Tell me about the Ruger M77

[Smith357]

I saw a Ruger 77 .243 with a Mannlicher stock at a local shop today with what seemed to be a good price. It was $400 with rings I was tempted but know next to nothing about the Ruger 77s other than they seem to be a Mauser based action.

I am in the market for a nice .243 sporting rifle for a hunting trip this fall and was saving up for a Kimber

My questions are:

1. Are they as robust as all the other Ruger products?

2. How are thier triggers?

3. Should I keep saving for the Kimber, or blow my wad on the Ruger Mannlicher (i've always had a thing for mannlichers)?

 

[CordWood]

I own several, none in the .243. Trigger leave something to be desired, but over all they are an outstanding rifle. I have more of them than Winchesters. I would get the gun.
Butch

 

[RufusG]

77s are very stout. The triggers are a personal thing, many hate them, but I likem', guess I'm not picky. Considering all the Kimber QA horror stories out there, I can't see the Ruger being a bad choice.

 

[Smithhound]

Jump on that 77! I've always liked the Mannlicher stock look. I have several M77's and have always wanted the Mannlicher or International style, just never been lucky enough to stumble onto one at a good price. $400 is excellent. Use the money you save to buy reloading components or ammo (good luck on that!).
RD

 

[Duke426]

I have a 30 year old m77 chambered in '06. It is a fantastic rifle. I know a lot of guys like the Remington 700 better (trigger and barrel) but you won't go wrong with the 77, IMHO. The trigger on my rifle is more than acceptable and the barrel lends itself to accuracy beyond my capability.

 

[walkinghorse]

Sounds like a good deal.
Is it a MK I or a Mk II?
I have a MK I in .243 ever since they came out, 67 , 68 ??, and have been very pleased with it. Mk 1 had a recall, and Ruger sent out a part for the trigger or safety (?) I believe to minimize a potential for a discharge? Was so long ago I forgot exactly what it was? Check the Ruger factory site and they should have the information.

Mk I with a angled bedding system can be sensitive to bedding pressure and tension on the action bolts. The forum on Rugers has a lot of information.
MK I's resemble a Mauser action but are not controlled feed.


I also found out that the chamber on a 700 Remington ADL was different enough that full length resizing was necessary for ammunition to interchange, but that isn't uncommon.
Also the MKI never was quite as accurate as the 700 ADL with 70-87 grain bullets, but holds it's own with 95 grain Noslers, so as with any rifle it can be a law onto itself.
Trigger worked for me, but I used it primarily for deer, coyotes, and the occasional groundhog, javelina, etc.

 

[Smith357]

Sounds like a good deal.
Is it a MK I or a Mk II?

I'm guessing it's a MKII, it has a 3 position wing safety and the Mauser extractor. It's a consignment rifle and has no visible handling marks whatsoever and pretty nice walnut with a bit a figuring in the buttstock. I would put it at 95-98%. With a Mannlicher stock and 18" barrel I know it's not going to be as accurate as a 700, but its a hunting rifle not a target rifle and I can barley hold a rifle at one minute of deer anyway, even using a tree or a rock as a rest.

I do plan on reloading for the .243 cartridge. The money I save if I buy it will go towards dies components and optics.
i'm not too worried about chamber size as my only .243 I would use neck sizing dies as I like them for my single shots and bolt guns.

 

[walkinghorse]

"...i'm not too worried about chamber size as my only .243 I would use neck sizing dies as I like them for my single shots and bolt guns."

We think alike.

With the 3 position safety, does sound like a MkII, but I have only seen them in the store.

I have preference for the tang safety but that is because I shoot LH.

Pictures and a range report when you have time!

 

[jkc]

I had the late Paul Timney "fix" the awful factory trigger in my M77 MKII, making it an entirely satisfactory rifle. I believe that Timney is now offering a drop-in trigger for the MKII, which should cure its worst inherent deficiency, for not much money. Still, the Montana is sweet, and shouldn't need any fixin'...

 

[sureshotbob]

I think that is a very good price. I have one in .308 that I love to hunt with it's a great woods gun nice and light. On mine I have a leopold 1 1/2-5 compact scope on it IMO in this combination it's great gun out to 200 + yard's. I also have a m77 in .243 with a leopold 3x9 scope that I've taken a lot of deer with but it is a little bit heavy for a long day of still hunting but a good gun for sitting on field's or in a stand.

