Ruger M77 in .260, Compact Version

[mark112278]

I'm not at all familiar with Rugers or the M77 in particular so I'm hoping for some information. When my wife and I got married, part of what she brought with her was a stainless compact model M77 in .260. My wife hunted before we met but since we've been married, newborn baby, my frequent absences, etc...we've been unable to hunt together. The other day she asked me if I'd check out her gun, which as a husband and an avid gun nut I was more than happy to do. I fired 20 rounds through it and the grouping sucked, the trigger is total crap. What I'm wanting to know is, how good are these guns. I'm very familiar with the capabilities of the .260. I'm hoping this is just a trigger issue, when I tested the trigger pull I got 6.85 lbs. I'd like to put a custom trigger in it for her something that can be set at 3.5 lbs or so, two stage would be great. Any information ya'll can give me would be awesome. I'd also like to get a different stock for her rifle. My wife loves to shoot and I want to encourage her but I know how frustrating it is when your firearm doesn't perform as well as you'd hoped.

 

[Victor3N]

I know a few people who have them, and I have an older tang style M77. Timney has a trigger for that gun but it will need to be fitted. I like them as hunting rifles, not to fond of the factory barrel. Mine is fitted with a Shilen stainless Match, and it will easily hold .5 MOA from the bench. Prior to the barrel change it was a 1.5 MOA gun on a good day. Not that I would automatically change barrels. You need to check everything from the bedding to the barrel twist etc... First. Most will shoot well enough for hunting as is or with minimal work. But considering the cost of components, and the availability of components, I would not waste a lot of time or money on a crappy barrel.