Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires quick Ruger 77/17 report

I picked up my heavy barreled Ruger 77/17 on Saturday. That's the one with the black laminated stock and gray metal finish. It came with a 50 pound trigger pull ... oh, I'll stop exaggerating for a sec, maybe more like 15-18 pounds. Couple hops and skips along the way. Seriously, I stopped once in the middle of dry firing to see if I'd left the safety on. So ... step 1 was to polish the top and back side of the trigger where they meet the sear, step 2 was to install a Volquartsen sear and spring, step 3 was to hone that down to reduce engagement to something "reasonable." Once that was livable (not good or great, just livable) I installed my Leupold 3-9X compact EFR scope in the factory rings. There's got to be 3/8 of an inch clearance between scope bell and barrel. I want it down a ways but at least I could test some loads as-is.

I took it to the range with 17 grain VMAX loads from Hornady, Winchester, and Federal, and 17 grain CCI TNT loads, and a box of the 20 grain Hornady TNT load.

Wind was blowing so I stayed at 50 yards for the most part. The hornday 17 grain VMAX was up first. It put 5 shots into roughly 0.7 inches. WW was up next. 0.44". Federal next, also 0.44". The CCI TNT was in the .5s or .6s, I forget exactly. Finally, the 20 grain TNT load from hornady went in the low .7s.

That's not too shabby.

Finally, just to see how much drop I'd have to contend with from 50 to 100 yards, I tried out the 17 grain Hornady VMAX load since I've got a pretty good pile stocked up. Basically ... no holdover. I got a 0.75" group in spite of the wind, just pushed about a half inch to the right at 100 yards.

I need to work on the trigger a little more. I'd like a bit more scope I think, maybe something in the 4.5-14X range.

All in all .. I like it!! I predict some fuzzy things are gonna die!!

Tom

Sounds like a nasty trigger, but good shooting. What brand of scope you planning on, I know Leupold and Burris make 4.5x14 scopes anyone else?

do not dry fire this rifle!!!

Tom, it seems like the Nikon Buckmaster comes in a 4.5-14x as well. IIRC Blacktail53 is running it on his HMR, said it werent to shabby.

I predict you are exactly correct when you say some furry little critters are gonna die from a .17 cal rimfire. And yep, zero drop from 50 to 100 with a 17HMR. For shooting small vermin with fur and feathers, more scope power is beneficial.

After using a .22 rf since I was a six-year-old, I intially overshot ground squirrels when first started got my HMR. It was second nature to hold at the top or just over a standing squirrels head at a 100 or so yards with a .22 rf. The holdover is not needed with the HMR.

I'm not sure what scope I want. I don't know if I'm going to juggle the scopes I've got around or buy something new. I don't want to go too big on the HMR, my gun is fairly quick on target so having something with reasonable field of view could be useful.

If I buy new specific for this gun, probably Leupold 4-12X, Weaver 4-16X or 4.5-14X, or Nikon 4.5-14X. Then again, I've got a 4.5-14X Leupold already on a .17 Fireball. Maybe I will get something else for that gun and put the 4.5-14X on the HMR. Though I don't know what could be better on that Fireball than the scope already on it.

Lots of choices. Don't have to decide right away. The main drive for changing scopes is shooting paper and now that I know all the loads shoot good enough, maybe the scope I've got on it is fine.

Heck if I know!

Tom

I got a 5-15 bushnell 3200 on mine. Works great. A rifle basix replacement fixed the trigger...

There hasnt been to many times where I wanted more than a 3-9x on mine.

I have time to comment now.

Tom do yourself a favor and do not dry fire your 77/17. I have the same rifle in WMR I tried to put a Timney sear into. It slammed fired or just tripped because I looked at it funny.

Long story short .... those few dry firings dented the barrels breach face and slightly deforing the chamber, creating a difficult extraction. I was able to fix it and the rifle hasn't lost any accuracy ...

Oh, so you were serious. I thought you were saying something like if I'd stop dry firing I wouldn't need to check to see if the safety was on.

Yeah, that's a good point. I messed up a contender barrel that way once. In theory it ought to stop short but it's sure a pain in the a$$ if it doesn't. Guess I could take home some empty cases for whenever I get back to fiddling with the trigger. I've got a Jard trigger that I'm not very happy with, but it'd be lighter than what I've got. I may talk to my favorite ex B-I-L / gunsmith about a lighter spring, but not TOO light, to use with the Volquartsen sear and factory trigger. The one that came with the sear is better but it's a ways from making me happy.

Tom

Blacktail53 having a Nikon Buckmaster on his, I have one of those scopes with a Mil Dot reticle, they are like $10.00 more...
I have it mounted on a different rifle..

My Ruger 77/17 just wears a 3 x 9 Weaver..we'll see if I need bigger as I might end up actually using it this year, based on ammo availability...

I just put a Leupold 3 x 9 with a German Number ONE reticle in it, on top of a Marlin 17 HMR I have that has a synthetic stock on it, and heavy barrel...

I'd leave the nicer Leupold on the 17 Fireball.. that is more fancy scope than you need on a 17 HMR...

