Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Ruger 77 Round Top question

I just picked up and old 77ST. I have read conflicting reports on them. Some have told me that there were no ST's that shipped from the factory that were already drilled and tapped. There was a 77PL (I'm assuming it meant "plain") that was drilled and tapped but had no sights. But we all know that Ruger did some things that were not cataloged. So...does anyone know if any 77's were shipped from the factory with sights AND were D &T'ed? This particular one is in 30/06 and has a bi-centennial barrel.

PS...If I have already posted this question, forgive me as I tried to post it last night but I can't find it today. But, my internet was messing up last night so not sure if it made it or not.

77ST Round Tops had open sights and were drilled and tapped. They take Remington 700 mounts, at least my .257 Roberts did.

I've found the same thing. They were drilled and tapped and had sights. I had a 30-06 also, went to an old friend of mine who still uses it. Nice rifles.

The Ruger M77ST is a round top,D&T for M700 bases and had sights, the M77PL is a round top with a plain barrel & no sights.

Thanks, gentlemen. 3dtestify...I was also told that the 77PL was given to dealers and possibly retailers who sold a certain no. of Ruger products. Do you, or anyone, know this to be true? Thanks again for each of your replies. The bluing on this old rifle is in very good condition and I am one happy camper with it!

This was not true,

I think Ruger was hedging their bets thinking not everyone would buy into their integral base idea. In the process, they created a collectable of sorts, or a better-looking rifle, depending on your taste.

I have not heard that the PL was a dealer special. Around 90% of M77 production were the R models with clean barrels, and only 10% were RS models with sights. The PL was offered to all distributors and dealers IMHO.

The 77PLs were some sort of distributor exclusive. I'm not a Ruger expert but I do have a few and ended up in this discussion on the Ruger forum a few years back:

http://rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=215243

This led to a subsequent discussion with the publisher of the Reference of Ruger Firearms.

If you have any Ruger-specific questions I recommend posting them on that site. There are some good guys over there.

Interesting, I did not know that. I do know that I prefer the looks of the RS models.

I stand corrected! If one of the Ruger M77 expert collectors like Randy Graham says the PL was a distributor special, then that’s what it was! I just learned something today!

I had a round top 77 that had open sights and was D & T. It was a very accurate 30-06 with old style Nosler 165 gr. Partitions. The dark walnut stock was beautiful. I don't recall what I traded it for but I'm pretty sure it was a mistake.

South Ridge-thanks for that. I had actually read that thread by doing an archive search on that site a couple of weeks ago. I then posted about the rifle on there. There was a little going back and forth and there was not a consensus on the matter. Your father was the one with the hollowbolt, correct? Were you able to restore it? If so, could you post a pic of it on here. I have only seen one in my lifetime and have never forgotten it, it was in a 25/06 at a gun show. A hollowbolt, an 77RSI, and a 77PL are on my bucket list.

Forgot to add, I agree; there are some great guys on that site who know their stuff. I have even seen a couple of guys from here on there. Thanks to all who have replied.

Several years back, I stumbled across a hollow bolt at a gun show & it followed me home. The seller of course had no clue as to its rarity, they see a hole in the bolt knob & think it’s like post war Model 70’s , “they all have’em”! Mine is a M77S in 7x57 Mauser, the “S” designation means it was shipped with sights, but without the rings & unless you have the original box to verify this, the Ruger records letter is required for confirmation. Best estimate is there were roughly 3,000 hollowbolts made in long action only cartridges. These early Ruger M77 rifles are my favorite, especially the RS rifles with the sights.

I didn't restore it. In fact, I had kind of forgotten about it until this conversation popped up. Sounds like a good winter project.

Well if some one has a round too w/ or/w/o sights in 308 they want part with, let me know.

Outdoor Sports HDQ in Dayton, Ohio was one or Ruger's largest distributors and did receive runs of the Ruger "PL" models. Most of Ruger's main distributors at the time complained to Ruger they offered to many models of the Ruger 77 between the "R" model "ST" and "RS" in all calibers which was too many "SKU's to inventory. The Ruger 77 model offerings were thinned out with-in a few years.

Thanks guys for all the input. south ridge...be sure and post pics when you get'er done.

3dtestify or doctor encore or anyone who can answer this question. Did they drop the T from 77ST when they added the integral scope base? If so, about what year was that if anyone knows. I have been surprised over the last few years at some of the Rugers that have shown up at my friend's shop. I have been hoping a hollowbolt will show up. My friend (who wasn't even born when the hollowbolts were made, was not aware that there was any such creature. The good news is, if one ever comes in, I have dibs on it and can't wait to get my hands on it...lol.

honestly...I can't remember.

Thank you, Sir...wish I had not sold the book on the Ruger 77. I did it in a time when I couldn't afford to even think about buying a rifle and just figured someone else could get use from it. I'm thinking Ronnie Burke was the one who wrote it. Not sure if it would have told that or not though.

My fading memory is telling me that the ST stood for smooth top.

Yes, the late Ronnie Burke was the author of that fine book. If I am understanding your question about the ST designation correctly, the “T” was never dropped when they “added the integral scope base”. The Ruger integral scope ring base system was the original design offered as a R or RS rifle in the first generation of M77 rifles when introduced in 1968. The D&T “round top” receivers were offered a couple years later by Ruger at the behest of some gun writer friends of Bill’s so they could use their favorite scope mounts of the day and satisfy the sportsman who had the same attitude. I personally have never understood what the ST & PL designations were suppose to mean? I’ve even seen photos of an ST rifle with a box marked “RT”, meaning round top? I just don’t know

Thanks for that, model70man. Just goes to show that one should never just assume, as I assumed it meant "sights". It's a lesson that one would think I would have learned by now. But...

You're welcome Sir. Somewhere I have a large poster from Ruger that I received from them when I had an FFL back in the day that explains the model designations. I owned a Liberty model ST but unfortunately got rid of it. I kind of liked that round top because it would take scope mounts for a M700 Remington.

I have had more than one Ruger ST, and they are in fact drilled and tapped from the factory, as is the PL. As stated above, they take the same mounts as a Remington 700.

Info from "Reference of Ruger Firearms, Volume Two"






Here is some more info from the RugerForum site.

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=162694

308ld-thanks for the chart!

My understanding was that they began providing the round-tops because a number of dealers complained that the integral base idea prevented them from selling bases with rifles, reducing their profit. I'm not sure if it's true or not, but that was conventional wisdom of the time.

The Liberty "ST" I owned did not have sights.

If your rifle was a Round Top without sights, then it would have been the "PL". Correct?