ok, so what do you guys think of m77's?
 

I think i may get a ruger m77 in a 220 swift for a long / very long range varmit and paper gun, am wanting to work my way up to 5-700 or so, i have read great and horrible reviews for m77's so i thought id ask the board what you guys think, it's a old model(not MKII) it has a normal tapered stock, timney trigger, is lapped and bedded by a respected gunsmith in our area, and is in mostly alright condition, (paint chips on triggerguard, etc.) it's the 'smith's dad's old varmit gun, the guy says it drives tacks, he wants 465 for it but says he can deal, okay, whats your opinions on the gun and the price? also, $75 to make it an ackley, is it worth it? prolly ain't going to be going to meets or anything, friend of mine just got a 22-250 and i gotta 1up him, y'know plus ive been wantin a gun where you dont have to worry about how far they are awayus

RE: ok, so what do you guys think of m77's?
 

I am a Remington fan but I like the Ruger I have. Its an older one just like it, I would buy another one if I could find one.

RE: ok, so what do you guys think of m77's?
 

The .220 Swift is better than the .22-250 on paper.....once you get to a prairie dog town the difference is gone. For all practical purposes they are identical.

I've seen some M77s shoot great groups...it's in the bedding and other details.

I personally would not own a strictly varmint gun with a claw extractor.....A Remington 700 or pushfeed M-70 or...yes...even Savage would be my choice.

If you want to beat the .22-250 I'd step up a caliber to the 6MM Rem or the .25-06 with at least a #5 contour barrel for a little weight to offset recoil.

RE: ok, so what do you guys think of m77's?
 

I have the same gun that was made in 1976 and a friend has one a little older and they both are very good guns. His has a better trigger than mine but he won't trade triggers. The 220Swift is a very good caliber for pdods,whistle pigs and targets. Both of these rifles have the varmit weight barrels. If I ever have the need to rebarrel it will be a 220SwiftAI

RE: ok, so what do you guys think of m77's?
 

First off, welcome!!!!

The Ruger is a great gun, and especially since the trigger has already been replaced with a Timney, it should be a great shooter.

However,..........

Before I would buy a used varmint gun, especially one that's obviously a few years old, I'd want to see it shoot in person, now. It doesn't take long for a varmint gun to have it's barrel shot out. They shoot hundreds of rounds at a sitting. And at varmint caliber velocities, it doesn't take long to wear out the barrel (compared to the standard "deer" calibers and how often they are shot). Be careful, you might wind up buying a rifle in serious need of a new barrel.

RE: ok, so what do you guys think of m77's?
 

I own a M77MKI from 1975 and it is one of the most accurate rifles I own. It is a 300 win magnum but I can shoot 1.25" 5 shot 100 yd groups all day long(actualy about 20 shots is all my shoulder can handle). The nice thing about these guns is that the screws that mount the stock to the reciever and barrel are on an angle. So you usually dont need to bed the gun.

Personaly I would Not buy a varmint gun used unless I knew the guy who shot it. How many rounds have been shot through it?? Most rifles that constitantly shoot over 3000 fps will wear barrels out faster(around 2000-3000 rounds is not unusual VS 5000 typicaly on standard rifle). Most varmint caliber shooters now use moly coated bullets to extend the life of the barrel. 25 years ago moly bullets were rarely used.

I usually say suport your local gun dealer but you can get a brand new M77MKII with a 24"barel for $460 at Walmart. If you want to upgrade to the Target model 26" heavy barrel Laminated stock its $575. Walmart will order a gun for you. Ask to see the special order catalog.( the only thing I dont like about Walmart is that they will NOT sell you ammo and a gun at the same time. My local Walmart also walkes you to your car and watches you drive away.)

Ruger gives you free 1" medium rings with thier rifles. Then if you want you can buy an Timney trigger for around $80. You didnt say if the gun came with a scope or not? For the price I wouldnt buy used unless you were getting it real cheap. I am still looking for a varmint gun and debateing between 220 swift, 22-250, 6mm remington, or 243 wssm.

Good Luck
Jay

RE: ok, so what do you guys think of m77's?
 

okay, any other opinions, how high should i go? i was going to offer 400$ cash it does have a 80$ trigger and quite a bit of accurizing work done to it, please respond, i think i'm gonna go grab it this afternoon, should i start lower than 400 or would that be an insult?
edit: no scope, the new ones (guns) around here are $489

RE: ok, so what do you guys think of m77's?
 

Vapodog is right, the .22-250 and .220swift are identical performers in the field, however, the .220swift tends to cost a goodly bit more for ammo (typically), and will tend to wear bbls considerably faster.

The .223rem or .223WSSM can also accomplish pretty well everything the .22-250 can, and tends to be cheaper still and even nicer on bbls.

Just a few things to consider.

The Rugers are good, I'm a big fan of them, they may not be the finest rifles around, but they're more than nicer than they need to be for hunting...I'm pretty fond of how tight AND smoothe the actions are from factory, they may not be extremely tight or extremely smooth, but they're more than a hunting rifle needs for sure!

RE: ok, so what do you guys think of m77's?
 

Ask the guy if he has a bore light, or take one with you. Look down the barrel using the light. If everything looks good, no pitting, and the lands and grooves look sharp and in good condition, offer him whatever you feel like. (you obviously want the gun). Now, if those lands and grooves aren't sharp, or they seem to disappear the closer to the action that they get, then I'd either pass, or start around 350.00 explaining that it's going to need a new barrel soon. JMO