Ruger M77 Mark II

[gregr]

I have a Ruger M77 Mark II that is reasonably accurate: just over a 1" 3-shot group at 100 yards, but I wonder if having trigger work done could improve upon that. Any gunsmiths here have much experience with this rifle, and any advice?

 

[Squirt239]

Caliber? Loads? Scope? Rings? Stock?

There's a lot of variables here...

Will a trigger job help? Where is it now? How are you grouping? If you notice a shot consistently low and to one side, it could be trigger...COULD BE.

I'm a trigger job guru, and advocate. But, a light trigger won't fix other problems. If anything, it could make them worse.

My opinion, rule out other free possibilities before you spend money with a gunsmith.

Just some free advice from an expensive gunsmith ;-)

 

[bobjones223]

+1 on caliber, load and scope.

If we are talking a 44 mag. That is as good as it gets

 

[oldpink]

What Squirt (Brett) told you is excellent advice, and you know he's telling the truth because he's not trying to talk you into some of the services that he provides.
Also, what caliber are you shooting?
Some calibers lend themselves to sub-MOA shooting better than others.
For example, most people would be a bit disappointed to be unable to get better than 1 MOA with five shots with a .308, .243, or especially a 6mm PPC.
On the other hand, those same people would be tickled to death to get right at or just barely over 1 MOA with 7mm Remington, .30-06, or most other long action calibers.
Also, have you tried other ammo or (better) tried rolling your own to tune the load to the rifle to see if you can get better groups?
To be honest, only a target shooter or long range varmint hunter would be disappointed to get three shot 1" groups @ 100 yards.
FWIW, my own Ruger M77 .30-06, the tang safety version that immediately preceded the MKII, will plop five just inside 1" at 100 yards with either of the loads that I rolled myself using either the 165 grain Barnes TTSX or the 180 grain spitzer Sierra Pro-Hunter, and I'm entirely satisfied with that!

 

[DocIndy]

That's not quite true. Volquartsen makes a replacement seat kit for the rim fire 77 series that also fits the 357/44s. They run around $40 from Midway and make a huge difference in the trigger pull.

+1 on caliber, load and scope.

If we are talking a 44 mag. That is as good as it gets

 

[Squirt239]

That's not quite true. Volquartsen makes a replacement seat kit for the rim fire 77 series that also fits the 357/44s. They run around $40 from Midway and make a huge difference in the trigger pull.

Actually, you both are right. I believe Bob Jones is saying 44 magnum factory loads, and even most hand loads, will still only get you 1" groups at 100 yards.

 

[ROLEXrifleman]

We are still speculating here, but if this is a .44, it doesn't matter how tweaked the rifle is s your still bound by the capabilities of the round. While the .44 is a proven handgun caliber it still has the ballistics of a cinder block at 100 yards. If your shooting moa already I'd say you're winning

 

[Squirt239]

We are still speculating here, but if this is a .44, it doesn't matter how tweaked the rifle is s your still bound by the capabilities of the round. While the .44 is a proven handgun caliber it still has the ballistics of a cinder block at 100 yards. If your shooting moa already I'd say you're winning

^^^This^^^

 

[gregr]

Caliber? Loads? Scope? Rings? Stock?

There's a lot of variables here...

Will a trigger job help? Where is it now? How are you grouping? If you notice a shot consistently low and to one side, it could be trigger...COULD BE.

I'm a trigger job guru, and advocate. But, a light trigger won't fix other problems. If anything, it could make them worse.

My opinion, rule out other free possibilities before you spend money with a gunsmith.

Just some free advice from an expensive gunsmith ;-)

Yeah, I see I needed to input more detail. It`s a 30-06, and I shot that 3-shot group with Federal 165 grain Trophy Bonded Boat-Tail bullet. The rifle has a Leupold Vari-X II mounted on top in 3X9.

 

[gregr]

What Squirt (Brett) told you is excellent advice, and you know he's telling the truth because he's not trying to talk you into some of the services that he provides.
Also, what caliber are you shooting?
Some calibers lend themselves to sub-MOA shooting better than others.
For example, most people would be a bit disappointed to be unable to get better than 1 MOA with five shots with a .308, .243, or especially a 6mm PPC.
On the other hand, those same people would be tickled to death to get right at or just barely over 1 MOA with 7mm Remington, .30-06, or most other long action calibers.
Also, have you tried other ammo or (better) tried rolling your own to tune the load to the rifle to see if you can get better groups?
To be honest, only a target shooter or long range varmint hunter would be disappointed to get three shot 1" groups @ 100 yards.
FWIW, my own Ruger M77 .30-06, the tang safety version that immediately preceded the MKII, will plop five just inside 1" at 100 yards with either of the loads that I rolled myself using either the 165 grain Barnes TTSX or the 180 grain spitzer Sierra Pro-Hunter, and I'm entirely satisfied with that!

Yeah, I know that this rifle is actually shooting pretty well as far as groups go. I`m shooting good ammo, have a great scope mounted on it,, and know I need to shoot it a LOT more just to get much more familiar with it. I`m probably jumping the gun on this whole deal, but I guess I had just thought a good 30-06 might shoot a little tighter groups with just a little smoother/lighter trigger.

 

[Squirt239]

Scope tightened correctly? Bases installed correctly with loctite? Scope rings lapped and aligned? Scope level? Stock pillar bedded? Stock synthetic or wood? What's the weather like when you're shooting?

So many variables, but hopefully it gives you a good start.

I'm not opposed to lightening a trigger. However, if you're getting 1" groups at 100 yards on a new gun, with a little practice, you might get those down to 1/2" groups. THEN, with a trigger job, you could potentially be less than 1/2".

If you have any questions, please contact me.

 

[oldpink]

Scope tightened correctly? Bases installed correctly with loctite? Scope rings lapped and aligned? Scope level? Stock pillar bedded? Stock synthetic or wood? What's the weather like when you're shooting?

So many variables, but hopefully it gives you a good start.

I'm not opposed to lightening a trigger. However, if you're getting 1" groups at 100 yards on a new gun, with a little practice, you might get those down to 1/2" groups. THEN, with a trigger job, you could potentially be less than 1/2".

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Exactly
The only modification I ever made to my tang safety M77 was to personally apply Brownell's Acraglas gel to the bedding point in an extremely meticulous manner, just enough to barely free float the barrel.
I didn't measure groups before that, but it certainly didn't hurt!
You probably already know this, but the tang safety M77 came bone stock with an excellent trigger.

 

[bobjones223]

That's not quite true. Volquartsen makes a replacement seat kit for the rim fire 77 series that also fits the 357/44s. They run around $40 from Midway and make a huge difference in the trigger pull.

I didn't mean that is as good as the gun gets....I meant that is as good as the grouping gets with a .44.

 

[gregr]

Scope tightened correctly? Bases installed correctly with loctite? Scope rings lapped and aligned? Scope level? Stock pillar bedded? Stock synthetic or wood? What's the weather like when you're shooting?

So many variables, but hopefully it gives you a good start.

I'm not opposed to lightening a trigger. However, if you're getting 1" groups at 100 yards on a new gun, with a little practice, you might get those down to 1/2" groups. THEN, with a trigger job, you could potentially be less than 1/2".

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Thank you sir...

 

[BigMatt]

Also, try every type of ammo you can find.