I have an old M77 tang safety sitting around in .338 WM and I have thought about taking it to my gunsmith to put a new hart barrel on it, truing the action, lightening the trigger, and putting a McMillan stock on it. But I question my thinking on it. Are Ruger m77s worth dumping money into and using as the base of a custom build or should I just sell it cheap and buy a new Winchester M70 stainless extreme in the same caliber and call it good? Is it going to be like putting lipstick on a pig? What are your thoughts?
Hey Sheepdawg,
First, once you start 'customizing' ANY rifle, you will never get your 'investment' back out of it. Just a sad fact of gunning life. You customize for YOU, not for resale value down the line. Most guys and gals, if looking for a 'customized' gun, are going to be looking for a Rem 700 (or equivalent aftermarket like Defiance, Surgeon, or the like) for target/specialty shooting reasons. That takes the Ruger 77 and Win 70 out of the 'game' right there if you think you'll customize and then have something you can quickly turn around and get most of your $$ out of later when re-selling.
Having said all that, some of us really think the Ruger 77s with the tang safety were quite special. The safety was in the CORRECT position for a hunting rifle and my .270 Win model was quite accurate right of the box. It was made in the late 1970s and even had a very good trigger pull right from the factory. I also think the scope mounting setup is superior to anything else out there. Rings bolt directly to the receiver so there is no 'base' to come loose. William Ruger did a good job with these guns. They are solid, well-built rifles worth keeping and fixing up for hunting.
I can't tell if you are passionate about this gun in any way. If you have no emotional attachment to it, then sell it and get that shiny new Winchester. There will be folks that will happily buy the tang safety Ruger from you. Prices have been creeping up on them over the years as people realize how special they were.
If this gun does have some emotional value then, YES(!), true the action, rebarrel it, adjust the trigger (they are adjustable!), and put a stock from Boyd's on there (
https://www.boydsgunstocks.com/product-configurator/heritage-ruger-m77-3za472x44zz ) or McMillan (
https://mcmillanusa.com/mcmillan-ruger-gunstocks/ ). Then you will have a special, unique gun that you made to be what YOU wanted. It will shoot well and be a joy to handle and carry. That's a great feeling.