My 77/17 came from the factory with a pretty good trigger although Kevin Wyatt tuned it down a hair for me after I got it..

I'm shooting a Ruger 77/17HMR boatpaddle and it wears a Leupold 4.5-14x40AO. I'm very impressed with the scope. Helluve accurate rifle.

Tom, I am shooting the same rifle as you just got, picked mine up immediately upon introduction. I have had the heavy 77/22 since they were introduced in 1997 and jumped on the then new 17HMR as soon as I could.
I did not have any trouble with my trigger, but unlike the 77/22 I had to mess with the bedding by fully free floating the barrel, after which it shoots like it should...
Mines wearing a 3x9 Burris Ballistic Plex BTW...
I can honestly say Ive had more fun with that gun than any other in the past 25 years. I think Bill Ruger and God got together to create that, just for ME to shoot Gophers with!
Anyway, you are right, fuzzy little things will die in front of it!
" Death in the Short Grass"

Ingwe

So far no little fuzzies but at least I got the new scope (Leupold 4-12X40 AO / fine duplex) on it. Sighted it in. Then realized some dumb-butt put the scope on crooked and left his torx driver at home. Fixed, but now I guess I just "have to" go back to the range.

Funny thing. As fast as the HMR is, I can see the bullets in flight through the scope. Lot faster than a .22 long rifle but still visible. That's pretty cool. I bet it's gonna be interesting to watch them go into a squirrel before it splats.

I really like the way this thing shoots.

Tom

I thought I was the only one that did that...

I guess I will have to settle for being the only one who does it consistently...
Ingwe

I took a trip over to Klamath today to do some scouting, and verification of the properties I have access to, still are good...

I did take both a 223, and a 17 HMR with me...

ran out of time.. lots of holes in the fields, but didn't see many squirrels out, but the wind was pretty stiff and a front was blowing in...

However I did take a few shots at 100 yds or so, on some sage rats with the 17 HMR....

didn't hit a thing! the wind definitely has an effect on them, even much moreso than even a 22LR....

guess I will have to wait until there is nicer weather over on that side of the Cascades before I can use those 17 HMRs.....

I'm looking forward to going over. Not sure how April is going to work out for me. Feast or famine ... nothin' at all to do or way too much to do. Not all of it good.

I have a VX-II, 4-12, with fine duplex on mine.. It is a perfect set up.. the fine duplex "acts" like you have an 18 power.. I HATED this scope on my LVSF 22-250... never could get used to it..

T_O_M: I have never shot my Ruger 77/17 V/T at the range, for group, on a windy day.
But I have taken it to the range many times on dead calm days.
I just figured out the average groupings of all my load testing and scope change sight-in verifications - and my amazingly accurate Ruger 77/17 has averaged .687" for all its groups (all groups 5 shots at 100 yards).
The 17 HMR is an amazing and wonderful rimfire cartridge!
I am actively dealing on another Ruger 77/17 V/T right now.
Its owner is raising a young family and trying to maintain a business and be active in his church nowadays. He just has never shot the Rifle much at all.
And I know his Rifle is accurate as well.
Your .75" group at 100 yards on a windy day is a commendable accomplishment especially with a 3x9 scope on it.
My 77/17 V/T first used a Leupold 4x12 scope but I wanted more power and a nifty Weaver KT15 (straight 15 power) scope came along and did duty for a couple of years. Nowadays I have a Weaver V-16 (4 to 16 variable power) scope on it.
Your Ruger 77/17 will make GOOD use of more scope power should you decide to "power-up" on it, so to speak.
I am so happy you are impressed with the 17 HMR (in the wind!) and with the Ruger 77/17 V/T.
My memory is not the best but I am pretty sure I added a Volquartsen "sear" and spring to my Rifle many years ago - even though the original trigger pull was "fair". That change improved the trigger pull noticeably.
Having said that, before I replaced the sear I shot the best group the Rifle has made to date - that group (5 shots at 100 yards) measured .502"!
That group is by far the best group I have ever made with a rimfire Rifle at 100 yards!
And, I have been shooting rimfire Rifles for about 52 years now.
According to my loading log I have had my Ruger 77/17 for over 6 years now and I have as yet to find a failing, a shortcoming or a fault of any kind with the Rifle/cartridge!
And thats saying something.
Yeah, the 17 HMR and fuzzy things = fun!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I thought about more magnification, but I might want to dual-purpose my rifle with purpose #2 being jackrabbits in the sage. I'm not usually too concerned with field of view assuming the stock fits but I had a 6.5-20X on a rifle I tried that game with and was pretty upset by the end of the day.

I think for how I use it, this will be a good balance.

Yeah, I put a Volquartsen sear in mine. My trigger was UGLY from the factory. Probably 6+ pounds with two distinct "stops" through the pull. I polished the trigger surfaces that mate with the sear to smooth that out as best I could. I also worked over that sear to reduce engagement a bit. It's still not a GREAT trigger but it's considerably less horrible. It's heavier than I like but I got rid of the grit and excess engagement.

Tom