Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Ruger MK II .270win RSI International

That’s a nice rifle. It makes me wish I had one like it.

If I purposely was out looking for a rifle chambered in .270 Winchester, it would have to have a 24" barrel. But if I saw a special rifle like that and I wanted it I wouldn't care what cartridge or barrel length it was. With a shorter barrel it's probably not your long range rifle anyway. Just load it with a faster powder such as IMR or Hodgdon 4895, IMR 3031, or IMR 4064 and get as much velocity as you can safely get out of it with the bullet weight of your choice.

I pulled the rear site on mine and stored it with the screws a business card and some electrical tape to keep them all together. Blank screws in the holes the front site stayed on. The Ruger rings are 2 different sizes as I recall so watch that. I have one of the old Zeiss conquest 3.5-10x44 on mine and can't see the front site in it. I had a Leupold 1.5-5x20 on it at one time and I could see the front site on 1 power. Call Ruger and ask them about the rings.

My RSI has always been pretty well an MOA shooter with reloads maybe a little better. There's plenty of Mannlicher stocked rifles that shoot just as well as traditional IME. Mine has a red recoil pad and that's an age identifier JB told us what age that was when they switched I can't remember it was one of the first rifles I bought new for myself I think it was the first year they came out with them. I've hunted with it probably near 40 years not as much as I used to though. Shot a decent buck with it last year still getting it done.

Good luck and shoot straight y'all

I have a Hawkeye version 77RSI in 270. I haven't shot any handloads in it, I just feed it these and it likes them. I have a Meopro 6x42 with a German #4 reticle mounted on it. I'm a sucker for the full stocked rifles.

I have a few RSI's and they are all better than 2moa rifles, for the first 2-3 shots.

Nice rifle!

I have owned quite a few full-length stocked hunting rifles, and in general have found them to shoot very well. In fact one was a Sako .222 Remington than would regularly put five shots into 1/2 with a couple of loads. In big game chamberings have gotten just about the same accuracy as with wood-stocked rifles of the same make with standard stocks. May have just been lucky, but I can think of at least half-a-dozen rifles that shot that way, including a "Stutzen" CZ 550 in 9.3x62.

Your rifle was manufactured after Ruger started hammer-forging their own barrels. The first No. 1 I owned with those barrels was a 1B in .300 Weatherby Magnum, which regularly put 5 shots (not just 3) into an inch at 100 yards.

I like to store my removed/surplus parts in zip lock bags. Small parts like the 77 RSI rear sights fit nicely into 2"x4" zip lock bag that Wal-Mart sells in the craft section for around $2 per 100.

If I have the original box, I store the removed/replaced original parts in it, so that I can pass them on to the next owner or reinstall them before passing the firearm on to the next owner.

Loading it that way will cut down on muzzle blast and recoil, but it won't get you more velocity.

Might check out the Sig Whiskey 3 2-7x32. I think it has a slightly longer tube than the Leupolds. Would make mounting for proper ER easier. Or go vintage with a used Zeiss Diavari 3-9x36. Slightly less vintage would be a used Conquest 2-8x32.

I have current scope as far forward as possible (3x9x40) leaving just enough room for a Buttler Scope cap clearance on the rear sight. I've no intention of removing rear sight as [bleep] could go south someday and I'll need it to keep on the hunt.... Half temped just to go Steelhead's route and stick with a factory load just because. I gotta tell ya I'm not feeling the whole muzzle blast thing as shooting it the other day, I was like this is a breeze. Ear plugs were shoved to the core of my brain, but I could shoot it all day long. Recoil was nothing. I go stepping on a special load that might change.. It does shoot the Deadliest Mushroom in the woods MOA . hmm

Dear Lipsey,

Please make the RSI in 9.3x62.

Man that would be something!

If it only had a butter knife bolt handle, that would be sweet. Nice rifle

I have seen then but never hunted with a BK bolt handle.. Functionality any good?

No

Not ideal, but they're still a handle, which works fine if you practice.

Have two rifles with 'em, a 6.5x54mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbine and an "around World War One" custom 8x57. Working the bolt fast isn't exactly like a "tactical" rifle with a 4-inch handle almost a big around as a can of corn, but with a little practice you can shoot again, pretty quickly.

That's what I figured..

Lipsey is thinking about a .223 Rem order of the 77 RSI. How do I know I requested it and they told me it was on there list of future special orders. I think it would make a Great walking and calling Varmint Rifle. I'm thinking 1.75x5 for a scope.

I was like you and wanted a 7x57. But got a .270 at a great price. Mine shots bug holes with 57.5 gr of Rel 19 and 130 gr Ballistic tip. I get 2800 fps. So you will loose some velocity. But the Deer don't seem to notice. There is some muzzle blast in low light. The 18 1/2" barrel is great in a blind.

The worst modern, post-WW2, butter-knife bolt handle that I've seen were those that Interarms put on some of their mannlicher stocked Mark Xs. They had a higher lift than the standard bolt handles, so that the lowest ring height that you could use were medium height to allow the bolt handle to clear the ocular lens bell of most, maybe all, 1", 26mm. and 30mm scopes. That negative attribute was compounded by the butter-knife style that Interarms used which had a narrow/sharp front edge that could be uncomfortable to use with a bare hand.

EDIT: Although I'm not a fan of the Mossberg 800, specifically their plastic trigger assemblies, the butter-knife style bolt handles that they put on their 800 mannlichers were well designed and didn't share any of the negative attributes of the Mark X mannlichers.

Thanks for that info!