Real world accuracy of Ruger tang safety rifles

[yotatrd4x4]

Ok I want to get real world answers. Who has a Ruger tang safety rifle that just will not shoot? I have seen 5 million threads all over google about how Ruger used unknown quality barrels and some rifles were awful for accuracy. Also seems that the guys saying they had one that wouldn't shoot didn't check the stock to action fit, never tried to properly torque the action screws, didn't try to bed the recoil lug or maybe the entire barrel. Also seems they didn't reload. I have had several mark ii m77 rifles that would hold up to a Remington with good loads and I have a line on a Ruger 338wm with a nice wood stock and a browns precision fiberglass stock and the rifle has factory irons but its a tang safety and wanted some inputs. Again do any of you have one that isn't accurate enough for hunting? Say 2-4 inches at 100yds?

[fatnhappy]

My 7-08 tang safety 77R will shoot 5 round 1.06" groups with Hornady 139 grain interlock spitzers at 200 yards off the bench when I can hold up my end of the exercise.

[brotherdarrell]

I have a tang safety m77 in 25-06 that 'almost' fits your description. I bought it new in '86. The majority of loads I shot over the years hovered around the 2" mark. A couple of years ago I dumped a healthy load of Varget in a case and seated a 75 gr. hp on top and I now have a sub moa shooter. Go figure.

I also have a tang safety in .243 with a pencil thin 20" barrel. It shoots everything around an inch @ 100 yds. It seems to be a cr@p shoot what these guns will do.

brotherdarrell

[cdet69]

I have one in a 243 Winchester and 1" groups are the norm. I am using 87 grain Hornady VMaxes with Hodgdon Varget. It is a lot more accurate then my newer 77 MKII.

[shotman4]

buddy had one in 243 he said it wouldnt shoot . I tried it and he was right . about 2in at 100yds . off a lead sled. I checked scope remove and reset. took it out of stock . could not find anything . resighted and same thing . I ran out of ammo. he had and I had a box of 100gr federal. Got a group of 5 in 1/2 in at 100. had some 85gr? I think and back out to 2in So I give him the rest of the feds and he still uses that ammo

[67bear]

My 77R in 30.06 shot OK with factory 150 grain corelokts. Somewhere around 2 MOA. I don't have any info written down for it anymore so going from memory (I've had this rifle 20 years). I hoped for a little better performance, so started handloading for it, did a little bedding, installed a Timney trigger, and a Burris Signature 3X-9X. I didn't have to put much effort into load development to get results satisfactory to me. If I do my part it will shoot MOA or a little better with 150 grain Nosler BT's. Two shots to verify it was still sighted in this season. Three shots hunting this year = three deer. Two bang-flops and one ran 25 yards. I've shot a few others that performed adequately for hunting and I've heard of the ones that won't shoot, but in my limited experience I've never seen one.

[yotatrd4x4]

Great yall keep these coming. I figure I can rebarrel if I have too. I really like the rifle and it doesn't look to have been shot alot but has been hunted with from the marks and scrapes on the wood. I have plenty of bullet weights I can mess with and I also did hear some were picky on bullet weight. I think the main problem with them was most people fired 1 type of loads and said it won't shoot and I suspect that's the biggest issue. My dad will do that from time to time as he isn't obsessed like me he just buys a box of ammo and try's a few to sight in and if the rifle won't shoot them its down the road unless I can get to it fist and try a few different weights. I saw a browning abolt stainless do this. Buddy was getting ready for a caribou hunt and it was putting 180gr bullets in a horizontal string with only a little uneven elevation impacts. He was mad and said he couldn't use anything below 180gr. I explained that a good bullet like the barnes in 150 or 165 will work fine or try a 200gr if need be. Well he used a 165gr hornady interlock factory load and bang it was 1inch for 4 shots with 1 flyer. Also I think the other load was 200gr rem corelokts and same thing with lower impact but they both grouped

[Lonegun1894]

I have one in .30-06 that I fired what I had of an old partial box through. I dont remember the exact load anymore but it was Remingtons, and gave about 4 inch groups at 100yds. A friend wanted to try some of his Federals, and we got 3.5" groups. The very next weekend, we were back at the range shooting hand loaded Remington Core-locts seated out just slightly to almost touch the rifling, and got just under 1" groups without changing anything else. This is the same as my old Remington 700 did when I first got it. I never could get better than 2.5" groups with any factory loads, with most being in the 3-4" range. I started handloading and the same rifle now does .5-.75", so go figure. I say get it if you want it and if it doesn't do exactly what you want, play with various loads and make it work. Most will have a load they like and several that they dont.

