Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Let's talk Ruger 77/22's

I've got a line on a Ruger 77/22 All-Weather, stainless, boat paddle stock, for sale at a local store. Trigger is typical factory Ruger but the gun is in clean shape and the price seems right--about what a new Ruger American is selling for.

Anything in particular to keep an eye out for with 77/22's? If you've got one, how do you have it set-up and how do you like it?

If it's priced in line with an american, run, don't walk, to get it. They are super sturdy, function flawlessly and are plenty accurate. Boat paddles are bringing a premium too.

Mine is a 22 magnum and wears a leupold 2-7. I've had it for 20 years and still love it

what he said, ...................only louder!

I would buy it quick. I have had mine for numerous years and would not ever sell mine. Very accurate and fuction all top notch. Do a trigger job to start off. Good shooting.

I've owned and hunted a stainless Long Rifle boat paddle with the old green inserts for a very long time. I like it, it handles like a rifle, it's tough, lightweight and very accurate with ammo it likes. The trigger isn't match grade but it doesn't seem to bother me much in the squirrel woods. No telling how many squirrels, rabbits, coons, groundhogs, crows, feral cats and assorted game or pest that rifle has accounted for in the last 25 or so years I've owned it.

I liked my first one so much I bought a couple more.

Thanks guys, I came to my senses and bought it. Given that it came with a Leupold Vari-X-III 3.5-10 I figure I got a good deal at $399 out the door

I'll see how it shoots in a few months when it comes up in the rotation; too many other projects in motion right now. Should be a fun gun--handles fast and is substantially lighter than the laminate stocked 77/22's I've handled. I also like being able to use 10/22 magazines, given that I've got a whole drawer full of them.

Congrats. You've saved yourself from years of bitter regret.

They aren't always the most accurate .22s out there, but they're hell for stout.

Great rifles but they can stand a little improvement. Trigger, float barrel, and possibly shim the bolt. Trigger is easy. Just grind a little off the spring and a couple passes with a fine stone on the shear (go slow with several grindings to retain flat ends with trials on the spring until one gets where he wants to be).

Also, it may or may not need a shim in the middle of the bolt. Mine did (0.007"). Just enough that there was slight resistance to closing with ones thumb. Essentially cleared up a headspace issue. I was near shipping mine for a new barrel when that bit of knowledge came down the pike. Now it's a toss up between ground squirreling with the Ruger or an Anschutz.

Despite that work, I still think they are great rifles. Probably 40,000 rds through mine.

Excellent deal.

I have had mine since 1986 although blue/wood. Taught my three kids and several nieces and nephews how to shoot a bolt action with it. I did not do any trigger work on it because of that. However, I did install a shim in the two-piece bolt.

It has a Bushnell Banner 17 Super 3.5-10x36mm AO scope on it. Holds POI year after year.

good deal doesn't even come close to describing that one! The scope is worth more than half that.

Nice theft.

I found a blued/synthetic and I didn't even know they existed. It was on sale for $450. Brand new and they only had two left.

This one didn't mate up perfectly with the stock but bedding a bread twister tab thing into the stock (Barsness trick) put everything in line and it shoots like a sumbitch. I did stone the schit out of the trigger/sear and snipped the spring. The trigger has creep but is light.



Don't get too excited about your drawer full of mags. The 77/22 uses a different magazine. My 10/22 mags feed for dogschit in it.



Dave

I've read about shimming the bolt and trigger work, ect. My little rifle will shoot five shots 1/2" or slightly less @ 50 yards with several different loads as is. I just haven't felt the need to tinker with it. Squirrels hate it!

BTW, the 77/22 uses its own magazine and does not interchange with the 10/22 mags. Yeah, I know... that's a bummer.

Mine did this bone stock @ 50yds. Slightly better now.

Not exactly true. The profile of the two types are different with the 10/22 having a rounded bottom and the 77/22 having a flat bottom. In both cases the profile is so they mount flush with the bottom of the stock profile. But, a 10/22 mag will work in a 77/22 rifle but won't look as nice, but will function as it should.

I have a box full of 10/22 mags and none of them feed in my 77/22 without some forward pressure.




Travis

I put a trigger spring from Ernie the Gunsmith in this one and it lightened up a bit, but think next time I'm just gonna go to a good hardware store and pick up a much lighter one.

Also thinking about a 6x36 to replace the 4x to help my poor old eyes a bit.

Mine is a wood and blue, 22 Hornet, with the Luepold 2x7. I've killed a lot of prairie dogs, rabbits, coyotes with it. Its one of the rifles i keep at the front of the safe for quick access if a small rifle is needed. My best buddy loved it so much I had to find one for him too. His has the laminate stock and is slightly heavier, but both are great shooters.

10/22 or 77/22 Mags. Either work fine in my 77. Does anyone here have a 77 that is threaded to the receiver as opposed to the wedged in block for barrel seating? Heard they were going that way a couple years back but not seen one.

