Finally got the 338 77 Tanger home!

[preacher]

Hopefully, if there's not a White Out Monday I can pick up my Mod 70 from the smith! I plan on shooting both it and the Mod 77 together soon. When examining it/cleaning, the previous owner had added a "dollop" of bedding around the recoil lug and had made a "pressure pad" with another dollop. I figured I would shoot it in (zero my 1.5x5 or maybe put the Bushnell 2x7 on it) with factory 200 grain ammo and maybe a few trial loads ( I'm thinking of starting out with 58gr H4895/200 NBT). "IF" it looks like it wants to shoot, I'll have the new smith give it the treatment. I don't trust a wood stock rifle that's not free floated out here , and I'm not fooling with a synthetic on it. I'll also find out if that old factory recoil pad hurts! lol. Now, again "if" it does not want to shoot well after trying some trial loads, etc. I "will" have it rebarreled with nice Shilen ( maybe something different) again, in 338 Winmag. We shall see!

 

[preacher]

Hopefully, if there's not a White Out Monday I can pick up my Mod 70 7x57 from the smith! I plan on shooting both it and the Mod 77 together soon. When examining it/cleaning, the previous owner had added a "dollop" of bedding around the recoil lug and had made a "pressure pad" with another dollop. I figured I would shoot it in (zero my 1.5x5 or maybe put the Bushnell 2x7 on it) with factory 200 grain ammo and maybe a few trial loads ( I'm thinking of starting out with 58gr H4895/200 NBT). "IF" it looks like it wants to shoot, I'll have the new smith give it the treatment. I don't trust a wood stock rifle that's not free floated out here , and I'm not fooling with a synthetic on it. I'll also find out if that old factory recoil pad hurts! lol. Now, again "if" it does not want to shoot well after trying some trial loads, etc. I "will" have it rebarreled with a nice Shilen ( maybe something different) again, in 338 Winmag. Back when it was made Ruger "did not spend" a lot of money on some of their rifle barrels and I have no idea what this one's history is at any rate. "Bubba" may have tried to bed it to get it on paper and gave up fr all I know! ha We shall see!

 

[truck driver]

A lot of the old M77s had Douglas barrels on them and were very accurate. The biggest problem was the forearms weren't sealed properly and they would warp putting side pressure on the barrel.
If he tried to lighten it he may have had the barrel turned down to loose weight and could explain the front pressure pad since most light weight barrels require some pressure.
What is the length of the barrel?

 

[preacher]

Its 24". It doesn't look like the barrel has had anything done to it, looks stock to me. I owned a Mod 77 in .280 from the same period and while it shot 1 1/2" with the factory 150CL, it shot a nice 3 shot 1" triangle with my first try at a handload for it! So, it was a good barrel, maybe this one is too, but not to worry, as I'm in no hurry...at this point, ha. Off to Church!...

 

[35 Whelen]

In Alaska during the mid 1980's; the Ruger 77 tang safety was the gun to buy; Longs Drugs had a special deal directly with Bill Ruger in the mid 1980's that a manager there told me that if Longs would order 1000 of them their cost was $250 ea. In those days dealer wholesale was around $350 and most shops were selling them for like $429/459 ish.
Longs would have a super sale in August and take out a full page ad in Anchorage newspaper advertising them
for $359 to the public! No doubt there are probably more Ruger 338 red pads in Alaska because of Longs unique pricing than any other model up there! Every young guide we ever hired at that time had one!
As great as that deal was back then it doesn't hold a candle to the deals right now, considering you can order a new T/C Venture today in .338 with a Vortex Diamondback Scope n mounts for $414 and get back a $75 rebate??? So for $339 after rebate you wind up with a new $479 gun and $200 scope ??? Who would have ever thought that ???? WoW
Case n point a friend has one of those redpads in our shop right now that has hit everything but the
Daily double, which he says " gotta get four for it" ???? Really...... with these outrageous prices on new guns it will set for a long time.......... around here in off season it is probably slot more 3ish than 4ish......
What say ye all ??? How much is it worth??

 

[truck driver]

If I were looking to buy another rifle I would consider it for $250 max. That would give me some wiggle room for refinishing the wood and metal.
What caliber is it in?

 

[35 Whelen]

270 Win. Well I will keep that in mind Roger, incase he weakens! Lol Actually if the wood was just redone the metal is not really bad at all! Pretty good old Ruger just interesting he wants more than he paid for it brand new! :?

 

[preacher]

"If" I really wanted it, I'd go $325, "maybe" $350, but no more! Too bunged up for the average "gentleman hunter" and too common for a Collector, "just right" for a Truck Gun!

 

[truck driver]

270 Win. Well I will keep that in mind Roger, incase he weakens! Lol Actually if the wood was just redone the metal is not really bad at all! Pretty good old Ruger just interesting he wants more than he paid for it brand new! :?[/quote

Earl from the pictures it looks like there is rust or pits on the extractor claw so it makes me wonder what's under the wood.

 

[preacher]

Mod 70 home now...looks like I misunderstood what the smith meant by an "Aluminum Bedding Block". I was thinking Hogue style and this is a bedding block just under the recoil lug and another under the tang area. Looks really good, but I think I "still" would rather have pillars in the 338. We shall see...

 

[truck driver]

Mod 70 home now...looks like I misunderstood what the smoth meant by an "Aluminum Bedding Block". I was thinking Hogue style and this is a bedding block just under the recoil lug and another under the tang area. Looks really good, but I think I "still" would rather have pillars in the 338. We shall see...

Unless you are laying up a new laminated wood stock I think it would be rather expensive to put a full action block in a factory stock similar to what Hogue, B&C or H-S Precision uses.
Since it is a Tanger I think pillars are the only way you can go with out dumping a ton of money into it.

 

[preacher]

Agreed. I was a bit "mystified, but intrigued", ha, about the concept, so thought, Hey why Not? I just torqued back together at 40# and snugged the middle screw. The trigger is "Sugar Bear Sweet", so hopefully it will shoot well. I'll find something that will shoot in it. I put the Burris Timberline 4.5x14x32AO Ballistic Plex on it, a surprisingly small scope at 15oz and doesn't ruin the balance on this FWT, at least for my body type ( see, I like to "think" that I still have Lightening Like Reflexes" but at 65...hmmm). I had it on the old .270 BAR. I want to set up the 338 with both the Leupolds ( 1.5x5 & 2.5x8) as I just trust them more on hard kickers. I will set them both up on separate ring sets, better for me to deal with two screws than 8/re-zero each time I change them.