Ruger Accuracy

[George Foster]

It has been said on here and other places that Ruger 77's aren't accurate.  I have a pair of Ruger 77 Mark II's, one in 243 and one in 6mm.  I went to the range this morning with the 243 and a load I hadn't shot in about three years.  The load consisted of 75HP Sierra, 46.0gr IMR4831, Fed210 Primer in a Rem. case.  I shot three five shot groups with it at 100yds.  They measured:
1. 0.50"
2. 0.75"
3. 0.6875"

My 6mm Ruger has shot five shot groups as small as 0.375 with the same bullet and 50.5Gr RL19, Fed210 Primer in a Rem case.  My pair of Rem 700 CDL's in 243 and 6mm won't shoot any better than the Ruger 77's even though I have 4-12X scopes on them versus 3-9X scopes on the Rugers.

I feel if someone can't get good groups with the Ruger 77's it isn't the rifles fault.

[Luckyducker]

I have not found Rugers to be any less accurate than other brands, but they are like any off the shelf rifles in that you may get one that needs a little tweaking to get it shoot satisfactorily.

[Lloyd Smale]

well i for one will say accuracy in ruger guns is spotty. Ive had them anywhere from miserable to average and have only had one ruger in all my days that i would call exceptional and that was a #1b in 280. People say the new ones are much better but i havent seen that either. Ive had a markII in o6 that was a 2 inch gun at its best. Ive got a hawkeye 264 im stuggling with right now and my 257 roberts #1a i just got is very finiky. Best its done is 1.5 at a 100 but it took a hell of alot of load developement to find even that load. I even tried bedding and floating the 264 and bedding the hanger on the #1 with no change. this isnt my first rodeo. Ive been handloading for 35 years and have owned at least 50 bolt action rifles of various manufactures and at least a dozen #1s  through the years and know how to load and shoot. Have i had other brands that are finiky. YUP. But with rugers its seems like its the norm rather then the exception. Ive also had more ruger bolt guns back to the factory then all the others combined for problems and it looks like this 264 may be taking a ride through the postal service too. Ruger will spend alot of money reconfiguring there gun like in the case of the hawkeye to make it appeal to the eye but does nothing to improve what counts. Its accuracy. I like everyone else like a good looking gun and its probably why i keep buying them and hoping for a good one. But it gets very frustrating.

[nomosendero]

well i for one will say accuracy in ruger guns is spotty. Ive had them anywhere from miserable to average and have only had one ruger in all my days that i would call exceptional and that was a #1b in 280. People say the new ones are much better but i havent seen that either. Ive had a markII in o6 that was a 2 inch gun at its best. Ive got a hawkeye 264 im stuggling with right now and my 257 roberts #1a i just got is very finiky. Best its done is 1.5 at a 100 but it took a hell of alot of load developement to find even that load. I even tried bedding and floating the 264 and bedding the hanger on the #1 with no change. this isnt my first rodeo. Ive been handloading for 35 years and have owned at least 50 bolt action rifles of various manufactures and at least a dozen #1s  through the years and know how to load and shoot. Have i had other brands that are finiky. YUP. But with rugers its seems like its the norm rather then the exception. Ive also had more ruger bolt guns back to the factory then all the others combined for problems and it looks like this 264 may be taking a ride through the postal service too. Ruger will spend alot of money reconfiguring there gun like in the case of the hawkeye to make it appeal to the eye but does nothing to improve what counts. Its accuracy. I like everyone else like a good looking gun and its probably why i keep buying them and hoping for a good one. But it gets very frustrating.

My experience & that of others I shoot with has been more like Lloyd's.  And it seems that when a 77 doesn't shoot well it is less likely to be cured of the problem than others.

However, some will shoot good from the getgo. I had a M77V in 220 Swift that was VERY accurate. Little brother has a M77 Var/Tar in 25-06 that is really good. It happens & if you have a few Rugers you may get lucky with all, unlucky with all or somewhere in between. But I think Lloyd said it well when he said SPOTTY.

