Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Any Ruger M77/44 reviews?

I had one of the early ones. Only criticism is the heavy trigger, which made the light rifle tough to shoot well. Put in a Timney or DIY it and it’ll be fine.

I’ve often thought about buying the SS one and putting it into a walnut stock. Have two other rifles like that now and like the look.

The couple of ones that friends owned shot patterns not groups @100 yds. The Ruger American's in 350 Legend will shoot circles around a 77/44

I have owned two 77/44's. They were both "good" for 6-inch groups at 100 yards with the several types of ammo I tried in them (240 and 300 grain bullets). I wanted to like those rifles very much. In contrast, I had a Ruger Number 1 .44 Magnum and still have a Ruger 77/357. Both of those rifles were (and are) quite accurate (about 1 1/2 MOA or sometimes less).

OK, I get the message accuracy might be hit or miss (so to speak). I can live with that.

For those who've said theirs didn't group well: Was that with factory ammo or handloads? Or both? Which loads were bad?

I appreciate that some folks have suggested something like a .350 Legend, but I'm not at all excited about taking on a new cartridge that I don't already handload for. Don't see a need to go there, the Legend won't do anything in our habitat and terrain that the .44 RM can do... when I can also just continue with the scoped Redhawk.

Although my hands and wrists are getting on a bit with age and so forth... and that's partly what's driving my curiosity.

There don't seem to be any 77/44 #7417 models (synthetic stock, stainless and threaded barrel) available anywhere just now, anyway...

-Chris

My father picked up a used stainless/synthetic 77/44 and hunted with it a bit this year in short range setups. He sighted it in at my place so I got to see it a bit. He's not a shooter, only a hunter. He sighted in with 0 at 100 yards. I don't remember the brand of ammo he had, some factory 240 jacketed hollow points. Just watching him sight it in his final "group" was 2 shots.....final adjustment to 0 and then one to confirm.....again, just a hunter. It looked like the two shots were ~1.5" to 2" apart at 100. No telling what a 3rd would have done.

He hunted with it often this year but only shot one with it. Large doe, straight on chest shot, bullet ended up in the hip. It's accurate enough for him and he likes the compact size, lighter weight, and low recoil. He's happy as a pig in poop.

I've got a 77/357 and all I do is play around with 38's in it. I need to get serious with it. I've wondered how well one would do with a full length barrel bedding in the Boyd's Rimfire Hunter:

https://www.boydsgunstocks.com/cont.../rimfire-hunter-ruger-77-357-3za78271azz

I have owned one and worked with another. They were 4 inch guns with handloads and factory ammo. That was before I knew about shims. There are very few cases where shimming hasn't made an appreciable difference. Videos of shimming make it look like an easy undertaking.

I had 2 stainless 77/44's, one early manufacture, one about 5 years later. I could never get either to shoot better Consistently than 3 inches with factory or handloads. God knows, I tried. I hear people repeatedly say, "4" @ 100 yards is all I need. On an off hand shot, even if you are good enough to hold 8" @ 100 yards, if your shooter error is on the outside edge of that 8"and your 4" 77/44's "pattern" bullet is off several inches, then guess what dude, You very possibly will have a wounded animal running off. Personally, I choose not to play Russian Roulette when hunting and use a more accurate rifle. Now if you limit your shots to approximately 60 yards, I think the 77/44 would be perfect. RJ

I must not be all that great at searching the 'net...

@Aagaardsporter, @Vic-in-VA, @PaulBarnard... can you guys give me a clue about where to find more info and maybe videos about shimming the two-piece bolt?

-Chris

Like I said before, I owned one 77/44. Have a Browning Low Wall now. Within the last year, I acquired and then sold a Browning 92 and an MGM Contender barrel that both proved unsatisfactory. The LW is here for the duration.

If I were itching all over for another one, perhaps one more scope-friendly, I’d drop $500 on a Henry Single Shot, being careful to get one made in 2020 or later to avoid dealing with the recall.

I haven't viewed the whole video but I think this will get you going.



In case you do something wrong.

Thanks, that helps. Dunno why I couldn't find those...

Looks easy enough, in any case.

-Chris

Hogwash... I have had half a dozen 77/44's and they were all good shooter's... terrible thing about the internet is one B.S post gets repeated 10,000 times until it is gospel.

NO. It's more than one post and one gun. For any one that wants a 77/44, go for it. Good luck! RJ

It is much more than one post. The guns are probably the most inconsistent with accuracy that I have ever seen. I had experience with two. One that I owned and one that I gave to my son in law as a gift. They were 4 inch guns. What sounds a little suspect to me is someone who HAD a half dozen, all of which shot great.

Not to worry, I can read between the lines. It's either great or it's crap. It'll either shoot well or it won't group inside a garbage can. Shimming the bolt may help... or not.

If I were to get one, find it unusable, I've still got the scoped Redhawk to fall back on.

The issue is sorta academic just now; apparently none (#7417) to be had...

-Chris

I may have read of shimming not helping, but I can't recall off the top of my head. I am tempted to try again now that I know about shimming. The guns feel great in hand.

In that first video Vic posted, that guy said it might help... or it might not.

-Chris

i wonder if some of it could be barrel channel related? i have 3 77/22's and two of them were helped greatly by either relieving the barrel channel a little out towards the end or in one case i actually cut a little shim of beer can and put it under the barrel at the very end and tightened the action screw as tight as i dared. my oldest one didn't need anything but a dayton traister trigger. maybe the 77/44 could work the same. i never had any problem with the half dozen or more centerfire 77's i own though.

I've wondered the same and at some point I'm going to do the following:

JM, when I worked on my 77/44, I got a good return for my effort, but I can't really tell you what was the best improvement. I saw 3 things that needed addressing and did them all at one time. One was the shimming of the bolt, the other two items were pretty standard, a better trigger and floating the barrel.

Again, I can't tell you what each individual item contributed, but the rifle went from about 3.5 to 4 inch to a solid two inch with more than the occasional 1.5 inch group.

I only ever fired one load in the rifle, a 300 grain LBT WFN and L'il Gun.