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Joined: May 2007
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Ennis Offline OP
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I need to know how you Campfire guys feel about older M77 rifles with with a tang safety. I like Ruger's in general but have been neutral on Ruger M77's.

Sometimes when a great deal falls in your lap you take the deal and ask questions later. It is a .300 Win Mag, Leupold 3-9X "Vari X Compact", the rubber recoil pad is marked "Mcmillan", condition is 99%+ (looked unfired)with a beautiful bright blue finish! All for $399 +Tax.

- Is the trigger easily adjustable?
- When was the tang safety model discontinued?
- Were these older Rugers Good, Bad, or Average accuracy?

Thanks,
Ennis




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Ruger quit making them in 1992.
http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/PS-SerialNumberHistory-RI.html



Quote
Were these older Rugers Good, Bad, or Average accuracy?

Yes grin Lots of variation here.



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...I've got a Liberty model 77 (built in 1976, has a deep blue high polish similar to the older Colt products, and a Douglas barrel with special stamping, "built in the 200th year of American Liberty"). My rifle is in 30/06 Springfield and is near minute of angle with factory loads and holds or slightly beats MOA with select handloads.

....I personaly like the tang safety for it's unbeatable ergonomic convienence. I've given the rifle to my eldest son. After taking many whitetails with the 77 myself, I've settled on a Brown Precision High Country rifle in 284 Winchester (very lightweight,and super accurate).

....If I were you I'd grab that 77, the price is great and in the condition you describe you'll never lose if you care for it...

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I've got a slew of them. The worst of the lot shoots a .75 group, the best .45. All have been glass bedded, free floated, and had the trigger set at .44 oz.

Richard


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I just replaced the M77 factory trigger sear with a sear from Rifle Basix for a buddy...very easy replacement...uses factory safety...set the pull @ 34 oz...works great too...the 6mm dropped a fat two pt buck today...buy from Midsouth or Rifle Basix...


T R U M P W O N !

U L T R A M A G A !

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The tang-safety M77s in my safe include a 1982 7mm Rem Mag, 1984 .30-06 and 1989 .257 Roberts. All have had the trigger polished and I�ve free floated the barrels. All will shoot better than MOA when the wind cooperates.

Do I like them? You bet! I also have a couple of the MKIIs, which are also quite accurate.


Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!

No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.

A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
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I love 'em. Mine is a '73 round-top in .30-06, and it will do MOA with factory loads.

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I have one in 35 Whelen. Got it used a couple years ago, traded a 77 Mk II 7mm SS/boat paddle stock, ported barrel, staight across. BEST deal I ever made. Only thing I am planning to do to it is re-stock with either walnut or laminate, pillar bed and very lightly full length glass bed barrel/action, more to seal the wood than anything, install a Limbsaver recoil pad. Trigger pull is 3 1/2lbs and crisp. Factory sights/barrel, shoots MOA with factory 200 and 250 gr. Remington loads. Only doing this bit of work because I want to add my own ideas to the rifle. Will likely scope it with a Leupold FX II 4x as my eyes are not quite so young any more. Did I say I like my rifle???? Would I buy/trade for another? In a heart beat!

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My Dad has a round top m77 06. It shoots 165 core locks. Three rounds that you can cover with a nickel.

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My first high power hunting rifle was a tang safety Ruger M77 in .270 WIN my wife bought me in 1978. I still have it; my nephew will be hunting with it Saturday morning. It has never malfunctioned, shoots a 140 grain handload into near MOA and is entirely functional. The barrel quality varies, but most are hunting rifle acceptable and some (like you are reading about here on the fire) are sub MOA guns.


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Archibald Rutledge

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I have 5 currently. a 308, 2 30.06's. a 338wm and one rebarreled to 358w. 3 have had minor trigger work and two have timney's. and 3 have been glass bedded.

