Just picked up a tang safety , red pad gun that has serial number starting 72- the gun is in good cosmetic shape but as of yet I havent been to range with it . I remember reading on here something about some of these having barrels that maybe had accuracy issues. The gun is chambered in 7mm remington magnum and I have less than $300 in it so if theres a problem with it I am not really hurt much . Any one know the year of manufacture or how I can tell ? My youngest son has one like it that starts serial number 77- and its a fine shooter .

rcpigg65;
Good evening to you sir, I trust the weekend treated you well and you're ready for the upcoming week.

Here's a link to Ruger M77 serial numbers which should narrow the manufacture date down.

http://www.ruger.com/service/productHistory/RI-M77.html

While some of the barrels back then did prove to be a bit more picky about which bullet they liked than those we have today, usually back then we were able to find at least one bullet that worked well with them.

Hopefully that was useful information to you sir, good luck with your new rifle and all the best to you for the remainder of the summer.

Dwayne

A "72" serial number prefix could be from 1976 or 1977. The 1977 production run of 77s started with 72-38101. You can find this information at www.ruger.com on the customer service tab under Instruction Manuals & Product History. Your Son's "77" prefix rifle was produced in 1983 or 1984.

You won't know how well it shoots until you shoot it. If you're going to shoot factory ammo, I'd suggest trying it with Hornady American Whitetail brand, as all of American Whitetail ammo that I've used has shot good groups in multiple rifles.

Thank you both for the quick replies

Good rifles. Like the others have said you don't know how it will shoot until you try it. My mid 80s vintage loves 160s over most powders.

I love the M77 Tang safety Rugers. Have one LA and two SA.
Actually all I have that is original are the actions and rings. McMillan stocks and after market barrels or Remington takeoffs rethreaded and rechambered.

I wouldn't worry too much about the original barrel. If it doesn't shoot rebarrel!

My late brother had two 1976 Rugers; a 77 in .220 Swift, and a Number 1 .270.

He took great pains with his handloads, at first using the old Lee Target Loader, and they were two of the most accurate factory rifles I've ever seen. The Swift, in particular, was scary.

I always hear about poor shooting tangers. Thank god, I've never had one. They have always functioned flawlessly and the actions were smoother than the M77 MKII's and for a lefty, the safety is easier to manipulate than the standard mkII's or hawkeyes. As we've all heard, barrels were outsourced and they were not very good at times, then Ruger started to produce their own barrels and those were very good. Now days the Hawkeye's have even better barrels, but for a damn fine hunting rifle, the tang safety Ruger 77's are hard to beat. I wouldn't be scared to roll the dice on one again and probably walk away a winner as I have so many times before.

I have had a couple of early Ruger Model 77 MKII's (both .308's) that were stinkers, that were cured only by rebarreling. The tang safety M77's (.30/06, .300 Win. and .220 Swift)and later MKII's (.220, .308, .30/06 and .416) I have owned have all been good shooters.

I wouldn't be worried about a tang safety 77, especially if I hadn't shot it yet.

A couple of quotes on the tang safety M77.

Mule Deer:
" I've owned a pile of 77's of all eras. While one barrel truly sucked (a 7x57 with a bore that had numerous loose spots, with the tight spots measuring .287), all the others shot anywhere from acceptably to very well. My acceptable rating is three shots in an inch for big game rifles, and five shots in an inch for varmint rifles, and very well is half that. Most of them required some work on the bedding and trigger, but then a lot of factory rifles do."

Boxer - Big Stick:
"I've Ruger familiarity and accept them for what they are. Light or bullet proof they are not, though curiously enough they are oft maligned by the masses for "accuracy" woe which I've yet to see, though of course I shoot a bit, which tend to tip numerous scales."

Stick shoots his mouth off more than he shoots his rifles. And accuracy, he don't get with either.... This round top tanger was pretty accurate:

Your rifle will most probably have a Wilson barrel. I have 4 M77 tang safeties that will also most probably have Wilson barrels and all of them shoots sub 1" groups after I bedded and free floated them, including a 7RM.

Pieter

Many years ago, I rigged a tang safety 77 .270 for B-I-L. First load tried was a healthy dose of H4831 under a 140. With a 4X Weaver it shot really close to I" for me, so I loaded a bunch for him.

He is one of those guys that doesn't waste ammo, but shoots only for blood. Most every coyote and mule deer he puts the crosshairs on dies.

Jack

75' 77V Tang safe in 220 swift, most accurate factory gun I ever pulled out of box! (Douglas made the barrels) , 76 or 77 ,77V Tang safe in 308, (Ruger made barrel)Worse factory gun I ever bought, it was so bad I would not sell it! Sent it to AZ, it has a Schneider barrel and is now one of most accurate I have ever fired!... I hope they got better BUT I will never buy another.... good looking guns.. v best winpoor

I have had better luck getting the tang safety Rugers to shoot than I have the Mark II guns.

I had a 6mm, a 7MM RM, and a "round top" .30/06 tang safety M77 that were among the most accurate factory rifles I have ever shot.

I like the tang safety rifles better than the new ones. I've had a few and they all shot well.

Prior to 1991 Ruger purchased barrels from various vendors. Some were awful, some near match grade. Most somewhere in the middle. You'll get responses all over the place depending on the experiences other shooters had. Between my brother and I we've had 3-4 over the years. All have been acceptable, none were really bad nor exceptional.

As a rule the guns made after 1991 when Ruger started making their own are more consistent. Most newer guns are decent, with few at either end of the spectrum.