I recently picked up a stainless Ruger 77/22 rifle chambered in 22LR. This rifle doesn't have iron sights, so a scope is a necessity. Anyway, The 77/22 came with the typical Ruger factory medium height scope rings. The scope I had planned to mount isn't anything too large, just little a Burris Fullfield II 2-7x35mm. Here is where my issue starts......
The supplied medium height rings have the scope mounted higher than I think it really should be. The front Objective bell clears the rifle's barrel by about 1/2" when using the medium rings. I know Ruger makes a set of low rings that will reduce this gap by about 1/8". That would be much nicer looking. But, even with the supplied medium rings installed, I am having a problem with the bolt handle contacting the Ocular bell on the scope when I draw the bolt to the rear. It is going to scratch up the scope in short order unless I do something.
When I draw the bolt to the rear and it gets further out of the receiver it begins to have some slop/looseness to it. I understand that a certain amount of that is normal. If I pull down on the bolt (to take up the slop) while drawing it back I can just barely keep it clear of the scope's Ocular bell with maybe 1 mm or less of clearance.
In comparing the bolt on this 77/22 with my other Ruger bolt-actions (all center-fire M77 MKII's) this bolt handle has a different shape in two ways. There is the obvious dog-leg (front to back) shape on the center-fires that the 77/22 doesn't have. But, more to the point, the regular center-fire Rugers have a scallop cut into the arm of the bolt handle such that they have more clearance to go past/around a scope's Ocular bell without rubbing. The 77/22 does not really have this scallop at all.
What would you suggest as possible solutions to this bolt clearance problem. My first thought was to find out if you thought it was possible or even made sense to have a gunsmith remove some metal from the bolt arm and basically grind/machine a scallop into the bolt handle like the center-fires have. By my eye it looks like there is sufficient metal in the bolt handle's arm to do this and not make the arm too weak.
I know I could go to higher rings but, I would really rather have the scope mounted lower than it is now, not higher. What are your thoughts?
Mark in GA
