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Originally Posted by hillbillyjake
After looking into it, the measurements of the .458 Winchester magnum look very appealing. It looks like mag well length and bolt face would both work. Am I reading this right?


I know this is a hypothetical and the OP does not even have the gun. ..... As long as he made an initial selection. I will 2nd this choice. It is as good as any other big bore (his words) It is not some rare oddball or goofy choice I need to wiki just to figure out. Not some new and improved fad round. It is a very versatile and fun caliber to reload for.

As for salvaging the original barrel, a new barrel, no sights, will actually cost less and be proper sized,for a BIG BORE, again the OP's words. Cost less, work better. ....

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If not so currently, make sure you have that rifle very well bedded and relieved in the tang area. 77's are stock breaking machines.

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And to measure your barrel at the 20” length you desire not at the current muzzle. Should have said that in my first post. I have a first gen mark ii barrel stainless and it is the slimmest Ruger mag barrel I have ever seen. Measures .620 at the 20” mark. That would leave .081 on each side of the bore. Don’t know if that is good enough or not.
Ruger had a few profiles on their mid magnum rifles.

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Originally Posted by LongSpurHunter
If not so currently, make sure you have that rifle very well bedded and relieved in the tang area. 77's are stock breaking machines.



Were I going to have built or rebore an existing Ruger, I would put it in one of the Bell & Carlson Ruger stocks with the full length aluminum bedding frame. I think a stainless Ruger Mark II or Hawkeye in 458 Winchester with a 20-22” barrel would be a very handy rifle.

The Ruger Alaskan in 416 Ruger, somewhat suppressed this idea for me. But, that set-up would still make a heck of rifle in my opinion, at a reasonable price. Add the sights on your choice.

Last edited by ldmay375; 12/24/21.
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I found out the hard way that Ruger 77s are stock breakers after disassembling my .358 for a post-season cleaning. Upon reassembly it broke during the first range session. Come to find out the factory torque spec for the angled front screw is 90-some inch pounds. One has to be careful to make it tight enough.

My kid has a 20.5" 77 re-barreled to .416 Taylor. It makes for some handy power.

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@pabucktail, is there a stock you would suggest? I know there isn't a lot of choices. It's got a Timney trigger in it so it's been relieved a little in the tang area already.

Last edited by hillbillyjake; 12/26/21.
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My son's has a 90's vintage laminate stock, which is fine. I'd hunt up one of the newer factory plastic ones myself.

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Originally Posted by hillbillyjake
@pabucktail, is there a stock you would suggest? I know there isn't a lot of choices. It's got a Timney trigger in it so it's been relieved a little in the tang area already.



What does a Timney trigger have to do with relieving the tang?

There are no problems with the wood stocks, just bed them.

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@LongSpurHunter. When I installed the Timney trigger, i had to remove material on the left side in the tang area in order for the rod that actuates the safety to be able to function properly. Making a spot on the stock that was already thin by comparison a little thinner. Have you had good luck with a bedding job eliminating issues with the stocks in big bore Ruger's?

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Originally Posted by hillbillyjake
@LongSpurHunter. When I installed the Timney trigger, i had to remove material on the left side in the tang area in order for the rod that actuates the safety to be able to function properly. Making a spot on the stock that was already thin by comparison a little thinner. Have you had good luck with a bedding job eliminating issues with the stocks in big bore Ruger's?


375 Ruger

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Originally Posted by hillbillyjake
That one slipped my mind. Is that just a rebarrel?


7mm Rem Mag to 375 Ruger is just a re-barrel.

Alternatively, if you trim the 7mm RM bbl back to say 20" you should have enough meat left at the muzzle to accommodate a rebore. Some might suggest taking a turn off the tenon when going 7mm RM to 375 Ruger. The benefit(s) of a re-bore are 1) a cut rifled barrel, and 2) maintaining the original barrel profile. Word to the wise though. If you rebarrel/re-bore to 375 Ruger, make d*mned sure the stock is bedded, the area around the tang is relieved, and consider cross-bolts behind the recoil lug and between the mag well and trigger opening.


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Sounds like a lot of work to the factory stock. I would probably end up going with a different stock. Would a bedding job on a decent synthetic stock still be necessary?

Last edited by hillbillyjake; 12/28/21.
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The original M77 in .458 Win Mag in a walnut stock had a lot of extra metal in the forearm - a steel brace at an angle that was attached to the barrel with a bolt and the other end into a "slot" in the forearm that acted as a second recoil lug. It was a lot of extra metal to save the stock from breaking at the tang and/or the magazine well. I found all of that when I disassembled mine. I had no idea of all that metal being hidden away in the forearm.

It was a rifle I should have kept, BTW. And it had a 22" barrel with a banded front sight and a contour suitable for a .458. It was very well built as a .458, and I loved the tang safety.

Bob
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"What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul" - Jesus

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My 77 7mm RM barrel is too thin for any possible re-bore, I think. I plan on Re-barreling but my choice is 257 Weatherby. If I were going to re-barrel to a larger bore, I personally would prefer the 358 Norma.


