Ruger M-77 w/tang safety 30-06 not shooting like it should

[NitroSteel]

I've had a ruger 30-06 with wood stock for years and it has always shot good (1 inch groups at 100 yards) with 165 grain Remington Core-Lok's.  I keep it in a safe and I don't THINK the stock has been wet at any time.  I have not shot it very much lately.  I mounted a new scope on it (Swarovski 2.5-10x50 Professional Hunter) in Leupold mounts and went to sight it in today.  Scope mounts are tight and the scope is not touching the barrel.  The ammo was new and from Wallyworld.  I did use ammo that I had for the first 5 shots.  I had a good rest and ended up shooting a 4 inch 5 shot group, or a 6 inch 6 shot group - take your pick. 

This is very uncharacteristic of this rifle and though I probably don't shoot as good as I used to, I felt good about my shooting.  The first shot at 25 yards was 5 inches right and 1 inch low.  Moved correct number of clicks, next shot was dead on at 25.  Moved out to 100 yards shots centered at 4 inches high and 1 inch left (3 shot 3 inch group).  Moved with clicks again.  My last group centered bullseye, but was awfully big.  I can't imagine that the problem is with the scope or mounts.

Any idea what I might could do?  I decided to keep this gun years ago because it shot good with cheap ammo...  Are Core-Lok's getting cheaper/less quality control?  If you think so, I'll go back to Federal Premium.  True at 100 yards I can kill most anything with a 4 inch group, BUT at 300 yards - I'd miss nearly everything with a 12 inch group and at 400 it'd be absolutely useless to try.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

NitroSteel

[drdougrx]

Hi Nitro,

I have quite a few m77 w tang safeties.  First I'd check the bedding screws fot tightness.  2nd, I'd suspect the new scope as the gun was proven.  I'd then restock and then, rebarrel.  I've rebarreled three already and have a 77 MkII out getting a new tube as wespeak.  You could mess with the bedding, but, I found only incremental accuracy improvements.  Another thought is that the ammo isn't right for the gun, try another brand...maybe the load recipe has changed???

[wackmaster]

I see a lot of rifles that use to shoot that no longer do. The biggest problem is copper in the bore! You didn't say if it has a clean bore. Befor I done any thing to it I would copper clean it. I have seen lots of rifles come back to life by doing it.

[Halwg]

+1 on what the others said, but I also noticed you mounted a scope with a 50mm objective.  Make sure the scope has adequate clearance.  On my M77 I had to go with the high mounts to mount a 40mm objective scope and it still doesn't have that much clearance over the barrel.

Mine is a 1978 model in 30-06 and it is my most accurate rifle.  True 1" groups at 100 yards with 150 and 165 gr handloads.

[Ladobe]

Assuming you've changed nothing but the scope/ammo (and didn't drink 3 pots of coffee just before you shot)... 

Sounds to me like it didn't group well with the left over ammo either (4 of the first 5 shots) that I assume was the old ammo it used to shoot well before.   If that's all true, then the scope or mount is the most highly suspect.   Problem is a 4-round group really isn't conclusive, and unless you can still get the old ammo you'll have to work it out with what you can get.   Please don't take this wrong as I don't know you, but there are lots of ways to mount a scope, but only one way to do it right.   Very few people go to the trouble to mount them right, many don't even know how.     

Don't know about the new store bought ammo because I reloaded most of my life.   But my Ruger 77 270 Win loved the Federal Hi-Shok ammo I bought for it when I first bought it (1974).   I shot the 130's for mule deer and 150's for elk back in the 70's and early 80's.   Rifle hadn't been shot since until about 4-5 years ago when I got it out, and shot a half box through it for old times sake.   It still loved the old ammo, shot tight and true like it always had.   I still have a box and half of that 130 gr Federal ammo (with a $6.11 price tag on it).    So if I started hunting big game again it would be good to go for at least 2 dozen mule deer.   

[NitroSteel]

Checked all potential problems I could think of (Including a very thorough cleaning) with gun yesterday and groups got no better.  Took it to the gunshop.  The gunsmith immediately noticed a "burr" in the crownded end of the barrel.  He reamed it (or polished it away).  Had 5 shots remaining in the 165 grain Corelok's.  Bought a box of 180 grain coreloks.  Went home shot the 5 165 grain coreloks and had a 2 inch group.  Shot 5 180 grain coreloks and had a 2 inch group.  Shot my friends Ruger M77 300 win mag with 180 grain Wal-Mart Federals (blue box) and got a 1 inch group (actually slightly under 1 inch).  It made me feel much better about my shooting, and BTW the 300 win mag kicks like a scared mule...  How much worse would a 338 win mag recoil (in the same gun)?  I was debating on buying a 338 win mag, but I don't know how much more recoil I can take before it starts affecting my shooting...  I do want the bigger gun for AK though...

So, certainly the "burr" was an issue and things are now much better.  Do ya'll have any suggestions on ammo I may be able to try to get a better group out of this rifle (without spending a fortune)?  I am not satisfied with a 2 inch group for the potential shots we make take on sheep in NM next year and I do want to shoot 180 grain bullets.

Thank you for your help.

NitroSteel

[Graybeard]

If you are not a reloader then you are kinda stuck with buying lots of boxes of all sorts of ammo until you find what it likes all over again. If the gunsmith didn't do a proper recrowning job on the barrel I'd find someone else capable of it and have them do so. He might have of course but your comments about him polishing it out makes me wonder.

Over the years I've found standard Remington Core-Loct ammo about as accurate as any in most of my rifles. Hornady Custom and Light Mag ammo seem always to be accurate as does Federal Premium ammo. If one of those won't shoot in a rifle I'd look to the rifle not to other ammo to solve the problem.

[NitroSteel]

I tried some Federal Premium 180 grain Nosler Accubond's in it last weekend and it shot 4 shots at just barely over an inch group at 100 yards.  I hope that the remaining excess size of the group is all due to my lack of shooting practice within the last year...

I am terribly impressed with the precision at which the Swarovski scope clicks move the point of impact.  Each time I changed ammo I was able to shoot a group and put the next group perfectly in place, much more accurate than the Leupold and Nikon's that I've dealt with in the past.

Thank ya'll for your help.

NitroSteel

[Bigeasy]

Swarovski glass is so nice, so expensive,,

[wackmaster]

Nitro

The 338 will kick a little harder than the 300 win but if you have a limbsaver butt  pad put on it will tame it. I have them on all my big rifles!