Ruger 30/06 Ultra light

[Curly James]

I found this rifle last week and managed to acquire it without too much bloodshed. It is a Ruger 77 Ultra light, 20 inch barrel, 30/06, with the old skeleton stock. This type of stock is something folks seem to either love or hate, but I like it for it's lightweight. The scope is an older Redfield 3x9 Tracker I had lying around and the sling was the lightest I could find in the gun box stuff. The Redfield will do until I decide on another scope. Right now I'm looking at a Nikon 2x7 Prostaff. However, scoped, slunged, and loaded with 4 rounds of my favorite 165 grain '06 load it weighs in at 7.7 pounds. I have to add, this was the dirtiest rifle I've ever seen. I do not think the previous owner had ever cleaned it short of wiping down the outside of the gun. An amazing amount of grime in the bolt and action was scrubbed and blasted out and the bore was scoured clean of powder and copper fouling. Tomorrow we'll see if it was all worth it. If I can get 1 1/2 inch 3 shot groups I'll be happy. This has the makings of a very practical hunting rifle.

[nicholst55]

Let me know how the recoil is with the canoe-paddle stock. For the right price, I could probably live with a similar rifle, providing shooting it isn't painful.

[Lloyd Smale]

sure make a handy versitile little hunting rifle!

[x101airborne]

I used to have a Winchester 70 Ranger. Same principal. Ultra lite, Ultra thin, Ultra short, Ultra Painful. Glad I got it cheap. It made a fine custom 25-06. Good luck!

[Beau Cassidy]

I can't say I have every laid eyes on an Ultralight with the boat paddle stock. Sounds like a very versatile rifle.

[starmac]

Those stocks just look like they want to hurt you. lol
A friend of mine is a ruger nut and has several of them,in different calibers.
His 300 mag scoped him the first time he shot it, his 338 is still new in the box.
My son in law was looking at it and asked him why he hadn't shot it, his answer was what for. lol

[Curly James]

It was pretty much what I expected. 3 rounds of the 180 grain load in 1 1/2 inches at a 100. It did not like the 165 grain Remington core lokts at all, with 3 rounds in 2 1/2 inches at 100 yards. The 150 grain loads varied from 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Recoil while noticible after over 30 rounds, was not bad at all. I did have to let the barrel cool for a couple of minutes between shots, Firing quickily from a cold bore, the first round is dead on, the second an inch above that and the third and fourth rounds just keep on climbing. This is going to be a fine deer and pig rifle and she is sighted in and ready to go.

[Mk42gunner]

Actually, the plastic canoe paddle stock isn't all that bad for handling recoil. A friend had one on a .338 while I was stationed on Adak, AK. It didn't seem to feel as bad as a tang safety 77 with wood stock in .30-06, to me.

That could have been because the scope on the '06 had a very short eye relief and the scope cover release kept bopping me on the bridge of my nose, eventually drawing blood. Plus I was shooting the '06 in the summer in MO wearing a t shirt prone, versus wearing a jacket and shooting of a bench in Alaska.

Robert

[Lloyd Smale]

I too have shot many mag rounds out of rugers with boat paddles and to me anyway the storys of terrrible recoil are just that. Storys! I never thought they were a bit worse then any of my wood stocked guns.

[nanuk]

I had a 338winmag with a canoe paddle

it was more gentle than my buddies 3006

[Curly James]

As I stated, recoil was not an issue and I do not consider the "boat paddle" stock a detriment. If anything it is an asset in weight reduction. Also the stock does have a decent recoil pad from the factory. That skinny little barrel will heat up and walk rounds up the paper, but, this is a hunting rifle and will be used as such. As a plus, the barrel also cools down pretty quickly while in load development.
I was disappointed the 165 grain load did not group as well as I would have liked. The season starts in less than two weeks and I will use the 180 grain load for now and have the pleasant task of coming up with a good 165 grain load. All I require from the gun is for thefirst round to impact as sighted and if need be a second round within less than an inch of the first. I am sighted in dead on at 50 yards, 2 1/2 inches high at 100 yards and from the little shooting I did at 200 yards it appeared to impact and inch low. So from muzzle to 200 I can place a bullet within a 3 inch area with a center hold. I have a Ruger GSR that I cherish for it's usefulness and this rifle will hold a close second in my rack.

[x101airborne]

I am glad you like the weapon. All weapons need a good home.
I like the 180 grain load I use in my -06. Hornady 180 BTSP over a full charge of RL-22. It is a lot more than our 140 pound whitetails require, but it is real stable and shoots great out to 750 yards. It is just so stable you can literally smack a 10 inch pipe flange at 750 every time. It is almost monotonus. And on large hogs,,,, ferget about it! LOL. The biggest boars dont stand up to that round. I would definately use it for bear, moose, elk, etc. Maybe not ideal for anything, but will work with some common sense for anything in North America. Keep us up to date!

[pietro]

I've found that the Ruger skeleton stocks seem to deliver less felt recoil, most likely due to some inherent flex absorbing said forces.



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[smoked turkey]

I have one of the M77 "compact" rifles in 308. Same principal and could be the same barrel/action. Mine has a walnut stock. It shoots quite good for the small diameter barrel. I shot a nice doe with it season before last. One shot is all it took and as you say the first one is dead on. Nice rifle you have there.

[runfiverun]

i have the 308 version and it's really nice to carry around.
a bit of a thumper off the bench but nothing from field positions.
i have carried that little rifle a few hundred miles while hunting and have never shot an animal with it.
it is super accurate with cast loads and is the rifle i taught the kids how to shoot big game rifles with.

[o6Patient]

+1 for the .308, I have a handi carbine(sako) in 30-06 and it's way heavy, short barrel;
there is nothing gained but weight.