mags....
Replies
8
Views
707
NewLiberty
N

Latest posts

Back
Top