Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Ruger 77/22 - what's the good and the bad?

I passed on a 1st year production 22lr today because all I really know about them is their reputation for costing a lot more than they deliver in the accuracy department.

But - I have heard here and there that the early production guns were good shooters. Not sure that they ever were competitive with a run of the mill CZ though. Or a Ruger American for that matter.

So - can anyone summarize the in's & out's / good & bad for this rifle?

Not my first choice for great accuracy out of the box, but they are good rifles, and very dependable. My last was a SS RSI that I sold to finance another notion. It was a real beauty, but my SS 455 outshot it. I've also owned a very early SS boat paddle. Again, a good rifle and tough as nails. Hard to say how accurate that one was, or could have been, as I've learned a bunch about .22s in the years since I had that one.

Two things that are easy to do and can help accuracy are shimming the bolt head and swapping the trigger spring for a lighter one. I also changed the angles on the sear on my RSI to improve the pull, but that's a little more involved. If the barrel on the one you're looking at isn't a good one though, nothing is going to help much, so it remains a crapshoot. The slip-fit barrels on the old ones are easy to change, but expensive, so it really comes down to how much you're willing to spend (risk) on it. If you like the rifle for its looks and feel, that may be enough for you, but there are probably safer, easier paths to a good shooter.

What was the asking price, and for which model?

i have three of them, an early one, one from 91 and another later all-weather. they all shot pretty well without mods but can be made very accurate easily. on my go-to squirrel gun, i replaced the trigger with an adjustable one from dayton traister (30 bucks) and that made the most difference along with bushnell elite 4200 3-9x40 scope. it can now shoot penny sized groups at 50 yards regularly with cci minimags. the cheaper federal ammo is almost as good with the occasional flyer. the early one shoots almost as good with no mods at all so i never mucked with it. it is my sons. the all weather is in a wood stock and was free floated by a previous owner. it was the hardest to get right. i ended up shimming the barrel at the end of the stock and tightening the front action screw as tight as i could get it to put some pressure on the end of the barrel and it now shoots very good but both it and the oldest one would benefit from a trigger like my squirrel gun. i personally like the 77/22 better than the cz's because they are handier and have a more logical safety. i also like them because you can have a centerfire just like your 22. this was the reason i bought them for my boys. they are very well made and fit and finish are excellent.

Thanks guys

The one I looked at is a 1st year production, and I've occasionally read that the very early ones were better shooters. No idea why or even if that's a true statement.

I can imagine that a little extra attention may have been paid to them when Ruger started up the manufacturing process. I can also imagine many of the teething pains of getting a new product up and running...

I wonder why Ruger would have switched to a threaded barrel unless they were having problems. My guess is that they were fitment/assembly problems in the plant, not accuracy problems -
1. Easier to machine 2 high precision rounds than to machine 2 standard precision rounds, then thread and deburr them both.
2. My guess is that accuracy problems would be the result of "generous" chambers as much as any action-to-stock issues, and neither have anything to do with threaded or slip fit barrels.

So, there's nothing we can do about Bill's zeal to machine crappy chambers, but if there is a way to inspect for chamber depth and even the leade is like to give it a try

Any tips?

Pappy348 I sure wish I had known you were selling that rifle. My all weather shoots very good, not bench rest good but 1/2” to 3/4 depending on ammo at 50 yards. I personally like the looks and the fit of these rifles. My 39A isn’t a bench rest accurate rifle either and it will fetch more money that the M77/22. It all depends on what you want out of the gun. Granted I go into my first M77/22 for under 300.00

I have a 24” heavy barreled version with target gray stainless finish and laminated stock in .22 LR, I also have the same rifle chambered in .22 WMR. I love everything about these rifles, and there is nothing I dislike about them.

Never found that accuracy was much of a problem with the 77/22 as much as holding zero from one shooting session to the next.

I would zero the rifle one day and in a couple of weeks later with the same lot of ammo the POI would have shifted .5-3". It happened with both a boat paddle .22 Magnum and a walnut stocked LR.

I think they do this due to the fact that the barrels are held in place by a V-block... I went over to a CZ 452 17" threaded American and it is spot on every time I take it out...

