My M77/.22Hornet is 20yrs old. I don't know if that qualifies as new or old by your criteria.
It did/does have "issues". The bolts are two piece. The front half has a stud that is pinned into the rear half so that it rotates. The parts are investment cast, and then machined.
My problem is that due to very loose tolerances, the front piece has a lot of "slop". As a result, there is no camming action when the bolt is turned, resulting in the fired case being stuck in the chamber. To extract a fired case, you have to rap the bolt with a piece of wood or plastic hammer.
I rectified this by making a "C" shaped shim from a piece of wire which bears against the fitted pin holding the two pieces together. I had to replace the first one after about 10,000rds. Second one still going good.
This rifle is the 24" heavy bbl stainless/brown laminated. It has always "wanted" to shoot, but just quite didn't. It took free-floating the barrel, glass bedding the stock, tweaking the trigger (stoning and replacing the sear spring from gunsmith stock) to ~2lbs "crisp", and working with the loads.
Due to a "tight" chamber, that is slightly out of concentricity with the bore, the rifle wants ammo full length sized and bullets seated to fit the magazine. I have "dremmeled" the foward part of the magazine to allow bullets seated out to 1.78"oal.
I have several loads that will shoot under 1.5"@100yds 5-shots. With its 1/14" twist bbl, it'll shoot bullets up to 55gr (flat bases, no bt tipped ones, i.e. V-max or Ballistic Tips).
Best 5-shot group was with 50gr Hornady SX over Acc1680 at 11.8gr for ~2,580fps. Got a cluster at ~1/2". Using exact 5 cases, same type primers (Win Small pistol), same "everything", from same boxes next day went 1.5"! Cases were even fired in same sequence! Oh well!
It does "like" H110 with lighter than 40gr bullets at a bit under "max", and a reduced load of #2400 with the Hornady 35gr Vmax for ~2,350fps.
With a 40gr Sierra Varminter over 12.5gr of Lil'Gun, it shoots about 1moa at 3,000fps making it my favorite load. I've killed several dozen deer with that load, not to mention crows, a couple of fox, several dozen coyotes, a rabid raccoon, and some unmentionables with a Lyman #225415 50grn cast bullet over either 4.5grn of Unique or 6.2gr of #2400, or 7.0gr of SR4759. I'm hoarding my last 8oz of that fo some powder coated Lee 55gr FNGC's I just cast. Those run to ~1,900fpdps, or a little more than a .22WRM.
I had an older 77/22Hornet carbine (20"blue). It wouldn't do under 3" at 100yds with anything consistently. Nothing could fix the crummy barrel, with a loose, mis-shapened chamber. I traded it off quickly, as I did a Ruger #3 that someone had botched a conversion to .22K-Hornet.
I don't shoot the Hornet much now. I have a CZ-527 American in .222Rem that on a bad day, with a load it doesn't like, will still out shoot the Ruger at its best. Only thing though, is the unset trigger on the CZ SUCKS big time, and on "set" doesn't fire if there is ANY tension on the bolt from the loaded ammo (i.e. Neck sized cases, or bullets seated to lands).
I may send it back and see if CZ can do any thing with the trigger.
If shopping for a .22Hornet, I suggest looking at the CZ. IMO the Rugers are a "crap shoot" at best. And, strongly suggest looking at the .222 instead. Much easier to work with!
Added; Over on rimfirecentral.com there used to be a fella up in Conneticut by the name of Randy that did custom work setting back the barrels and recutting chambers, and could braze up the bolts. IIRCC, he charged about $250 for this. A bit steep to "fix" a NEW GUN.
Ruger, you should be ashamed!!!
