Ruger Model 77 International

L

lonegunman

New member
anybody have one of these or any experience with them. I am looking for a short barrelled bolt action in 308 win, and this would seem to fit the bill.

What about that Mannlicher stock? is that a good or bad idea? Is it going to limit accuracy having the front end of the barrel bound up like that?
 
I have a scout rifle built on an older (pre-MK II) M-77 RSI. A pal of mine has a MK II in .30-06, topped with a 1.5-5x conventional scope.

These little rifles are handy and, to my eye, beautiful. If you're after an extreme precision rifle, steer clear...but, if you want a handy practical rifle that offers all the accuracy you can use in field shooting, I would recommend the RSI highly.

Rosco
 
I have shot the RSI in quarter bore. Wasn't moa or anything, but, if I did my part and with factory ammo it liked it would go to 1.5 or so. Very handy and easy to cary. You could also try the Remington Model 7 Custom MS.
 
I haven't had mt Scout RSI on the bench in quite a while, but it'll do 1.5" to 2" at 100 yards...well inside my "wobble" from a field position. My friend's .30-06 will do a bit better. I attribute this to its higher-powered (5x) scope allowing the shooter to hold more consistantly. My old Burris 2.75x scout scope is great for snap shooting, but suffers a bit when playing on the benchrest.

One thing about the Rugers; they are ultra reliable. I've never broken anything or seen anything broken on a M-77 or M-77 MK II. On the Remingtons, I've seen broken bolt stops and action bolts (I've never seen one of the much-maligned Remington extractors break however). I've also shot surplus 7.62X51 Nato in the Ruger that was nearly impossible to extract from Remingtons, with no difficulty.

The biggest downside of the current M-77 MK II is that the triggers are usually heavy and they are non-adjustable. The Timney replacement trigger does wonders for them.

Rosco
 
Lonegunman. I have three of the Ruger RSI's, all in .308 Win. Nuff said?
No, as has been mentioned, they are not sub MOA guns, although I do have one load that qualifies.
It will depend upon which bullet weight you plan on using.
The first one I bought, I got cheap, because the guy that had it felt the rifle was inaccurate. He was honest enougfh to say that the best he could get was 3.5 inches at 100 yards. I got the brass and the rest of his handloads and dies along with the rifle for $300, complete with a Redfield 3x9 scope.
I loaded up a box of 150 gr., 165 gr., and 180 gr. bullets for the gun (actually two boxes of 180 gr. bullets, one spitzer and one round nose.)
The 150's did 1.5 inches, the 165's 1.25 inches, the 180 spitzers (what he was loading) did 3.25 inches, and the round nose 180's did .75 inches.
I settled on the 165's as a general all round load for the gun.
My wife used the rifle on a deer hunt and proclaimed it HERS! I told her I'd buy her one of her own, which I did. A third came along at a good price as well, so I bought it.
I do not post loads on forums, but the bullet I settled on is the 165 gr. Speer spitzer flat base. With the load I use, it produces 2550 FPS from that 18.5 inch barrel. The same load does 2610 FPS from a 22 inch barrel .308 that I have.
Why these rifles don't like trhe 180 gr. spitzers is something beyond me. Maybe a different powder might do it, change in bullet brand? Who knows?
FWIW. That Speer bullet hit a Mule Deer about 250 yards out, uphill from me, broke the spine, angled off to cut three ribs, and the went back to a back leg breaking the leg bone before stopping. Bullet was fired from the RSI.
I very well could be that an RSI could become one of your very most favored rifles. Is has done so for me.
Paul B.
 
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