Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Lack of custom rifles on ruger 77 actions

This has always puzzled me, I know thier big nock is because they are investment cast, it has been proven that they are just as strong as any other action. Is it just because gun smiths dont trust them because they are cast, obviously i know mod 70s and rem 700s are so plentiful and have proven to be excellent performers. Just wondering what the fellas at the fire' thought.

Thanks.

As a preface to this post- please bear in mind I have owned Ruger m77s for over 30 years now. I feel they are a great factory made bolt gun.


As far as their use in custom builds- they are out there. Proably in about the same numbers as Sakos . They are not used more in custom rifles due partly the basic build quality of the Rugers. It's not just the investment casting but the tolerances. Over all, they are rather sloppy built actions to be building a high end custom rifle on.

Two high end guns out there- Shiloh Sharps rifles and Freedom Arms revolvers are both made almost totally of investment castings- yet they are built like fine watches compared to a Ruger m77 of any vintage.


The other part is due to the other actions available. There are better "accuracy" actions like Remington m700s and clones.
There are more "classic" actions like pre 64 m70s and m98 Mausers for building high end classic stocked guns.

One other aspect of customizing Ruger m77s is for the use most folks buy them for- basic working class rifle- they do not NEED to be customized. They shoot very well with a bit of bedding/tuning and already have well designed stocks on them..

That is my take.

Rugers are tough as nails. When I lived in Alaska, I knew 4 different guides that carried the M77. I asked them why a Ruger and not a 700 or 70. All said that the m77's just worked and could stand up to tons of abuse.

I have owned 2 of them, a 30-06AI and a 338 Winmag(both ss)and sold em when I left AK.(still regret it!)

My next rifle is going to be a 280AI on a stainless M77 and an MPI stock. it will be accurate and tough as nails.

My theory was that Ruger builds such a great rifle, that the donors never get turned into customs.

Not like those Remington 700s...

I think the main reason is there aren't a lot of aftermarket goodies for Rugers. You are stuck with their heavy ring system, and few companies make a stock for the MKII's or Hawkeyes. Plus, seems the latest trend is for light rifles, and Rugers are not a good starting point in that regard.

I have 2.....not what I would call High end.....one in 338-06 and a McMillan ......the other in 270 with a nice walnut handle....both in SS.

I also own 3 "Factory" M77s in 257Bob,350RM and 300WM.....also SS....I love Ruger bolt rifles. Where and how I hunt 2lbs of rifle means nothing.

Robert

If I could get an Edge for an M77 I'd have several more than I do now.

Brown Precision and MPI are the only two that I know of that make a ligh-ish stock for the MKII. Brown only in long action.

I have a Ruger that wears a 308 Norma barrel, and it shoots really well. The smith that put that barrel on had no qualms about doing it on a Ruger.

Banser or High Tech makes them don't they?

Banser or High Tech makes them don't they?

I have a number of semi-customs built on Ruger MkII's and one on a Tang Safety. If you like the ruger action and you can meet your weight requirements with a ruger, they work fine. All mine are sporting rifles but they shoot as well as similar rifles built on Remington actions.

Two things I would Like changed, or rather have available in the aftermarket, would be a the McMillan MKII classic made in EDGE and someone to make rings that weigh about half what The stock Ruger's do.

Frankly if your making a LW rig the ruger isn't the place to start, but I have found that a 22" ish #2 contour and the MCmillan MKII classic make a reasonable rifle that both carries well and shoots well.

I just picked up a MKII in 7mm SAUM..not sure what to make it into yet. 338WSM?

Yea,it can be done,but what I've seen they just don't resale well,well below the standard loss of a P64 or M98 action custom. I hunt with them like crazy,just make'm shoot and leave them alone from there... I had this done to my 6.5X55, I like color case.Besides slimming the stock down and adding a ebony tip,trigger and it's ready to go shoot stuff...

You have a point.

Consider however that a factory rifle with a really nice stock can be tuned to equal many of the features of a so called custom. Of course it may not have the superior checkering etc. of some rifles we see posted here.

The Ruger Express rifle had a suggested retail of $1,550. It came with a integral barrel rib and some had very fine wood.

