Suppressing a Ruger 77

G

Gsjcky

Member
Back in the early 80’s, I purchased my first center fire rifle, a tang safety Ruger 77 in 270 Winchester. For many yrs, it was the only rifle I had. Deer, antelope, elk, coyotes,& jackrabbit’s were all harvested with that rifle. Action has been glass bedded, Timney Trigger installed, and in the late 90’s had a muzzle break installed. My 12 yr old son used that rifle in that configuration it shoot his first two deer. Rifle has always shot 3/4 inch groups. Last rifle I would ever part with.

Fast forward to today….. my first suppressor will be here December-January. I would like to suppress my 270, but I’m afraid the barrel diameter is too small. I could cut the barrel down (maybe),to get it threaded, but not sure how much I would have to cut it off to get it threaded. Im ok with cutting to 20”, but I’m unwilling to chop off more than that
OR, I could possibly have it rebarreled with a 20” carbon fiber barrel. If I go that route, I would consider a new chambering to a cartridge that is better suited to the 20 inch barrel. Something in the .257-.284 caliber range.

Any thoughts?
Thx in advance.
 
If it still shoots to your satisfaction, & it's fat enough to thread, cut it to 20" and rock on.

Or, if you want/need to rebarrel, & you're satisfied with the 270, get a new barrel & rock on.

No need to over analyze all the little nuances of every caliber/cartridge out there. Most are closer together than further apart.
 
If it doesn’t have enough beef to thread 5/8x24, you can always thread 1/2x28 and use an adapter. I’ve gone that rout with several sporter weight barrels up to .30 cal.
 
I had the same problem. I wanted to suppress my Dads old Tang safety M77 .270 with a sporter barrel and aftermarket McMillan stock. I will never sell any of his guns, but I’d also never want to shoot unsupressed, so I had to find something to do with it. Would have just re-barreled, but the stock wouldn’t allow for opening up the barrel channel wide enough. So what to do?

1). Keep it a .270. Companies like McGowan barrels will do a custom prefit. You can send your barrel and have them copy the contour out until you hit your minimum thread spec, then carry that diameter all the way out. A friend of mine did this with his M77 and was happy with the result.

2). Re-barrel to a .224 caliber cartridge. .224 calibers allow for 1/2” threads on my suppressors, allowing me to get away with a sporter barrel that would fit my stock. I went with 22 Creedmoor and am happy with it. Feeds great out of the long action and a fun little caliber.
 
You don’t have to go .22 cal in order to thread 1/2x28. I’ve got rifles in 6mm Creed, .260, and 7/08 all with 1/2x28 threaded barrels. I’ve even gone so far as to chop a .300 WSM Kimber Montana to 17” and thread that 1/2x28. A simple $10 adapter is all it takes to run them on a 5/8x24 suppressor.
 
Thank you for the advice.
I dont want to have this rifle sit in the safe, all because it doesn’t have a suppressor. Guess I should start a conversation with my gunsmith.
 
Typically .20-.24 cal use 1/2x28 and require diameter of .560 inches
.243-.358 use 5/8x24 and a diameter (min) .685 inches
However I have a 30 cal barrel threaded 1/2x28 that is .652 @ the back of the cut. I have had no issues with it, it is a sporter game rifle, only used for slow fire.
 
All the factory pre-threaded 6mm’s I’ve ever purchased (.243 and 6 Creed) were threaded 5/8x24. I believe 1/2x28 is only standard on .22 and below.
 
If you re-barrel, you will likely have to re-bed, and re-float.

You may end of up re-floating anyway if the weight of the suppressor makes the barrel hang lower, and touch.

I know you don't like slackers in the safe, but.... One with that kind of history, and that kind of reputation, may be worthy of taking it easy behind the front lines?

What are your thoughts on other standard action calibers that don't drastically lose velocity with barrel shortening?

Our national standard seems to be 30-06?

I have an 18 inch 06 that does well.
 
I will probably keep my 270 as is. It’s going on deer hunt in Nebraska this January, and if successful, I’m thinking that will be a grand retirement for my trusty 270.
I’ve been thinking of a 20” 308 or 7mm-08. Keep it simple, with components easy to find. Either round would be more than adequate for anything I would ask of that rifle.
 
I put a carbon fiber barrel on my dads 7mmrm tang safety. Also added a weigatinny 20moa rail, burris xtr ii scope and a timney trigger. But with a 26" barrel, I rarely screw on my sas vengeance which is 10.5" long.
Yeah I know not very good pics.


 
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