I can hardly bring myself to say it! Ruger?

[cornstalker]

The potential feeding issue is what gives me pause when it comes to chambering my rifle for 6.5-284. Glad to know that your 6-284 will at least feed acceptably.

Based on my experience with the 6-284, I definitely would NOT build a 6.5-284 on a short action. If yours is a long action it should work great. In my 6-284 the 95 grain Berger is the upper limit of bullet length this one will take and still feed from the mag.

hope that helps.

(I just re-read your first post. Obviously a long action. Sorry about the stupid response)

 

[Autorotate19]

I have three rugers. A .204 Varmint, .243 MKII Light, and .22-250 Hawkeye stainless. The .204 shoots outstanding, I cant count how many coyotes iv killed with it and the .243 was my first hunting rifle. Both my brothers and I all killed our first bucks with it. It has had a hard life but the other day I got a wild hair and decided to take it out and see how well it shot after all those hard years of hunting. I shot three groups with factory hornady ammo all under .75 moa at a 100 and one was under .5 moa! Not to bad for a bone stock kids gun with a wood stock and a pencil thin barrel on it. I was stoked.
The 22-250 has been giving me hell though. I need to do something about the trigger its terrible and ill definitely try the screw tip. Thanks for all the great tips. Iv always liked the way the ruger actions felt ya know just rock solid.

 

[gregorsway]

Glad I was directed here. All I've ever heard is trash talk about Rugers. That being said I just had a gun dealer sweet talk me into a Ruger Hawkeye chambered in the .264 Win Mag. Yes I know ammo is limited and that I don't have a 24 inch barrel.
What I do know is there is hope for a lowly Ruger M77 after all. I've hunted Remington 700's and Winchester Model 70's all my life and honestly bought the rifle because it was a steal versus any other rifle he had in stock.
The trigger, even though Ruger says different, has gotta go. I'm thinking maybe Timney or Jewel drop ins and then trying the techniques you have shared.
Thanks a bunch!

 

[Overkill338]

Hey, I love my Rugers. All of mine shoot sub-MOA with my handloads.

Then like another member said, I put a Hogue stock on this .338 Win Mag.

All of them are M77 MkII's

 

[Natty Bumpo]

Coyboy,
When you accurize a Ruger, do you free float the barrel? I've got a stainless LH 77 Mark II in .25-06. Shoots about 1.5MOA. Plenty accurate for deer hunting here in Missouri. It's been my go-to rifle come November for the last few seasons.

 

[Coyboy]

Coyboy,
When you accurize a Ruger, do you free float the barrel? I've got a stainless LH 77 Mark II in .25-06. Shoots about 1.5MOA. Plenty accurate for deer hunting here in Missouri. It's been my go-to rifle come November for the last few seasons.

Yes I float the barrels, it's best to bed the action and then after that is done open the channel.

 

[TnTom]

I sold my 77mkii .220 Rocket. bought it from someone and it had been bedded, heavy barrel target laminated stock and shot .3 .4 .5 anytime. Hating life at the moment trying to decide whats next.

I've lots of gear for the .223 Rem., brass dies etc. I've decided that will be the caliber. Been reading about the Savage 12BVSS getting into the "switchbarrel" jabber.

I probably wont go that route.

I will more than likely go the Ruger 77MKII Target in .223 my questions are:

What is "floating the barrel"? What is "opening the channel"

When would a gun be pillar bedded and when would it not?

Would an action be bedded, pillared and channel opened.

I really don't want to spend a year determining if a jammed up action is causing a 1.5moa groups.

Would it be advantageous to give it to the "right person" and get it out of the waY? And who might the right person be? What would I expect to pay (roughly).

If I went that route is performance ever adversely affected ???

I'd like to add a $300 super match grade barrel but that aint going to happen. I would rather know right up front that its anything but the action/stock fit.

I can work up accurate loads and that's going to have to be the end of it.

I'd really appreciate some thoughts on thisl

 

[Kiwi Nate]

Well, like you Coyboy, I am in the accurising business so when I saw this thread I thought- oh crap I guess I better read it.

My wife has a very accurate M77 .270, probably around 1990 production, very accurate but now warn out as she has taken about 900 animals with it.

As for the newer ones, they give me the #$%@. When a potential client rings or emails me about a Ruger shooting 2.5-3MOA, I ask what year it was made (if they bought it new etc). If the customer gives a year below 2000, I will work on it. If the customer says it is fairly new, I try as delicately as possible to say that I am unwilling to work on it due to the potential wasted 12 hours labor plus consumables for zero result. I suggest that the rifle is sent to True-Flite (our New Zealand barrel maker). If they are keen, they can have a go at accurising it and if the job turns to hell, rebarrel it.

I guess the actions are OK. Having said that, I checked one that was all out of square underneath. If the rifle goes to a proper machine shop, the action can be checked over, tidied up and re-barreled using a barrel that wasn't made on the same assembly line as the AK47. I have never heard of an inaccurate Ruger based custom rifle. The only thing I don't like is the piddly short magazine box on the long actions.

You can really tell how much Ruger care about their customers by visiting their website. If you look for contact details for support- there aren't any.