I have built most of my parts guns on Remington 700 series actions because they have generally been less expensive to buy and there were far more after-market part options easily available. When I started building parts guns in the mid-1980s, there were lots of Remington 700 and 722 donors that could be bought for around $150, but not nearly so many Ruger 77s in the same price range.

The only Rugers that I've put together were in the RSI configuration, because I like mannlicher stocked rifles and 77 RSI stocks are the easiest mannlicher style stocks to find via the internet.

JEff

Rugers have loose tolerances.

That's why so many custom rifles are built on Mausers instead of Rugers.



Bruce

Customizing a Ruger 77 is like putting lipstick on a pig.

Terry

I consider the M77 stainless rifle a hunters rifle and not a "looney" rifle. You see an awefull lot of them here in Alaska cuz they are rock solid.

I did end up tricking out my kids Mk II SA. It started out as a ss/laminate compact in .308 Win with the 16.5" barrel. It was his starter centerfire rifle I bought for him when he was 10.

I put on a 22" PN 10 twisty, 3 groovy bbl. Plus a B&C Carbelite stock bedded to the action and a Timney trigger. Yeah, and I steal it from him time to time.

Here's mine. It ain't nothing to look at. M77MKII with a McMillan stock, Krieger fluted SS #4 barrel and Timney trigger. It's chambered in a .264WM and wears a S&B Zenith 3-12X50 scope. It's a nice "beanfield" rifle.



Terry

What do you guys consider light I have a 7-08. Hawkeye in a mcswirly That weighs under 7 w scope I believe that's light for me I spose.

I like this one. How long is the barrel.

27 1/4"

Terry

That's some mighty purty lipstick dribbled on that pig!!! I really do dig that rifle and imagine it works great for it's intended purpose.

MuskM - 6x42 w/M1(s)?

Nice set up. Still 308?

Still a boring old .308. M1 elev turret only.

Nope. The High Tech stocks are for the older tang safety Rugers only, not the Mark II's. Below is an email exchange I had with them about the Mark II's.

I have a Ruger Hawkeye African in .375 Ruger, and I don't need any lighter rings on that rifle!

My other Hawkeye is a .300 RCM, and it doesn't seem to be heavy -- mostly light and handy with its shorter barrel.

I have heard that Talley doesn't make rings for the M77s because of loose tolerances, but I haven't verified that.

jim

Heres a custom Ruger 300 Win lightweight with a High Tech stock. The Tang safety model is easily modified to work on a Mark II

Good to know. If you don't mind, can you detail what all you had to do to make it work?

Rick Steinhour at Extreme Rifleworks fit it for me. He had to fill the void from the tang saftey and I believe he had to mill a space for the safety

Yeah, it's not tough to do with something like Acra-Glas Gel.

I had Charlie Sisk build me a custom .300 Winchester Magnum on a tang-safety 77 action a few years ago. He said that in his experiences they were just as easy to work on as 77's, but that many gunsmiths don't want to both with them both because of all the after-market parts available for 700's, but all the tools for trueing 700's.

Mine had a 25" Hart barrel and Bansner stock and weighed a little over 8 pounds with a 6x42 Leupold. It shots very well with a wide variety of bullets, and among other animals I took a big Sonoroan mule deer and 6x6 British Columbia elk with it. Eventually I sold it because my magazine editors got tired of hearing about it.

Who did the "color case" and if you don't mind, how muchlee did it cost?

It can be done but its not trivial. There is a difference in the height between the floor plate to bottom of the action between the TS and MKII/Hawkeye actions. This makes for a challenge because the front action screw is angled and when the height changes the distance between the front screw and trigger guard changes. There are ways to get around this, but its not a simple as it would be in a m700 or M70

Here's mine - it's still my favorite. It's a LH MK II that was originally a .270 Winchester. It has a 22" 1-8" twist #2 Krieger chambered in 6.5x55 Swede, A McMillan MKII classic stock 80% Olive 20% black. Timney trigger set at 2.25# and Black T coating. It's not a lightweight, but I'm primarily an eastern hunter so it's of no consequence to me. It shoots just about anything rather well and it just feels "right" to me.

