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Why no Ruger's?

jw1911

jw1911

Private
Minuteman
Aug 5, 2009
12
0
43
Hartselle, Alabama, USA
I am new to LR shooting. And I consider 500 yards long range any way. So for up to and beyond 1000 yards... why doesn't any one use a Ruger?

It seems as tho every forum you hit (this one being my favorite) Remingtons dominate. Is this because the Remington is the dominant rifle or because its what our military uses?

I am trying to decide what to invest my money in for a long range rifle - up to 1k - maybe further if my skill level ever even reaches that.

I have several Rugers all of which I call "tack drivers." My M77 MkII in .243 is all but a same hole gun at 100 with a cheap ass Tasco World Class scope. I have won bets with this gun. I have a M77 in .270 and can cover 5 shots with a quarter. All with factory loads. I have a few .308s and a .30-06 as well. Basically I'm saying I really like Ruger products and have always been at a minimum satisfied with accuracy.

So why doesn't any one use a Ruger?

I also REALLY like Burris optics - primarily for "Made in the USA" and the quality, imho is at a minimum equal to anything I have seen from any other manufacturer.

All this rambling to get to this:

I want a 1k rifle and scope combo.

I may be starting on the wrong side here but I have all but made up my mind on a Burris XTR 624 - especially for the price. www.opticsplanet.com has them for $829 and the 3-12x50 version for $769.

What should I spend my money on (it doesn't grow on trees)?

thanks for your input and what would be a good book or video to start with?
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

ruger makes a fine gun no doubt. one reason many of us go with remington is the availability of upgrades and add ons. no limit to what you can get for a remington. few and far between for a ruger.
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

subtle things here........many here subscribe to the way of life that....if stuff breaks when you need it.....one do not give it a second chance....it gets junked, then you go for the up-grade.

its always a great idea to have a trusted gunplumber in your Rolodex......they tend to be a good guide on what works well.

spend on the best tool you can afford........stocks that float.....are great for the canoe races
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

Its all about customizing with the remmy. Abundant aftermarket stocks and accessories as well as most gunsmiths know the remmy action inside and out. This helps if you ever decide to go for a real accurate rig.
Factory Rugers have their good and bad points, lack of aftermarket compared to remmy.
If you are getting great accuracy out your Ruger dont change a thing and enjoy your shooting.

Mac
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

On the whole I like Ruger 77's. I sold my 77VTs, .22-250 and .308, mainly because I was strapped and they were the guns in my cabinet which enjoyed the best resale value. But parting with them was no joy, they were both tack drivers. I saw them as the Cadillacs in my cabinet. Not a lot of aftermarket stuff for them; but like Cadillacs, they don't need very much in the way of additions to be good at what they do.

I just inherited three more, 2 77's, a .30-'06 and a .280 (both sporters) and a 77V .280 (heavy barrel), all of significant age, 1980's or earlier, and relatively lightly used. As of yesterday, I finally have all the components (I just acquired 100 7mm 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tips) to begin load develeopment, and honestly, I expect this one to be no different from the preceding two outstanding shooters.

The components consist of nearly 100 Win nickel plated, primed cases and a fair stock of Ramshot Big Game and Hunter powders. I would have preferred less gaudy brass, but it came with the gun. Us beggars, etc....

Greg
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

Well I made up my mind on my optics today... brought home a Burris XTR624 from the fine folks at Van's Outdoors in Cullman, AL.

Also brought home a set of Burris Signature Rings too but I have never used them and have always thought of them as "gimmicky" because of the plastic inserts. We will see!

Now after going to Van's and talking to the guys there I think I have set my mind on a savage model 10 in .308. Main reason being the barrel nut.

Now I want to know what type of rifle to set my new Burris on. Open to any and all suggestions.

Also what does every one think about the Stephens rifles... after all it is a Savage.

Thanks again for your input.
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

+ 1 on the savage , and the scope . i think your off to great start . if your serious about long range shooting AND YOU RELOAD . i would encourage you to look into a different barrel for the savage the 308 is a great round . but the 6.5 s , 260 rem, 6.5 creedmore . , and the 6mms 243. win . 6mm rem . just name a few, leave the 308 far behind , when loaded with lr . bullets . good shooting ,

adam
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

would you go with a 7mm-08? because i could have got one today for $369 with accutrigger. its brand new at Van's - they bought a bunch of them and got a good deal and its the last one. I may call and get them to hold it for me.

Also why not go with a .308 - it seems to be most common and i have a butt load of reloading stuff for it. Please expound on why you would go with another caliber.

I also bought me a TC Venture today! The very first one out of the store! It is .30-06 and I intend simply to hunt with it. I just wanted to check it out. Especially at the $399 i got it for. It has a barrel nut on it too so i think they will probably gain some following.

