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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 23,024
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 23,024 |
Keith: Good for you on the shooting and on the accuracy of that 77/22 Magnum "boat-paddle".
I have a Ruger 77/22 L.R. "boat-paddle" that shoots very well. I mounted a silver Leupold 3x9 variable scope on it - its VERY handy! And it looks pretty good
What power Leupold do you have on your 22 Magnum - again good on you for the great shooting.
I have lost track for sure but I think Ruger has QUIT making the Ruger 77/22 rimfire L.R./Magnum line-up?
Anyone know for sure?
I do think they make the heavy barrel Ruger 77 in 17 WSM though?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 59,134
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 59,134 |
Yesterday I tried three different types of ammo with this rifle.. 57 yards.. The best, by far, was the Winchester 40g SuperX.... Right on the bullseye and all five within .4". The rifle will do better - at my age I can't hold it still like I used to.. The worst was Winchester HE 30g..... I've seen tighter patterns on a 12 skeet choke... Eff those.  Now, what to do with the 450+ rounds that I have left?
Ex- USN (SS) '66-'69
Pro-Constitution.
LET'S GO BRANDON!!!
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 7,197
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 7,197 |
Varmint guy, I have two scopes in ruger silver rings that I can trade back and forth on the 22 mag all weather:
4x12 Leupold vari X II with the AO
6.5x20 Leupold Vari X III with target knobs
I killed 55 coyotes in one Summer along in Az riding my horse around irrigated fields, use the 4x12 for predator calling.
Then I put on the 6.5x20 for p. dogs and ground squirrels. I have always used the 40g Winchester HP. I Zero'd the rifle at 100, had previously put out targets in 25 yard increments, marking the target dial to 250 yards.
My p. dog hunting partner did the same thing to his 22 Mag and we were waiting for a calm day up in N. Wyoming to have a "rim fire day". We massacred the p. dogs to 250 yards where the digs paid us absolutely no attention at all. We would hit a dog, he would lay on his back with legs going a million miles an hour. Other dogs would come over jumping on him playing, then they got hit. All the legs in the air going wild stirred up a pile of dogs to come over. The area looked like the Battle of Gettysburg with all the dead dogs. The rancher loved it, with his only rule that we have a Cold Budwieser for him if He ever came out. We told him to come out about lunch time and we would have some kind of sandwich from canned meat....we got to be great friends.
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 23,024
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 23,024 |
Keith: WOWSERS on all your experiences!
I wish I had been along to watch you boys smackin and stackin the Prairie Dogs with the 22 Magnums!
What a hoot that must have been.
Yeah I would have bought the beer after a day like that.
I have only killed maybe 100 Prairie Dogs with my 22 Magnums in all my years of Hunting them.
Again great for you guys.
Maybe I will make it a point to take my new (to me!) Ruger 77/22 Magnum V/T (some people call them the "all weather"?) along with me on a Prairie Dog Safari next spring.
Love those Leupold 6.5x20's for all manner of Colony Varmint shooting.
Keep up the good work and thanks for the comeback.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,792
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,792 |
Lucky day here in the high valleys of SW Montana! It kind of began Friday afternoon when my travel partners and I headed out for a gunshow and to do a gunshop or two.
The show opened at 1:00 PM and at about 1:30 PM I spotted a nifty super clean Ruger 77/22 Magnum heavy barrel model (stainless all weather I guess they are called - I call them Varmint/Targets).
The asking price seemed "fair'ish" for so far out in the country ($800.00) but I wasn't to anxious to deal on it as I so much more prefer the 17 HMR rimfire round.
The owner/table holder invited me to make an offer but I wasn't to motivated.
Off we went to a couple of gunshops (one was closed for some unknown reason?)
I returned to the gunshow Saturday morning and the 77/22 Magnum was still there and again I failed to find a flaw anywhere on the Rifle.
I had brought my snap-caps with me that day and the trigger was crisp but quite heavy!
Off I go to view an estate collection and ended up buying the most beautiful Smith & Wesson Model 17-2 I have ever seen. It is the 6" model and like so many guns from this collection appears unfired!
The grips on the Model 17 are THE most beautiful "Diamond" grips (target style) I have ever seen - they are dark like English Walnut - and the 60 year old checkering (manufactured 1961) is as sharp as the day they were made!
So my interest in the 77/22 Magnum waned a bit.
I did stop at the gunshow on my way home and looked it over again (one magazine with it and the factory rings were very nice).
I get home and against my better judgement I went onto the computer and checked a few "gunbreaker" type websites looking into Ruger 77/22 Magnums.
My searches gave me pause to reconsider the nifty liitle Rifle.
I have its twin which I bought way back when and its in 17 HMR - so why would I need another somewhat pricey rimfire?
I can rationalize about anything when it comes to "gun chasin"!
Bright and early today I load up and head for the gunshow to see if the Magnum is still there (on Saturday afternoon the owner had intimated he would take $700.00 cash for the gun!).
I am now thinking if I buy the Rifle and it does not shoot well I'll just re-sell it and maybe make a fifty or a hundred dollar bill on it?
The owner was also selling a fair amount of ammunitions from his table so I took some of my "on hand, long time, but now desirable ammo" with me for trading stock.
Soon I had the 77/22 Magnum in hand and on my way home with it - and only out of pocket about $575.00 (I paid $400.00 cash and the cost of the ammo I had stored at home - $175.00 worth or so!)
I felt good/lucky.
Now to see if it shoots.
I am home by noon today and quickly re-aligned the Ruger integral rings and lapped them. I chose a Leupold 6.5x20 Target scope with E.F.R. feature, bore sighted it - and by 3:00 I was at my friends private range with 7 different brands/styles of 22 Magnum ammunition to test.
The first ammo I tested for accuracy (after getting onto the paper) was the Hornady 30 grain V-Max stuff.
First group (5 shots at 50 yards) turned out to be .540" and I was somewhat pleased with this.
It was 83 degrees today with much mirage (we've had rain lately and the ground/air was moist) and I dealt with it as best I could.
I thought heck I'll try this ammo at 100 yards before things get hotter/worse.
The mirage at 100 yards was way worse than at 50 and I even got out my battery operated electric fan and set it up to try and blow away any "heat" coming from the barrel - that didn't help.
I dialed out all the parallax I could there at 100 yards and even that was frustrating to deal with.
Anyway I started plugging away in the difficult conditions (no wind, just mirage) and the next group at 100 yards turned out WAY better than I thought it could - it measured .950" for 5 shots.
I was elated and all thoughts of selling that Rifle came to a halt right then.
I decided "good enough for me - especially for today"!
The drive home had me planning the "replacement" of that heavy but crisp trigger.
I have done a couple JARD replacement triggers on two other Ruger 77 rimfires (both in 17 HMR) and they turned out wonderfully for their owners.
Anyway just had to share what I consider a "lucky day" with you all (lucky to get a bargain and lucky to get a shooter).
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
P.S.: The Leupold 6.5x20 E.F.R. "Target" model scope performed perfectly adjustment wise by the way. Congrats. Sounds like a great find!
Carry what you’re willing to fight with - Mackay Sagebrush
Perfect is the enemy of good enough
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