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I put a lowish bid on a ruger m77 mkII Frontier in 358 win a few weeks back and won it. It's a gun metal grey color, laminate stock with a 16.5" barrel and a scout mount on the barrel. It's new and I'm trying decide whether to set it up and play with it or just leave in the box under the bed for a decade or two because they didn't make them for long. Anybody have one of these or have any experience with one?

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Take it out and shoot it! They didn't make very many of the M77 tang safety models in 358 either, and although they appreciated somewhat, it's not enough to augment your retirement account.

I am not a Ruger fan, but I am a fan of the 358 Win. If I were to get one it would be the Hawkeye. I don't care for the scout set up nor the 16.5inch barrel.

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If I'd seen it, the winning bid wouldn't have been so "lowish." It's probably the ideal cast bullet thicket deer rifle.

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Sounds like the perfect rifle for still hunting timber. I would definitely use it and enjoy it.


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I'd shoot it. Seems like it would be a dandy brush gun. It kinda puts me in mind of the old Remington 600/660 chambered in .35 Remington, but with brass that is much mmore common.


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I like mine especially for bear hunting. For now I put a cheaper but well made older used 2.5x fixed on it in the standard location (need another ring). Also I swapped on a Ruger "canoe paddle" stock for a bit more LOP (and to save the nice laminated one slopping bait pails around. See it here - http://35cal.com/ruger77_358frontier.html

Jack O'Conner (Mr .270 of course), from a 1962 article entitled Deer and Deer Rifles, writes that he "... regards the neglected and obsolescent .358 Winchester cartridge with its 200-grain bullet at 2,530 or its 250-grain bullet at 2,250 as probably the most deadly woods cartridge in existence, not only for deer but for elk and even moose. The .358 has the power and weight to drive deep on the rear-end shot, which the woods hunter all too often has to take."

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I've thought about finding a little longer stock and another ring so I could set it up for a standard scope because of the limited options and narrow field of views with scout scopes. I might try a leatherwood 2-7 scout scope although I don't know anything about leatherwood other than it's one of the few variable options.

I figured the 225g partition would be a good all around option. I have about 1000 250 g hornady sp's but I'm not sure it will drive them fast enough to expand much. I'd also like to try the new hornady flex tip 200g for deer. I figure it will expand at modest speeds. It looks like yours had some problems feeding some bullets. I hope this one will feed with pistol bullets so I can use it on rabbits. 140 g xtps at 2800 used to do wonders on bunnies from my old 358.

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Originally Posted by Burleyboy
I put a lowish bid on a ruger m77 mkII Frontier in 358 win a few weeks back and won it. It's a gun metal grey color, laminate stock with a 16.5" barrel and a scout mount on the barrel. It's new and I'm trying decide whether to set it up and play with it or just leave in the box under the bed for a decade or two because they didn't make them for long. Anybody have one of these or have any experience with one?

Bb
..............B/Boy.............Take it out and use it. I don`t have a 358 Frontier, but do own a Frontier.

Just finished up a quicker than expected, but successful elk hunt. Scored during the mid morning of the second day out with an excellent shooter bull elk. The rifle used on this hunt was my 300 WSM Ruger Frontier with the same laminated at a distance of 328 yards. My 2 1/2 year experience with the Ruger Frontier so far, has been 28 hogs and 2 bull elk in various terrain conditions from the thick brush to wide open areas.

Depending on the hunts, I use both a traditional scope and a scout scope. No other rifle that I know of easily allows for a traditional scope + the scout scope option.

After nearly 38 years experience with full sized rifles, I bought my 300 WSM Frontier, to be followed later with a 375 Ruger Alaskan. As it turned out, the shorter dimensions especially with the Frontier, was and still is a refreshing change.

From the Frontier`s smaller dimension, I wanted a rifle that is handier, is easier carrying, has better manuverability, is quicker to shoulder and is able to be carried by its pistol grip without the muzzle nearing the ground. I also wanted a rifle combo, that when slinged over my shoulder the muzzle would be well below the top of my head, a truck gun, a great rifle for stand hunting in confined spaces, a great carrying/stalking brush and timber rifle, as well as having the ballistic horsepower as a 500 yard elk rifle too. Except for the 500 yard elk rifle part, your 358 Frontier would without any doubt, would apply to all of the above. The shorter barrels have increased noise or blast, but I always wear good hearing protection at the range and protection designed for field use.

My most accurate reloads give moa and less. The only alteration that I changed was the trigger assembly. That factory 5+ lb pull (before the LC6 triggers were intro`d) needed to be swapped out.

As a scope suggestion for your 358 and in keeping with the Frontier`s compact theme, consider the 2.5x FX2 Leupy Ultralite, maybe the smaller fixed 4x FX2, the 1.5-5x20 VX3, or a 1-4x20 VX2. I wouldn`t go too large a scope and over magnify the 358. Too large a scope with larger objective bells would look out of porportion to the rifle.

