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Thread: Ruger 77 44 mag

  1. #1
    Boolit Mold
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    Ruger 77 44 mag

    I walked into Brownells store just off I80 in Eastern Iowa looking for some 44 gas checks and walked back out the door the new owner of a like new SS Ruger 77 in 44 mag. The price tag said $650. So I made it mine. I have wanted one for a couple of years but the clean ones were going for a grand or more. It had only been on the shelf for a few hours. Timing is everything!

  2. #2
    Boolit Master


    Finster101's Avatar
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    Had a chance to buy a blued one about a year ago for $500.00. I'm still wondering why I didn't.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master Wag's Avatar
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    I still regret not buying several rifles over the years. Several were Rugers. One was a Ruger #1 in 45-70. Dang, I still wish I'd bought that bad boy.

    --Wag--
    "Great genius will always encounter fierce opposition from mediocre minds." --Albert Einstein.

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    I also have one of the stainless/synthetic Ruger 77/44's. Light and handy, makes a good woods walking, pig and foul weather deer rifle. That said mine gave me fits trying to get it to group acceptably. The stock is pretty flimsy, there is no recoil lug and the action is poorly supported in the stock. The only support for the action is a small pad at the front action screw and another at the rear screw. I ended up shaping a hardwood block to fill in the large open gap between the back of the magazine and the trigger group and glueing it in with epoxy. I then bedded the action to this block which allowed the receiver extension at the back of the magazine to serve a a recoil lug. I also bedded the the first couple of inches of the barrel channel ahead of the receiver, the rest of the barrel is floated. These mods turned what had been a 4-6" gun at 100 yards with some uncalled fliers to a consistent 2-3".

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
    tja6435's Avatar
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    I had the shim the bolt in my 77/357, made it shoot way better.
    8500' Wet Mountain Valley, Colorado

  6. #6
    Boolit Master

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    Welcome to the forum! Lots here on the 77 and cast! Looking forward to seeing some groups!

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master


    stubshaft's Avatar
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    Great snag!
    Old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway!

    Men who don't understand women fall into two categories: bachelors and husbands!

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy eastbank's Avatar
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    i had a ss syn 44 mag, it never shot very well, my marlin 44 mag sporter shot much better and down the road it went.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master

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    Free floating the barrel on my 77/357 got rid of the fliers with light boolits, still doesn’t like heavier boolits.

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master
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    I hope you got a good one.

    I was yearning for one in .357 but the reports of very poor accuracy killed it for me.
    Don Verna


  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master FergusonTO35's Avatar
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    I always liked the rotary 77's but the poor accuracy and high price compared to a lever action always killed it for me. If Ruger did whatever it takes to get the out of the box accuracy up to par I bet they would be really popular in the straight wall cartridge states. A stretched 77 in .350 Legend would be kewl.
    Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
    tja6435's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FergusonTO35 View Post
    I always liked the rotary 77's but the poor accuracy and high price compared to a lever action always killed it for me. If Ruger did whatever it takes to get the out of the box accuracy up to par I bet they would be really popular in the straight wall cartridge states. A stretched 77 in .350 Legend would be kewl.
    If they do that, they may as well do a run in 357 Maximum as well.
    8500' Wet Mountain Valley, Colorado

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    I adore the 77/357 I got a couple years back. It shoots 1-1/2" groups at 100 yards with either the Lee 125 RF's (132 gr from my mold) using Bullseye or NOE 185 RF's using AA-9. Both MV's for those plain base boolits are 1360 fps. I haven't had to change a thing. I hope your 77/44 shoots as well as my 77/357. Good shooting!

  14. #14
    Boolit Master


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    Bought my blue one at an auction for 200 bucks form 1'd an integral can for it. shoots Hollywood quite with 44 spc louder with full mag loads.

    Been looking for a 357 one for a while now

  15. #15
    Boolit Master

    Hickok's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tja6435 View Post
    I had the shim the bolt in my 77/357, made it shoot way better.
    Right you are! A simple shim between the two bolt halves to take up the slop and they shoot much better. Same goes for the Ruger bolt action .22 Hornets with a two piece bolt.
    Maker of Silver Boolits for Werewolf hunting

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master FergusonTO35's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Geezer in NH View Post
    Bought my blue one at an auction for 200 bucks
    How many decades ago was that?
    Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master


    Larry Gibson's Avatar
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    Older Ruger 77/44s had slow twists which was the problem with many cast bullets over 240 gr. Having worked with a couple of those I found the Lee C429-240-SWC to be an excellent performer with top end magnum level loads. The Lee 429-200-RF makes a very nice small game/plinker/fun load when loaded to 1050 fps over bullseye or Red Dot.

    A few years back Ruger changed to barrel twist to 1-20" I believe. The newer 77/44s with that twist handle the heavier, longer bullets well.
    Larry Gibson

    “Deficient observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid notions and foolish ideas prevailing.”
    ― Nikola Tesla

  18. #18
    Boolit Buddy
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    nice get! for that price i woulda walked out with it also!

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    I was out hunting with mine yesterday. I put in a Vorquartsen trigger kit and lighter spring from the local hardware store. I also floated the barrel and bedded the action. Had to drill a bunch of random small holes in every direction to “lock” in the acraglass. It shoots sub MOA at 100 yards with Lyman Devastators with a few different alloys and powder combos. A lee factory collet crimp die is a must for tight groups. Didn’t know they were hard to come by. Wish I would have waited for a threaded barrel version after the fake Ruger discontinue scare.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by FergusonTO35 View Post
    How many decades ago was that?
    1 decade

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check