[yotatrd4x4]

Thanks for all the help guys I think I'm gonna get it. Well trade for it. I have an old whitworth express rifle in 375h&h that I just never could warm up to it. I love it but feel I want a nice 375h&h and can always get one down the road so I am gonna trade the 375 for the ruger with the extra browns fiberglass stock and also getting a new Taurus 740 slim and a few boxes of ammo and reloading dies for both. I figure that's a good deal as the whitworths keep climbing in price.

[shotman4]

lonegun may have it . The 100gr feds ARE longer. you may try to load some out . If they will feed

[fouronesix]

"I have seen 5 million threads all over google about how Ruger used unknown quality barrels and some rifles were awful for accuracy."

With that many- there might be a reason.

Been there done that with two of those from the late 70s- early 80s. All I can say is, you pays you money, you takes you chances. Both new, both with bad, way out of spec chambers. Those were my last Ruger 77s- no more

[rintinglen]

I had a 30=06 that was ok, but just barely so. It would shoot 4 shots into an inch and 3/4, but there would always be a flier that would open things up to 2 1/2 inchs or so. I tinkered with it in hopes of getting an moa rifle , but finally sold it. If I knew then what I know now, I might have kept it, but probably not. It gave me no confidence nor pride of ownership, and it didn't have a lever.

[alrighty]

I have a tang safety m77 in 25-06 that 'almost' fits your description. I bought it new in '86. The majority of loads I shot over the years hovered around the 2" mark. A couple of years ago I dumped a healthy load of Varget in a case and seated a 75 gr. hp on top and I now have a sub moa shooter. Go figure.

I also have a tang safety in .243 with a pencil thin 20" barrel. It shoots everything around an inch @ 100 yds. It seems to be a cr@p shoot what these guns will do.

brotherdarrell

My .25-06 Ruger 77 tang safety would shoot 2.0 groups when I bought it.This model is the medium weight barrel without sights.I pulled the stock , bedded the action and floated the barrel.It now shoots sub inch with everything except bullets lighter than 90.Thanks for posting your dope.I was more interested in a medium game load so I never tried reloading anything lighter.I also have three .220 swifts made by Ruger , one of them is an older tang safety model.It will shoot inch groups and has never had a bolt turned on it.I have only shot it less than 20 rounds using loads developed for my NO.1.I was wanting to try cast with this gun but haven't gotten round to it yet.

[yotatrd4x4]

Well I got the rifle today. Looks great except someone hogged out the stock trying to float the barrel. I full length bed it with devcon to clean up the ugly uneven mess under the barrel. I bed the rear tang as well as the recoil lug. Once it dries I will bed the entire action too. I am gonna put about 5lbs of up pressure at the tip then if it won't shoot maybe try floating it. I have the extra browns stock to use once I get it figured out but I don't want to bed it until I figure out how the rifle shoots first. It has a decelerator pad on it and I think a mercury recoil reducer in it as I hear what sounds like water swishing in the stock. Not sure I like that but can't take off the buttpad as its a glued on type. Oh well once I see what the rifle and barrel likes I can mount the new stock and go from there. I figure this way if its not a shooter I can either rebarrel or sell it for $300 or so and then still have a $350 stock I can sell as well.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I have two Ruger 77s in the downstairs safes, one is a 220Swift (originally a 308,but a second hand Ruger barrel fitted) this is my son's rifle and he seems pretty happy with it, the other is a mint 300WM that I haven't fired. I am going to the range tomorrow, I will dig them out and have a look. I have ammo for the 300WM, so I will give that a run.