I wouldnt mind having a Ruger 77/17 in 17HM2 but not for the prices they demand these days.....

Thanks for the feedback guys; I'll try my 10/22 mags and see how they work, if they don't this one might have to hit the road. Not too worried about any accuracy deficiencies; I've got Anschutz's for those occasions where accuracy predominates over ruggedness.

I have never had any problem swapping back and forth between 10/22 and 77/22 magazines, in either direction.

I have a 77/22 with the barrel threaded into the receiver........

My 10/22 or 77/22 mags work good in either rifle......

The bottom contour seems to be the difference....

That's why I got a GM 17 HM2 barrel for mine.....

and even the BX-25 'nanner clips' work in mine.....

That was my hope.

I gots fugked. They won't feed for schit.




Dave

My wife's deluxe version has never ejected reliably.....needs a trip to the factory I reckon.

I bought a couple of rubber magazine covers for my 77/22 mags. Dang things smell so strongly of rubber it's like being in a tire store. The smell has diminished a bit over time, but they're still too stinky to carry in the woods. On top of that, getting one off once it's in place is pretty tough. Might be okay for stowing in a pack for an emergency spare.

I was at the range on a very hot day and one, then the other of my magazines began to bind up; the first and only time a Ruger rotary mag has given me trouble. After a bit of figgering, I loosened the spindles a bit, and the trouble vanished.

Two things on the rotary mags, first there are several good videos out there showing how to disassemble them and reassemble them for a good cleaning should the time come. Second thing I would like to pass on for any of you hunting with either a 10/22 or 77/22 and using the standard 10 round mags, I have found that those mags ride very well in speed loader holsters. Real handy in the woods.

Oregon45: I was at a gunshow yesterday and a Rifle like you are looking at came into the show on the shoulder of a visitor and it did NOT make it 50' around the room until it sold.
I am not privy to the price but was sad I did not get to it in time to make an offer.
Good luck to you in dealing on the one you have spotted.
I do NOT know why but folks are NOT detered at all by the ugly, noisy, uncomfortable boat paddle stock - I don't know why?
My Ruger 77/22 V/T has a Weaver 4x16 variable scope on it and is VERY accurate with hollow-point Hunting style ammunition!
I did install a Volquartsen trigger sear and spring to my Rifle - this was a very worthwhile investment of a small amount of time and a small amount of money.
Again good luck if you get it.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

One might break down the bolt and clean the extractors. Have to do that about every 10 or 15K rounds with mine.

Good idea. Thanks.

Is there a general consensus as to the pros and cons of a threaded receiver versus the V-Block system in the 77/22 platform?

Is one preferable over the other?

I'll go out on a limb here, btw no expert but a good deal of personal experience with the M77/22 platform. Provided that the factory barrel is good to start with, a threaded to the receiver barrel should be a better shooter. I find it amusing that years ago the CZ fans all preached how the CZ rifle with its threaded barrel was the better platform. Then about the same time ruger went to the threaded barrel design, CV came out with their slip fit barrel swap design 455. A slip fit barrel design allows the average Joe to swap out a barrel with no special skills involved. I have not shot any of the threaded to receiver 77/22's but I have owned and shot the CZ 455 rim fire. To me if I had the choice when buying a new M77/22 I would opted for the newer threaded models. However I would not turn down the slip fit model if it came around. I guess my post really isn't going to help come to think about it.

Most feel that threaded trumps the V-block.

I think it's a draw. If you want UBER accurate get an Anschutz.




Dave

Exactly. By the time one spends the money to "tune" any Ruger product it pencils out cheaper to simply buy a rifle built for accuracy from the ground up.

Others rifles often outshoot the Rugers and for less money, but I just like them. They're plenty accurate for hunting and are the only "nice" .22 available in SS, unless you include the T-bolts, which aren't to my taste. A SS 77/22 in a walnut stock makes for a handsome package, I think, even the regular ( non-RSI) models.

I have two of the SS & walnut set ups and one blue & walnut. I like the SS the best.

Glad you told me the mags are different and don't work well, I've been using 3 different ones for nearly 30 years, could not tell you which one was the stock 77/22 and which were from 10/22's....they all function perfectly.

