ORIGINAL: Higg
Does anyone have any experience with the ruger m77 compact? they look like well built little rifles and i'm thinking about getting one in .223 for my winter "take-everywhere" varmint gun. The only thing i'm worried about is accuracy out of the short barrel. Also, ruger triggers are usually much heavier than i prefer.
How about the ruger m77 ultralight? it has the slightly longer 20" barrel and i know where there's a great looking ultralight in .243 for $425. any opinons are greatly appreciated.
I don't have a Ruger Compact, but a good friend of mine had one in 260Rem. He traded it on something or other. He just recently acquired another in 300WSM - one of the newer Frontier models. He found the 260Rem. to very accurate, and also now his
300WSM.
Personally, for a go anywhere varmint rifle I'd prefer the Ultra-Light in 243Win. I think the 243 makes a great varmint cartridge. I'd stay away from the 16" barrels as I would not want to take that much velocity loss, nor chance any loss of accuracy by having too short a barrel. I once had a Rem.788 in 243 with the 18-1/2" barrel. It was VERY accurate, though I would have preferred a little more tube. The Ruger Ultra-Light with the 20" barrel should make a real handy rig for a travelling varmint rig.