Tried out a new Ruger M77 Mark II Target rifle w/a Leupold VX-II 6-18X40 scope w/ AO last week. While siteing it in with factory Hornady 204 ammo with the 32 Gr.V-MAX bullets I shot four three shot groups. The groups were 6/10, 9/10, 8/10, and 5/10 inch. The rifle was ,as taken out of the box. I did not adjust the trigger or do any tune up work on the rifle like I have on other Ruger rifles. After siteing the rifle at +0.6 inches at 100 Yds I went out and shot prairie dogs from about 75 Yds to 280 Yds per a Burris 1000 range finder. I now have 100 cases for reloads. For the first reloads I,m going to try the 32 Gr. V-MAX bullets, CCI BR-4 primers,Hodgon Varget powder. 5ea with 28.0 Gr.,5 ea w/28.5 Gr,5 ea 29.0 Gr, and 5ea 29.5 Gr of powder. I,ll seat the bullet so that it will gest fit into the magazine box. With a little luck I.ll find a load better than factory ammo.

Tuck2,

Sounds like you have a pretty good factory Ruger. What state are you shooting the prairie dogs in? How do you like the 204?

A17Shooter

I live in the Panhandle of Nebr.and hunt on my own and land close to where I live. I use a Bushnell Yardage pro 1000 not a Burris range finder. After looking at some reloading data I,m going to try Benchmark powder before the Varget powder. Sofar the Ruger Target rifle with factory ammo is shooting under one inch groups. If I can develope reloads that will do 3/4 inch groups I,ll like the rifle. If it shoots over one inch I,ll sell it. Prairie Dogs are about a 3X9 inch target any rifle that will not shoot under one inch groups is a poor P Dog rifle.

Many years back I bought a Ruger 1V in 22/250. The rifle has seen over 8000 hot loads down the barrel and it will still do 0.175" at 100 yds and 0.250" at 200. I have used the Sierra 50 gr, Blitz bullets in all loads lately. It has an old Tasco 6x20 scope with the 1/8 min. dot . Most loads are with H380 powder which burns pretty clean, ahead of a Fed. 210 Match primer. P'dogs towns hate to see me comin' .

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Many years back I bought a Ruger 1V in 22/250. The rifle has seen over 8000 hot loads down the barrel and it will still do 0.175" at 100 yds and 0.250" at 200. I have used the Sierra 50 gr, Blitz bullets in all loads lately.

How in the world did you ever get a #1 to shoot? I had one in .223 that would just string vertically up to 1". It was a 1V too. Never did figure it out...sold it. I always suspected the scope being mouted directly to the hottest part of the barrel had something to do with it. Rifling lead in was crappy too.

JohnnyG,

I really think the Federal 210 Match primers had more to do with good groups than any of the other components. I usually try several different primers as I work-up my loads. To this day, as God is my witness, the barrel in that old 1V looks like it did when I bought it, even after 8000 rounds. Musta got a good one .

I've had three #1s. All shot reasonably for factory rifles, about 3/4". The calibers were 222, 220 swift and 30-06. After rebarrelling the Swift and the 06 to 17 Jet and 17 AH they shoot better. The Jet has shot many groups under.25" . Ruger has been known to us pretty crappy barrels in the past. The rumour at one time was that they were getting the barrels for $10. I like single shots and do have a fondness for the #1.


A17Shooter

#1V's from the early to mid 80's were extremely accurate. Quality slipped sometime after that and alot of people had alot of issues getting them to shoot. Mine in 22-250 has always been exceptionally accurate.

I'm left handed and the falling block worked well for a younger shooter back then.


-DallanC

I have a Ruger No.1 in the 243 Win. that will group under one inch but the Ruger No 1 25-06 shoot 1 1/2 to 2 inch groups. Both rifles shot vertical groups befor I removed some wood from the fore arm. I,ll try free floating the fore arm on the 25-06 and then try glass beding the hanger. The rifles could be used for deer hunting but they are not varmint rifles.

Several things come to mind. My most accurate rifles, especially varmint rifles, have been the ones I purchased in the 80s. After that point in time performance seems to have dropped off. You can still get good shooting rifles today, but you're likely to have to get them glass bedded, barrel floated, and trigger adjustments, or about $250. worth of add ons. Some Rugers do shoot well. I still recall Ruger being called "the home of the $12.95 barrel." If you ask most shooters who don't like Rugers even today they'll probably say it's because of the barrel. Personally, I don't know from experience. The Ruger No. 1 presents a whole different set of problems because of its design although I still think it's one of the most attractive rifles ever produced in the U.S. About your .204, how does it hold in the wind? I'd like to get one, but am scared off somewhat by the lightness of the bullet. I have a .17Rem. and in spite of its speed it is still affected somewhat by any kind of wind. I really like that rifle, a Rem. 700BDL, but it drives me to distraction at times. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Calsibley I also have a 17 Rem but in a Sako rifle. The Hornady V-MAX 20 Gr. bullet has a B.C of 0.185 and the 25 Gr bullet has a B.C 0.187. The 204 V-MAX 32 Gr. bullet has a B.C. 0.210 and the 40 Gr has a B.C of 0.275. Because of the higher B.C. 204 Ruger bullets will have less wind drift when the bullets are fired at the same PFS as the 17 Rem.. The 32 Gr V-MAX at a MV of 4100 FPS will drift 8.5 inches at 300 Yds. per The Point Blank ballistic software. The .224 Dia 55 Gr. Hornady V-MAX bullet has a B.C of 0.255 so it look like a 220 Swift will have more wind drift than the 40 Gr. 204 when both bullets start at the same MV. The 220 Swift will have more FPE because of the greater bullet weight. I plan on using the Ruger 204 on prairie dogs more than the 17 Rem or 220 Swift this year.

TUCK
where in the panhandle do you live? Or if you don't want that out in the open on the web, where are you close to? I am near North Platte.
Cliff

Wildhorse--- I get to the Cabela,s store in Sidney a few times each year ,it,s to darn close. That were I got the 204 Ruger and 221 Fireball last year.

Dang, all this about cheap Ruger barrels makes me feel very lucky!

There was a time when Ruger was getting barrels from an outside source and quality was inconsistent. That changed some time back.

The stainless Ruger M77 MKII VT in .22-250 I got a year ago is an outstanding example of the art as far as I’m concerned. I have a photocopy of a target shot with it pinned to the wall of my cubicle at work. 4 shots, 0.5” center-to-center. The target was shot at 200 yards.

Other Ruger have also treated me well. My over-20-year-old M77 7mm Mag has always shot right around .5” at 100 yards, but recently I found a load it really likes and it shot a 0.266” group with 3 shots. My .257 Roberts is the weak sister, printing around 0.75” at 100.

My hunting buddy, Dave, also has a Ruger 7mm Mag and it shoots very badly – 0.4” at 100. Might as well melt it for scrap!

Well, Ruger is making their own barrels now. That will probably be a positive in the model 77, but I don't know about the No.1. The difficulty seems to be in the design that's unique to Ruger in the Model 1. There are different methods available now for hanging the forend, but I'm hesitant about defining a particular problem area to the rifle because some of the earlier ones (not by any means all of them) were real tackdrivers. I don't know from personal experience but I've heard it can cost a tidy sum of coins to accuriize one that is troublesome. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal