Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles M77 Mark II

What's the intended purpose? Hunting? Target shooting?

It's a good all around rifle to get going with a bolt action. My first bolt action hunting rifle was exactly the same gun, minus the Tasco. I knew nothing about scopes then. I went to the local mom and pop sporting goods shop and trusted the guy behind the counter to sell me the nicest hunting scope I could afford. At the time, that ended up being a Nikon Prostaff 3-9 x 40. To this day, I regret selling that rifle!

This will be a hunting rifle. Ohio was always a slug-gun state, recently allowing straight walled cartridges. I have a semi auto 350 legend for Ohio. A couple buddies want to expand our horizons so to speak. Kentucky or western states, hence the bolt gun.

Gary_3,

It may just be the picture, but is that a 20" barrel? Where on the barrel is the cartridge designation Stamped/roll marked, barrel or barrel shank?

That MK II could have a LC6 trigger. Between S/N 791-246XX and 791-717XX (Mid to late 2005) the LC6 triggers were transitioned into all M77 MK II rifles.

Thanks
Ed

I went and checked mine after seeing this and wondering why people ever complained about the Mark II trigger. My one M77 that I have ever owned is the late model Mark II with the LC6 trigger.

I’ve never owned one, guy on my lease does. He likes it

Serial number says this one is from 2000.

The barrel is 22”

I’m going to see if it likes Norma 180 bond strike extremes, if it does it will be a one size fits all load.

I only have experience with one MK II. It is my wife's in 6.5x55 and she is the 3rd owner of it. I bought it for her in 2002. She has consistently shot half inch and smaller groups with it. I rarely shot it since we had it fitted for her. Now the kids are using it and were having trouble with it because the trigger was too heavy. It was 6 lbs. Never new because it was so crisp. Now after having it worked on it is a crisp 3 lbs. My daughter used it this year to take an antelope at 90 yards and whitetail buck at 300. My wife may not get it back. I think you have picked a good rifle to start.

I've had quite a few of these. Solid, dependable rifles. In fact, just picked up another one, it too is in 30-06 and is a stainless/Zytel version. Pre LC6, so trigger work/replacement is the first order of business for it. You have, in my opinion, a very nice rifle! Get to know it and enjoy!

bought mine new in the late 90's/or really early 2000's - don't remember. Same scope and factory trigger. Lots of animals taken with that gun. Likes to shoot 150's over 165's. Guess I just got used to the trigger as I have never done any work to it.

Although largely nearly identical, the Hawkeye has some minor tweaks that make it preferable: a slimmer stock, steel bottom metal, and that LC6 trigger. Good new is that all that stuff can be swapped onto a MKII if you want to. The Hawkeye stocks are pretty nice actually, walnut or synthetic.

The Tangers get a lot of love, but the Hawkeye/MkIIs are excellent rifles, IMO Hawkeyes the best Ruger made.

I like the Ruger Americans, after they have finally cleaned up the product line.

but I still prefer a Ruger 77 Mk 2, mine are mainly stainless with a laminate stock. I have a dozen or more of them.

Not a Mark II, but I bought a M77 in 7mm Rem Mag in 1981. Good looking rifle. I was 21 years old, and it was the first rifle I ever bought. It shot horribly, splattering the bullets over a 10" circle at 100 yds. I sent it back to Ruger, and they eventually returned it to me, having made unspecified changes. It now shot 2"-3" groups. I again returned it to Ruger, but they sent it back to me saying "it was shooting within spec." I took a couple of deer with it, but soon after stuck it in the back of a closet and never shot it again due to the poor accuracy.






After that terrible initial experience, I avoided all Ruger products for 40 years. I finally relented when my left-handed wife spied a lefty Hawkeye in .223 Rem. on the used rack at a Cabelas. There are not a lot of left-handed rifles available, so I sucked-up my anti-Ruger stance and bought it. It shoots good, but nothing to get excited about.



I am not trying to tell people whether to love or hate their Rugers, I am just relating my personal experience.

Have a Hawk-eye in .223. bought it the year they came out,2006 I think. Walnut and whatever finish that is on the metal. Kind of a weird parkerizing/ matte. Never had it out of the stock and it'll shoot MOA out to 300. That's as far as my range goes. Trigger is acceptable enough that I don't feel the need to mess with it.