5" group with a Ruger M77 .30-06... This cannot be good...

[Kentucky Deer Hunter]

As the title states, I have a Ruger M77 .30-06 with a stainless steel barrel/synthetic stock with a Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40 scope up top. After trying several different types of ammo (Winchester X, Remington Core-Lokt, and Federal Premium) I am not able to get anything tighter than a 5" group.

Surprisingly, I can get the best group (5") with the Federal Premium. All ammo is 180 grains (I know, that's a huge round, but my brother has had great success knocking deer down and not going far at all with the 180s).

What I truly do NOT believe is that my brother can get a 1 1/2" group at 100yards using Remington Core-Lokt 180 grain ammo thru his Remington 710 (factory). It is amazing that a gun that cost half as much as mine, shoots 3 times better!

Does anyone have any advice? I think the obvious would be to send it back to Ruger and see what they can do, but deer season is coming up and it takes several weeks to get your rifle back.

If you have a suggestion, I would really appreciate it! Thanks...

[taylorce1]

Try some different weight bullets, your rifle might not like 180's. Try some 150-165 grain bullets. Plus try some more different types of ammunition if you really want to stick with 180's.

Check the scope mounts make sure everything is tight and not shifting during recoil. Try bedding the rifle, replacing the trigger, or floating the barrel. Have a good smith check out the rifle if the problem persists.

Take a good look at what you are doing behind the rifle. You may not be a good enough shooter to do better than 5" groups at the present time. Make sure you practice the mechanics and do the same thing every time behind the rifle.

I find that I developed a flinch from time to time shooting some of my heavy recoiling rifles doing load development that will really open my groups up. I have to spend some time behind a .22 rimfire or center fire to work it out. Good thing about the .22's they will help you work out some problems that you are having as a shooter.

I find that cost of a rifles built now rarely have anything to do with accuracy, although we expect it to. I found cheap rifles that shoot and expensive ones that don't. Most rifles made today are pretty accurate as long as we do our part. Same goes for ammunition as well, old Winchester white box ammo would sometimes out shoot the expensive premium stuff in my rifles.

[dejr2000]

I would double check all the simple basic stuff first, Scope rings and mounts tight, action tight in stock etc... Is this a new setup, new scope and all? Is scope known good? Nikon's are good but anything can fail. I doubt it is the rifle but you never know. Let us know what you find or if you have already checked all these already. May help us come up with a solution for you.
Good Luck,
Bill

[john in jax]

It's a process of elimination:

Can you put down the Ruger and pick up another rifle and shoot GREAT groups? (thus eliminating you as the issue). Has anyone else tried shooting the rifle?

Is the scope mounted high (as in see-thru mounts) so that you are getting more of a chin weld than a rock-solid cheek weld? The slightest tilt of your head at he back of the scope is magnified expotentially (sp?) at 100 yards.

Have you checked that the scope bases and rings are tightend down and rock solid?

Those are the simple easy to diagnose and fix problems I've encountered in the past.

[Kentucky Deer Hunter]

To answer some of your questions...

- I can pick my brothers rifle up and shoot 1 1"2 - 2" groups all day.

- I have checked the scope mounts and rings and everything is tight. It is a medium height mount (not the see-thru).

- This is a fairly new setup, gun has probably 200 rounds through it.

One thing that I have noticed is that the trigger pull is a little stiff, I may see about lightening that up as I am used to shooting my brothers and he has a slightly lighter trigger pull. I have found myself pulling back and the rifle not going off when I thought it would. That could be one problem, what do you think?

This is definetaly got me thinking more outside of the box

[taylorce1]

I have found myself pulling back and the rifle not going off when I thought it would.

Sounds like you are anticipating the shot, which is never a good thing. You should never be able to anticipate when the trigger will break. Your trigger could defiantly use some work to help clean it up, but even a heavier trigger that breaks clean is preferable to a light sloppy trigger.

[Art Eatman]

As far as the shooting goes, even with a draggy and stiff trigger you should be able to concentrate enough on maintaining the proper sight picture to shoot a halfway decent group.

If the groups tend toward being a sort of vertical string, high odds are that it's the forearm pressure on the barrel. If they're more a sort of horizontal orientation, that's usually from canting--but you say you're able to shoot tight groups with other rifles and so I'd guess that canting isn't the problem.