My Ruger 77 Mk II in 280 Rem is a work horse. I have taken more animals with it than all my other guns combined. It is like a good ole trusty .22. Whatever I settle its crosshairs on hits the ground. It has an incredibly sweet Timney trigger. It shoots 1/2 moa with its factory plastic stock. If I could find somebody to bed it for me I'd be ecstatic.

1/2 moa?? I'd guess the bedding is pretty good as is - If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The Ruger MkII actions aren't suitable for a bespoke style custom rifle as your throwing good money into an action that isn't that desirable.

But when it comes to hunting rifles to be used ... in my possession I have a 458AccRel on a Ruger MkII and a 458B&M on a MkII. Just about to pull apart a RSI 308Win to re-barrel to 375-08. The build I'm most looking forward to will look nothing like a custom ... it will look like a factory issued 338WinMag MkII stainless/synthetic ... except it will be chambered to 358Norma. A good friend has another 458AccRel, plus a 500AccRel done on Ruger actions.

The strength of the Ruger is that the rifles are available and relatively cheap, the stock mounts hold even on brutal rounds and the factory stocks (wooden/laminate/synthetic) have good ergonomics and can be used to good effect.

These are the actions you build strong, drag through the scrub 'customs', not safe queens that never see the light of day.
Cheers...
Con

Once I think about it the only customizing I have ever really seen
on a Ruger M77 is an aftermarket trigger.

I got tired of hearing of how Rugers were junk, thought that I would see for myself. I had an old early 80's tang safety in 6mm Rem that the barrel had been shot out on large dog towns in the late 70's.

I had a 26" Hart 1-12 twist, Max Heavy varmint contour installed, chambered in a tight neck 243 AI. Next, I ordered a McMillen Hunter benchrest stock inletted for the 77 tang safety in a Forest Camo color.

I gave the action a skim bedding job with Bisonite.

I installed a B&L 12x-32x that I used for p. dog shooting and took off to the rifle range. I shot .400 groups or smaller fire forming the brass with 70g Nosler ballistic tips. Next went to formed brass and shot .200-.250 theee shot groups which was comparable to the half a dozen Rem 700's and Stole Panda's which were chambered with the same reamer and same 1-12 twist Hart barrels.

My conclusion was they will shoot with just about anything else as long as you are not talking Competitive Benchrest accuracy.

I sold the rifle to a young man who got in the Varmint Hunter's Magazine 1000 yard club after taking many p. dogs at 1000 yards.

From my experience it is apparent that Ruger actions are the worst action to build on! They are incapable of any accuracy! These two dear died laughing at my custom Rugers...

.275 Rigby


.308 Norma


Also, built on a Ruger action I have a .257Roberts SA, 6.5-06AI which is showing great promise (with just the fire forming loads) and a 404 Jeffery being assembled as I type.

.257Roberts in Mcmillan UL stock!


Almost forgot the 9.3x62!

sactoller,

How are you handling the magazine on your .404 Jeff?...thanks...jim

Nice tang safety 9.3! I like it...

Jim,

The GS is using a .375H&H box from the RSM and some modifications on the bottom metal.

Thanks, it looks even better since the stock has been redone...will have to get some new photos!

Danged it I didnt see a custom M77 today in a pawnshop,
older tang safety rebarreled to 300WSM stainless with fluting.

9.3 with new finish, ala Karnis!

I am interested in hearing how that turns out (always like .404 Jeffs)...thanks...jim

Ah McMillan LW stock for a Ruger.. I would order one today if I could.

I have a couple of 77's, so I have nothing against the actions.

As to why they aren't as popular, I figure it comes down to a few things. It's a heavier action than the rem 700 and takes special tooling to true a 77 on a lathe, where's the 700 is easier to dial in. The rem 700 has the accuracy reputation, so most people will go with what has the reputation. That doesn't mean that rugers aren't accurate nor can accurate rifles be built from them, they just don't have the reputation.

And when we get away from the accuraced M700 style rifle, we go to the more classic blued walnut gun, and that is either an M98 mauser or a pre-64 win mdl 70. That's simply what people want and what they associate with as classic custom rifles.

The other thing that bites ruger is that stupid slanted front screw through the recoil lug. Functionally there is nothing wrong with it, but it is appropriately cursed by stock makers.