[murf205]

Good luck with the 338. I had a 300 win m-77 R made in 1976 and a 243, and a 280 Rem m-77 made in about 1978. The 300 nearly beat my brains out before I finally got it to shoot 2.25" consistantly, and that was with a 168 Sierra bthp-not a great hunting bullet. The 243 NEVER shot any better than 2.5 to 3", and believe me I tried every trick in the book and every load I could find. The 280 finall shot about 1.5" but ai was only at 2500fps. When you tried to make a 280 out of it(2800-2900 w/140 gr bullets) it looked like you were patterning a shotgun!! I shot them right out of the box--floated the barrels, did a trigger job, glassed the lug, glassed the tang AND lug, loosened the center action screw,( these rifles are very sensitive to the middle screw tension) and even removed the middle screw. I must have kept the component manufactures in business single handedly during this time. I shot 'em clean(really clean) and I shot 'em dirty. Finally gave up and bought something else, and swore at and off Rugers untill 25 yrs later when I got a MKII 223 sporter in a trade and it will shoot circles around my Kimber varmint.
Now, with all that long-winded stuff out of the way, if you 338 will not shoot like you want it to, rebarrel with an E.R. Shaw or sent it to Jesse Ocompaugh at jesreboring.com and have him rebore the exixting barrel to 358 Norma to clean up the 338 hole and you can keep your sights. He does good work and is very reasonable. I am a tang safety fan even after all this and have one now that is a 350 Rem Mag on a long action w/a 22" Douglas barrel. Good luck
Murf205

[captbligh]

I had a 1976 M77 in .257 Roberts. Loved the gun, but just could not get it to group decently and finally sold it so it could be someone else's headache. Tried factory and several reloads with bullets from 87 to 120 grains, all of which put 5 shots in about 4" or worse at 100 yards. Finally settled on the old Nosler 120 gr. solid base bullet loaded out as long as possible and got it down to about 2.5" average for five shots. Don't recall the numbers exactly, but the chamber had a lot of freebore and the closer I could get to the lands the better, but never as good as I hoped since I wanted to use this for deer and varmints. Decided I just got unlucky and got one of Ruger's "bad barrels" and used the money for a Remington .35 Whelen. I'm very happy that I made the trade.

[Dthunter]

I had a ruger M77RS in the mark 1 tang safety in 25-06. It shot around 2-2.5" on a regular basis.
I glass bedded the rifle,lapped the lugs,tuned the trigger down to 1.5 lbs.

I loaded every combination i had a available (75-120gr) and many different powders. The best I could scrounge up was about 1.75-2" at 100 yards.
To say the very least, I was disheartened!

A few years after i gave up on this rifle, I got an opportu ity
Of a lifetime! I met a talented gentelman who makes rifle barrels from scratch. We struck up a freindship and a month later I made my very first rifle barrel myself!
I deep hole drilled it, reamed, rifled, tapered, threaded, chambered, then fluted the barrel. It was an awsome experience!
It was a 26" medium weight barrel. I took the newly rebarreled M77 out to the range immediately after I proved the headspaceing! I sat down and shot the first round onto the back board at 100. Adjusted the scope, and promptly shot a .500" group!!!
I friggin ELATED! Since that day my rifle will now shoot every load I have worked up under an inch.
Its my opinion that Rugers barrels were usually the problem on that model. I have noticed that the newer Rugers shoot better "normally".

I love that old action! Insanely smooth, pefcect black/blueing! I now
Have two custom M77,mark1 tang style rifles. I will never part with them now!

Take care guys!

[Four Fingers of Death]

Wow DThunter, awesome luck meeting that guy. It is very satisfying reloading your own, it is even more satisfying when you reload boolits that you have cast, but shooting them out of a barrel that you have made and fitted yourself, that would be awesome! Good one!

[Dthunter]

Yes" four fingers of death", I was very blessed to have met him!

We made many barrels together over the years. He has since been very sick with cancer and his gunsmithing days may be over! All the rifles I built with him will be cherished for my life time. And hopefully my sons as well.

He spent soo much time doing work for others, he seldom completed his own projects!
I was honoured to learn from him!

My friends was also good friends with P.O. Ackley as well. Its understandable were he got some of his experience.
I wish I could afford to buy my own lathes,milling machine,etc. to continue with what I learned.

Take care guys!