Got the new Lipsey's flyer today. They are doing a limited run of Ruger 77 RSI Internationals in stainless/walnut in 6.5x55 & 7mm-08. Pretty nifty.

OOH one of those 7mm-08's would be nice!!

I'd be for the 7mm/08 as well. I have never owned one, but I have always wondered if you can take the iron sights off a Ruger International. I love the looks of a mannlicher stock and a barrel with no iron sights. I would mount a VX3 1-5 and go about smiting deer.

You can't easily remove the front sight as it is on a banded ramp.
Those fit tight, and sometimes are soldered or heated to expand them to slide in place.

The rear sight on the Ruger is held by 2 small screws. You can put in filler screws.

Personally, I would leave off the scope and keep it light.
NECG makes a niftly aperture sight which fits the rear integral base.

Did the flyer have any mention of the 1A in .250 Savage that was planned for this year?

Nice looking little rifles for sure! The 7mm-08 makes sense because of the short action, but the old Swede is such a classy and effecient cartridge that it'd be hard to resist.

Actually, it has been my experience that the long action Ruger 77 RSIs balance a little better than the short action 77 RSIs, so the 6.5x55 will probably handle better then the 7mm-08. If it had a laminated stock, I'd be all over the 6.5x55 version, as it looks to be a nice match to the Leupold 2-7x33 with a heavy duplex.

These are very limited run guns, probably 500 to 1000, and they were probably spoken for, pre-ordered on a waiting list, before they were even made. Good luck if you can get 1. When Lipsey's did the 77 RSI in 257 Roberts, the wholesale price was $600 and now NIB guns are going for $1,200+/-

Jeff

I don't normally take credit for anything but I will have to with the 6.5x55 idea. I have 1 of the 257's and a 6.5x55 on the way. I spoke to Jason the Product Development Manager at Lipsey's last year concerning their next run and he explained that it was going to be a 7/08....He asked for a list of my suggestions and I gave him 6.5x55,7x57,300H&H and 35Whelen. He liked the 6.5x55 idea but said the 7x57 would have to be a LA so he was going ahead with the 7/08. The walnut is really nice on the 257's so I hope they keep it up with the 6.5x55.....We'll see.

Robert

I don't care for the stainless/walnut combination, so if I ever have a Ruger 77 RSI in 6.5x55, it will have to be a parts gun with a 77R barreled action in a 77 RSI stock or a rebored on an existing 77 R, 77 RL, or 77 RSI barrel.

I'd expect that the 6.5x55 would be a long action, since the cataloged 77Rs in 6.5x55 are long actions. The tang safety 77 RSIs in 7x57 were long actions.

Were you recommending a 300 H&H in a 77 RSI format?

Jeff

Jeff,

Different strokes.....I love the stainless walnut mannlicher combination...It's one of my least expensive rifle and only shoots .75" but it's my favorite by far.



There were various reasons that the H&H and 35W wouldn't work as an RSI..from the action length to the end cap dimensions.....As cartridges for RSI's I just thought they would be neat to own.

Robert

I have a blue Ruger RSI bi-centennial in .243 and it is very nice. If you're looking for a full stock in 6.5x55, you might want to check out the CZ 550FS. Only made in blue. I'm thinking about one in 9.3x62. Sure wish they were made in .260Rem. Good luck.

Having a Ruger 77 RSI in 260 is as easy as taking a 77 RSI in 243 and having it rebored. I have had 2 rifles in 243 rebore to .264", a Ruger 77 RSI and a Savage 99F.

My 77 RSI in 257 Roberts is a hybrid 77 RL barreled action, with the barrel trimmed back to 18.5", and a 77 RSI long action stock. It looks great, but I've never made the time/effort to hunt with it.

Jeff

I think you could make an RSI in .35 Whelen. I built one in .338 Federal, and had to relieve the nose cap very little for the slightly larger muzzle diameter. A Whelen barrel would have to be only .020" larger at the muzzle, and I think there's plenty of wood at the muzzle and room to open the nose cap to fit. .300 H&H COAL is too long for the standard Ruger action, I think.

I would love to see Ruger bring out a LA RSI in 9x57 Mauser, or 9.3x57. That would be ultimately cool -- especially if they figured it out and put a 20" barrel on them.

I like my .338 Federal RSI a lot; hope to show some pics this fall with dead things .

Dennis

Dennis,

As I understood it the Stainless/Silver end caps only came in 1 circumference. In order to do a .358 of any sort would require them to special order new end caps to fit the larger barrel contour required.....I dunno.....That's just what I was told.

Robert

I'm sure that's true, that Ruger would have to order muzzle caps with a slightly larger opening to make .358 or .35 Whelen RSI's. I'm guessing that whoever Ruger sources them from would be happy to supply a couple thousand or so to spec, so I'm not sure that's a big obstacle on a thousand-dollar rifle.

On the other hand, if you want a .35 Whelen or .358 win RSI, it's only a new barrel away. A sanding drum on a Dremel tool will create all the clearance you need .

Dennis

Dennis,

Keep in mind that all of these Stainless RSI's are 250 unit runs.....May play a part but it seems to me that they could order the 250 + some for parts without an issue.

Robert

No question about it...if they're special-ordering barrels 250 at a time, special-ordering muzzle caps 250 at a time to fit those barrels shouldn't be a big issue.

They still need to make them all with 20" barrels instead of 18.5", though. Would make a much better-handling rifle, in my opinion, and would net another 50 to 75 fps with most cartridges.

Nonetheless, I really like the two I have now .

Dennis

I would second the idea of 20" barrels. The 18 1/2" is just a little stubby.

20" Barrels would be better but my 257R get 2,950 with 100gr TSX's and RL19 with .75" groups so I'm fine with the 18.5's. If Jason ever decided to make the 300H&H or 35Whelen or better yet a 338-06 then 20" barrels would help.

Robert