Author Topic: Ruger .22 LR Bolt Actions - any opinions? (Read 1149 times)

ZANARDI · « **on:** November 12, 2005, 07:01:45 AM »

I'm looking to get a new bolt action .22 LR. I have my eye on Ruger. Does anyone have any experience with their bolt action rimfires? I read very little about them. I'm interested in the stainless/laminate combination.

Thanks.

Zanardi

Keith L · « **Reply #1 on:** November 12, 2005, 11:18:18 AM »

I have a .22mag 77-22 stainless and synthetic. It is well made but needed trigger work. It is about as acurate as my .22 mag TC Contender, which is saying quite a bit. It was more expensive than the competition, but I had a trade gun that I had no luck selling, so I traded into this one and have used it quite a bit. It spends its life in my truck and has done its magic on many a critter. I have no regrets on this one.

flabbydan · « **Reply #2 on:** November 12, 2005, 11:43:15 AM »

My 77/22 is the only gun that I truly regret getting rid of. I had the blued/walnut model with sights. That was back when they had the blued bolt handle.
The fit and finish were excellent. My 77/22 had the smoothest bolt of any rifle I've ever handled, and while it didn't possess "match" accuracy, most loads would shoot into less than an inch at fifty yards. I loved the rotary magazine--especially the fact that it held 10 rounds AND was a flush fit. The trigger was pretty lousy, so I added a Volquartsen sear & spring kit, and although it lightened the pull, there was still a good bit of gritty creep.
Other 22's are probably a better value--CZ, even Marlin and Savage (considering the low cost)--but my 77/22 was definitely the most fun 22 rifle for plinking. It makes a nice squirrel rifle, too.
I know that they say the 77/22 can use a 10/22 magazine, but I found that the 10/22 mag I tried to use didn't fit very well, and I had to sort of wiggle it to feed the rounds.
There is certainly no shortage of aftermarket barrels available for this gun, but I don't think the 77/22 is a good choice for trying to build a target rifle. I've heard that Clark and others do some top-quality work on the 77/22, but I feel that if you've got the cash to pay for custom or semi-custom enhancements on this rifle, you should just get a higher-end gun to start with (Anschutz, Cooper, etc.).
I sure do miss my 77/22 :cry:
Dan

Lawdog · « **Reply #3 on:** November 12, 2005, 12:29:29 PM »

I have the 77/22 and the 77/22M(.22 WMR) and they are the reason I no longer use my Ruger 10/22s. After a bit of trigger work to improve the trigger pull, they are excellent shooters. Very accurate. The VHZ version is a good one. I have it in the .22 Hornets. My grandson asked for a 77/22 instead of the 10/22s I got for his sisters. You wont go wrong with a 77/22. Lawdog

Darrell Davis · « **Reply #4 on:** November 13, 2005, 02:34:27 PM »

Hey there Zanardi,

The 77/22 is a nice rifle with a great clip!

I have had two, counting the one I have now and regretted trading off the first even if I did get a great 44Redhawk for it.

Anyway the first didn't shoot quite as well as I wanted. I should have had it rebarreled!

The one I have now is a Clark Custom which is a very nice shooter with a great trigger.

Personally, I think you should get the 77/22 is it rings your bell.

Shoot a lot of different ammo through it to really find out what it will do BEFORE putting any additional money in it, with the possible exception of a trigger job, if really needed.

Many of them are reported to shoot some great groups with ammo they like.

If that is not good enough for you, then there are a number of good options to look at, one of which is Clark Custom which can be found on the net.

They will trick out your rifle, or as in my case send you a new one. However, part of their price includes trigger work so no need to pay twice for that.

Enjoy and keep em coming! :wink:

mag shooter · « **Reply #5 on:** November 14, 2005, 07:43:39 AM »

Ruger 77-22 is a good gun, I regret selling mine. You may want to check out the CZs. Here is a link if you are interested.

http://www.cz-usa.com/01.04.php

victorcharlie · « **Reply #6 on:** November 14, 2005, 08:11:18 AM »

My long time friend has 2 of them that I lust after every time he comes over.....very accurate and great shooters for sure.......