**** it all. Now I am going to have to say yes to the next Hawkeye job, just to keep an open mind to your post. LOL.

 

[Tucker943]

I have an m77 hawkeye in 7 mag that absolutely fought me to death while trying to work up a good load for it. Nothing would shoot less than 1.5 MOA. I put a cheap rifle basix trigger in it and floated the barrel, still no luck. One day i got creative and was just clowning around at the reloading bench. Threw together a load of RL 22 with a Nosler 120 BT on top. I cant remember the load specs and dont have my load book handy. Shoots in the low .4's all day long. Terrbile load to shoot a whitetail. I did it. Absolutely trashed the deer. Great load to toss in the gun and dazzle your buddies though when they are ruger bashing.

 

[Shortmagman]

I own and reload a number of Ruger's. Some shoot great and some not so great.
First I have a Ruger 77 Mark II 7mm Rem Mag purchased sometime in the mid1990's that will shot almost anything into less that .75 inches. My favorite practice load in Nosler 140 BT loaded in RP cases, WLR primers, and 62 grains of either IMR-4350, or IMR-4831 This load is mild and only gives 2900+ ft/sec.. But this gun will also shoot high velocity loads using 140 Accubonds, 140 TSXs, 160 Accubonds,and 160 TSXs into less than and inch. I have purchase two different stocks to replace the boat paddle factory stock. It does not seem to matter which stock I use it still shoots great.

On the other hand my friend bought a 30-06 Ruger 77 Mark II sometime in about 2003. I tried to find something that would shoot in this gun.After months of trying different loads and after free floating the barrel and putting a Timney trigger in the gun, we were both ready to sent it back to Ruger, since the best groups were in the 2.5 to 3.0 inch range. I told my friend that we need to follow Ruger owner's manual, before sending it back. The manual said that before shipped it, we needed to shoot a number of factory loads and sent the targets along with the gun.

We purchased two different factory loads. One a box of Remington 125 grain bullets and the other a box of Federal 150 grainers. We shot both of these loads and to our great shock and suprise both produced three shot groups of .75 inches or less.


Long story short since that time I have found a number of loads that will shoot less than 1.0 inches for three shot groups. I still do not have the answer as to why this gun took so long for us to find a load. I think that it may have just needed to be shot enough to smooth out the barrel.

I have a number of other Rugers. They all shoot quite well. I am giving you my two extremes.

 

[Tucker943]

I own and reload a number of Ruger's. Some shoot great and some not so great.
First I have a Ruger 77 Mark II 7mm Rem Mag purchased sometime in the mid1990's that will shot almost anything into less that .75 inches. My favorite practice load in Nosler 140 BT loaded in RP cases, WLR primers, and 62 grains of either IMR-4350, or IMR-4831 This load is mild and only gives 2900+ ft/sec.. But this gun will also shoot high velocity loads using 140 Accubonds, 140 TSXs, 160 Accubonds,and 160 TSXs into less than and inch. I have purchase two different stocks to replace the boat paddle factory stock. It does not seem to matter which stock I use it still shoots great.

On the other hand my friend bought a 30-06 Ruger 77 Mark II sometime in about 2003. I tried to find something that would shoot in this gun.After months of trying different loads and after free floating the barrel and putting a Timney trigger in the gun, we were both ready to sent it back to Ruger, since the best groups were in the 2.5 to 3.0 inch range. I told my friend that we need to follow Ruger owner's manual, before sending it back. The manual said that before shipped it, we needed to shoot a number of factory loads and sent the targets along with the gun.

We purchased two different factory loads. One a box of Remington 125 grain bullets and the other a box of Federal 150 grainers. We shot both of these loads and to our great shock and suprise both produced three shot groups of .75 inches or less.


Long story short since that time I have found a number of loads that will shoot less than 1.0 inches for three shot groups. I still do not have the answer as to why this gun took so long for us to find a load. I think that it may have just needed to be shot enough to smooth out the barrel.

I have a number of other Rugers. They all shoot quite well. I am giving you my two extremes.

Ive seen an early 2000's ruger 30-06 shoot wonderful groups with Sierra 150 something or others over a stiff charge of H 4350

 

[cornstalker]

It really should not be such a crapshoot. But I guess that's just how it is....

I might cry foul at Ruger's inconsistency if not for just having given up on a Remington 700 LV SF in .22-250

I never could get that pig to shoot better than 1.75". The one load I found that shot better was with Midway's bulk Remington 50 grain PSP's. The cheapest bullet known to man. I really expected more from the Remmy than that. Granted it was only $800 brand new, but I traded it for a $500 Ruger that shoots ten times better.

The M77 Mark II in .308 that I bought for less than a song is still averaging .75 MOA with no further investment on my part other than load work up. This temps me to start shopping for M77's that "won't shoot".

Still a little scared of the Hawkeye's though. (No legit reason, just don't know anything about them)

 

[hypersonic]

I have a couple of the hawkeye's in SS with the plastic stocks. Yup triggers suck big time. The one in 280 Rem is not very fussy and was a good shooter right off the bat and stays 3/4" or less consistantly with 140 or 160 AB's. The 300 Win well what a pain in the *** to find a good load. Shoots the 200 AB the best over retumbo with the Berger 210 and H-1000 a close second. Currently getting about one inch average. I have not tweeked either load perhaps one or the other will shoot better with some work once I get some time. I bought both of them because they were priced right, and I was looking for a couple of rifles that were general tools that would live a rough life in my 4x4. So far I am pretty happy with more cash left in my pocket.

 

[264junkie]

+1 for Ruger. Never owned one I wasn't completely happy with.