any ruger m77 mark II experts out there. what is the general thought on bedding the action and floating the barrel hence removing the factory pressure point/design at the tip of the fore arm? anyone get negative results when done properly? my7mm rem mag shoots ok, but i would like to see it get to 3/4" m.o.a. not the 1 1/2" it has now. also in the works is a new after market trigger.
I'm not an expert,but I do own an older ruger mod 77.The gunsmith I used in Lafayette LA was an expert on rugers and put my action in a bell & carlson stock and he said he has best results with full length bedding.If you use after market barrels he said he would action bed the gun and try it.But with my 22 inch barrel he shot(I watched him) 1 1/4 inch 3 shot groups.I saved the target but the distance was only 80 yards,so 20 more yards might yield a bit bigger.I wanted the change because my gun shot at a different POA when hunting in wet weather,other wise I would have been happy with 2 inch groups.Down south all distances were 100 yds or less.When we moved to Montana I was happy about being able to shoot 200 yds accurately.The gunsmith also re-worked the factory trigger.Newer Rugers are a bit different I hear from my model.Drop-Shot
On almost any conventionally built rifle with a wood stock, you should bed the receiver and float the barrel to realize the best potential accuracy. With a synthetic stock, you can bed the whole barrel. The next step involves handloading, which you really have to do if you want a tackdriver. It's called the "ladder method" - you load 3 shells at each load, starting 5% to 10% below maximum, then increase the powder in each step by .2 grains (for an approximate 50 grain charge - larger steps for a cannon, smaller steps for something like a .223 or .30-30). You fire these loads, noting the group spread and position (don't worry about zero - you just want to be on the paper). As you approach a certain load level, you'll find that over a .4 or .6 grain spread, you'll have a smaller group, and the point of impact will stay nearly the same. Keep your powder charge at about the center of this range, and you've got your best handload.
I need to add that although my gunsmith shot a 1 1/4 inch group,I haven't.My groups were 1 1/2-2 inch groups.He used hand loaded 165 gr hornadys and I used 180 gr nosler partitions.I bought a bunch of going out of business partitions 180gr and some 180 gr hornadys and stuck with that,but I just bought a box of 165gr hornadys and will try that when I get back to Montana.Drop-Shot
Re: re: tweeking rugers man if i can't get 1" or less @ 100 yds when i'm done with it, i'm selling it and buying something else. those 165's should be just about the ideal size for the 9 1/2 : 1 twist that ruger uses. for whitetail though i'll be shooting 140 grn. sierra game kings, they're a little nicer to the shoulder on their way out of the barrel
I hope thats been my problem,Long ago I had a misconception about 180 bulletts,when my back heals, up a bit from this last operation I will Load 5 rounds each chanding powder.5 increments till i get trhe best load for the 165 hornadys spire point.and then gfive you guys the report.Drop-Shot
Hey wwb,what is your thought on barrel lenghts,almost all factory barrels for 30/06 is 22 inches,but the last time I got a price on replacing an older barrel I was told that 24 inch finished was best.whats your thought?Drop-Shot
A longer barrel is only a real advantage on the magnum cartridges with huge charges of really slow powder. In an '06, a 22 or 24 inch barrel won't make enough difference to spit at. For accuracy, the two lengths will behave differently - what's a good load in one is likely to be a poor load in the other.. The longer barrel might make offhand shooting a tad more steady, but again, not a whole lot of difference.
