Anyone Have a Ruger 77 in 7X57?

[Mallard57]

I was at one of our local sporting goods stores the other day just before Christmas and found a used like new Ruger 77 in 7X57. I was looking for military surplus rifles at the time but that 7X57 kind of got under my skin. The only calibers that would have made me move any quicker would have been either a 6.5X55 or a .257 Roberts. To make a long story short I put my Christmas present on layaway. I was wondering if anyone out there has or ever had one of these in 7X57, and how it shot with boolits and jacketed projectiles? A long time ago a friend gave me an RCBS 168 gr SP in 7MM caliber. I'm thinking that this mold might work right nicely in the new Ruger. I'd appreciate any insight you folks might be able to give me.
Thanks,
Jeff

[Ben]

I don't shoot a 7 X 57 mm but I'm shooting a Rem. 280, the American BIG BROTHER to the 7 X 57 mm.

Here is a group shot with cast bullets from my .280 at 50 yards :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Stalker%20280%20Remington/160c6a5f.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Stalker%20280%20Remington/106.jpg

[7s&8s]

Ruger 77R in 7x57 and Rem 140 gr corelokt; tough to beat for deer-size critters.
I haven't played nearly enough with cast, but might be leaning slightly towards 145 gr saeco or rcbs in the Ruger 77.
Best Regards,
Tom

[onceabull]

Tom is the most experienced with the ruger77,7x57 that I've ever met... I stayed away from those primarily due to what now seems to be bad advice re:accuracy problems with factory loads. Too late for me to go back now,as went and accumulated several 284 W.instead..I can endorse the use of Saeco #281,in the 284 and 7x30 Waters,but none of mine have long throats. and I needed a flatnose design for the 7x30 in Win 94. Saeco's #70, a nominal 145 gr borerider design was fine in the 284 boltguns where I can load to longer OAL. than the Sav.99's and win 88's. Good luck. Onceabull

[bishopgrandpa]

There is an auction in my town this coming week with three Rugers. A 77 in 7X57 and a #1 in 7X57 and a 77 in 243. The #1 prices around here are stiff but not sure what is good price on the model 77. Any suggestions?

[BudRow]

I have a M-77 in 7x57 and it is one of my most accurate rifles. When I bought it I thought it was a "Control Feed" because of the claw extractor well it wasn't. The Mark I is a push feed and the newer Mark II is a Control Feed. The 7x57 Mauser is one of the Classic cals.

[Mallard57]

Thanks, I'm looking forward to getting the rifle, should be a pretty a good all around caliber with both boolits and j words.
Jeff

[Lloyd Smale]

buddy Als shoots moa without problem

[olddudeone]

Thanks, I'm looking forward to getting the rifle, should be a pretty a good all around caliber with both boolits and j words.
Jeff

(Should be a pretty good all around caliber) Well I personally know they will stop charging Woodchucks and IMHO the greatest hunter of all time killed over 800 head of Elephants with this caliber and his name was Bell. Yes, to me it is all it can be and more with the right man behind it , I love it olddudeone

[fatnhappy]

I have its kissing cousin 7-08 in an old tang safety 77R. The trigger was lousy and the barrel fouls terribly, which pains me not at all as it shoots very small groups.

I intend to start my son off deer hunting with that rifle when the time comes.

[MtGun44]

I have owned a 7x57 M77 since the mid 70s. Many thousands of shots.
It is not a tack driver with most factory loads due to throat for long 175
Rn bullets. Shoots them extremely accurately and kills with them like
a bolt of lightning. A friend took my Hornady handloaded 175 RNs
to Africa in her Ruger M77 7x57 and took 7 animals with 7 shots
including a huge kudu (think elk), red hartebeeste and zebra (very
tough). She was the talk of the camp each night - Granny with her
"little" 7x57 outdoing the guys with .338 Winmags, etc. Bullet
placement and penetration. She took a record book black bear
in Canada this year, same load - 175 RN Hornady at 2400 fps,
one shot, huge dead bear. Very accurate load, like 5/8" at 100
for 3 shots.

