opinion on a Ruger M77 MK II in 300 win mag

A .300 Magnum!!?? :eek:
What would anyone need such a powerful firearm for?!



I really like Ruger's full-length Mannlicher M77 and No.1 rifle stocks with the schnabel forend

My 77/44 has been nothing but excellent
 
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Well I didnt go out looking for a 300 winnie mag but I have looked at the ballistics on this cartridge and found it interesting. Whatever in North America you hit with it " Its gonna lay down"! One day I walked into a local hardware and farm supply store, one from which I had bought a gunsafe from previously ( so they knew I liked guns) and asked what have you got that I just cant live without? He went into his gun vault and came out with this Ruger . It was a little dusty and had been in there for a couple years , It had the scope rings together as a package . I think the reputation for heavy recoil shood most people off and the cost of factory ammo, made it a little harder to sell than maybe some other caliber. So we negotiated for a few days and I eventualy bought it for $500 even . I guess I really didnt need this much power I just wanted it . I fired 20 rounds with it today and that was quite enough to get it zeroed in to 1 inch groups at 150 yards I could have shot a few more but that was enough. I dont suggest it as a target rifle by anymeans, but it is fun to shoot , not for the faint of heart.Glad I bought it !!!
 
Whatever in North America you hit with it " Its gonna lay down"!
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What is it with 'North America'? Sorry, I'm not from your country but I read about "North America" quite a lot. Does South America not have any big game animals?:confused:
I'm just in the throws of purchasing a new Ruger Hawkeye in .300 Win Mag, as we speak, so this thread has been good for me. I've had a Ruger M77 MK11 in .30-06 cal. that I purchased back in 1995. With my careful handloads it will shoot 180 grain slugs at 2,800fps 1 1/2" consistantly at 100 yards, not a tack driver by any means but I thought that was alright for out to 325 yards!
I have an M77 in 338 WinMag. I consider it to be barely adequate as a hunting rifle due to 2.5"-3" groups
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:barf: Sounds like my Sako Finlight in 7mm Rem Mag 1.5" - 3" groups!
 
dont know about the angled bolt being the answer to our dreams. I dont know of one bench rest gun built on a ruger action. About 99 percent are on remington actions. Ive owned a number of rugers through the years and have had good and bad ones but more bad then with any other manufacturer. As to strenght who cares. Any of the manufactures bolt guns are plenty strong. As to a 300 mag being an overkill maybe it is but ive killed a pile of game with it and have made some of the longest shots ive ever made with it and to me anyway it has allways been the most accurate mag round ive worked with. Personaly ive had enough troubles with rugers shooting that the only way id buy another is if it were a stainless one as most of them ive shot did fine. Anyone that knows me knows my opinions come from shooting and shooting alot. Not from internet bs thats passed on.
 
Have a Ruger M77 MK II All Weather in 300 win mag. with a 3-9x40mm Leupold on top that gives me < 3/4" groups with the 180 grain Core-Lokt PSP factory ammo after I replaced the factory fence post with a Timney trigger set at 1.5#.

If I had to describe this rifle in one sentence I would say it's a lot like a pre-64 Winchester Model 70 except significantly tougher.

That gun has fallen off ATVs & bounced around in the boxes of pick-up trucks but still shoots like a dream.
 
7mm STW, interesting question. Can't say as I can think of anything in the moose/elk category in South America. Though the reference to anything in NA I think has more to do with few being able to afford a hunting trip to SA while if they really want to even most working folk can manage an elk hunt and usually want a fairly heavy bullet to fire if they get a chance at an 800 lb animal.
 
Rugers

I had more that were shooters than were not...glad yours is the former.

If you reload, you can back off the mag load a tad and save the big stuff for bigger game.

Wood-stocked Rugers are beautiful, congrats on yours.
 
I just put a new limbsaver recoil pad on my Mk II all-weather .300 WM and it was money well spent! It is now a sweety to shoot!

And 150 gr. bullets in .300 WM are fine for whitetail. I've never had one go over five yards after I've hit them and NOBODY else ever tags my deer!
 
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I guess I really didnt need this much power I just wanted it .
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And sometimes, that's all the reason we need! :p

Concerning the Ruger Model 77/77MKII, I've got two of each and have found all four to be reasonably accurate, thoroughly reliable, having good workmanship, of sturdy construction and easy on the eyes. I much prefer the Ruger over any Model 70 or 700 (of which I've had more than a couple of over the years).
 
Thanks Guys I have to say it is one of the more beautiful guns in my collection and I just love the Mauser ish look of the action and it is smooth as silk . I dont know if it is german engineered but it sure looks like it to me . All in all it is a precision instrument .Im looking forward to setting my sights on a big buck whitetail Ive been watching all summer . I'll let you know what happens.......LOUD
 
I've known people that swear by Ruger, and I've known people that swear AT Ruger! I had a M77 tang safety in 7 Rem Mag. Poor shooter. I tried every kind of factory load I could get my hands on, and probably 30 or more different handload recipes. I shot it a lot, and it went from a 2 MOA shooter to a 4 MOA shooter. I tried 3 different scopes, I tried free floating, I tried bedding. Then I FINALLY got the rifle I dreamed of... when I sold it and bought a Remington!:p
The Remmy was a shooter from the get-go. But back to Ruger...

I've heard of barrel problems with the old M77's and I think that's what I got. Then I shot it so much looking for the pet load, that I think I shot out the barrel. I'd be willing to try a Hawkeye some day, but it would have to be a great deal. If I'm going to put my dollars down, I'm more likely to get a brand that hasn't let me down yet.

That's what some people say about Remington, though. Someone may have got a lemon, and now he stays away from them. Whereas I'd rather put my money for a Remmy than a Ruger, just because I had a bad Ruger and 4 great 700's.
 
They have whitetails in Virginia? JK!! Good luck!!
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HeHe , I live in rural Virginia in a county with 1 liquor store , no stoplights , 12,000 people amd 60,000 deer . Thats 5 for every man , woman and child. I think I can get one anytime, until now it was a well kept secret!.........:D LOUD
 
I have owned two Ruger 77’s. Both were very well made, reliable guns.
The 30-06 was a tack driver but the 6mm Rem was not. What I found was that for my 6mm, bullet seating depth was critical to get into 1 inch groups at 100 yards. My longest shot with the 6mm was at 400 yards at a ground hog lying down between furrows. He quit eating soybeans after the passage of the 70 Gr bullet.
You have a great gun at a great price. Have fun.
And where are the pic’s
 
I'm glad you found your Ruger and it's shooting well for you! I've been toting a MK II (in 7mm Rem Mag) for going on 2 decades. I had those 3" groups - 2" on a good day, worse on bad days, and had been talked into the idea that I shouldn't expect better from this gun. And that was okay as I was taking deer with it year-over-year.

Two years ago, the gun busted my old Tasco when I was checking zero, before packing it up for an elk hunt. While I was at it, I put on new rings. And having shot up my old ammo zeroing in the new scope, thought I'd try different ammo.

Holy smokes! A different gun!

Congrats on a nice find. I've shot a few sub MOA groups since then, but you can see my two year old post with a target pic, when I celebrated my turn of events here on TFL: http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=317941&highlight=ruger

Happy shooting with your MK II!
 
Now that you have the rifle and you seem to enjoy it, the next thing you will want to do is get some reloading equipment! You should be able to improve your groups and lower the cost of shooting. Enjoy!!!!
 
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