I have owned a Ruger M77-RS 270 cal. for years and I have never been able to open the bolt with the safety [on]. A friend of mine recently bought a 30-06 model that the bolt does open wtih the safety [on]. Does anyone know if this is a flaw on my rifle and if so is it repairable?
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Ruger M77-rs Safety Off To Open Bolt
- Thread starter jreese0
- Start date
ClarkEMyers
New member
Tang safety Ruger 77's are 2 position by design and lock the bolt.
Tang safety Ruger 77's are 2 position by design and lock the bolt by design. MarkII with the safety on the bolt sleeve are 3 position by design and allow for opening the bolt with the safety on. Locking the bolt was long touted as a feature to ensure that the bolt would be in battery when the rifle was brought up to fire and the safety released. I'm very much inclined to agree. The unlocked bolt might, or might not, swing open just a tad if the bolt handle hits some brush or what have you.
My preference is the tang safety design. It is trivial to modify the tang safety so that it does not lock the bolt. So far as I know there is no advantage to a 2 position safety that does not lock the bolt. So far as I know Ruger has not advocated nor performed any such modification on the tang safety Model 77.
Folks can modify their own rifles in most any way that does not violate local, state or federal laws as for instance short barreled rifles, full auto and so forth. I'd suggest going with as intended by the maker for almost all purposes.
Tang safety Ruger 77's are 2 position by design and lock the bolt by design. MarkII with the safety on the bolt sleeve are 3 position by design and allow for opening the bolt with the safety on. Locking the bolt was long touted as a feature to ensure that the bolt would be in battery when the rifle was brought up to fire and the safety released. I'm very much inclined to agree. The unlocked bolt might, or might not, swing open just a tad if the bolt handle hits some brush or what have you.
My preference is the tang safety design. It is trivial to modify the tang safety so that it does not lock the bolt. So far as I know there is no advantage to a 2 position safety that does not lock the bolt. So far as I know Ruger has not advocated nor performed any such modification on the tang safety Model 77.
Folks can modify their own rifles in most any way that does not violate local, state or federal laws as for instance short barreled rifles, full auto and so forth. I'd suggest going with as intended by the maker for almost all purposes.
support_six
New member
I support ClarkEMyers point of view. I've owned a Ruger M77 w/ tang safety for over 20 years and find that type safety to be very easy to use when beset with "buck fever"! It's like a fine shotgun and nothing gives you a rush like that first pheasant that busts loose from under your feet first thing in the morning. The "positive feed" of the Mark II is a necessary thing for a "combat" rifle but hardly necessary for North American big game.
Besides, my .30-06 M77 holds one more round than an equivilent Mark II!
Besides, my .30-06 M77 holds one more round than an equivilent Mark II!
As I understand it, the idea behind a three-position safety is for unloading in a "still-on-safe" condition. The middle position unlocks the bolt, but the firing pin is still blocked. Everyone must decide for themselves if that is worthwhile or not. The three-position safety was considered to be one of the most desirable features of the pre-62(?) Winchester Model 70, the "rifleman's rifle." Ruger adopted it along with controlled-round feed and a fixed ejector in the Mark II rifles.