 

[mwtdvm]

My experience with a 77 Mk I in .308 with a Mannlicher stock has been less than satisfactory. Initially six inch groups at 100 yds. On the advice of a competitive shooter, I beded the whole thing.. Groups are down to 3" and it sits in my safe, pretty but I will take the Sako 270 w/the same type stock that shoots 1"(probably less, but that seems to be my limit) to the woods. YMMV of course. See if they will let you shoot it before you buy it.

 

[nitesite]

My walnut stocked M77 Mk II .243 rifle has been excellent.

The trigger on mine is crisp but heavy; that's the only complaint I have about it.

My handloads range from 58-gr V-Max Molys thru 95 Combined Technology Ballistic Silvertips to 100-gr Hornady Interlocks and they all shoot into one-inch or less.

I've never had factory ammo shoot badly thru it, either. Just over one-inch is normal with a $120 Simmons scope on the gun.

I wish I could recommend you getting one with the Mannlichter stock and short barrel but I have no idea about how those features might affect performance. I can say that mine has been a terrific rifle, and .243 Winchester is a great cartridge!

 

[sigp220.45]

I love them. My main big game rifle is a stainless .300 Wing Mag. Its ugly and the trigger is too heavy, but it shoots great and I'm not afraid to bang it up. I spray painted the synthetic stock and wrapped the rest in camo tape. I traded a Mini-14 for it and it came with some mid-grade 3-9 scope I planned to replace until I shot it.

My wife's gun is a .260 Compact, and my southpaw son has a left handed .270 Win. I've never owned the Mannlicher version, but they sure look nice.

 

[gregintenn]

I'd jump on it, get a trigger job or aftermarket trigger, and enjoy. They are fine rifles, and the mannlicher stocked versions command quite a premium, at least around here.

 

[feralmerril]

I have a old 7x57 I bought new many years on a cheap sale sometime back in the late 70s for about $150, (half price). While I have other more exspendsive rifles the ruger got the nod most of the time to take out. It is up to anything, accurate and if it gets dinged, oh well. Its a fantastic caliber too.

 

[Gutpile Charlie]

I also have a thirty year old Mk I that I purchased in about 1979. It is in .30-06, is built like a tank, looks beautiful and is everything an old Ruger is suppose to be.

Jump on it for $400.00 if it is any kind of shape at all.

I don't have a Winchester 70, but I do have the Remington 700. This Ruger is probably a better rifle than the Remington, even though I love them both.

It's a "must have"!

 

[zoom6zoom]

Man, this thread made me realize I haven't had mine out of the safe in years. Gotta remedy that. Mine's a 1971 "pre-billboard" 77V in 220 Swift. The only non-milsurp bolty I own.

 

[Beaver]

Ruger 77's are almost my favorite rifles. I love Rem's also. You should be able to find a clever gunsmith who can adjust your trigger to a reasonable 3-4 lbs. My old friend Pence could adjust them to excellence. He would trim a spring here and there, file just a little, cuss a lot, and there you go. I had a 308 Mannlicher for awhile, and I wish I had never traded it. A 77 with tang safety in .338 is mighty popular in my neck of the woods. Never found one not to shoot. My Syn/SS .338 is up in Alaska with some friends, haven't seen it in two years, I hope to meet up with it someday.

 

[special44]

I have three old model (tang safety) Ruger 77's that I'm very fond of. The first one was a used .22/250 which after a number of years, I shot the throat out of. I wouldn't guess how many thousand rounds I shot at targets and groundhogs. I re-barreled it with a Shilen heavy barrel in .22/250 and its better than ever. My second one is a .35 Whelen, which has taken 71 head of deer over the years and is as good as ever. the third one is a lightweight .30/06 which was somewhat worn, but the price was right, from a pawn shop. It too, has taken several deer, in its role as a backup rifle, when hunting out of state. I've always felt that Ruger firearms gave you a very good value for the money. Ruger 77 rifles are well designed mechanically, and utterly reliable when properly maintained. They give as good accuracy as most mass produced rifles i.e., 1-1/4 to 2' groups @ 100 yards. This can be improved on by handloading of course.

 

[Farmer17]

I traded for an old M-77 with the tang safety in .270 caliber and my very first 3 shot 100 yard group could be covered with a dime. I can't believe I sold it and would highly recommend another one but I don't like that new "swinging gate" safety as well. The Mannlicher stock guns are kind of risky because so much wood touches the barrel some of them shoot terrible groups. Others are tack drivers so if you can contact the owner and find out if its accurate, its a great deal at 400 bucks!