I also have two friends and hog hunting buddies that own Ruger compacts. One is exactly the same as yours but in the 338 Federal, and the other owns a new (this year) Hawkeye 300 RCM compact. They love `em!

Get out there and have some hunting and shooting fun!!






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Got one and have punched one deer with it using factory Silvertips. 120 yards with Aimpoint Micro T1 mounted on rail in front of receiver. Snap shot as she walked and she went straight down and bulldozered 20 yards before she died.

Currently have a Weaver K3 post and crosshair on the receiver but haven't hunted with it yet.

Also bought a factory synthetic but haven't mounted and painted it yet.

P.S. don't know if it has the new trigger but mine is crisp and manageable.

Last edited by ColdCase1984; 11/29/09.

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As a scope suggestion for your 358 and in keeping with the Frontier`s compact theme, consider the 2.5x FX2 Leupy Ultralite, maybe the smaller fixed 4x FX2, the 1.5-5x20 VX3, or a 1-4x20 VX2. I wouldn`t go too large a scope and over magnify the 358. Too large a scope with larger objective bells would look out of porportion to the rifle.

Totally agree with that. I want to eventually get a small Leup on mine over the receiver.

Also FYI some have warned against the EER varibles in favor of no more than around a 2x or 2.5x fixed EER. Reports suggest that FOV becomes seriously restricted for hunting at higher magnifications with EERs. Just reporting what others have said as I have yet to use the quarter rib over the barrel.

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Originally Posted by Whelen_B
I like mine especially for bear hunting. For now I put a cheaper but well made older used 2.5x fixed on it in the standard location (need another ring). Also I swapped on a Ruger "canoe paddle" stock for a bit more LOP (and to save the nice laminated one slopping bait pails around. See it here - http://35cal.com/ruger77_358frontier.html


Sweet setup!! I had not thought of putting a "paddle" stock setup but now I want one on a frontier...


Would defientely go with a small size scope, replaced the 2.5-8x36 on my short barrel BLR with a 1.5-5x20 VXIII which made it handle much better..


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you guys just have stronger ears than I do...my 16.5 inch 223 is more than I want to shoot once without hearing protection!


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I'm a little concerned about how loud it will be. I always wear hearing protection at the range but I hate wearing it while hunting. I actually got rid of a few great shooting rifles that had brakes on them because I didn't want to mess with ear plugs while hunting. The blast on my 20" 338 rcm doesn't seem much worse than any of my other rifles but this 16.5" 358 could be a whole different ball of ear wax.

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Originally Posted by Whelen_B
Also FYI some have warned against the EER varibles in favor of no more than around a 2x or 2.5x fixed EER. Reports suggest that FOV becomes seriously restricted for hunting at higher magnifications with EERs. Just reporting what others have said as I have yet to use the quarter rib over the barrel.


Yes the FOV is smaller but in my still short experience with a scout setup (BLR in 308) that is more than compensated for by how much quicker I can get the crosshairs on target. I normally use the Burris 2.75X20 but am experimenting with a variable power (NcStar 2-7X32). Once I figured out the hold over from a 100 yd zero I was hitting minute of dinner plate -- a 12" circle -- at 500 yards from prone position with a sandbag at 7X magnification. Won't win me any awards but I thought it was pretty good from my half-century-and-a-bit old eyes.

No argument that the higher power should only be used at long range on stationary targets. However, that's pretty much how I use any scoped rifle.

It took some practice to get used to the forward mounted scope and, for me, it was worth every minute. I have the right-hand/left-eye problem but when I line up the scout scope my brain automatically picks the magnified image as the correct one. For some reason this does not happen with a conventional scope or holosight and I have to force the perceptual shift.

The forward mounted scope is not for everyone or every purpose. I have two bolt guns with conventional 3-9X optics that are not going away. Nor am I considering a scout scope on my L1A1 EBR. Nevertheless, for me the scout setup works very well as a general purpose rifle. If I had to Get Out Of Dodge and could only take one centerfire rifle, my BLR scout would almost certainly be it.

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Very helpful post Parabarbarian. I have the right-hand/left-eye dominant problem too. Your comments are much appreciated.

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Originally Posted by Burleyboy
I'm a little concerned about how loud it will be. I always wear hearing protection at the range but I hate wearing it while hunting. I actually got rid of a few great shooting rifles that had brakes on them because I didn't want to mess with ear plugs while hunting. The blast on my 20" 338 rcm doesn't seem much worse than any of my other rifles but this 16.5" 358 could be a whole different ball of ear wax.

Bb
........BBoy......While the compact has its attributes, the noise is greater. Compromises! Compromises!.........But there is protection you can buy designed for field use which I certainly use.

My 300 WSM Frontier shorty is a loud one for sure!..........But what fun!!


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