Accuracy expectations from a Ruger M77?

[ZG47]

With a good bedding job (don’t necessarily need pillars as they are a pain to put in with the angled front action screw) and free float all my Hawkeyes shoot under 1 moa. I have seen many Mk2s and tang safeties also shoot very well.

Tang Safety Ruger’s are the biggest gamble of the m77s to buy used because Ruger subcontracted the barrels, some are very high quality barrels and some are not and shoot poorly. No way to tell without shooting, the maker is not marked.

If it’s in good condition, I would risk the trade and even if it needs a new barrel it would be a far better rifle in the end than a budget rifle, IF you valve a nice traditional rifle, many don’t seem too.

Clean bore well, do a proper bedding job, and torque the action screws correctly before thinking about replacing the barrel.

The Hawkeye action has a larger diameter receiver ring and … deeper sides, visible when you remove the barrelled action from the stock. That additional stiffness would also help with accuracy.

 

[ZG47]

A

The M77 is unlikely to be your most accurate rifle, but your son will still kill a ton of critters with it. If it seems not very accurate, being used, the first thing I would do is to clean all the copper out of the barrel. If it is still not that accurate I would take a bit of a gamble and sand the barrel channel on the stock until it is free floating with a decent bit of clearance. I say that is a gamble because on the M77 that sometimes makes it better and sometimes makes it worse. On mine, and on my father's, it made them both way better. I would do those things before paying a gunsmith to do anything to it. But a gunsmith should have no problems working on them.

Also use a chamber brush and solvent, to remove any primer residue from the leade i.e., the conical progression into the rifling. The THROAT is the parallel section between the case mouth and the leade.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I have a new MK II in 300 WM that is an absolute tack driver. Half MOA at 100 yards using a lead sled. My 308 scout rifle is at 1 MOA. Not sure why everyone wants to put the M77 down but they are great rifles.

@swashington
Every rifle is a law unto itself. You can buy six in the same make and calibre . One may be exceptional,another a pos the others average. That's life.
I had an old pos Savage 340 in 22 Hornet that was a sub half inch shooter while the mates sako 222 had trouble holding an inch, go figure. Sometimes you get lucky but with modern manufacturing things are getting a lot better
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Soon several people will be along to correct you. I started a thread a while back with a video from a YouTuber who offered good money to anyone who could shoot a 1 moa group. No warm up, just take your gun out the car and first 5 rounds at 100 m. I lost count of how many tried. And it was all chassis rifles with brakes- no wood stock hunting rifles. I am pretty confident that all of my rifles are more accurate than I am from any hunting rest.

@Nhoro
I watched that video and to me it should have been with your average hunting rifle. None of the rifles were zeroed for the range shit but some groups were pretty good.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Yeah, I fully expect a lot of "corrections". I had also seen that series on youtube as well. Someone did finally end up being able to do it. If I remember correctly it was a fairly young kid with his father's expensive custom chassis rifle after the father had shot and done well but not succeeded.

The thing is, most people will say their rifle shoots "sub MOA all day" after getting a couple 3 shot groups to group sub MOA, while ignoring some of the other 3 shot groups that were over 1MOA, "I jerked the trigger on that one".

@Sabre
When I go to the range which isn't that often nowadays I take three rounds of ammo for each rifle I'm using. I then fire those three shots out of each rifle and if they don't go sub moa it's my fault not the rifles.
After that I practice with my 22lr with subsonic ammo from 50 out to 200 yards to hone my skills. Usually put upto 100 rounds down range at various distances. I'm at the stage I can put 10 shots between a foxes eyes ( using a fox head target) at 100 yard on most days.
Practice, practice and practice some more. Know your rifles and your limits. Having an accurate rifle give confidence but a rifle that will group an honest inch and a half will result in the same dead game at sensible ranges.
Sub moa is fine but 1-2 moa will kill game just as dead
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I have a 1976 Ruger M77 in 30-06 that groups within 1 MOA at 100 yards. I inherited it from my dad. I did have to replace the cracked original stock with a Boyd’s and feel lucky Remington core loks give this performance

@Rare Breed
A 30-06 fed a diet of the deadliest mushrooms in the woods that is reasu accurate will fill that freezer may times over with venison
Deer just hate those mushrooms.
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Bob

 

[cajunchefray]

You ever notice that almost everyone on the internet shoots 1 MOA with almost all their rifles, but when you see people at the range almost no one shoots 1 MOA?

Now that’s funny and true!

 

[Flbt]

Now that’s funny and true!

For me anyway
I use a ransom rest or a lead slead on the range for sight in and testing
Lol