Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Lighten up my Ruger 77?

I just picked up a wood stock Ruger 77 old model (tang safety) in 7x57. I plan on adding a Leupold 6x and using it as my "everything" rifle, from antelope to deer to elk.

My problem is that it just seems too heavy. I own other Ruger 77's, old model and new, and when I put them on a scale, there doesn't seem to be much difference, but when I have the 7x57 in my hands it just feels heavy and clunky.

I've thought about putting a McMillan Edge stock on it, but the $500 price is just about overwhelming when I consider I could sell the rifle, add $500 and have enough for a new Kimber.

Are there any alternatives? Drill holes in the buttstock? Try some other synthetic stock? The cheap synthetics don't seem to be much lighter than wood, so I seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place.

McMillan will not make an Edge or offer Edge fill for the Ruger 77.

Bansner makes a stock for the LA M77 Tang Safety however, and that's the way I'd go.

Put on an Uncle mikes Mountain Sling too, will save a bit of weight.

Why would you even think about a new kimber if you have the 77 old model? Too many folk on the forum have experienced it to be a real POS. Maybe when the greed factor wears off and the quality factor wears on will kimber be worth the price.
I'd love to find a Ruger 7x57 in good shape.
GeoW

Been down this road before. I gave up on trying to get a lightweight Ruger, easier to just pick up another brand if lightweight is your goal.

Ruger has a lot of metal on their square receiver, plus the extractor, plus the thick barrel, steel triggerguard, and bulky rings.

Add a McMillan Classic stock--standard weight(and on sale now). IN my experience, the "clunky" feeling goes away.

BMT

You might look around for a long-action Ruger Ultralight stock -- they were considerably slimmer and trimmer than the standard model. Aftermarket rings will save you a couple of ounces, and holes can be drilled in the buttstock under the recoil pad to take a few ounces off. If you're up for refinishing the stock and recheckering the forend, you can take quite a bit off with a fine rasp and a good sanding job. If your Ruger has the steel floorplate and trigger guard, they made them in alloy as well, which will also take four to six ounces off. Enough work, and it could be a pound or more lighter.

Dennis

I had that same rifle. With a B&L Balfor 4X, and iron sights, it went 8 lbs., 5 ozs.
The action is their long action. It has an alloy TG&FP. 42 ozs. or so. The barrel isn't that heavy either. That said, you can take metal off of both.
I'd take a look at a common MCM first, if you can get it cheap. Add a very light recoil pad. With paint, not baked in color, and a "JimF Special" (closed cell foam) pad, you should be at about 26-28 ozs. You might take your current stock off the rifle and weigh it. Probably 36-40 ozs. unless it's one of the first, which were a slimmer, classic style stock. E
Some of them were good, some not so great. Mine would only shoot an inch with a few loads. But I discovered it shot everything into the same group. That rifle was the only bedded barrel, wood stocked rifle I've ever owned that wouldn't change zero every year. Have fun. E

I have a Ruger 77 that I rebarreled, put a Brown Precision 1 lb.'er on and finished my self. Weighs 7 lbs. even although bottom metal is alloy and I swiss cheesed the magazine box, drilled the bolt knob, and drilled the bases. It has a #4 fluted Lilja SS 24" in 6.5 Rem mag. Love it. Shoots about .6" with 120 gr. TSX.

It is doable.

I suggest you send it to me, as my Birthday is approaching, and you be much "lighter."


Oh, WAIT!!! You meant THE GUN!!!

OK, try this guy:
http://www.msnusers.com/JWHamrickfiles

He has done some simialir work on other guns adn is a real artist, drilling holes in the magwell, the stock, the barrel channel, etc.

Why would one spend good cash on something he does not like, and then spend more cash in an attempt to convert it. $500 for a plastic stock???? Geezzz! One could get exhibition grade walnut for that price. Just sell that unit and buy what you are after.

Had a secretary once who shopped in 5 cities for that many weeks and bought a new Toyota 4-Runner. Six weeks later she traded it because she did not like the color.

Guess some folks just have extra cash to throw around. When something follows me home, one can bet it will stay there.

Other alternatives are to lighten up the stock by taking it down about 1/8 inch in most dimensions, hollow out the butt stock or ream out some of the forearm, turning the barrel, shortening the barrel, and take off any slings or sling mounts

Have a wood file?

I had an M77 7x57 just as you describe. I took a file to it, drilled two big holes under the buttpad and it lost a half pound. And more importantly, felt more handy.

I hope that one day I buy one of those bad kimbers everyone is always talking about. Some people talk about them kimbers and they have never even shot one, let alone own one. I have owned one 30-06 ruger tang safety it was heavy and shot awful, bought it new back in 1977 it came with a nice Leupold on it, but that did not help it at all. I do own one new Kimber's now and it has been a good rifle, the 300WSM flattens from Racoons up to deer in my experience. Rugers are now better rifles still heavy but better, back in the day I think that they had some barrel problems or something.

Bansner does not offer stocks anymore...

try a mpi stock, call extreme rifleworks in alaska. talk to rick. he can also lighten action and barrel.

Looks like Mark Bansner separated the stock manufacturing from the gunsmithing and created a new website for the stocks.

http://www.hightech-specialties.com/

GK

If I didn't want to lighten the M77, I'd do the Kimber. I just got my fifth Kimber Montana and love the darn things. They've all shot very well and no Ruger, no matter how gussied up, can come close to the quality or light weight... and I say that as a guy that has owned a passle of Rugers and still has a couple.

Here's my attempt at a Ruger "Lightweight" with a factory tang 35 Whelen. Fortunately it came with a very light contour barrel from the factory that measures .560" at the muzzle. As shown in a Basner stock with factory-like sights, a #1 barrel band and a 2-7x VX-II in Leupold mounts it weighs 7# 7 oz. IIRC the finished stock with 2 1/2" of forend removed and a 1" Decelerator pad weighed 24 oz.

Tony, that's a nice rifle.

What are the sights, especially the front one?

It could be one from here: http://www.newenglandcustomgun.com/

The front is from NECG and the rear was found in my local 'smiths junk box. The two give a perfect sight picture IMO. Just like my favorite handgun sights, square and precise with enough light on each side.