Low recoil, extremely effective on game, esp with the high sectional
density loads, but great with ordinary bullets. Mine shoots a LBT
130 cast boolit into about 1" at 50 yds.

Mine will shoot the Barnes 140 Triple shock into 2" at 200, this load has
killed kudu with a single shot - broke both shoulders. The PH in
South Africa uses my Barnes 140 TS and 175 RN Hornady loads when he can
get them, kills all with single shots, proper placement, of course.

I have had excellent results with the Nosler partition 160 gr, elk, kudu,
impala, blesbok, and deer - never needed a second shot. Rem 140
Cor-Lokt does great on deer, too. Picture perfect mushroom, against
the hide on the far side. Nosler 160 exited on elk 45 deg side chest.

The Ruger is pretty and smooth as glass, trigger is fully adjustable on
tang safety models, set mine to 2 lbs years ago, never touched since.
Mine shoots most factory 140s into about 1.5-2" at 100 - plenty good
for hunting. Handloads are better, many under 2" at 200. I have
glass bedded it and cut the muzzle crown to 11 deg and lapped the
bolt lugs - the normal basic accuracy stuff you can do at home. Not
sure it helped, but made me feel better. ;-)

Bill

[nicholst55]

There's a sweet customized M77 7X57 for sale on the Ruger forum right now; I thinks he wants $750 for it.

http://www.rugerforum.org/phpBB/

[Mallard57]

It really hurt today, I walked into the gunshop and they had at least two and possibly three CZ 550's in 6.5x55. One of these rifles was in the Mannlicher configuration. OOOOOOHHHH the mental anguish.
Jeff

[RBak]

It really hurt today, I walked into the gunshop and they had at least two and possibly three CZ 550's in 6.5x55. One of these rifles was in the Mannlicher configuration. OOOOOOHHHH the mental anguish.
Jeff

I appreciate your condition!

I don't think I can add much to anything that has already been said, but I will say the 7x57 is one of the great ones, and has a very good chance of hanging on for many years to come.

The last of my own 7x57's is a well worn Ruger "Liberty Model" that holds a special place in my gun safe. That gun, and the old 175gr RN, has accounted for the vast majority of my Elk, and it has never let me down on anything I have pointed it at.
Although it is thought of as mainly a deer caliber, it wears much bigger shoes, and what it won't do, I don't think I want to mess with it anyhow.

However, I don't envy your present condition!

The 7x57 was never broken, and didn't need fixin, but Remington thought we needed something else, and I've been told by a reliable source, the Silhouette game brought on the birth of the 7-08.
The 6.5 was in pretty much the same boat, but again Remington thought the need was there for a more modern 6.5 so the .260 Remington came on the scene.
Both calibers had a lot of old guns floating around, and a new "similar, well know" caliber in a new rifle had to have sales appeal.

Perhaps all of this is just as it should be.
But the older cartridges hold a special place amongst many of the older crowd, and I feel sure...that is exactly as it should be.

Russ...

[WineMan]

Had one from the early 1970's (boy am I getting old...). It had a 3x9 Weaver on it and it was a sweet shooter. As has been said it liked the heavy stuff better than the smaller faster Jacketed. I never shot Pb in it and unfortunately it had to find a new home when I downsized my toy collection.

Get one and you will not be unhappy.

[Stevejet]

I bought a new Mark II in 6.5X55 SE and saw the CZ Mannlicher model a few days later. What a beautiful rifle with the European Monte Carlo stock. But it was about $175 more than the Ruger and I think it is a fractional inch shorter barrel than Ruger.

I'll have to get you a great link from FFF website where a guy does a righteous comparison of the 6.5 SE and 7X57. You have a great cartridge for accuracy and those long bullets just DROP most anything hunted with it!