Re-barreling a Ruger M77 MKII. What caliber?

The 6.8 while an option you will have to open the bolt face to work with the cartridge. The 6.8 is based off of the old .30 Remington case which has a larger rim than a .223. However it should feed from the magazine with little if any modification.
 
The .222 rem mag intrigues me, and I think it would work, but still lighter than I want to deer hunt with.
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Rebarrelling a working 223 to 222 Remington Mag would be insane. I know 223 is a bit hard to find right now, but the 222 RM is nearly obsolete. The only one still making it is Nosler Custom at almost $2 a round.

I agree both are light for deer.
 
1st off, I still think rebarreling in 223 is the way to go... if you are worried about ammo availability this situation will not last, & 223 is "normally available much cheaper than something custom... I Borrowed this list from another forum, so I'm not sure of the accuracy or completeness of the list, but here is a list of 223 based cartridges...

6x40mm
6x45mm
25 TCU
.25x40mm
6.5x40mm
6.8x40mm
7mm TCU
7x40mm
7.62x40mm
6mm Whisper
6.5mm Whisper
7mm Whisper
300 Whisper
30x45mm
30 Apache
30 / 223 Ingram
 
300 Blackout is sexy cool now. Should be an easy fit since all you need to do to an AR is change the barrel, same bolt/mags as the 5.56.
 
At this point my barrel selection will depend on what (if any) M77 MKII bolt at a reasonable price I can find. If I find one with a larger face diameter than I have now that will open up some more options. I would love to find one with a .470 diameter and rebarrel it with either a .260 rem or .257 roberts. But if I rebarrel with my current bolt it will most likely be .204 ruger
 
I dont know much about Rugers dimensions, but you should be able to open up the bolt face and build a .243 or 7-mm08 or anything else you want on a .308 case. Most of my re-barrels involve opening up bolt faces.
 
Considering most rebarrel jobs cost between $400-700 depending on barrel used, you can buy a New Hawkeye in .260 or .257 by splitting the difference. I'd only rebarrel to a cartridge that I couldn't get a new production rifle in rather than spend the money to make it into something I can buy new off the shelf in the basic package. There are a couple of .260's and several .257's to choose from on Gunbroker right now in the $600 price range.
 
Reynolds357-can you explain how exactly to "open up" the bolt face? Should I let a gunsmith do this? Please forgive my lack of knowledge but Im only 24 and still have alot to learn. Unlike most people my age I dont know everything

taylorce1- so does that mean when you "shooot out" the factory barrel on a rifle it should become a parts gun unless you want to make it a wildcat or obsolete caliber?
 
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taylor force its his dads rifle. and just cause its new doesn't mean it is gonna be a good one, ruger does not stand behind any accuracy guarantee only function. I gave up on them with my new hawkeye in 257 Roberts. 6 inch groups isn't a rifle. fwiw bobn
 
No it is totally worth a rebarrel, it just isn't worth it to pay a Smith to open the bolt face or buy a new bolt and rework the action to feed a larger cartridge. Why pay $400-700 for a rebarrel and another $200-400 in action work to get a .260 or .257 when you can pick one up for around $600? Send your rifle off and have it made into a .223 again or .204 Ruger, and buy the other rifle you want for the same amount of money you would spend converting your one rifle to a larger cartridge and have two nice rifles.

I never said that he had to stick with Ruger, I only referenced them because that is what he already owns. A lot of companies offer a .260 for around $600 but a $600 .257 Roberts is a little harder to come by. Find the rifle you like, it doesn't have to be any particular brand.
 
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taylorce- I get what your saying. I wouldnt want to spend that kind of money on a rebarrel job. It'll most likely be going .204 unless I stumble upon another bolt for cheap sometime soon.

I have heard mixed experiences as well on the accuracy of M77s but this particular one would shoot one ragged hole groups @100 yards earlier in its life. They have opened up to about an inch now
 
Steven, yes a gunsmith will have to open up the bolt face. Having said that, a gunsmith also has to do the re-barrel job since it is not a barrel nut rifle. I agree with re-barreling. It might cost as much as a new rifle, but if you use a decent rifle builder, it is going to considerably out shoot the factory rifle in the same price range. Some of the best money I ever spent was sending a shot out 70 7 Rem mag to Mcgowen for a re-barrel and accuracy work. (That was before my friend started building bench rest and 1000 yd rifles. Now he gets the work.:D)
 
Yeah I know I cant actually swap the barrels myself, an older friend of mine does gunsmithing on the side and he has done a barrel swap for me before. It was a Remington 700 varmint that went from .220 swift to 6mm remington. Ill have to ask him if he can open up a bolt face.
 
Will it really cost $400-600 for a barrel swap? I think it will be less. Maybe not in a match Shilen barrel, but there are pretty good barrels for a lot less.
 
John, most of my hunting barrels are in the $300 range. Add barrel finish, chamber cutting, turning the threads, etc. etc. etc. and unless someone can do it themselves or have a friend do it; a re-barrel can get expensive. You are correct, you can use a low grade barrel, but in my mind that defeats the purpose.
 
I have heard mixed experiences as well on the accuracy of M77s but this particular one would shoot one ragged hole groups @100 yards earlier in its life. They have opened up to about an inch now
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Factory performance of M77s means nothing.

For the majority of bolt action rifles, the 'magic' is in the barrel and its installation, with a little bit of help coming from proper inletting and bedding.


Why pay $400-700 for a rebarrel and another $200-400 in action work to get a .260 or .257 when you can pick one up for around $600?
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Around here, a basic rebarrel (w/ rechamber) runs about $100. It's another $25-40 for bluing. Opening the bolt face is about $40-60, including extractor modification. (If the extractor needs to be replaced, they run about $30.)

For the M77, "action work" to go from .223 Rem to .260 Rem can be done a few different ways. None of them are difficult, expensive, or require machining.
1. Remove the "magazine fillers" and replace the follower - about $8.
2. Replace the magazine box and replace the follower - about $18.
3. Remove the magazine box and replace with a single-shot block - about $18.

Total cost, excluding the barrel: Less than $250.

A couple years ago, I picked up a Shilen Match 6mm 1:10" twist barrel for around $130, by keeping a close eye on Brownell's and Midway's clearance products.
Rebarreling my own M77 from .220 Swift to a 6mm wildcat cost me just a bit under $300, total (right around $290).


Since he can do the rebarrel pretty much for free, his total cost would probably be about $50, max, plus the barrel.


Cost aside....
Sometimes, it just feels better to bring a trusty friend back to life, than to throw it away and buy something else.
 
222 mag sounds neat, but basically its a .223. Gent I shoot with has a .222 mag.

250 Savage, 257 Roberts or a 260 Remington would be my list to consider and I'd probably go with the .260 Remington. If it wasn't so similiar to the 6.5x55 Swede that I have 4 rifles in, I'd already own one.
 
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