Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Ruger 77 MK1 questions

I've been looking around for a good basic Deer/Elk rifle and I came across this one at home in MI. So its a earlier pre safety warning MK1 in 270 in 95% condition. The wood isn't particularly special but its in good shape. The Bore looks good and overall it feels nice in my hands and points well. They are asking $400 so I was wondering if that's a decent price and the good, the bad and the ugly about the 77 MK1.

For starters, there is no such thing as a "77 MK1." Ruger made the Model 77, followed by the Model 77 Mark II, and now the Model 77 Hawkeye. The Mark I was the target version of the original .22 Auto pistol.

What was the safety warning?

The safety warning stamped on the barrel about reading instructions first, blah blah.

Nothing wrong with the older tang Ruger 77's. They've sometimes given me fits shooting but when you find what they like they generally really like it.

From what I've gathered in a little research is that apparently fairly early production rifles don't have the no typical "read the manual before use" stamped on the barrel(legal issues). I don't know if this has any affect on the value but I thought I would throw it out there.

I would spend the money on a newer Mark-2, better design in my opnion. Some of the older tang safety rugers don't always feed the round and they are pushfeed the newer rugers are controlled feed.

A different viewpoint...I have owned a bunch of Ruger 77's, from very early tang-safety to Hawkeyes, and the tang-safety ones that I've had or known anyone else to own have always fed well. Some of the barrels aren't that great, though some are phenomenal. I have half a dozen or so right now, and could own two or three more... .

As far as "push-feed" vs "controlled feed", that's pretty irrelevant in something like a .270. Won't make a tiny bit of difference hunting 99% of game. Certainly won't matter using a .270. As far as that goes, my PH took a push-feed Remington 700 along to back me up in Mozambique hunting Cape buffalo, and laughed at me for bringing up the CR vs PF issue. He's only been guiding and hunting in Africa for 30+ years, so maybe I should have explained why he was "wrong"... .

In any event, the tang-safety Ruger 77's by and large work just great, as do the Mk II's and the Hawkeyes. Any one will certainly suffice for hunting, if it's the one you want.

Dennis

Price is about average around here.

In my experience the average push feed rifle usually feeds better than a CRF that has been rebarreled/rechambered to a different cartridge than the original, like a 243 in a 98 Mauser.


Bruce

They can be a little hard to find good loads for.
Cousin has one just like it that is a little spotty on accuracy. Of course his idea of ammo is whatever he can find the cheapest, usually with brand names he can't pronounce.
Mine is a .250-3000, shoots 3/4" groups with 75 gr. Sierra hps and Varget. Nothing else I've tried comes close, different 75 gr. bullets, different powders, just that Sierra hp and Varget. 100 gr. bullets will do 1 1/4" but usually have 2 close and the 3rd out a bit. I've threatened many a time to put a better barrel on it, but keep it sighted for the Sierra instead.

I prefer the tang safety models myself, and without all the gibberish on the barrel is just icing on the cake.

"Fairly early production rifles?" Hardly. The warning wasn't added to Ruger firearms until January 1978. The Model 77 debuted in 1968.

Rugers work and have a terrible trigger.
Fix the latter and you'll have bulletproof tool.

With the tang safety model you can adjudt the trigger or a good gunsmith can. I have a 280 that shoots Federal blue box (wally world) ammo as good as most semi-custom rifles.

The only drawback is the safety.....it must be 'off' in order to work the bolt (unloading).

Two considerations, if the safety needs to be 'off' to work the bolt AND Ruger M77 II triggers need replaced (in most cases). Just this season, the safety in 'off' to cycle the bolt emptying the chamber really made me think I would prefer a Winchester type three position safety for my son's rifles rather than what they have now (on/off) just for cycling the action with the rifle on safe.

I would go with a new MKII rifle purchase, drop in a Rifle Basix or other trigger, add optics, ready to go rifle.


Regards

If you like it get it. I paid about that price for a 99% tang safety black pad .270 several years ago. Only differences are the barrel warning and the bolt opens while on safety. It had been gunsmith bedded with a simple but well fitted piece of credit card type plastic that would be easy to understand if you saw it but difficult to explain. Also had the trigger stoned. With plenty of wood to barrel contact in the forend it shoots about 3/4" groups with plain old Federal blue box 130's. Have not loaded for it yet. Was planning on floating the barrel but glad I shot it first.

Son is shooting a pre-warning 7x57 I picked up 7 or 8 years ago. Handloads with 140 AB's and H4350 tend to shoot inch and a qtr or so at 100 and about 2 1/2 at 200 after floating the barrel.

Of the two designs I like the pre-warning better just BECAUSE of the locked bolt on safe. Never understood why it's so scary for folks to point the gun in a safe direction, take the safety off and eject the round. I personally do not like bolts being rubbed open accidently while on safe. Still hunt woods in the southeast with the rifle slung and I'll guarantee you'll have a limb or two eject a round for you.

For a third gen Ruger I also have the MkII in 6 1/2 mm Swede. Trigger was worked for smooth and weight when I got it and I did an overtravel mod and barrel float. Shoots somewhere between the other two generally. Love the rifle, hate the little bitty safety with too long a throw to mid-position. But I ain't getting rid of it.

Rugers are cool.

The value depends on which side of the table you're standing at the gun show. If you're a shooter trying to sell or trade a rifle to a "dealer" then pre-warning doesn't mean anything and your junk gun is only "worth" $150. But if you're a dealer trying to sell a gun to a shooter then the pre-warning rifle is a highly prized by collectors, as are guns with sights, red pads, round tops, flat bolts, tang safetys, odd calibers, and female sex organs.

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Except the "pre-warning" rifles are just about as common as dirt. They made them for a solid ten years and they're easy, easy, EASY to find. Things like round tops, flat bolts, and non-prefix rifles are a different matter entirely.

I much prefer that function in the safety...I want the bolt locked when the safety is on. Three-positions are theoretically better, because you can meet both desires, but I find the tang safeties -- and older Remingtons, for that matter -- work just fine.

Generally speaking, when I want to pull the cartridges out of the magazine, I press the little lever in the trigger guard and open the bottom of the magazine. They won't go bang that way, ever.

Guess that's another good reason to only put a round in the chamber when I'm going to fire it...

Dennis

And if you jack a round, but can't get the shot you're left with a rifle that must be 'off' safety to unload.....having owned one since 1972 it's seared, seared into my memory. A new owner might not have that burned into the memory files....of course, if he's a capable gun handler he won't have to worry about it, eh?