M77 s.s 22 hornet

[pa ridge-runner]

Does anyone shoot this rifle much?What is the most effective factory bullet to shoot for#1 groundhog and #2 preditor?I have heard it is not an accurate shooter?? :? I havent shot it much yet (snowbound) but hope to this spring.Appreciate any coments!!

[Lawdog]

pa ridge-runner,

Does anyone shoot this rifle much?What is the most effective factory bullet to shoot for#1 groundhog and #2 preditor?I have heard it is not an accurate shooter??  I havent shot it much yet (snowbound) but hope to this spring.Appreciate any coments!!

I shoot my M77/22 a lot.  Let me answer your question in order.

I have no idea about factory loads as I have never shat a factory round thru any of mine.  So I can't help you there.

As far as accuracy goes mine shoots under an inch.  This is the rifle I choose for called in coyotes.  Range runs from point blank to over 175 yards and it does the job just fine without tearing up hides to much.  The only draw back I have against the 77/22 Hornet is the to short magazine.  You have to watch the lengths of your loaded cartridges.  Another point is the Ruger trigger, REPLACE IT for best results.  If you want to get into reloading the Hornet is a great cartridge to start with.  Powder seems to last forever.  Lawdog
 

[Jerry Lester]

I've had quite a few Ruger Hornets in both the standard(blued sporter), and the heavier 24" laminated stainless versions. All mine have been decent shooters, with a couple being awsome by Hornet standards. Me and my son both currently have a standard Ruger Hornet, and both rifles(with my handloads) will shoot around an inch at 100 yards, which is plenty good enough for the ranges we use a Hornet in.

The most consistantly accurate factory Hornet load I've ever tried is the Winchester 46g HPs. This load has been very accurate in nearly every single rifle, and also a few Contenders that I've tried it in. It'll knock a groundhog flat out to 200 yards, but might be just a tad rough on a pelt. I know it's way to destructive for foxes, but it might do OK on a coyotes hide.

[Dr. A]

I will back up the above posters by saying my 77/22 laminate Hornet is under an inch with my reloads.  The factory fodder is not hard to beat.  Most factory offerings in other calibers is getting harder to beat with my handloads.  Not so with this round.  First load I tried was 13gr. of Lil Gun with a neck sized case.  Used a 35gr. Hornady V-max bullet and got 1/2 inch groups.  The limitation is the length of the magazine, but seating my bullets deeper has worked so far even though I am not recommending it.  Incidentally, the 35gr. bullet is kind of hard to seat, so I tend to look for a boat-tail bullet and seat them a little deeper. If you don't hand-load, now is the time to start!