77/22 Hornet owners?

[41 magnum]

Thinking of getting a Hornet in the M77.....
 
Anyone have likes or dislikes of their 77 Hornet??/
 
Thanks
 
John

[Thebear_78]

I had one that I used for a predator calling rifle.  Mine was quite accurate and accounted for a good amount of fur.  I have heard of some being a bit picky but mine did very well.  The only difference I did from stock was to get a shim for the two piece bolt that tightened groups up a little.  Do a web search and you should be able to find the website where they has them. 


They are a great little rifle.

[cwlongshot]

I have owned the eitire line... The first I bought was the stainless varmint version... I jumped thru hoops to get it to shoot... I spent a pile on it then a bunch more trying to make it shoot... Fineally spent another 250...to buy a H&R and SOLD the ruger... the H&R out of the box out shot the ruger costing almost three times as much...
 
I sold off the entire line... the only one that shoot well was the 77/50 but I had the early one with the funky breech plug... another H&R replaced that one too....
 
If you need a bolt I would look at the Savage.. its a known good shooter.
 
I love the Rugers looks better too, but out of about a dozen new/used Rugers thru the years I have never gotten stellar accuracy from one....
 
CW

[Lloyd Smale]

mine shot 36 grain vmaxs into an inch right out of the box. My father borrowed it two years ago and i think he kind of forgot who owns it.

[bobg]

    I agree with cwlongshot. Never did get mine to shoot as good as i wanted. Sold it. I do own a 77 in 22-250 that shoots great. Wouldn't sell that for anything. Might just be me and the Hornet though. I have owned 3. An old Savage. A Contender and the Ruger. No longer have any of the 3.

[drdougrx]

Anytime I buy a Ruger I play with it.  I think the savage is more accurate out of the box sometimes, but I like the look and feel of the Ruger better.  I end up sending them to Randy at CT Precision Chambering for accurizing and trigger work.  They always come back tack drivers and it doesn't cost all that much money. My latest is a 77/17...I'm looking for a 77/22 hornet used though.....will convert to 22k.
 
GL!

[tobster]

My neighbor has one and likes it. I know my Hornet reloads are too long to fit in the Ruger rotary magazine, but I seat the bullets out pretty far for my Handi.

[mannyrock]

 
  My wife had one years ago.  First thing she did was replace the trigger with a drop-in from Brownells.  She did it herself.
 
  After that, it shot Winchester white-box 45 grainers into a consistent 1 inch group, and that was good enough for her.  She really liked it.
 
  If you think you are going to get half inch groups, though, forget it.
 
Regards, Mannyrock

[Rutin2tin]

Late to the Party as usual.

I bought the varmint version of Ruger's 77/22 Hornet back in 2002, and about the only issues (IMO) with the gun is the low comb of the stock, to which I added a Cabela's leather cheek pad, and the trigger weight of pull was too heavy.
The heavy trigger issue, I had a pro gunsmith take care of in early 2004, and the WOP is currently 2 lbs and absolutely crisp.....a pleasure to shoot!

Of course, as I said, in My opinion.......You may find absolutely no issue with the stock comb or the trigger WOP.
I have a BSA Platinum 6 X 24 Target scope mounted on this rifle, and at 100 yards, she'll put most all of the bullets through one ragged hole, when bench resting the rifle.
Reaching out to 200 yards, I can keep all the bullets inside the X ring, provided the wind isn't blowing more than 10mph.

Hand-loads are strictly used, loaded with a 55 grain FMJBT W-W military bullet, and about 9.5 grains of Alliant Reloader #7 powder, along with a std small rifle primer.
I realize that 55 grain bullets aren't recommended for the Hornet, however, shot from that long heavy barrel they fly perfectly, plus they handle breezes much better than little 40 to 46 grain projectiles.
I've shot those 55 grainers from My T/C 10" barrel as well, and find they fly properly with no key holing that I can detect.
In the past, I have shot woodchucks with the T/C and 55 grain bullets, and I'd bet the animal really doesn't know that he's been shot with a 55 grain projectile.
Those boat tails kill small animals just as dead as any bullet that I've ever shot from the Hornet, so I've stopped listening to those who insist the 22 Hornet can't handle 55 grain FMJBT bargain priced bullets.
**Almost forgot to mention that I feed rounds one at a time into the chamber. 55 grain BT's don't fit into the Ruger's magazine.

BTW: I was originally going to buy a Browning Micro bolt rifle in 22 Hornet, but when My cousin (who used to own a gunshop) placed that Ruger 77/22 Hornet in My hands, I forgot all about the Browning rifle. 

[Rock Home Isle]

A few days ago I posted a copy of a paper that I had written and updated several times over the years. It is my Essential Battery of Rifle Calibres. One of my favorite calibres is the .22 Hornet and my current Hornet is a Ruger M77/.22 Hornet.
Here is a copy of the Hornet section of my paper:
 
 
.22 Hornet – This is a calibre that I discovered late in my shooting career. I enjoy hunting prairie dogs and have spent many days in my youth slinking down small ditches and crawling through open ground trying to close the distance so that I could get a better shot at a prairie dog with my little bolt action .22 lr. The .22 Hornet was initially a compromise calibre for me. At the time that I purchased my .22 Hornet, I was deeply considering the addition of  a .22 Magnum to my growing collection of firearms. But in reading through several reloading books, I came across the data for the Hornet where I soon found that the ballistics of the Hornet more than matched the published ballistics for the .22 Magnum. For me the deal was made because the Hornet possessed the added advantage that I could reload it; meaning that I could tailor my reloads to the specifics of the firearm that I owned. I bought my first .22 Hornet as a gift to myself after I graduated from college with a degree in Biochemistry. Once I hit the range with my .22 Hornet, I was impressed by the fantastic and almost innate accuracy that could be had with the .22 Hornet. In developing a load for my current rifle in this calibre, a Ruger 77/.22 Hornet, I found several loads that grouped nicely into ¾ to ½ groups at 100 yards. But more reloading/range work on my part allowed me to find that the Hornet could be dialed to even higher accuracy standards.  With loads for 32 grain bullets up through 45 grain bullets I developed loads that shoot ¼ inch groups all day out to 100 yards and with 55 grain bullets my groups open up to only ½ inch at 150 yards.  If you’re a person that enjoys casting your own bullets, the .22 Hornet is very accurate under these conditions as well. With a caste lead bullet of 55 grains, the Hornet becomes a very hot .22 Long Rifle. But I’ve found that the 44 grain pills are more accurate. The quiet report of the .22 Hornet coupled with its fantastic accuracy at moderate ranges make this cartridge my “goto gun” while varmint hunting on many of the small-acreage farms and woodlots that dot the landscape where I live and hunt much of the time.  The .22 Hornet now has a firm place in my Essential Battery of Rifle Calibres.
 

[mdand]

I have a 77/22 in a Hornet,  it is SS heavy barrel w/a laminate stock.  Fell in love with this rifle when they first came out.  Wife and kids got it for me for my birthday many years ago.  Accuracy was so bad I sent it back to Ruger.  They found nothing wrong .  So disappointed. Because it was a gift I would never get rid it, so it sat in the gun safe for 6 years.  I took a chance and sent it to Randy @CPC.  He worked his magic and now it is a shooter!!  Randy rechambered it to a 22 K-Hornet.  Randy has also worked on my 77/22 in 22lr and my 77/17 in 17hmr.  Love, Love my Rugers