The cheapest start on a fix is to make sure the barrel is free-floated in the forearm. Then try a group. If it's better but not really righteous, try my shim deal: Make a 3/4" strip of kitchen wax paper and fold it back and forth until its thickness is such that about a five-pound pull is needed to separate forearm and barrel to insert it. Trim with razor. (When I take wood out of the forearm, I remove very little at the tip; just enough to slide the proverbial dollar bill past it.)

Best luck...

Art

[castnblast]

If you are shooting 5" groups, w/ that variety of ammo, I'm in the camp that says you're anticipating the shot, and/or, your gun hates 180's. If I were shooting an '06, Id be shooting 150-165's. Much flatter trajectory, and a little lighter on the shoulder. Also, get a bore snake cleaner and run it through your rifle dry. One other thing I would check is the crown of the barrel. Make sure it's not messed up.

[Fremmer]

Try some different weight bullets, your rifle might not like 180's. Try some 150-165 grain bullets.

Yup. A 150 or 165 will do just as well (and maybe better) than a 180 on deer, anyway.

[Kentucky Deer Hunter]

Well, I took the Ruger over to the gunsmith at Buds Gun Shop and he is going to lighten the trigger up to 3lbs. Currently it is over 5 1/2lbs. He also said that it is a very tough pull and the break does not feel very clean. He said he would adjust it and if he can't fix the break, he will send off to Ruger and get a new trigger or replace it with a better one.

Besides the main question, is it worth $85 to have the barrel floated on a DEER rifle?

Any other suggestions would be great!

[pdawg_shooter]

Sounds like every Ruger I had in the last 10 years or so.

[FirstFreedom]

Yes. I have advice: Sell it, get a Remington (not a 710), Howa, CZ, Savage, or Mossberg. Pocket the extra money, and never look back. Be proudly Ruger-free.

[castnblast]

1+ on the Howas...

[SavageSniper]

Sounds like a "minute of deer" Ruger to me. Ruger-free, good one FF. I do agree-trade it. See prev. post about this same problem, I think I see a pattern.

[Red_Eagle]

I have a Ruger 77 MK II std in 308 winchester. Ruger dosen't fit these rifles at all. Just put a barreled action in a stock and sent them out the door. It's supposed to have a free floated barrel. My wasn't. I had to sand down the barrel channel then put on a coat of lin seed oil to keep the moisture out. That got it down to about a 2" MOA. A few weeks ago I figured if they couldn't float a barrel right the rest of the action probably wasn't bedded correctly either. So I glass bedded the acton from the chamber all the way back to the trigger guard. I think I finally got it down to about a 1" MOA. I wasn't at the range I usually go to and the bench at this one is pretty bad. So I dont know if the 2" groups were the rifle or me.

[MeekAndMild]

Besides the main question, is it worth $85 to have the barrel floated on a DEER rifle?

One needs a rasp, costing about 10 bucks, a fiberglass bedding kit costing about 20 bucks, some polyurethane spar varnish costing about 5 bucks, a dollar roll of masking tape, a box of rubber or plastic gloves about 3 bucks, paper towels fifty cents a 3 buck pack of sandpaper. Total will be about 42 bucks and will be enough supplies to relieve the barrels and fiberglass bed two to four rifles.

You can get by with the rasp, the sandpaper and the varnish for a total of $18 if you just want to float the barrel. Varnish is actually cheaper nowadays than linseed oil.

[Red_Eagle]

I used the following items to free float mine:

-120 grit sand paper
-180 grit sand paper
-320 grit sand paper
-000 guage steel wool
-1 3x5 index card
-Boiled linseed oil

Step 1) Slip the 3x5 between the barrel and the stock. Attempt to run it down the legth of the action. When the card stops you know you found a high spot.
Step 2) Remove the action from the stock. Place masking tape or duct tape over any portion of the stock you think might be accidently hit with the sand paper.
Step 3) Your barrel is supposed to come from the factory free floated. You'll probably see an impression the length of the barrel channel where you're making wood to metal contact. Use the 120 grit (or a rasp, I just used sand paper) And sand out the entire barrel channel. Make sure you get the sides too. You'll see where the factory tried to free float the barrel. Just sand that. Not the area that supports the muzzle or the chamber
Step 4) Periodically put the rifle back togather and do the card test
Step 5) Once you're satisfied the barrel is no longer making any wood to metal contact. Disassemble the rifle again. Sand down with 180, then 320. and finally 000 or 0000 guage steel wool. This step is to smooth out where you used the medium grit (120) sand paper more than it is to remove wood.
Step 6) Clean the loose saw dust out with a paint brush or simular item. Then dampen a rag with linseed oil or varnish. Make one light swipe down the barrel channel to clean the residual saw dust. Then use another rag to apply several light coats to protect against moisture and warpage.
Step 7) Completely reassemble rifle.

