Ruger M77 MK II VLE Tactical - opinions

A

ah141nj

New member
I need some input.
I have been looking to get a bolt gun in 223 without breaking the bank. Have been shooting my Colt HBAR Match for some time now & now I want a bolt gun.

I have been reading both postive & negative things about Ruger...not sure which way I should be swaying.

Also, I have an additional question.
I am a righty but I need to shoot long guns lefty. Do rifles usually have a right handed only comb on the stock? Or can I shoot lefty from a right handed rifle without having to worry about the bolt & ejection port coming from the right side, this doesnt matter to me.

I have been considering the Ruger. It will be used for target from a bench most of the time. Any opinions on this rifle. Can anyone provide links to companies that have aftermarket parts available for the Ruger line. I know the aftermarket world wouldnt be as obundant as a Remington 700, but I know eventually I would want to tinker.
 
I am not a fan of Ruger's centerfire bolt guns. I've got 2 and they just don't shoot small like my Remingtons, Winchesters, Savages, Howas, Etc. even with hours of tinkering with bedding and load development.

If you have your heart set on an M77, then buy it. Maybe you'll be luckier than I was.
 
I have a couple of Ruger rifles and I'm quite fond of them, but only the old style 77V was a great shooter without needing additional work. The most recent purchase, a Ruger Hawkeye in 223 (stainless, with synthetic stock, at a really great price), has been frustrating. So far, I just can't seem to find the bullet and powder combination that'll make it shoot under 1 MOA or better. Looking back, it might have been a better idea for me to get the Ruger Hawkeye Tactical version or maybe the Remington Tactical or one of the new T/C tackdrivers. Or, maybe one of the Winchesters. As for Savage, I know they are great shooters, but I just don't like the look of them. And as for the Ruger I have, I will make that rascal shoot, even if it takes a new barrel - which I don't think will be necessary.
 
I have a Hawkeye stainless laminate in 300 wm that shoots really well but Out of the box it was only just acceptable. After approx 450.00 worth of labor from a very skilled smith and a Timney trigger it now shoots .5 100yds 5 shot group with handloads. I can say I like the rifle very much now but I would not purchase another one. Go to your LGS and feel the action on a new Ruger bolt action and you will understand what I am saying. I am not aiming to sway you away from a hawkeye as they are very strong rifles that will most likely last a lifetime you just may be disappointed with their out of the box manners.
 
Hello rc,

No, I haven't tried the 65 grain Sierra GK yet. Every place I called has them on backorder, so I'm now on backorder with everyone else. I have been trying out the 63 grain Sierra flatbase bullets that I already had, but they haven't shot particularly well with AA2230. I thought I'd try a slower powder, so now I've got a bunch loaded up with IMR4064, and I noticed that there's not any wind this morning. I've always been a fan of 4064 and I'm expecting good things. If no good results, I'll try 3031 and then H335. I'm very tempted to buy some 70 and 75 grain match grade bullets and try them, but that's not really what I intend to use in the rifle, so why waste the money? I might try that expensive Swift Scirroco (how do ya spell that?) bullet next. This rifle isn't acting like any one I've ever worked up loads for before. It's also the only fast twist barrelled rifle I've ever owned. I like everything about the rifle, except for the accuracy. It's not bad, but it isn't up to my minimum standards, which aren't extreme. All I need out of this rifle is 0.75 inch groups or so. That shouldn't be too tough, but so far I can't get there. But...I have time and patience, and I have a gunsmith (just in case).
 
I feel like I need to make an update on my Ruger Hawkeye in 223. See my new posting on 'wasn't the rifle, but was the scope). I recently haven't had much good to say about my Ruger Hawkeye, but the accuracy problem was the scope. I swapped it out for a trusted scope and took what I knew was a decent load (55 grain Nosler BT and 27 grains of Varget) and put the first 3 bullets in a hole so small that I had to walk 100 yards to the target to see where bullets 2 and 3 had gone. They went into the hole from bullet number 1 and did it so cleanly that I couldn't tell with my spotting scope. Bullet 4 made the hole a bit bigger and bullet 5 was 1/4 inch left. The Nikon Monarch 4X16 scope was the problem. I got a bad one. No more Nikon for me.
 
Ah141, the vle tactical is the same rifle as the m77 mkII v/t model. The only differences are purely cosmetic (vle has darker finish on the metal, darker laminate stock). All workings of the rifles are identical. I have two v/t models, one 22-250 & one 25-06, and they are nice shooting rifles. They have two stage adjustable triggers from ruger.
Thought you may want to know about the v/t model because it can be had used off gunbroker considerably cheaper than the vle. Also, it is available in 204, 223, 22-250, 243, 25-06, 6.5 creedmore, and 308 whereas the vle is only available in 223 & 308. Also, the stocks do not have a raised comb which may interfere with left handed operation.
Hope this helps.
 
Every Ruger in my family shoots quite well. Don't listen to the "their barrels are crap" internet vomit. That argument was only (mildly) applicable for a short time period, and has no bearing on rifles built in the last 20+ years.

Ruger's lefties are left-bolt, left-eject, left-handed stock.
 
My newest bolt action is a Ruger Hawkeye in .223. I am actually unsure about how accurate it is at 100 yards but I have a lot of real world experience with it at 200ish. I didn't have to but I put it in an after market stock and free floated it just because I like my rifles that way. Here are some videos of it in action. The load was a 60 grain vmax and 24 grains of 2230. Its a hot load so be careful if you use it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D1sOcPlkMA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvNs86iaf5I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFdf_4Sl5-k&feature=related
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top