Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Ruger M77 in McMillan stock (Floorplate and barrel issues)

Thanks man! I'll post a full report when I get back. Easily one of my biggest hunting dreams to chase a grizz in BC and one of the reasons I moved to BC. Will be an awesome time up there no matter the outcome for sure!

It is a factory laminate stock and no, not quite soon enough

With the political climate the way it is you may want to consider shooting any decent sized bear with a good coat. I'm sure you will have a great time, spring bear hunting is one of the very best hunts you can have especially after a long winter. Might want a black bear tag in case a giant shows up.

Ya its certainly the most valuable tag I've ever held, with the changing political climate and the NDP looming to shut down the hunt. I most likely wont be AS picky as I may be if I thought I had years of bear hunting ahead of me. Not sure what size I'll be able to pass up but a nice bear with a nice coat that would look great in a lifesize mount would be good enough for me!

And yep, we'll have our black bear tags and will most likely shoot a big one if given a good opportunity. That country is usually crawling with them and I have a hard time walking away from a big critter like that!! Haha

Good luck Trev! I hope you get a good one!

It is posts like these that cause concern for me about my Ruger.
I have a stainless MKII 77 RSI in 7mm-08 with the factory Mannlicher wood stock.No issues now with it but here in Alabama
it is WET HUMID year round! Hunting in the rain is a must and the thoughts of the current stock warping and swelling are a real threat.
A synthetic stock would fix this problem but getting one for a slam dunk drop in fit sounds like a pipe dream now.
A old "Boat Paddle" would work if I could find one!
I have read on MIDWAY USA the Ruger Factory laminated stock is supposed to be a easy drop in for the RSI`S.

If there was EVER a rifle that needs to be bedded, it's a Ruger 77. I've seen more cracked stocks from them then anything else.

Of course lots of folks fall into the 'if it shoots OK, don't mess it up and bed it' stupid line of thinking.

Not a shot at you, just a general observation.

I sure hope you've bedded it and not in the stupid camp that don't bed rifles if they shoot.

I concur....they need bedding and one piece bottom metal would be nice. One of the biggest issues I've seen when guys have problems with the floor plate latch is not getting things lined up properly. It's easy to have them slightly out of line and the latch will fail to operate every time.

Their two piece system is not user friendly. I've also seen guys complain about accuracy that have the middle screw too tight. The action gets torqued and stuff goes haywire.

In answer to Steelie I have not hunted the Ruger RSI yet ever.
I got it for my girls to hunt with but neither liked it at all.
It has sit in the Gun Case since I bought it a few years ago.
It is EXACTLY as it was when it left Ruger for Lipseys.
If I do start using it I would restock it with something
but our only local gunsmith passed away awhile ago.
No one else any where near local.

Any issues in shooting one in a McMillan for a range trip or two before a trip, and then have it bedded after the trip?

What is it that causes the stock issues in a Ruger, just for future knowledge? I am planning on shooting this rifle this week and taking it on a hunt for 2 weeks, and will leave it with my gunsmith for bedding after the hunt. Any issues with that amount of shooting?

I wish I would have known that before but I do now No offense taken. Whatever it's replacement is will be bedded for sure.

Wood/laminate being the stocks you need to worry about betting. I bed the McMillans too, but it's the wood/laminate Rugers that are gonna crack on you.

That said, I bed EVERYTHING, the degree of bedding changes based on stock (wood vs McMillan, wood gets more).

Also, don't be afraid to relieve a little around the tang on Ruger stocks if needed.

Yep, on the middle screw. I could likely turn mine using my thumbnail.

Steelhead,If I remember you also have one of the Lipseys Limited run Ruger 77 RSI stainless like mine but in a different caliber than mine.Have you had your wood full stock off of it to bed yours?
Would a plain factory synthetic stock from Ruger fit my RSI?
Thanks AMRA

I do and I have.

Don't know about the synthetic stock thing, action will work I'm sure but I'm thinking the barrel channel will be a little 'roomy' on the OEM synthetic.

About three or four times a year we have a discussion here at McMillans about whether or not we want to continue to inlet for and provide stocks for the Ruger rifles. Don't get me wrong, they are fine rifles and most shoot quite well. My personal most used standard hunting rifle is and has been for about 30 years now a little tang safety Model 77 lightweight in .308. It shoots well and I like the tang safety location, matches my shotguns.
All manufactured items have tolerances in the manufacturing processes. Pretty standard. The Rugers over the years just seem to have a little broader range of tolerances, especially in the front lug area and in the size and length of the floorplate assembly. We have slowly developed CNC inletting programs that seem to fit most of them pretty well. Not all perfect, but about as best as we can do. Because of the tolerances our inletting for the Rugers is a bit looser on many rifles that on stocks for some other makes.
I agree with the many posts in this thread that the Ruger rifles really should be bedded to the stock to insure a more perfect fit, and we have been recommending to Rick that all the orders for Ruger rifles have the bottom metal sent in to us for fitting to make sure it will work fairly smoothly. Even so, your rifle may take a little tinkering to get everything just right.
We simply cannot write a separate CNC inletting program to fit perfectly for each rifle that comes in, that's about an $800 to $1000 process. So for now we will do the best we can, and really recommend that your or your gunsmith do any little minor re-fitting that may be necessary for your particular rifle, and bed at least the front lug and the front of the magazine cover to the stock after it all fits properly. Done properly you will have a nice hunting rifle.
Good shooting.
Dick Davis at McMillans

Can't say about a McMillan, never done one. Just finishing up a Banser/High Tech Specialties for a tang safety 77. Nice stock, but not even close to drop in.

Love Rugers, but hate the front action screw. Cracks in wood stocks are common especially in the wood between the trigger and magazine well. I like to pin mine in this area and sometimes bed the recoil lug. Ive had more bedding fits with rugers than any other rifle.

I like my Rugers, but I am done buying them. A lot of better/lighter options out there.

On Rugers another two things to look for:

1. Make sure bolt handle isn't touching the stock when closed. For some reason all of my factory synthetics needed relieved under the bolt handle.

2. Make sure the mag box is loose after tightening down the bottom metal. You will most likely have to deepen the slot at the rear of the mag box with a file. Otherwise you are compressing the max box up into the action when the screws are tight. It won't rattle when you close the mag box due to the spring and follower.