200th Year of American Liberty Ruger Tang Safety .243Win

[Four Fingers of Death]

Ii have come across one of these which has been stored for a long time and has some rust on the bolt, a tiny bit on the scope rings and a couple of tiny dots on the barrel. It looks like it hasn't seen much use. I was thinking of getting it and possibly rust blueing it. I will try and clean it up first and get by with cold blue, which will probably be enough.

My first pistol was a Ruger Mk2 with the 200th year stamped on it, so I kind of like the idea of getting a rifle branded the same.

I believe there are some accuracy issues with tang safety Rugers, but I have never owned one (I own several M77Mk2s though).

I have 2x sets of dies, 360x cases, 1,000 odd Jacketed bullets and a Lyman mould and sizer for the 243, but no rifle, haha!

I am thinking that this would be a reasonable collector's piece. It is a pity about the rust, but I suppose if it was unblemished, I wouldn't have been able to afford it and it would have been sold already.

Has anyone had experience with the tang safety M77s?

[wv109323]

I have a heavy barrel in .220 Swift. It is capable of 1 MOA. The trouble with the older Rugers was that they switched from Douglas barrels to another manufacturer because of $$. The barrels were less accurate. At the time Ruger did not make their own rifle barrels and sourced them from outside.
I don't believe that there is any way to identify which barrel manufacturer.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Going to go back and check it out Friday, thanks for the info I had heard that before, but had forgotten it.

[FLHTC]

I had a 270 tang safety with factory open sights and it was a fine shooter. Not the typical 3" groups many get. The "Liberty" guns sure collectible if they're still boxed and unfired otherwise, its more desirable as a tang safety gun.

[BruceB]

Our racks currently hold a "200th year" heavy-barrel .220 and a 1974 .270 with light barrel.

The Swift still shoots MOA or better even after almost 3000 rounds.... very satisfactory.

The .270 has seen very limited work with cast bullets, and I really hope to get back to it if I ever get back on my feet (foot). There are a couple of decent mould designs on hand, and they do deserve some attention.

The .270 shoots Nosler Partitions very well, considering that pencil barrel. We were hunting caribou one day on frozen lakes when a bull moose spooked out of the shoreline bush. One 130-grain Partition from 200 yards killed him stone dead, with complete penetration. My wife made a VERY good shot...

[Four Fingers of Death]

Gotta love a lady that can fill a freezer with one well placed shot!

[Three44s]

Gotta love a lady that can fill a freezer with one well placed shot!


You've got to be "extra nice" to them ........ though! My wife's sweet spot is for my (her) M1 Garrand.

I've got a Liberty M77V in .243 that I'll never part with. It shoots .267" with it's top load. ....... it's one owner .... me!

I hurried and bought a pencil thin .270 but missed the Liberty models and ended up with a 1977 vintage. It never shot worth beans as to groups but killed EVERYTHING I put it on ...... maybe I was too picky?

I traded that .270 on a Browning A-Bolt boss in .25-06 and it's lights out!

But that liberty sits in a revered place in the safe and I drag other "beater" guns in and out of tractors and trucks around the farm instead.


Three 44s

[Four Fingers of Death]

The more I think about it, the more I think I will give it a miss. It is a 100 mile round trip the where the rifle is and I am as busy as a one armed bricklayer in Baghdad at the moment. I will be going that way on Wednesday. I might pop in and have a look and if I can get it cheap I might run with it.

[Lloyd Smale]

seems with the tang safety guns poor accuracy was kind of a caliber thing. Some shot well so didnt. I never could get a 757, 257 or a 7 or 30 mag to shoot but the 280s, 243s, 270s shoot just fine. Theres more calibers i could add to both lists if i looked at all my data but will say i had two 243s. A 77r and a 77rl and they both shot moa with loads they liked. It may have taken a bit more load development then say a rem, win, or savage to get there but i think youll be ok.

[Four Fingers of Death]

but i think youll be ok.

Thanks, that is encouraging, like I said I will drop in on the way through and if I can get it for a good price, I might grab it.