All Sevens Today

[DrMike]

Glad to hear you are doing better! Awesome range report! I love the featherweights, especially the 7 Mauser. Thanks for posting!

I'm not out of the woods, but I can see an opening in the trees.

 

[gerry]

Has anyone had a laminate stock warp?

Yep, they still need to be sealed properly especially on the inside around the action and barrel channel. Still like laminates though especially the salt and pepper version, honestly though it isn't hard to make sure it sealed properly so they stay stable.

 

[PJGunner]

I have seen and had Ruger Model 77's warp in the rain, especially here in Washington. The early issue M-77's did not have much finish on the stock and the stock would turn white in a couple days of Washington weather.

I did an elk hunt quite a few years back in the John Day area in Oregon. Rifle was a Ruger #1B in .300 Win. Mag. We got hit with "The storm of the year" with driving rain and very strong wind. We learned later that the John Day airport got hit with gust as high as 120 MPH. Well, no one got an elk and on the way home we stopped at the King's River ranch to clean up and rest up. One of my hunting partners was the manager of a hunt club on the ranch and he put out a few pheasants for us to hunt the next day. When we went to shoot a few birds we spotted a coyote running off with one and the only rifle in the truck was my #1 .300 Mag. I got three shots off and never even burned hair. Nobody could even see where the shots were hitting. A few days after I got home in Tucson, I took that rifle to the range and the shots were hitting over the target backer and if it's shot just a foot higher the bullets would have gone over the berm.
When I got home I noticed that the edges of the forearm and butt stock that were against the receiver were sticking out much more that they should have. I pulled the forearm and noticed that all the interior wood was not sealed. Same for the raw edges of the butt stock and under that skimpy pad. At that time I had a small collection of Ruger #1's plus a few M77's and removing them from the stocks showed me not a single one was sealed. The only finish was the stain sprayed on the stock. Exterior finish was thick and solid in comparison.
I had to tear that .300 Mag. down to parts as there was still water inside. For the record it took that stock almost six years to totally dry out here in southern Arizona's very dry climate. I consider my wood stocked Rugers to be fair weather guns only.
Paul B.