Originally Posted by dimecovers5
Originally Posted by irfubar
Originally Posted by dimecovers5
I seem to recall Jim Carmichael said one of the best classic stock makers in America designed the 77 tanger stock. Anybody know who it was? I'm thinking Joe Balickie but I could be way off.


Leonard Brownell I believe....



Yes that's the guy! He did the Number 1 as well


Brownell not only designed the stocks after about 1966 but he also designed the furniture- grip caps pads etc and the sight bases ribs and scope mounts. The horizontal Ruger rings WERE NOT his first choice of design. The first Ruger rings were vertically split and looked a lot like the single top screw Talley vertical split rings.

The original Ruger no 1 and M77 stocks made up until the early 1970s had lines and detailing like custom stocks- gracefully rounded contours ,deep comb fluting and cut lines behind the grips. Unfortunately, during those years of rampant inflation and Bill Rugers desire to keep costs down, those subtle details were taken out by the production engineers to make the guns easier to build.