[Scorch]

Before doing anything to the rifle, call Ruger Customer Service (603-865-2442 for rifles). Tell them your problem, and hear what they have to say. Ruger customer service is typically top-notch.

[Kentucky Deer Hunter]

I did actually call Ruger this morning and the guy was great. He said if the trigger job did not help the situation, then I could send it in and they would check/adjust/replace anything it took to shoot at least a 3" group. I know it's not MOA, but if they can get it that close, I can do some load adjustments and see if I can get it better.

One thing the guy at Ruger said was that they don't float rifles with the synthetic stock. I wonder why, and if it should be floated.

One more thing, any of you that have a lot of experience shooting, what is a good routine (ie. shoot, wait so many minutes between each shot, etc...) to use when shooting from a bench trying the get the best group possible. I have learned alot this week on here about how I should not just shoot 3-4 shots off right after another. That kind of stuff would be great!

[spruilldog]

I had trouble getting mine in 30.06 to group. It didn't help that the trigger pull was 11 pounds(no kidding) with a terrible creep. $100 later for a timney and my groups are better but not great. Nothing passes between the barrel and stock. I'm sure that is the problem but at least I can get 1.5" groups now. It was a real frustration since it was my first rifle and by the time I figured out that the problem was in the gun I had gone through a ton of ammo, money, time, and developed a serious flinch that I had to work through. It's too bad that ruger doesn't do something better to float or bed their barrels. I love the fit and finish, especially the beefy bolt and the 3 way safety. I recently bought a tikka in 7 mm-08. 0.9in out of the box first time out. Sure the ruger has taken deer and is plenty accurate for deer, but with the tikka, no headaches. I've bought my last ruger.

[Red_Eagle]

Sorry...I thought you had a wood stock.

[bigbird34]

Get the trigger down to 3 lbs,(I put a timeny in my Mark-2 RL) ,you may have to float the barrel,as I also had to do this in my Weatherby Light weight,to get a better group,being a light weight ,ya need to let the barrel cool after 3 shots ....

A few years ago I watched a new Ruger owner struggle with factory loads in a 30-06 ....he got about a 5 to 6 inch group ,he asked me what I thought ,and I stated "If that were my gun, I'd sell it" .....
I gave him a couple of my reloads ,he made two shots ,and then just had to go see his target ....he had two holes touching"perfectly" at 100 yards,he had never done that before ,he was truly amazed ....come to find out his brother inlaw owned a gun shop,I just converted him to reloads !

The recipe that has worked for many an 06 shooter ...
Sierra 165 SPBT,
IMR 4895 powder, 45 grains.
Large rifle primer (any).

Give it a try what have you got to loose but diameter ! see ya BB

[langenc]

You shoot your brothers rem fine. How does he shoot your Ruger??

I suspect it is the trigger pull.

[Kentucky Deer Hunter]

The recipe that has worked for many an 06 shooter ...
Sierra 165 SPBT,
IMR 4895 powder, 45 grains.
Large rifle primer (any).

I assume the Sierra 165 SPBT is the Spitzer Point Boat Tail Bullets?

You shoot your brothers rem fine. How does he shoot your Ruger??

I suspect it is the trigger pull.

He has the same problem when he shoots my rifle... 4 - 5" groups. I will admit, he is a better shot than I am, but he cannot get anything tight on my rifle.

[chuckscap]

I had a Ruger M77 in .270 for about 6 months. I had sold my Remington 700 BDL .243 which shot nickel size groups at 100 yards. I sold the Ruger, bought a Remington 700 BDL in .270 had a gunsmith tune the trigger and get it to 3.5 lbs pull, it's been shooting better than 3/4" groups at 100 yards for 20 years. I'd call Ruger, send them the gun and have them fix it for free. You'll probably end up with a great shooter if they will, otherwise return it and buy a Remington 700. Any 30-06 that won't group with 180g bullets (the best all around weight for the caliber) isn't worth keeping in my opinion.

Chuck