Help picking bolt action rifle please

[Shawnee]

Take a look...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=116006262

 

[bluemalibu]

The Ruger you posted pictures of is beautiful, but I found their barrels/accuracy being bashed pretty badly by a barrelmaker and marksmen? on www.snipercountry.com/HotTips/RugerM77.htm , a web site that came up when I Googled that model, although they do end up saying it's fine for hunting.

I love gun snobs, ...they leave such wonderful opportunities for all of us unwashed! LOL!!

Rest assured, most of the hunting public cannot shoot to the capabilities of the Ruger M77.

As a case in point, I purchased the 6.5 lb Mountain rifle in .270 about 22 years ago. I resisted making the purchase of an ultralight for several months, as I am an accuracy fanatic, and the wispy pencil barrels are not known for enhancing one's patterns at range. But a fellow had brought this one gun to a show, in hopes of trading for a 12ga, and I swapped him strait across for a Winchester automatic. You can well imagine my pleasant surprise at the .39" groupings that this gun consistently delivered for me at 100yds. I was thrilled to death.

Lets see those highbrows match this lowly Ruger with any gun under 3 grand nor that comes without wearing a 1" bull barrel!

 

[Reid73]

Rest assured, most of the hunting public cannot shoot to the capabilities of the Ruger M77.

As a case in point, I purchased the 6.5 lb Mountain rifle in .270 about 22 years ago.... You can well imagine my pleasant surprise at the .39" groupings that this gun consistently delivered for me at 100yds.

That rifle is a keeper. But one example is not much of a sample size. Some M77s are accurate, but many are not. That especially true of the older ones, when Ruger contracted out (to the lowest bidders???) for the barrels.

My own take on Ruger firearms (rifles and handguns only; I have no experience of their shotguns) is as follows:

Pros

- great styling (M77 and No. 1 rifles have classic stocks designed by Lenard Brownell);
- relatively inexpensive;
- very reliable;
- very good integral bases for scopes.

Cons

- cheaply made (investment castings) with poor general quality control (rifle stocks typically have some sharp edges and poor metal-to-wood fit);
- very heavy, non-adjustable 'lawyer-approved' triggers.

I also don't like the fact that the current rifles generally come without iron sights ... but that criticism is certainly not unique to Ruger.

Overall, I would say that: (1) Ruger provides good value for money; (2) if one can afford to spend more, that extra cash will be well invested.