ChiefAutoParts · « **Reply #7 on:** November 15, 2005, 09:36:24 AM »

My dad has two. One in regular blued wood and one of the newer ones in the laminated target grey. Both are .22LR. They are grat little rifles and are both amazingly accurate. I'd love to get my hands on one, but I have hard time spending that kind of money on a rimfire.... I'm lucky; I can shoot either of my dads' 77/22's anytime I want, as long as I can pry one of them out of my brother's hands.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #8 on:** November 15, 2005, 12:44:51 PM »

My Ruger K77/22RP in stainless steel for 22LR came with a black Weaver 4X scope, walnut sides, leather shoulder strap and two 10 round rotary magazines. Whoever set it up, then sold it, did a right nice job and I thank you whoever you are. Not sorry to see you boys are at a loss for selling yours. Perhaps it is now mine. I'm not selling it back. It eats the most inexpensive factory rounds and groups them into tiny little side to middle touching holes at 50 yards. I kill a lot of hogs to 200# with it from a 25 yard steady rest tree stand. The report doesn't spread the sounder to the four corners of the earth and I can usually kill three or four before the rest get game. My 9 Y.O. is about as good with it shooting squirrles. A milk carton of 550 rounds does not last long around our house. The turtles in the pond are fair game from the second floor balcony. It is fun to shoot and we try to shoot the barrel out of it, although I doubt that will ever be the case.

Oldtimer · « **Reply #9 on:** November 16, 2005, 08:28:44 AM »

Just to add a little to what has been said, there is an advantage to the barrel setup in that it is very simple to switch barrels. I have a 77-22 that I converted to .22 Magnum by changing barrels and magazine housings. It took a little stock work, but shoots .22 Magnum very nicely. In .22 LR trim, it was quite consistent with any ammo, shooting cheap ammo as well as some other guns shot premium stuff. The conversion works OK the way I did it, but I understand the reverse is not true, the extractor for the.22 Magnum not getting enough purchase on LR rims to be reliable.
I have also shot a friend's in .17 HMR and it was almost scary how accurate it was as it came from the factory. If I have any complaint about Ruger bolt actions, the trigger could be better, but it still beat the trigger on my 10-22 all to pieces.

single shot shooter · « **Reply #10 on:** December 08, 2005, 10:03:12 AM »

my buddy has had a couple 77/22, and 77/22 mags , all were one holers. the marlin 981T is a tack driver aswell, trigger kits are available for both.
SSS

centershot · « **Reply #11 on:** December 19, 2005, 05:35:40 AM »

I've got a 77/22, its a good gun - not a great gun. I'm going to sell it and put my money into an Anschutz.

DWARREN123 · « **Reply #12 on:** December 19, 2005, 07:50:50 AM »

I have or have owned a few, they can be a crap shoot. The trigger will need work and the barrel will be the big thing that may need worked on or changed out.
They handle very well and the rotary magazine is great but for the price they should be a little more even between individual rifles. Some are very good and some are bad.

Lawdog · « **Reply #13 on:** December 19, 2005, 09:28:37 AM »

For those so minded you can take a Ruger 10/22 or 77/22, in either long rifle or magnum, and switch barrels over to the .17 HMR or .17 Mach 2. Thus giving you two rifles for the price of a barrel. Just a thought to keep in mind when buying. Lawdog

Keith L · « **Reply #14 on:** December 19, 2005, 10:21:08 AM »

Quote from: Lawdog

For those so minded you can take a Ruger 10/22 or 77/22, in either long rifle or magnum, and switch barrels over to the .17 HMR or .17 Mach 2. Thus giving you two rifles for the price of a barrel. Just a thought to keep in mind when buying. Lawdog

Close. A 10/22 Mag can be turned into a 17HMR, not a long rifle. And a 10-22 LR can be made into a 17M2 replacing the barrel and adding weight to the slide. I think the conversion is simpler with a 77-22. I thought you needed the mag version to convert to 17hmr due to the overall length of the round, but that may be wrong. I haven't tried that yet.

Lawdog · « **Reply #15 on:** December 19, 2005, 10:35:06 AM »

Quote from: Keith L

Quote from: Lawdog
For those so minded you can take a Ruger 10/22 or 77/22, in either long rifle or magnum, and switch barrels over to the .17 HMR or .17 Mach 2. Thus giving you two rifles for the price of a barrel. Just a thought to keep in mind when buying. Lawdog

Close. A 10/22 Mag can be turned into a 17HMR, not a long rifle. And a 10-22 LR can be made into a 17M2 replacing the barrel and adding weight to the slide. I think the conversion is simpler with a 77-22. I thought you needed the mag version to convert to 17hmr due to the overall length of the round, but that may be wrong. I haven't tried that yet.

Sorry. I thought that everyone understood that you had to keep the .17 Mach 2 and the .22 long rifle together and that you couldnt use the .17 HMR or .22WMR barrels in the shorter versions. I just took it for granted that people knew this. Lawdog