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Originally Posted by ldmay375
Originally Posted by LongSpurHunter
If not so currently, make sure you have that rifle very well bedded and relieved in the tang area. 77's are stock breaking machines.



Were I going to have built or rebore an existing Ruger, I would put it in one of the Bell & Carlson Ruger stocks with the full length aluminum bedding frame. I think a stainless Ruger Mark II or Hawkeye in 458 Winchester with a 20-22” barrel would be a very handy rifle.

The Ruger Alaskan in 416 Ruger, somewhat suppressed this idea for me. But, that set-up would still make a heck of rifle in my opinion, at a reasonable price. Add the sights on your choice.



Pretty tough sledding when it comes to finding aftermarket stocks for the OPs 77 tang safety. DAMHIKT. Unless you find one posted in the classifieds, ePay, et al, you're pretty much outta luck. Oregon Gunsmithing is the only place I've found that offers a composite stock for the 77 tang safety.


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I have not checked recently but Bansner use to.
I have a tang safety one converted to a Mark II. Because they did not make them at that time for Mark II’s.

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I got a Brown Precision unfinished stock that came with recoil pad and sling studs installed.
It was a short-action stock for .308 WCF that I reworked in 1990 to go on my 1981-vintage .30-06 M77 Roundtop.

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

Imbedded some steel cross bolts in the recoil lug area and epoxy bedded the longer-forward action.
Worked very well, 1/2 MOA for 3 shots with 150-gr Remington Bronze Points or handloads.

My bubba heart treasures that rifle still.
The barrel is about 0.555" diam. at 22" muzzle, under barrel band.

A Ruger M77 Mark II .30-06 was 0.560" at 22" muzzle likewise.

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

That is the same make & chambering of rifle used by the naked guy Glen Villaneuve on LIFE BELOW ZERO.
He used it as a walking stick, etc., took a lickin' and was still tickin', 2013-2019, until he left show.
I think the producers got tired of blurring out his privates during 20-below-zero outdoor bathing etc.
Proof that the tupperware stock is rugged and I will vouch for accuracy of many rifles so stocked.

A Ruger M77 Hawkeye .30-06 was 0.656" diam. at 23.5" length where threading of muzzle started:

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

That last one is almost a number 4 sporter contour, a bare minimum, IMHO, for .458-cal if shortened to 20" from 24".
The first two are about like number 1 sporter contours, featherweights.

All the Ruger M77 rifles in 7mm RemMag I have seen had similar contours as on the .30-06 rifles but lengthened to 24".
I have two take-off 7mm barrels in storage from Ruger M77s rebarreled to .257 WbyMag and .416 Taylor.
They were skinny.


Ron aka "Rip" for Riflecrank Internationale Permanente
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.458 Winchester Magnum, Magnanimous in Victory
THE WALKING DEAD does so remind me of Democrap voters. Donkeypox.
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A pet peeve of mine is the flashy silver-colored scope.
Krylon spray paint fixes that easily.
A suggestion for the Roundtop Ruger M77 action is to use the Leupold Mark 4 cross-slot bases and 8x40 screws with J-B Weld.

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

Same bases as fit the Remington Model 700, cut off any overhang or don't.
Ring options for the standard Ruger integral bases are shown in post above .
Either way is good for a .458 Winchester Magnum.

I used a Shilen Contour #5.5 on a Ruger M77 Mark II for 25" barrel length, muzzle diameter = 0.760"

[Linked Image]

Same rifle, different stock and scope:

[Linked Image]

Happy with that, could have used a #5.
Shilen refused to make a stainless #4 in .458 cal. when I asked,
but they did make a #5 which I used on a CZ 550 Magnum, muzzle diameter = 0.710" at 25" length.
A Winchester M70 Super Grade .458 WinMag made in 2011 has muzzle diameter of 0.730" at 24" length.

McGowen made a stainless #4 that I had cut to 23" and it was 0.670" diameter at the muzzle,
on a Winchester M70 ".458 WM+" shown here:

[Linked Image]

Shorter barrel would give greater wall thickness at the muzzle, of course.
Shortened to 20" it would be about 0.700" diameter at the muzzle,
handy but obnoxious to shoot.


Ron aka "Rip" for Riflecrank Internationale Permanente
NRA Life Benefactor and Beneficiary
.458 Winchester Magnum, Magnanimous in Victory
THE WALKING DEAD does so remind me of Democrap voters. Donkeypox.
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i love Ruger's but in rifles they kick me way more than they should. i know it's stock fit

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Originally Posted by mooshoo
i love Ruger's but in rifles they kick me way more than they should. i know it's stock fit


That is true for me!

I re-stocked my 7mm RM tanger. It hurt when I shot it. I’d rather have shot my 375AI pre64 70 than that 7mm RM


I prefer classic.
Semper Fi
I used to run with the hare. Now I'm envious of the tortoise and I do my own stunts but rarely intentionally
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