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.

-

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?

If it's what you want, and it's what you believe in -- then it's what you should buy...

Dennis

If you can't unload a gun with the safety off without shooting yourself in the foot then you shouldn't have a gun..

Amen to that

My dad has a 1897 Winchester and they never even thought about a safety for those. Its all between the ears.

On the gun this one had a red pad, the bolt was workable with the safety on, it appeared to not have ever had any major working over, and it seemed to have a nice trim stock relative to some of the later 77'S I've handled. It was most definitely not free floated and didn't appear to have been bedded. Which hopefully means its not somebody's ugly step child they tossed to the curb because they couldn't get it to shoot. I'm going to go tomorrow and offer $325 cash and see if they bite. If not I'll walk away The big gunshow at home is coming up in another couple months if all else fails.

Just some added info on the M77. In late 1984 at serial number 79-50000 a modification was made so the bolt could be opened while the safety was on.

Doesn't do anything for the first 16 years of production, but it's been that way for the last 25 years.

The bolt is workable with safety 'on', but did not have the safety warning on the barrel?

Oh and one other thing for the cold chamber dudes, why would you care if the bolt is locked if the chamber is cold? Never mind, don't want to start that topic this close to Christmas!!

Merry Christmas everyone...

If it's a pre-warning gun, i.e. manufactured prior to 1978, and the safety now allows the bolt to be operated while activated, it's quite possible the rifle was returned to Ruger for service in the past and was updated.

Was that a factory recall by any chance?

Nope. A previous owner may have returned it for whatever reason and Ruger, being the litigiously-sensitive organization they are, added the latest safety features.

Anybody know if this mod is esily reversable?? The .270 I referenced earlier is actually a red pad made in 1990. Would like it to function as a pre-warning if possible.

I just left the Ruger site and no recall for the tang safety is there, you're correct. I did e-mail to find what they would say....geez, the rifle is 37 years old!!

And still shoots 1/2" (yes, don't argue with me) 100 yards groups!!

Why?

Probably not easily.

+1 to "not easily."

Actually, it's not that difficult technically - if you have the parts but they were never available from Ruger. However, if you had say, a varmint rifle with the locking safety and a big game rifle without...

The tang safety rotates a link that's captured by a "tab" that rises through a slot in the receiver to fit into a groove on the bolt body locking the bolt closed. When Ruger changed over to the new system they simply replaced the tab and link to accept a "c" clip instead, with no tab to raise. But, they also stopped machining the slot in the receiver and at some point further in production, the groove in the bolt body. They simply didn't need them anymore.

So, if you had the parts you could swap them between rifles, providing you knew how to adjust the trigger fucntions, etc. The slot in the receiver could be made without too much trouble, but the kicker is the slot under the bolt root. If it's not there you are out of luck.

Same with the Rem. 700. They first removed the tab from the safety lever. Later, the slots went away. Depending on when your rifle was made, you could easily swap safety levers (provided you had one!) and have have the bolt lock again. Current production 700's are without the slots.

Flannelman �

You will be hard pressed to find a better tool than a good M77 Ruger with the slide safety.

As noted above there have been some problems with the barrels. Ruger outsourced the barrels for years until they bought a hammer forging machine and started making their own. That said, many barrels were just fine. There are three M77�s in my safe, a 1982 7mm RM, a 1984 .30-06 and a 1989 .257 Roberts. All shoot VERY well.

With regard to the trigger, the M77 triggers are easily worked on. A simple polishing job can help and a real trigger job can make them excellent. They are also easily replaced.

The safety �issue� is more a matter of preference than anything else.

Push Feed versus Controlled Round Feed is another preference issue. My M77 MKII�s are CRF, the M77�s PF. The CRF�s are nice at the range where I load rounds singly and use the CRF to extract the fired brass without flinging brass or using two hands. Hardly a big deal.

One thing I do to all my rifles is float the barrel, regardless of manufacturer. While this helps eliminate changes in POI due to changes in the stock due to temperature or humidity, it can � in theory � increase group size slightly. I�ve posted pictures of my Ruger targets often enough I won�t do so here, but will say that my slide safety M77�s have all shot sub-caliber 3-shot groups with handloads. Under an inch is common as dirt.

On the plus side you get a one-piece bolt and, IMHO, the strongest scope mounting system available. You also get a company that stands behind their products. While I�ve never sent a rifle back to Ruger, my hunting buddy and I have both sent revolvers back. Both revolvers were purchased used. His was an older three screwBalckhawk that was returned for the safety upgrade, mine had a bent basepin (the pin through the cylinder). In both cases Ruger made the repairs free of charge and even paid for the return shipping.

When it comes time to thin the herd, my slide-safety M77�s will likely be the last to go.

Ruger did/does have a trigger safety advisory for the M77 1968 to 1991.

http://www.ruger.com/pdf/m77.pdf

Because I prefer the bolt to be locked when the rifle is on safe. From the sound of responses it appears as if the mod is dependent both on the receiver configuration and availability of old parts. Thanks yall.