Ruger M77 7x57 gamble

[Dick West]

Out buying some rimfire ammo and I stumbled onto an older M77 (tang safety) with a 2-7x30 Leupold scope today for $295. Aside from a couple dings in the stock it's very clean. So, I did something I never do--I slapped down hold money on it.

I love the 7x57 cartridge and my wife has a sporterized Spanish Mauser, so I have dies and some 30-06 converted brass.

But I have plenty of rifles and not a lot of money--so I don't often blow $300 on impulse.

Does this seem like a good deal?

And you folks with M77s, tell if there's anything to watch out for. I'd be shooting it with cast, unless I take it out for larger game.

Any guidance appreciated.

 

[JWFilips]

From my part of the woods It was a sweet deal! Love my 1980's tang safety ( 243 Win)
Mine shoots cast very well...Never shoot copper again!
Jim

 

[David Reiss]

Great deal. The 7mm mauser is just shy in the ballistic department of the 7mm-08, and both are really fine cartridges.

 

[Chris]

Out buying some rimfire ammo and I stumbled onto an older M77 (tang safety) with a 2-7x30 Leupold scope today for $295. Aside from a couple dings in the stock it's very clean. So, I did something I never do--I slapped down hold money on it.

I love the 7x57 cartridge and my wife has a sporterized Spanish Mauser, so I have dies and some 30-06 converted brass.

But I have plenty of rifles and not a lot of money--so I don't often blow $300 on impulse.

Does this seem like a good deal?

And you folks with M77s, tell if there's anything to watch out for. I'd be shooting it with cast, unless I take it out for larger game.

Any guidance appreciated.

G-man, I have something to share that involves two tang safety Ruger .358's and one 7x57 of the same era. I have personally seen this on 2 of my rifles and a close friend and reliable rifleman has as well. Take a hard look at the firing pin inside the bolt... blacken it and dry fire it a bunch and look for bright spots if it drags coming out the bolt hole. Now I don't have the terminology, but check the back of the firing pin piece, just ahead of where the cocking piece would be on an '03. At the bottom where it might drag, I guess the sear. Blacken that sucker and look for wear points. You may have to dry fire a bit.

On 3 of the above Rugers there is enough drag to cause a misfire on occasion... the primer will usually fire on the second try but the misfires will occur if the weather is damp or rainy, never at the range in the summer. I could reproduce this by running my bolt over a steam kettle and putting it in the fridge for 10 minutes. I'm talking a squeaky clean pin oiled with CLP and polished dry.

This cost me 3 bucks including the biggest I have ever seen, cost my friend a beautiful big buck owing to misfire. It only does it when the weather is poor and it is cold. Took me some years to figure this out because it was sporadic.

Once I figured it out it was a matter of a very light rub on the high spots with an India stone.

Maybe we are the only unlucky ones, but I suspect that there was a variation in bolt or pin tolerance in some tang safety Rugers. Worth taking a look I think.

 

[Dick West]

Chris, I appreciate the heads up. Winter has just hit, and I'm the kind of nut who enjoys going to the range or shooting in the desert in nasty weather just to fight off cabin fever. So the rifle should get ample opportunity to misfire.

I'm really an ignoramus about Ruger rifles. (I have a 60s Ruger .22 pistol, Single Six, and an Old Army cap and ball.) I did some quick Googling on the M77 and learned that the factory trigger is notorious for being heavy and requires a sear or Timney replacement to get to around 3 lbs.

That said, I didn't even check the rifle to see if the former owner may have already taken care of the trigger. He/she put a good scope on it and an expensive leather sling and obviously took good care of it, so who knows? Besides, I can get a replacement sear for about $40 that allegedly will bring the trigger weight down.

 

[Chris]

I imagine you will like that Ruger... trigger may need some work though, I had mine done. Tang safety is great for hunting. Glass bedding may help, think about it. Mine have been good and reliable cast shooters.

This firing pin matter is worth investigating, nothing worse than an unreliable rifle, eh?

 

[Tony]

In my opinion the rifle's action alone is probably worth $300. The trigger, bedding and firing pin (if a problem) are easy and inexpensive to fix. You got a very good deal. I would have had a hard time passing on that rifle.

 

[KHornet]

Have 2 77's a 7x57 and 243. The 7x57 is my go to rifle, jacketed or cast!

Paul

 

[fiver]

if you don't like it I'll give you your 300 back and pay shipping.
I bought one just like it only I put a Konus 2.5X7 on it.
Littlegirl promptly commandeered it.
so I bought another in 250 savage Ackley improved.
the oldest girl commandeered that one.

anyway try 49-51 grs of RL-19 or 4831 under a 139gr interlock with a federal 210 primer.
if it won't shoot that it probably won't shoot.

 

[Pistolero]

Take a look at that rifle in the picture.

That is my main hunting rifle since 1976..... lots of good results, never a fault.

One shot on that kudu at about 125 yds. He took two steps and collapsed, never
moved another muscle.

Like fiver said, if you decide to sell, add $100 and I'll pay it.

Bill

 

[Bret4207]

I've always preferred the tang safety Rugers to the later ones. The 7x57, especially in a modern rifle, is all the rifle anyone in the lower 48 will ever need, but maybe not as much as they want...or think they want.

 

[KHornet]

Agree, mine is an older one with the tang, and it would probably be
the last rifle I would be willing to part with.

 

[SierraHunter]

One of you older more experienced gentlemen correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Ruger make the tang safety m77 in stainless and then try to blue it? (Or use some kind of coating?)

 

[Chris]

One of you older more experienced gentlemen correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Ruger make the tang safety m77 in stainless and then try to blue it? (Or use some kind of coating?)

Speaking only for myself with a tang M77 variant in .358 made in a limited production run. Mine is regular blued steel for sure.

I'm posting a photo of it because only a few were made and some of you probably have not seen one.

 

[fiver]

I don't think ruger tried making anything with stainless until about 1990 or so. [then it was their button rifled barrels]
I have an earlier 80's 'skeletonized boat paddle style' rifle in what could appear to be stainless but I think is actually in the white as both the barrel and frame match.
some might confuse the earlier tang safety ones too since the receiver usually turns a purple/brown color similar to some of the Dan Wesson revolvers and some of the mid 70 win 94's.

 

[Pistolero]

My Ruger 77, 7x57, bought in 1976 is regular carbon steel, nice, beautiful blue on all steel
parts, but floorplate and trigger guard are aluminum. I really like the tang safety.

Bill

 

[9.3X62AL]

I would have snagged that tanger 77 in 7 Mauser for $300 so fast that heads would have spun. You did just fine, sir--and with good glassware already on board, too.

 

[Intheshop]

Yup,gotta know when to bust out the money.I'd bought it as well,and don't particularly like 77's.

 

[Dick West]

Finally picked up the 7x57 Ruger. About all I know right now is that the bore is squeaky clean and the trigger has a fairly good release, it's the original M77 trigger, but it may have been tuned.

I loaded up some 139 boat-tail Hornadys to check functioning and the scope. I made them light loads, for example with 18 grains of 4759 and a similar load of IMR 4227.

I don't have much else to put behind jacketed bullets.

The weather is miserable, but I'll at least see if it goes bang.

 

[35 shooter]

You got a whale of a deal on that one, considering both the rifle and leupold scope already on it.
Great cartridge too. I like anything with a tang safety on it too.