I have to correct myself - I overlooked the fact that switching to a threaded barrel also eliminates two blind tapped holes in the receiver, and the clamping block & screws as well. Does make orienting the barrel (sight slots) tricky though.

I bought one in 22 magnum in 1991 and it had issues keeping zero also, finally switched the scope rings and no problem after that

Using loc-tight on the barrel shank can solve that.

Have an older walnut stocked one that I was close to sending off for a new barrel. About 1.25 inches at 50 yds, and I thought it should do better. Before doing that deed though I ran into some discussions on shimming the split bolt to rectify a slight headspace issue. First shim was 0.004 inches with no change. Second 0.010 with difficult bolt closure, but groups halved at 50 yds. Third shim 0.007 with polite resistance to bolt closure and groups the same as the prior (0.010 in) attempt Now in the 0.5 to 0.75 inch realm at 50 for 10 rounds.

Their triggers are some of the easiest to work down and there are some web instructions for grinding springs and stoning sears.

Even our lowly 22LR's are ammo specific. Target grade ammos are super. Typical off the shelf it favors American Eagle hollow points and Winchester Power Points (HP) out of about 10 brands I experimented with.

Kept the rifle and it's a toss up as to whether I take the Ruger or a high dollar Anschutz to the squirrel fields. If I were to rebarrel, I would go with a tighter chamber. Probably have at least 40,000+ rounds down the tube on this one.

Holds zero well even with a cheapo scope on top. I think it helps a bit to have the ability to correct for parallax, as I take shots from 10 yds out to about 125+ on squirrels.

It gets an annual cleaning just to make me feel good. After a cleaning it seems to take about 20 rds for point of impact to settle down again. Took me a couple sessions to figure that one out. Post cleaning, I'd go to the range and start chasing zero only to end up with the knobs back in their original positions.

If I lost this one, I'd buy another.

A buddy recently picked up a CZ. Not quite the same fit and finish as my Ruger, but it shoots well.

I have one, .920 bull Butler Creek SS barrel, refit and set back for a 77/22, 1:14 twist, quicker than most.......17" set in the deluxe stock with trigger job. Gun shoots itty bitty groups at 50 yds, for 10 shots using WW PowerPoints........squirrels don't like it, they get CCI Subsonic HP's

Short and easy to maneuver, but holds steady.....like the flush 10 round mag for hunting.....and even range work.

Mine was squirrel head accurate with both Remington Sub Sonics and CCI SGB's. It had the best wood grain I've ever observed on a 77/22 to this day. I should have kept it but I purchased a Kimber 82 that shot a wee bit better and it had a grip profile much more to my liking.

I have never owned a 77-22 but worked on a few in my 'smithing years. Actually very few, they don't give much trouble. With a little Dremel work to cut the left hand extractor slot, a 10-22 barrel will fit so premium barrels are available. As mentioned, LockTite on the barrel shank removes one variable.

Interesting KP, I always thought 10/22 and 77/22 barrels were the same. I always thought I wanted a Ruger 77/17HM2, but not for the prices on GUNBROKER

Besides the second extractor slot the shoulder needs to be set back as well.the shank length on the 77/22 is about a 1/8” longer than a 10/22. I don’t recall the exact length difference but you get the idea.

Had more than one.
Nice looking and function well.
Accuracy is poor.
Would not own another.

OK, here's a question for the guys that weren't thrilled with theirs - would you buy a 90% first year produced rifle for $400 and take your chances or would you skip it and put that money towards a $600/700Anschutz?

I'm leaning pass myself...

Sounds to me like you want the best chance of having a shooter right out of the box. In that case Annie. If you want to save a little money and can do the work yourself, take the chance on the Ruger. With a little tuning and bedding they can be very accurate but usually not up to Annie standards. Even if you have to replace the barrel on the Ruger you are still close to the same money but around here, you don't see many Anschutz for $6 - 700.00

Don't overlook a Ruger American - these new models in LR and WMR are often as accurate, or more than the 77/22s. My 77/22 Walnut did 1/2 - 3/4" at 50 yds with sporter OEM bbl. A ball point spring swap was all I did on the trigger as I recall, and its like a glass rod, believe a bit under 2#.