I bought a new Rugar M77-Target Grey Target that has the bull barrel this past August. The only thing I had done to it was the shop owner, (who does gunsmithing) worked the trigger for me to get it down to 10 oz. Accuracy is what this gun does best. You'd never want to compare the action on a new Ruger to any other manufacturer because it's simply,,,well HORRIBLE is an understatement, but man does it shoot. I've pretty much settled on a load as it likes 52 Gr Sierra HPBT's and 34.9 gr of RL 15. I gets groups of .375 regularly at 100 yds. Tighter if I work at my shootin skills. But let me warn you...Rugers have only two types of barrels...good ones and bad ones. I have two other Rugers (in.308, Bull Barrel & 30.06 - Hunting Barrel) and both both are extremely accurately, partly because of load work up. So I got lucky. I do know some who haven't been as fortunate and had to do barrel changeouts to make it work accurately. That comment about groups of 3"s would make me go looking for another manufacturer in a heartbeat. If I wanted three inch groups I'd take up handgranade throwing. (In fact take a look at the new Savage line. Their new weapons are incredible both in worksmanship and performance. And the groups they shoot are awesome).
Not to make you change you mind, but so you know what you are looking at when you pay these somewhat "big bucks" for guns these days. By the time I got my new Ruger done with a Nikon Buckmaster 4.5x14x40, I had put in about $1050. The new Savage .223 I just got (Xmas present to myself), was worse with the same scope setup of around $1250. So choose wisely unless you have an endless money pit or a rich daddy, neither of which I have.
Good luck in "the search" for happiness and accuracy. It don't come easy sometimes.
