Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles The Ruger M77 Tang Safety * updated with safety recall notice*

I bought one of these in 22-250 in the early '90's at a gun show and it remains my favorite gun ever. I did some shooting with it yesterday and that gun amazes me every time.

Anybody else have "gun love" for these rifles?


See the link I posted below if you didn't know about the safety recall

Hi Rooster7 - purchased one in .22/250 late 70's and still have it. Liked its classic looks in the day of poly finishes, white line spacers etc. It would be considered a "walking varminter" today. Doesn't produce one hole groups but does well enough w/ factory 1:14 twist & 50-60 gr bullets. My son had a blast hitting old watermelons and watching their destruction when he was younger. You'll find it a keeper. Homesteader

I have one in 250 Savage 1-10 twist I likey

I love tang safety Rugers. I've have a .30-06, and a .270 Winchester. Most recently I built myself a 7x64 Brenneke on one.

I bought a tang safety 77 in 1972 when a limited run of 7X57's came out. It was my primary big game rifle for almost 30 yrs. Killed my heaviest buck with it as well as a B&C Pronghorn.
It was an amazing rifle. It would put any load from a 115 gr. HP to a 175 gr. RN into the same 3 inch group at 100 yds. Never changed zero with one exception. I fell on the rifle while carrying it with the scope pointed down. Shot 3 inches left at 100 yds after that. Turned out that the front scope ring was knocked loose.
I found out the hard way that even if you blow a primer out of the case, the action would open and eject the empty w/o undue effort. Try that with a Remington.
Today it's a 280 Remington in a McMillian stock with a Pac-Nor Super Match barrel. I will never sell it. E

Huh...did not know there was a safety recall on the M77's...

I found this on another site:

http://www.ruger.com/pdf/m77.pdf

Hi Homesteader.

I never sell guns but if I did this one would not be one of them.

I have two - an '06 with a 17 inch shortened barrel (had to remove that ugly muzzle bulge after I purchased it used for $80. After bedding/free-floating, trigger job it shoots 1.25 MOA, sometimes less, seldom more, all day long with most anything. First animal killed with it was a ram at @330 yards and factory ammo, and has taken several caribou over 300 yards. Not to mention a half-dozen or so moose under 100 yards. The stock has been slimmed and shortened fore and aft to make it a "carbine" that better fits the wife. I just slip a 1" recoil pad over the secured one to better fit me when I use it. One of my two most carried walk and/or hunting rifles.

The .338WM is factory standard except for bedding/free-float/ trigger job, and Mag-Na-Port. MOA or less with several different loads.

I'll have to look when I get them out of storage in 3 weeks, but I don't think either has a T under the bolt handle. I THINK I put nail polish on all the trigger screws quite a few year ago...

Never had a problem with either, tho.

I have two - an '06 with a 17 inch shortened barrel (had to remove that ugly muzzle bulge after I purchased it used for $80). After bedding/free-floating, trigger job it shoots 1.25 MOA, all day long with most anything. First animal killed with it was a ram at @330 yards and factory ammo, and has taken several caribou over 300 yards. Not to mention a half-dozen or so moose under 100 yards. The stock has been slimmed and shortened fore and aft to make it a "carbine" that better fits the wife. I just slip a 1" recoil pad over the secured one to better fit me when I use it. One of my two most carried walk and/or hunting rifles.

The .338WM is factory standard except for bedding/free-float/ trigger job, and Mag-Na-Port. MOA or less with several different hand loads. Can't remember anything in excess of 1.75 or so, and that was before the bed/free-float/trigger job. Excellent firearms, with a little tweaking.

I'll have to look when I get them out of storage in 3 weeks, but I don't think either has a T under the bolt handle. I THINK I put nail polish on all the trigger screws quite a few years ago, after the trigger jobs...

Never had a problem with either, tho.

I checked mine out and there is "sorta" what resembles a T scratched in under the bolt handle. I'm guessing the previous owner replaced the screw himself and then tried to scratch that in there??

How old is this recall notice?


Casey

One of my new guides was looking for a bear rifle and I had a 375 Ruger barrel I had purchased from a friend who re-barreled his to 416. So I found an early M-77 in 7 Rem mag and replace the barrel with the newer 375 barrel . The stock already showed a crack in the recoil lug area I installed a crossbolt and glass bedded it. Now to see how it shoots !

I don't think it matters. It's just replacing a screw.

Cool. Report back after you shoot it.

I bought a 77R in .358 Win. in late 1979. Got the recall notice by mail in the early '90s. Simple change out.

I received the screw in the mail after I purchased a "200th Year" model so it goes back a long way.

I own a M77 in 270 WIN my wife bought me in early 1978; didn't know about the recall until a couple of weeks ago. I e-mailed Ruger last Wednesday with the required information and got notice on Friday that my screw had shipped. I will get it changed out later this week.

Hadn't heard of this recall. I have a .257 Roberts, 7mm RM and .30-06 manufactured in the time frame referenced by the recall notice. Guess I'll give Ruger a call.

Coyote Hunter,

If you bought these used, look under the bolt and see if there is a "T". If so, the screw has already been changed.

Too late. Ruger has the parts on the way.

I know my 7mm RM won't need it (purchased new in '82) and the .257 Roberts probably will as the previous owner purchased it new for his kids who immediately decided they wanted something bigger. Although an '89, he said they probably hadn't put a box of ammo through it. In any case, the bluing under the slide safety looked like new, something I 'fixed' in the first couple sessions at the range. My -06 is an '84 and I don't know about it. Will have to check them when I get home from work.