I have probably played with maybe 10 TS over the years and found all but one was easy to get to my standard of an accurate hunting rifle which is around an inch or under. The other, a 7mm, I sold off but I couldn't get better than about 1.5.

The TS safety has an adjustable trigger but is likely to require a new spring and or a small amount of smoothing to make a 3lb hunting trigger. However it once you have spent just a few minutes on them they are a crisp adjustable trigger and I wouldn't spend the money for an aftermarket for a hunting rifle.

Over all I like the Tang safety's. There a solid rifle, big mauser type extracter (but not CRF). For a rifle that I would carry hunting where a rapid shot might be nessesary like Benoit style hunting or on deer drives The TS is my favorite safety.

I think that the angled recoil lug of the ruger's benifits from glass bedding more frequently than do remingtons and winchesters, yet is bedded less frequently, because many folks are unfamiliar with bedding them. To me there easier to bed than a remington.


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I have 4 of them currently and have owned well over a dozen more over the years.
Never had a lick of trouble with any of them.
A couple of the heavy barrel 77V's in 6mm and 220 Swift were pure tackdrivers.

I've got a newer .257 Roberts built toward the end of the tang safety run as well as an original .257 Roberts roundtop that I'll never part with.

Like em. Like em a lot.


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I've got an older Ruger 77 with the tang safety in .300 Win Mag., like you mention, and it's a fine rifle. It hasn't had anything special done to it...it's all factory. No trigger work, no bedding work, nothing. It'll shoot 3 rounds of factory loaded ammo. into 1 and 1/2 inches at 100 yards. I'll hunt with that, all day long.


Every day on this side of the ground is a win.
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The older Rugers for the most part were fine.

I've had several and still have one, a 6mm Rem.

Only real complaint is spotty accuracy........Ruger did not start making their own barrels until mid-late '80's as I recall and before that time, it was not unusual to see less than stellar accuracy.

They are well made and have a good stock design, although the new Hawkeye is a definite improvement. Triggers are probably the worst part and need an aftermarket replacement to be top-notch.

My 6mm is just OK, accuracy wise, not really terrible but certainly not an under 1/2" rifle either. Usually about an inch, and that's bedded and in a McM stock.

MM

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220Swift heavy barrel 1976 Centennial model (paid 169.00)very, very accurate.
220Swift standard weight. shot out first barrel and rebarreled with Douglas. Very very accurate
257 Roberts rechambered to 257 Ackley Improved, very accurate.
7X57 Mauser. not as accurate, but will occasionally surprise me.
These are all tang safety models, all standard weight rifles carry Leupold 2.5X8 VariX111's, and the heavy swift carries a Leupold VariX111 6.5X20.
With the exception of the heavy swift, all have been free floated, and triggers adjusted, the 7x57 has had the recoil lug glass bedded and barrel recrowned. I love them all.

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220Swift heavy barrel 1976 Centennial model (paid 169.00)very, very accurate.
220Swift standard weight. shot out first barrel and rebarreled with Douglas. Very very accurate
257 Roberts rechambered to 257 Ackley Improved, very accurate.
7X57 Mauser. not as accurate, but will occasionally surprise me.
These are all tang safety models, all standard weight rifles carry Leupold 2.5X8 VariX111's, and the heavy swift carries a Leupold VariX111 6.5X20.
With the exception of the heavy swift, all have been free floated, and triggers adjusted, the 7x57 has had the recoil lug glass bedded and barrel recrowned. I love them all.

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There is a Ruger saftey notice on some of the 77s . a set screw that they will send you for free and it's easy to replace.
Find pdf here.

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/firearms/FA-Safety_Announcements.html


Phil

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I have one in 270. Made in 1975 with a matching age Redfield 4x12 on it. It was my Dad's favorite deer rifle until he gave it to me. It will never leave! The only gun that I take one shell to the bench every year to sight in with.

He replaced it with a Mannlicher stocked 270 Ruger 77, then an ultralight 77 270 that is now my brother's.

They are very good guns!


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