I got my 77-22 ~30 years ago from a gun store that was going out out of business. 50% off list...$160 OTD! Over the years, I had a gunsmith buddy do a trigger job...$7.50, then added a scope...Weaver 4X Rimfire
Classic (still going strong!) then I did a "first ever" glass bedding job.
Got a potful of magazines...the tales of 10-22 and 77-22 mags not being compatible don't seem to hold water.YMMV
As far as bolt shimming goes, I ordered some shims to "tighten" the bolt halves from Lance at Triggershims.com. The thinnest shim was waaay too tight...the bolt would barely close! I read that some folks grind a larger diameter pin that holds the bolt halves together, soooo...I figured to measure my bolt pin, then order a half-dozen from Mother Ruger, and use biggest one to replace the original. It seemed to work! Getting that little pin back in is a real bear, if you don't pay attention to the way the flat side positioned!
Anyway, I guess I took the long way around to say I really like mine. Very accurate, and it will shoot right along side my CZ 455.
From the picture, it looks like you did good!

i bought one in '90 for $245 and used cheap scopes on it for years until i finally got a bushy 4200 and a trigger job. it will shoot the CCI hollow points into one ragged hole at 50 yards and is a deadly squirrel combo. i've made some 100-ish yard shots on tree hangers that amazed even me. my boys liked it so much that i bought 2 more. one is a all weather with the green inserts and the other is a 80's blued/walnut. they are stock and only slightly less accurate. i like them especially for kids because they match up nicely with center fire 77's of which i have a bunch and that is what my kids used until they latched onto the marlin levers.

they are instant classics and will only appreciate.

I agree most haven't impressed me terribly accuracy wise, but they're neat rifles and I'm a huge fan of the rotary magazine.

I got received an email from Ruger, the 77 series rifles have been discontinued. Be glad you got it.

just the rimfire series or the whole line?

The 22, 17, 357, and 44.

And then in their next e-mail:

Any guesses?? I'm hoping left handed rimfire bolt guns!

Not surprised at all. We're in a market phase that emphasizes price over pretty much everything else, and the 77/s are oughta sight these days. Saw a 77/17 For $399 today and almost bit, but then I thought about how much stuff I could get for my other smallbores for $400 and passed.

Like 'em alot, but one's enough.

I saw the same email too... I bought a cz 452 recently and fell in love with it enough that I toyed with selling my 77/22 rbz (? - older laminate grey target barrel) and decided I better not.

Or at least until the market drives it up another $200

You should have bought that.




Dave

Deflave was trying to put .223 rem ammo in the wrong gun again... Kind of a common thing with him.. .. Flave, if you are listening GFY....

Anyone else heard of Ruger's announcement to temporarily stop production of the 77/17, 22, 357 & 44?

I've bought a bunch of stuff already this year and have to start saving for Christmas. I'll be happy to point you in the right direction, though. Besides, I've got little use for a Hummer around here as we've got the P-dogs well under control; haven't seen one in years, ever actually.

I already gots one but thank you.




Dave

I have a 77/22 Mag in Laminate with stainless barrel and action. It was made in 2005, got a very good trigger and it is a tack driver with Remington 33 grain premium bullets and also the Winchester Premium bullets. Fun gun to shoot twice the energy of the 22LR with no recoil and little more noise.

Yesterday, we sighted in a 77/22 all weather and I was surprised how well it shot. I have an older 77/22 and even on its best day, it wouldn't shoot as good a group, as this one did. We had several ammo's to choose from and this gun shot them all pretty good. The Eley Club and CCI Standard Velocity shot the best, so that's what it was sighted in with. In this gun and my gun those two ammo's shoot the same. No scope adjustments needed when you change from one to the other at 50 yds and closer. I haven't checked them at longer ranges, but I would almost bet they would be mighty close.

I havent seen a 77/44 in several years and have never seen a
77/357 for sale.

There were piles of them on shelves for a while.

Up here anyway.




Dave

Online as well, including blue/walnut .44s. Nice little woods and treestand guns once the triggers get tweaked a bit. The standard pull combined with the funky balance makes offhand shooting tough.

They're nirvana when suppressed. Probably the most practical, bad ass rifle you can own.




Dave

One in the classifieds;

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/11444221/Searchpage/1/Main/787214/Words/7744/Search/true/Re:_Ruger_77/44#Post11444221

*might be too late now

A 77-22 for what an American is selling for? JUMP on it! You will probably love it!
I do hate to differ, but yesterday, I went to the range, and found, among other things, I had forgotten my 77-22 mags. Went to my 10-22 case and liberated 2 magazines. They worked flawlessly!

I got my 77 30+ years ago from a gun shop that was going out of business, blue and walnut...$160. With quite a few brands of ammo, It shoots very precisely, and all I did with it was to have a gunsmith buddy of me do a trigger job...$7.50...(I couldn't afford the Volquartsen replacement sear.) While he was at it, he did one on my Winchester Model 70; another $7.50, so you can judge how long ago that happened!

I had heard that one of the on-line Gurus of the Ruger would grind an oversize pin that holds the bolt halves together. I figured that I could order about a half-dozen of them from Ruger, and use the one that was larger than my original.
The only problem was getting the ground flat on the pin in the right position for reassembly! Did it work? I dunno, but when I ordered a set of shims from Triggershims.com, the thinnest shim made the bolt almost impossible to close
.
It's not a target rifle, but doesn't need to hang its head in shame. I believe that Ruger has priced itself out of the market with the almost $900 price tag, and the American .22 with a wood stock at half the price will probably shoot as well, or better. It doesn't look as good, IMO.