I will put it this way, if I was looking for a rifle & accuracy was my primary concern, I can think of a few other brands that would be a safer bet, no need to mention those & start a silly Ford vs Chevy thing, but just my experience. When the Rugers do shoot, I sure like their other features though.

[Spencer, Carey]

At present I have M77's in 22-250, .243, 270, 30-06, and 7mm R.M. Also a MkII in .308. ALL my old tang safety models are M.O.A. rifles. The MkII is like 1.5" to 1.75" on average, but havent done anything with the "lawyer trigger" yet. Groups should shrink once I put the Timney in. Let ya know about it.

[Lloyd Smale]

well the 264 just got boxed up and sent to ups on its way to ruger. It not only shot like crap but is blowing primers with loads that are less powerful then 270 ammo. Looked in my records of old rugers ive owned and heres a summury of good and bad. The good ones shot under an inch with handloads and the bad never got under 2 inches. FIrst the long list of good ones
77r blued 280
77r 762x39
77r 22 hornet
bad ones
77 round top 7mag
77rs 06
77r 270
77rl 257 roberts (two differnt ones)
77r 257 roberts
77v 308
looking ive owned another 11 in various calibers that fell between these with groups from 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 but keep in mind that many of those needed ALOT of load experimenting to get them below 2 inch and that the bad ones on the list werent given up on before a long hard fight. To be honest ive had more exceptional shooting #1s then ive had 77s. Im kind of thankful that this 264 ruger is showing pressure signs early and blew primers because the saddest thing is last year i sent the second 257 ultralight i owned back to ruger because i would only shoot 3 inch at a 100 for 3 shots with its best load. They sent it back with a test target shot at 50 YARDS!!!! that showed 3 shots into 2 inches and they told me that any bolt gun that shoots under 2 1/2 inch at 50 yards is within there accuracy standards. Now i can make about any open sighted 3030 winchester shoot 2 1/2 inch at a 100 yards with some load developement and its a sad scoped bolt gun that is considered good at 2 1/2 at 50!!!! Like a dummy i keep buying them. I swear i wont again but something comes along thats cool that i just have to have and i do it again. In my opinion if you consider a 77 a very accurate rifle your either lucky or dont shoot enough or buy enough guns to really know. Out of 18 ruger bolt guns ive had one that would shoot moa. I rarely find a ruger or savage that wont shoot moa.

[Lloyd Smale]

a bit more info. out of all of those guns i have only three ruger bolts left . One is a 250 sav 77rsi that is an average shooter but is to cool and handy to part with and this 264 mag and my 22 hornet that my father kind of layed claim to.  I should have kept the 280 but my buddy wanted it more then i did. Same with the 762x39 but that one i just never found justification for keeping. Ive owned 11differnt #1s in various calibers and configurations. Out of them 5 have been moa guns 4 good average guns and only two a #1a in 243 and a 1v in 220 swift refused to shoot under 2inch and in the case of the 220 a trip to ruger cured it and when i tested it after it came back it shot a couple loads under an inch but that too was loved by someone else more then me and went down the road. Two real exceptional ones were a 280 B that i again foolishly let go and a 2506 B that i still own. Either of those id put up against ANY bolt gun at the range. Ive found it kind of odd that #1s get a bad rap for accuracy and ive hands down had better luck with them then ruger bolt guns.

[parkergunshop]

My Ruger no. 1 with an after market trigger shoots groups in the .6 inch range for 3 shots at 100 yards the gun is a 45/70.   Nothing done except to change the trigger and it out shoots any model 77 Ruger I have accuracy tested.    Cast bullet loads group at .9 tenths inch at 100 yards.

With a 300 grain bullet at 2300 FPS it is an awesome deer killer where I hunt.

