5" group with a Ruger M77 .30-06... This cannot be good... - Page 2

Sarge · October 17, 2007, 11:12 PM

Ruger makes really pretty bolt-guns & single shots, but I have lost track of the ones I've seen and heard about that wouldn't shoot for sour apples. Frankly I think they use second rate barrels. Several .270 Rugers on the other hand, have been pretty darn good. 'Luck of the draw' you might say.

This is not to say that some tweaking won't get yours up to a usable level of accuracy- which is whatever you say it is. Ruger's comment about making it shoot "at least a 3" group" tells me everything I need to know about their expectations of their own product.

The deal-killer for me is that the most abused, ugly old 110 Savage in any caliber (mine's an UGLY .223) has always just shot rings around the 'best' Rugers I've had ahold of. So does the old plain-jane .30-06 Remington Model 78 that has stood in the closet corner for about 14 years now. I probably have less in that 78 than a new wood stock for a 77 Ruger would cost these days.

Needless to say, neither of those old ugly guns are going anywhere.

Danny Creasy · October 17, 2007, 11:52 PM

Ruger's inconsistency is frustrating. Across the board. Two friends sent back 77 Varmints in .22-250 over poor accuracy and another's is a tack driver. I know this is a centerfire thread. But, I made a recent post about my great experience with a 77/22. I had been less than impressed with a couple I had shot in the past.

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...d.php?t=263669

cecILL · October 18, 2007, 07:36 AM

Wow, five inch groups are pretty bad. Have you tried a different scope?

Jim Watson · October 18, 2007, 09:39 AM

Friend of mine had a M77 7x57 that was very disappointing on accuracy. Ruger tinkered with the bedding and crown and sent it back with a 1.5" group which he thought adequate for hunting until he read the fine print and saw it had been shot at 50 yards. The rifle now has a Douglas barrel in .280 Rem and is his new favorite mule deer and elk rifle.

Art Eatman · October 18, 2007, 11:21 AM

I've always had good results with Sierra bullets, both boat-tail and flat-base; spitzers and hollow points are equal, as well. I've mostly used 4064, since 1950.

I tried a book-max load of H414 with 180-grain SPBTs and got a three-shot 0.4 MOA group--and grinned, and quit.

Dunno what to say about Rugers in general. I had two 77s back in the 1970s and they were tack-drivers. I have a 77 Mk II in .223 and it's a half-MOA critter--with no tweaking other than installing a Timney trigger.

Occasional bad barrels? I dunno. Frustrating...

Art

bigbird34 · October 18, 2007, 07:38 PM

Yes,Sierra 165 grain Spitzer Boat tails "Game kings" I believe ,Haven't loaded any in awhile ......the little ole guy in my head ,keeps running around in my head lookin for the file ,he's as old as me and can't find the file/ product number at this time

)see ya BB

Sarge · October 18, 2007, 08:03 PM

H4895 has produced such good results in so many calibers, it's about the only rifle powder I keep on the place anymore. Sierra bullets as mentioned in Art's last post have all been excellent in my rifles. The Nosler 150/Ballistic Tip was also a nice surprise, producing some of the best groups pur Remingtons have ever shot.

October 17, 2007, 11:12 PM	#26
Sarge Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2002 Location: MO Posts: 5,458	Ruger makes really pretty bolt-guns & single shots, but I have lost track of the ones I've seen and heard about that wouldn't shoot for sour apples. Frankly I think they use second rate barrels. Several .270 Rugers on the other hand, have been pretty darn good. 'Luck of the draw' you might say. This is not to say that some tweaking won't get yours up to a usable level of accuracy- which is whatever you say it is. Ruger's comment about making it shoot "at least a 3" group" tells me everything I need to know about their expectations of their own product. The deal-killer for me is that the most abused, ugly old 110 Savage in any caliber (mine's an UGLY .223) has always just shot rings around the 'best' Rugers I've had ahold of. So does the old plain-jane .30-06 Remington Model 78 that has stood in the closet corner for about 14 years now. I probably have less in that 78 than a new wood stock for a 77 Ruger would cost these days. Needless to say, neither of those old ugly guns are going anywhere. __________________ People were smarter before the Internet, or imbeciles were harder to notice.

October 18, 2007, 07:38 PM	#31
bigbird34 Senior Member Join Date: September 21, 2007 Location: N.W.Vermont Posts: 291	Sierra Yes,Sierra 165 grain Spitzer Boat tails "Game kings" I believe ,Haven't loaded any in awhile ......the little ole guy in my head ,keeps running around in my head lookin for the file ,he's as old as me and can't find the file/ product number at this time )see ya BB

October 18, 2007, 08:03 PM	#32
Sarge Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2002 Location: MO Posts: 5,458	H4895 has produced such good results in so many calibers, it's about the only rifle powder I keep on the place anymore. Sierra bullets as mentioned in Art's last post have all been excellent in my rifles. The Nosler 150/Ballistic Tip was also a nice surprise, producing some of the best groups pur Remingtons have ever shot. __________________ People were smarter before the Internet, or imbeciles were harder to notice.

October 17, 2007, 11:52 PM	#27
Danny Creasy Senior Member Join Date: October 2, 2007 Location: Northwest Alabama Posts: 274	Ruger's inconsistency is frustrating. Across the board. Two friends sent back 77 Varmints in .22-250 over poor accuracy and another's is a tack driver. I know this is a centerfire thread. But, I made a recent post about my great experience with a 77/22. I had been less than impressed with a couple I had shot in the past. http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...d.php?t=263669

October 18, 2007, 07:36 AM	#28
cecILL Senior Member Join Date: August 13, 2001 Location: central IL Posts: 769	Wow, five inch groups are pretty bad. Have you tried a different scope?

October 18, 2007, 09:39 AM	#29
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,552	Friend of mine had a M77 7x57 that was very disappointing on accuracy. Ruger tinkered with the bedding and crown and sent it back with a 1.5" group which he thought adequate for hunting until he read the fine print and saw it had been shot at 50 yards. The rifle now has a Douglas barrel in .280 Rem and is his new favorite mule deer and elk rifle.

October 18, 2007, 11:21 AM	#30
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	I've always had good results with Sierra bullets, both boat-tail and flat-base; spitzers and hollow points are equal, as well. I've mostly used 4064, since 1950. I tried a book-max load of H414 with 180-grain SPBTs and got a three-shot 0.4 MOA group--and grinned, and quit. Dunno what to say about Rugers in general. I had two 77s back in the 1970s and they were tack-drivers. I have a 77 Mk II in .223 and it's a half-MOA critter--with no tweaking other than installing a Timney trigger. Occasional bad barrels? I dunno. Frustrating... Art