Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Ruger M 77 over time

The M77 tanger is a bit of a cult fav these days. What prompted Ruger to close the lid on the original and bring out the Mark II? And with respect to triggers, which is considered to be cream of the crop? M77 original, Mark II, or LC6? Thanks in advance for your savvy.

Seems people wanted CRF, though early Mark II's didn't have it.

Early 77's had adjustable triggers, I don't recall the MKII trigger, but the LC6 is easy enough to smooth up.

CRF and 3 position safeties don't mean much to me, but it does to plenty of people that wear suspenders.

I like the ergos of the Hawkeye stock the best.

lol on the suspenders, thanks for the post. I do like the Hawkeye ergos. Am intrigued by the tang safety and perhaps what is a user friendly adjustable trigger?

It didn't adjust a lot.

My only complaint with the original M77 is you have to push the safety off to open the bolt. I agree with Steelhead about not much trigger adjustment on the original M77s.

The original trigger was fully adjustable for weight of pull, sear engagement, and over travel. Easy to eliminate the bolt lock if one wanted to do so. GD

Both of my 77 Tangers I can operate the bolt with the safety on!

The later tang safeties eliminated the issue with having to push the safety off to open the bolt. I like the tang safety 77's, but I have to admit that I love the 1 Hawkeye I own. It just feels, looks, and shoots like a rifle should (to me). And I am speaking of the wood stock model.

Now, if the CEO at Ruger will just listen to my email I sent him and start making limited runs of it in semi-obsolete calibers!

LOL...you beat me to it as I was typing! Just out of curiosity, do your 2 77's have a 3 digit prefix? I've wondered if that is when they started making those models? The only 1 I have that opens with safety on is an Ultra-Light with a 3 digit prefix.

YEP. Mine adjustED easily, no complaints.

I'm in a minority here, I don't like tang safeties on RIFLES.

Shotguns are a diff story. (to me)


Jerry

Don't have any experience with LC6 triggers. I like the 77 pre-1998 triggers There were screws to adjust weight of pull, creep and over travel. The weight of pull screw is in the trigger finger piece so you did not have to disassemble the rifle to adjust.

Post 1998 and early Mark IIs the trigger was nonadjustable and set by the factory. If you were a good tinker you could adjust, I sent a couple to the gunsmith.

Later Mark IIs came with a two stage trigger. It worked well for me with a little practice. Take up the first pull, hold and when sight picture was good, squeeze.

Ruger77,yes both of my 77's are three digit prefix.A 6mm REM. and a 35 Whelen.

Ruger changed the closed & locked bolt safety during the 79,000 serial number prefix range in the early 1980's IIRC.

Bill Ruger originally wanted a mag box holding 4 rounds but gave in to his engineers on the design holding 5 rounds. I think the MKII holds 4 rounds? I may be wrong by trying relying on my memory.

Yep, you're correct on capacity for standard cartridges.

I've had several 77s over the years never a mark 11 or Hawkeye. All of mine were great shooters and just great rifles. The only knock I might have is the chunky forends. I wish B Ruger could see my current .257 Roberts with its slimmed down stock. I'd tell him "That's what you should have done."

I recently discovered tang safety Ruger M77's and now own 3 of them. Where have these been all my life!

There are/were hundreds for sale because people claim they had bad barrels and poor accuracy.

Bill Ruger had Lenard Brownell design the original M77 stock profile, the early rifles had a nice, trim forend. Brownell left in the early seventies & by 1975, for some reason, the stock profile gained weight, especially in the forend.

By the early 1980's, they had trimmed them back down to an acceptable size. The current Hawkeyes wood stocks are the best of them all, IMHO!

IMO the best $400 rifle you can buy!