Free float a M77 Barrel

1

1Longbow

Member
Anyone have to free float the barrel on a m77 Ruger. I 've got one in 204 and the other day I tried dollar bill thing and the barrel is tight to the stock, It will usually put the first 2 shots right there ,but then begins to open up, Is it much of a job?

Thanks
 
I dont have any experience with full size M77's but I've had several Frontiers (non were factory floated) and a GSR (which is factory floated).

Does your stock have the contact hump near the for end or is it tight the whole length of the barrel channel? Sand paper and elbow grease will remove the for end hump well enough. For a full length I'd just chuck a dowel in a drill with some sandpaper and open it up that way.
 
You might shim the action enough to free float the barrel and see how it shoots. Some rifles shoot worse free floated.

If coyote hunting and the first two shots are a tight group and it always shoots to the same point of impact from a cold barrel, I would leave it alone. If prairie dog hunting, that's a differant story.
 
Which M77 do you have? Is it an older version? Tang safety? Hawkeye?

"Most" of the time you gain nothing with Rugers by floating the barrel unless it's a VT or Hawkeye Predator model that happens to be touching a bit.
 
I think what Hildalgo might be saying is the VT and predator's have heavy barrels which seem to respond to free floating better. Those barrels are "stiffer" and don't move as much do to heat and harmonics.

Try a shim thin enough under the action to get barrel clearance and see what happens. The angled front action screw and torque recomendation makes it differant than other bolt action, but I think you can do it. I did it on a wood stock Hawkeye and a M77 Mark II.
 

Every Ruger I own has shot much better after free floating. Mine are all MKII 77s and Hawkeyes with sporter barrels. If I get a Ruger and it's not floated I don't even shoot it until I have free floated it.
 
I've done a couple dozen M77 free float, pillar, and glass bed jobs in the last decade, even on the standard and lightweight or compact barrels, every one I've done showed an improvement. I have two Hawkeyes about to go under the knife, waiting on barrels, but the rest have been identical construction M77MkII's.
 
If you have a standard model, try a hogue black stock a little heavy but aluminum bed. Mine shot much better with new stock .
If it doesn't just send it back. Optics planet has them and a good return policy. Good luck
 
I've got a MK-II LH in 7mm mag. I'm the second owner and quite frankly it was terrible when I got it. I couldn't manage anything better than 2.5-3" groups at 100yds with it using a myriad of Factory loads as well as a few of my proven Handloads. I stripped the bore. Took out plenty of copper, checked all fasteners, torqued the action screws properly and realized only marginal improvements. I then removed the barreled action and free floated the barrel. I carefully removed the contact area at the forward portion of the forearm, checked for clearance all the way back to the action, sealed the sanded wood and put her back together in proper sequence and torque specs.

Well.......the free floating took the rifle from minute of soda can to a 1/2 minute rifle that places cold bore shots dead center into 5 shot groups. It is as consistent a rifle now as any factory rifle I've ever had. It rivals some of the high $ customs I've owned. A keeper for sure.
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top