[Spencer, Carey]

Thank you for the heads up Mr. Smale. Ive always been fond of my Rugers, and mayhap ive had good "luck of the draw" in the bolt gun area. Owned a 96/44 lever gun that I was less than impressed with, then a Deerfeild Carbine autoloader like the old M-1 Carbine except for the internals (Model 99 I think) that printed cloverleafs at 75yds. with Winchester white box 240gr sp's. ALWAYS wanted some #1's but have heard negative reviews on accuracy. Since the ones I wanted are for feild hunting (soybean, corn), and the one shot is all i'd have, I have just admired them on the racks of shops and tables at shows. Every Ruger revolver that I have now, and have ever had were all fine shooters, and tough as nails. Im working on a set of the single actions and have one of every one exept a 3 screw .30 carbine, and the new .327 Federal Black Hawk. Swapped the 3 screw .30 I had for my .45 Colt Black Hawk that I have now and have never regretted it, but prices are going up and replacing it is becomming more difficult. My Red Hawk is an outstanding gun too, but I favor the single action platform. Sir, if you have any advice on a #1, i'd really like to hear it. Maybe I should just get a short range one in say 45-70 or something? Another I want is a #3 in .375 Win. Would pay dearly for that one!! Thanx in advance Mr. Smale.

[Spencer, Carey]

Hey Parker Gun Shop, Sir you have given me good advice brfore, but I didnt read your service record till now. A little off topic, but you may know my dad!! Finished up his tour in Udorn, then retired out of Shaw. Robert E. Spencer. Told him about this forum, but dont know if he has joined yet. He is on facebook to keep in touch with the grandkids if you go onto that site. Small world and all, so thought i'd throw that out there!

[nomosendero]

Lloyd, that's a bummer about your 264, I hope they actually fix it. My brother sent back a 77 in 223 that shot horrible, now it really shoots. Maybe you will have that good fortune.

[rugerfan.64]

They have a Hawkeye in 257 Roberts of mine at the factory now. This is its second trip back to them. I had to send a not so nice letter to one of the big boss men to get any reaction out of them. I told them it didnt matter how long they kept it as long as it came back accurate. At last report they were making a new barrel for it. I had to send photographic evidence of bad locking lug engagement to get their attention along with that not so nice letter. Good luck with your 264 Lloyd. I hope mine comes back a shooter.

[Lloyd Smale]

The #1s ive had the best luck with are the 1bs in calibers like 270 280 and 2506. Ones ive seen the most trouble with are the odd balls like the 7x57s 257 roberts seems like ruger has trouble with any chambering thats not a main stream chambering. My 4570 shoots fine for what its used for but isnt a tack driver either which is odd as the 458 mag i had would shoot cast into an inch at a 100 yards and jacketed just as well. Its to bad as ruger makes some of the coolest guns a guy can buy. to bad they cant combine that coolness with the accuracy of a remington, winchester or savage!! After all whats that olds saying. "the only intersting gun is an accurate gun"

Thank you for the heads up Mr. Smale. Ive always been fond of my Rugers, and mayhap ive had good "luck of the draw" in the bolt gun area. Owned a 96/44 lever gun that I was less than impressed with, then a Deerfeild Carbine autoloader like the old M-1 Carbine except for the internals (Model 99 I think) that printed cloverleafs at 75yds. with Winchester white box 240gr sp's. ALWAYS wanted some #1's but have heard negative reviews on accuracy. Since the ones I wanted are for feild hunting (soybean, corn), and the one shot is all i'd have, I have just admired them on the racks of shops and tables at shows. Every Ruger revolver that I have now, and have ever had were all fine shooters, and tough as nails. Im working on a set of the single actions and have one of every one exept a 3 screw .30 carbine, and the new .327 Federal Black Hawk. Swapped the 3 screw .30 I had for my .45 Colt Black Hawk that I have now and have never regretted it, but prices are going up and replacing it is becomming more difficult. My Red Hawk is an outstanding gun too, but I favor the single action platform. Sir, if you have any advice on a #1, i'd really like to hear it. Maybe I should just get a short range one in say 45-70 or something? Another I want is a #3 in .375 Win. Would pay dearly for that one!! Thanx in advance Mr. Smale.

