How to make a Ruger m77 International shoot good??

[Les Staley]

I have this 308 shorty full stock.. doesn't like much of anything ..groups around 3 inches at 100yds..  only bullet I have found to group is a 150gr round nose.   I'm trying a couple of experiments.. one, to shim the receiver off the stock with two small pieces of sheet copper.. about 25 thousandths thick.. one at tang and one under flat just behind the angled guard screw.  This will effectively float the barrel.  The front steel nose cap is not tight around the front sight sleeve, floats just a little..  I could relieve it if need be..  Any suggestions??   thanks.. Les

[Siskiyou]

If you have not tried handloading for it, give it a try.  I have a M77 in 7MM Mag that does not like factory ammunition.  When I purchased it new I also bought ammunition from Federal, Winchester, and Remington.  I was lucky to get a 3-inch group out of it.

Reloading for it resolved the accuracy problem.  Three case filling powders have made the difference, H4831, AA8700, and H870.  Using the listed powder I have had very good results with bullets from Remington, Hornaday, Nosler, and Speer.

In the case of the .308 I would try IMR4895, IMR4064, or IMR4320.  All three powders will give you a load density over 95 percent.  In the case of my M77 load density was the key to success. When I bought bulk Remington bullets and created high density loads my groups tighten up and I changed my mind about get rid of the rifle.  When I started my pre-season practice sessions last Spring I was again reminded of the truth I discovered over twenty years ago.  My handloaded Remington CorLoks and Speer Mag-Tips created tight groups.  I then open a new box of Winchester factory ammo and the groups opened up.  I decided I would shot up the two boxes of factory ammo for practice and reload the brass.

I am aware of the same problem with a couple other M77's built back in the early 70's.  The guy who owned the rifles sold them to a couple of brothers who I hunted with.   Reload ammuniton resolved the problem.  A strange one at the that.

Hornaday Light Magnum and Federal High Energy loads are compressed and may serve the same purpose.

[safetysheriff]

you may be surprised to hear this but if your stock screws are over-torqued it'll hurt accuracy.

i'd loosen the screws, re-set the stock and then lightly tighten the screws down with loctite on 'em.

it worked for us recently with a tough-to-solve remington.

ss'

[Les Staley]

Thanks for all the good sugestions, guys..  I was fooling with it most of the day yesterday,  shooting different loads,  and cracked the stock from inside behind mag well back into wrist... back to the drawing board..now looking or a replacement stock for a short action RSI..  don't realy give a rat's patoot if its a manlicher style or not..  (ordered a ramline from Midway for short action w/ tang safety)..  report to follow later this month.. Les

[safetysheriff]

les'

save that first stock.   you can fix it with epoxy so that it will be very strong.   look on the web or in a library to see how to repair a stock that's broken where yours is.

let us know how the new stock works.

good shooting to you,

ss'

[gunnut69]

Sounds like the problem may have been the mag box bearing on the stock and the recoil lug not. I reccomend fixing the existing stock. It's not hard. Use Devcon slow set epoxy. Sold in twinned tubes it is touted as being 5-ton epoxy?  When the stock is fixed it can be re-enforced with a stock bolt but be certain the the recoil lug is the only bearing surface.. Over the years I've kept a few notes and for consistancy, especially with fullstock rifles full length bedding seems to give the best results. By that I mean from the front of the stock to behinf the recoil lug and the rear tang...what now is sometimes called pillar bedding, the rear tang screw.  I a 300 WinMag on an enfield action that's not moved an inch since it was built in the mid '70s. Only rezeros were when the load was changed(different bullet powder. Also the effect seems most pronounced in fullstock rifles! The accuracy with half stocks is sometimes a bit better with pressure but they sometimes move with the weather. Floating also works well but is very hard with a fullstock and if the stock is left to it's own devices it will usually warp at some point and usually to the point it touches the barrel. That's guaranteed to changed the point of impact. The Ruger RSI and M77 in general are nice rifles. I do not like the MKII's.. Fit and finish is not there and the triggers are poor.. Ruger had some problem with barrels and chamber dimensions for a while but they solved the problem..

[Zachary]

Any suggestions?? 

Sure...replace it with a Tikka. 

Zachary