Ruger M77
Encyclopedia
The Ruger M77 is a bolt-action rifle produced by Sturm, Ruger & Company
. It was designed by Jim Sullivan
during his three years with Ruger. The rifle features a traditional Mauser-style two-lugged bolt with a claw extractor.
in place of a forged receiver. The Sullivan-designed bolt dispensed with the Mauser blade type ejector and instead used the simpler plunger style of ejector. A two-position tang safety and redesigned trigger system were also designed from scratch.
Perhaps the most novel feature of the M77 is the only one that has not been redesigned, the angled action screw. The front action screw of traditional bolt-action rifles draws the receiver directly down against the stock. The M77 uses an angled screw that draws the action down and to the rear, tightly bedding it against the stock.
. The rifle is based on the standard Ruger M77 Mk II rifle but the barrel has been shortened to 14.5". The orange coloured buttstock has been modified so that it can fold along the left hand side of the stock and it also can hold 6 additional rounds of ammunition. The rifle is issued with a special case that has been designed to attach to the Search and Rescue Technicians parachute harness.
in the development of the rifle and thus meeting the criteria of the modern scout rifle
set forth by Jeff Cooper
. The rifle is chambered in .308 Winchester
and weighs 7 lb (3.2 kg) and sports a 16.5" barrel and black laminate
stock. It features ghost-ring iron sights
, flash hider and a picatinny rail
for optics mounting. It takes 5- or 10- round box magazines.
Sturm, Ruger
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Incorporated is a Southport, Connecticut-based firearm manufacturing company, better known by the shortened name Ruger. Sturm, Ruger produces bolt-action, semi-automatic, full-automatic, and single-shot rifles, shotguns, semi-automatic pistols, and single- and double-action...
. It was designed by Jim Sullivan
L. James Sullivan
Leroy James Sullivan is an American firearms inventor. Going by Jim Sullivan, he is noted as the designer of several 'scaled-down' versions of larger firearms. He is largely responsible for the M16, Stoner 63, and Ruger Mini-14 rifles as well as the Ultimax 100 light machine gun and Ruger M77...
during his three years with Ruger. The rifle features a traditional Mauser-style two-lugged bolt with a claw extractor.
Design and features
From the beginning, the Ruger M77 was intended as a modernized Mauser 98, though numerous changes were made. Bill Ruger wanted to use investment castingInvestment casting
Investment casting is an industrial process based on and also called lost-wax casting, one of the oldest known metal-forming techniques. From 5,000 years ago, when beeswax formed the pattern, to today’s high-technology waxes, refractory materials and specialist alloys, the castings allow the...
in place of a forged receiver. The Sullivan-designed bolt dispensed with the Mauser blade type ejector and instead used the simpler plunger style of ejector. A two-position tang safety and redesigned trigger system were also designed from scratch.
Perhaps the most novel feature of the M77 is the only one that has not been redesigned, the angled action screw. The front action screw of traditional bolt-action rifles draws the receiver directly down against the stock. The M77 uses an angled screw that draws the action down and to the rear, tightly bedding it against the stock.
Variants
The M77 has undergone one minor and two major redesigns. The first change involved incorporating a proprietary scope mount milled integral with the receiver. The first rifles had simple rounded-top receivers drilled and tapped for separate scope mounts.M77 Mark II
The M77 was retooled almost entirely and reintroduced in 1991 as the Mark II. The safety, bolt, and trigger were completely redesigned. The claw extractor was retained, but the bolt face was opened up to allow controlled-round feeding. The plunger ejector was replaced with a Mauser style blade ejector. Finally, a three-position safety allowed the bolt to be operated while the gun was still on safe, making unloading of the rifle less hazardous. Ruger also eliminated the adjustable trigger that came stock on the original M77.Hawkeye
In 2006, Ruger introduced new features and a new name for their rifle, the Hawkeye. Major changes were made to the trigger system and the stock was recontoured, but otherwise the rifle remained unchanged. The LC6 trigger addressed complaints from consumers that the Mark II trigger, though safer than the earlier one, was poorly designed for accurate shooting. The LC6 trigger is lighter and smoother. Despite the listed improvements of the LC-6 trigger there still seems to be nagging complaints about it.30.06 Cal SAR (Search and Rescue) Rifle
The SAR Rifle, .30-06 calibre, RUGER, Model M77 is a rifle designed for use by Canada's Search and Rescue Technicians (SAR Techs) and Aircrews. The SAR Rifle is designed to be a compact survival rifle chambered in .30-06 Springfield.30-06 Springfield
The .30-06 Springfield cartridge or 7.62×63mm in metric notation, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and standardized, and was in use until the 1960s and early 1970s. It replaced the .30-03, 6 mm Lee Navy, and .30 US Army...
. The rifle is based on the standard Ruger M77 Mk II rifle but the barrel has been shortened to 14.5". The orange coloured buttstock has been modified so that it can fold along the left hand side of the stock and it also can hold 6 additional rounds of ammunition. The rifle is issued with a special case that has been designed to attach to the Search and Rescue Technicians parachute harness.
Gunsite Scout Rifle (2011)
Working closely with Gunsite Training CenterGunsite Training Center
Gunsite is a privately-run firearms training facility based in Yavapai County, Arizona, just north of Paulden in the United States. It offers tuition-funded instruction in handgun, carbine, rifle and shotgun shooting, as well as other specialty firearms. Located on a facility, Gunsite has...
in the development of the rifle and thus meeting the criteria of the modern scout rifle
Scout rifle
The Scout Rifle is a class of general-purpose rifles defined and promoted by Jeff Cooper in the early 1980s.These bolt action carbines are typically .308 caliber , less than 1 meter in length, and less than 3 kilograms in weight, with iron and optical sights and fitted with practical slings for...
set forth by Jeff Cooper
Jeff Cooper
John Dean "Jeff" Cooper was recognized as the father of what is commonly known as "the Modern Technique" of handgun shooting, and one of the 20th century's foremost international experts on the use and history of small arms....
. The rifle is chambered in .308 Winchester
.308 Winchester
The .308 Winchester is a rifle cartridge and is the commercial cartridge upon which the military 7.62x51mm NATO centerfire cartridge is based. The .308 Winchester was introduced in 1952, two years prior to the NATO adoption of the 7.62x51mm NATO T65...
and weighs 7 lb (3.2 kg) and sports a 16.5" barrel and black laminate
Laminate
A laminate is a material that can be constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the placing of something between layers of plastic and gluing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an...
stock. It features ghost-ring iron sights
Iron sights
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...
, flash hider and a picatinny rail
Picatinny rail
The Picatinny rail or MIL-STD-1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail or a "Tactical Rail" is a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform. A similar system is the Weaver rail mount.-Description:...
for optics mounting. It takes 5- or 10- round box magazines.