When making a custom M77, why not change it to a vertical screw?

Bruce

Last one that Mcmillan had in stock...got it in Feb. They also, had a LA, but I missed it by a couple of days.

Custom bottom metal and major modification to action....not likely to happen.

Now, if someone could develop a 1 piece bottom metal...then you got something!

338/06 Shilen#4 @ 23",McMillan Flame,Timney and 210 TTSXs kill things.




270 Shilen #3, Nice Walnut,Timney and 130 TTSXs works well (Second from right)

257 Roberts Stainless RSI.....Factory except the trigger....75" was good enough for me.

Nice looking rig, Bruzer..

What does that stock weigh? I am real curious.........

I don't recall the weight, will pull it and see.

I have always liked that rifle!

Thanks, sactoller. Karnis has a Ruger MKII Ultralight of mine in 257 Roberts that may get a new barrel and stock maybe. One of the first Rugers I've had that won't shoot worth a flip (think 2-4 inches). I really like the ultralights feel and handling.

This is not really a custom, but it's had improvements made to it. It's my son's MKII he paid half for and it's chambered in 6mm Remington. I sold the original wood stock and purchased a Boyd's nutmeg laminate stock. I had it pillar and glass bedded and the trigger was worked over by my gunsmith. We also had a lady that does checkering for Cooper Arms in Stevensville Montana checker the stock. She did a great job. Put a 4.5-14x40mm Leupold B&C VXIII scope on it. It shoots great with 90 gr. Nosler E-Tips at 3160 fps. My son has taken a couple antelope, a buck mule deer, and last year his first elk. He shot this cow at 350 yards! She went 25 yards and tipped over. The bullet exited the left shoulder. Pretty darn good perfomance for a little gun!! I like Ruger, the controlled round feed, bullet proof scope mounting, and just solid well made rifles. If I could afford a full blown custom, I might consider a Ruger for the job!


Better shot of the checkering.

Great pics there, and nice work on the checkering.

Interesting that the 6mm bullet blew right through her at 350yds!

By all indications with the tissue and lung damage it expanded quite nicely and didn't just poke on through. I feel it did a great job and have been very impressed with the E-Tip in my son's rifle. I shoot the 100 gr. Partition in mine, but I might have to try the 90 gr. E-Tip and see if it shoots for me in my rifle. Here are a couple tests I did with water jugs as I wanted to see how they were working for me.
100 yards
90 gr. E-Tip (6mm) - 30-06 165 gr. Accubond - (6mm) 100 gr. Part.

another view

300 Yards 90 gr. E-Tip into water jugs.

Here is my .275 Rigby, that started life as a .30-06 UL, shoots great and is a pleasure to carry. Douglas #1 at 23". Carlos added a few touches to the stock....

Sactoller, that is one beautiful rifle. The only problem that I would have with it, is that while I was sitting on my stand, I would be galking at that rifle so much, that a big buck would slip right by me!

Impressing results, thanks for posting.

Here is one that is chambered in a 9.5X64 wildcat. It has a steel triggerguard and floorplate as well as a three position safety. The ivory insert was an after thought but I don't think it looks to bad. It is destined to become a 375 Ruger someday.

Very cool!

That is a heartthrob!

My slightly tweaked Basner stocked factory tang safety 35 Whelen. It goes 7 1/2# as shown.

You'd expect from me to come on and bitch about ruger again.

I won't. They are a good solid rifle for what they are. I've worked on a number of them and they shoot amazing well until needing bedding, and then all you do is bed the gun. I hate bedding 77s with that angled bedding screw but thats life.

All that being said Ruger themselves tried to make great guns out of the 77s, built 12 maybe, palma rifles to give to the palma team even extended the action length a bit to beef it up. IIRC after doing all the work and putting custom barrels on them, in the end, 2 were more or less good enough for palma.

You could build probably 12 palma guns off 700 actions and I'd suspect that 2 out of them would be bad enough not to be accepted... complete flilp flop.

In fairness I have no clue if their smith folks were even capable of making the palma run shoot or not.

Of course there is the BIll Ruger thing with me so I'll never find out personally.