[Spencer, Carey]

Thanx Mr. Smale. The .270 would probably be fine for what I want one for, but I would rather have it in 7mm R.M., or 300 W.M.. Those two are both pretty standard stuff so maybe they would be fine shooters. See if I can find one somewhere for not too awfull much and give it a try then.

[SHOOTALL]

M-77 , the ones I have shot were very accurate .

[lnewby]

 My 77 mark II's have all shot well. Have a Rem 700 in a 243 that shoots 3" groups on a good day.               

[SHOOTALL]

I have a mod 70 - 3006 that on its best day gets 3 inch groups . I has taken alot of deer and turkeys along with other critters.

[Swampman]

It has been said on here and other places that Ruger 77's aren't accurate.

It just depends.  Have you done anything to them?  Are they exactly the way they left the factory?

IMO Rugers are rarely accurate out of the box.

That's why I won't own one.

[SHOOTALL]

It has been said on here and other places that Ruger 77's aren't accurate.

It just depends.  Have you done anything to them?  Are they exactly the way they left the factory?

IMO Rugers are rarely accurate out of the box.

other than add a scope they are box stock !

[Swampman]

Define very accurate.....

[SHOOTALL]

On a good day ( for me not the rifle ) all bullet holes (5) can be covered with a quater. This is at 100 yards. I have one 25-06 ren 700 BDL and one M-77 300 WIN MAG that will have one ragged hole. I have shot several other M-77's that are under the quarter . And I expect most 700 BDL's to do the same. The mod 70 3006 that shoots 3 inch groups was used with out scope for at least 15 years , it shot everything including steel jacket ammo. I feel that most good rifles today unless they have a flaw from the factory should shoot well if the shooter and optics do their job. That said it takes some time to find the best load . Factory loads are good and often turn in great groups but more than likely in some guns a 1.5 - 2 inch group is good.
The 25-06 rem is my best shooting rifle but that dosen't mean the 77's aren't good shooters, and I like the scope mounts on the ruger. The M-77 tatical in 308 that I shot was a one ragged hole gun from the bench. That old 06 has collected alot of deer but the longest shot was under 80 yards if I remember. When still new I got a ground hog that was 400 paces across a field , with open sights . The front bead blocked him out , it was a bad luck day for the hog and alot of luck for me. That was back before I knew such a shot was low % . And yes I have seen some poor shooters in 77's one and 700's three but then REm sells alot more rifles.

[Swampman]

You should play the lotto.

[SHOOTALL]

You should play the lotto.

You should branch out ! 

[Swampman]

I've owned dozens of Rugers.

[Spencer, Carey]

Swampman, i'm confused. In the earlier posts you stated that you wont own Ruger's then said you owned dozens. Have you never found a good shooter in all of those sir? Are all of those dozens bolt guns? Ive owned and still do own more rugers than just the bolts I listed for Mr. Smale previously. Every one of the bolt guns shoot very well, even the ones with the heavy factory triggers. The 96 lever not so much. The mini's so-so, but they werent meant to be tack drivers. Im sorry your experience with them has not been great. Have you had any experience with the #1's?

[betterspine]

This is my Hawkeye 300WM

This are developing the load at 50 meters:


Now testing different OAL of the same handload. Shoots at 100 meters.
The first 3 shoots:


Then 2 last shoot (with a reduced freebore of the same load).


Work for me!

[Swampman]

I've owned...I no longer own them.  I've owned a #3 but I've never owned a #1.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

I owned several MkII's over the years--none were extremely accurate but certainly acceptable.

Picked up a deeply discounted Hawkeye .30-06 that was an absolute tack driver---sold it for more than what
I paid for it.


I'd have to say the Haweye's have tightened up production tolerances and would have no problem buying another----and actually will probably be my next bolt action rifle. Nobody else comes close to Ruger in price for a first rate stainless rifle---Savage and Remington just don't cut for me and I don't consider them to be first rate.

[Swampman]

I think of the Savages and Rugers the same way.  Only accurate rifles are interesting.

[243dave]