Thanks again for the input!
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

I also want input on stocks.

I have narrowed my search for a stock to these:

In order of my preference:

McMillan ADJ A3-5,
McMillan A3
Sharp Shooter Supply LVT
or a
McMillan A5

I guess i want the most input on stock now... assuming any barreled action would outperform the shooter in this case. I need to find what i like ergonomically.
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

jw1911,

I've run the gamut on what Rugers will do. I used to own a 7mm Rem Mag that could hold 2" @ 50 yds. (unnacceptable). I swore I wouldn't own Ruger again. Then in a fit of "I had to have one" I bought a .257 Roberts in the MkII Ultralite. That rifle served me well. I killed a lot of deer, an antelope and an elk with it. With the right loads, it would hold moa for the first group or so. But, I had a friend from back in NV who bought a stainless .223 with the plastic skeleton stock that would shoot same hole. Another friend from there had a 77V in .220 Swift that held .5 MOA consistently. That is until he shot the barrel out. Rather quickly I might add. Of all things he found a pull off .220 barrel. He had it installed and he still gets .5 moa.

The differences in peoples accuracy levels with Ruger are pretty much why you don't see them as first choice in the accuracy world. You don't get what Remington, Savage and Winchester have offered and that is consistent accuracy. Speaking of which, if you want to go with .308, the Savage 10 is, in my opinion, the best affordable 'off the shelf' accurate rifle you can get your hands on.
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jw1911</div><div class="ubbcode-body">would you go with a 7mm-08? because i could have got one today for $369 with accutrigger. its brand new at Van's - they bought a bunch of them and got a good deal and its the last one. I may call and get them to hold it for me.

Also why not go with a .308 - it seems to be most common and i have a butt load of reloading stuff for it. Please expound on why you would go with another caliber.


Thanks again for the input!</div></div>

I would go with a 7mm-08 if you could get it in a model 10 or 12 with a heavy barrel. The 7mm's have an advantage that they have higher BC bullets that can be pushed as fast as similar weight, lower BC bullets in .308 That's if you're target shooting. If you're hunting then .308 is going to give you more factory loads in more places than 7mm-08. 7mm-08 is better to reload.
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

the 7mm-08 is a mod 10. I happen to have just enough dough to get it. i figure if i want i can rebarrel it anyway. i'm gonna have to pack up on brass and everything for loading. I have a buddy who hunts with a 7mm-08... he's not a reloader but maybe he's one of those people who save brass but dont know why.

any one got any good recipes for 7mm-08?
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

i went with a savage ft/r .308 a couple years ago when i started to take my long range shooting to the next level. that combined with a burris black diamond 8x32 has worked out great for me. i would like to upgrade the scope but the savage just plain shoots.
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

One thing that is awesome you can do with the 7mm-08 is buy Lapua .308 and neck it down. (Then neck turn). Personally, when I shoot out a 30-06 barrel on a Rem 721 I'm going to stick a 7mm-08 AI on it. But the plan there is to buy the Lapua brass for that project.
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

I shoot a Winchester/FN. Let someone tell me it's no good, I'll just laugh!

I love Ruger's rimfires, though. But old man Ruger sure was a douchebag with his politics surrounding the magazines back in the day.
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

I think a Stevens is simply an early model savage, sans Accue-Trigger, but updated to use the modern scope mounting bases.

I think they are little known treasure/best kept secret weapon.

Get a SSS triger, and you've got as good a rifled action as the current Savage provides, just understand, the barrels are not bulls. For hunting, they're fine right o/o the box, and as a donor build action, they're a decent bargain.

Greg
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Downzero</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I shoot a Winchester/FN. Let someone tell me it's no good, I'll just laugh!

I love Ruger's rimfires, though. But old man Ruger sure was a douchebag with his politics surrounding the magazines back in the day.</div></div>

Downzero,

No one is saying the Winchester FN's (PBR?) aren't good. It's just that they come in way over the price of the Savage and shoot pretty good. I haven't owned one so I don't know how good they shoot. I will say my most accurate rifle ever was a Winchester 70, post 64 HB/VT in .222 Rem. That thing was a one-holer.

As far as the magazines go, Bill Ruger simply decided to go proprietary vs. existing mass produced. With proprietary, he makes money on the mags. Which is good if you sell a ton of your rifles and people buy extra mags for them. Sometimes the reverse is true. People don't want to pay $30-$40 bucks per mag so they won't buy your product. They'd prefer an AR where there are tons of mags already out there for it. A few examples of proprietary mags are AI, Remington, Savage, Armalite. Most of the aftermarket bottom metal for the Rem 700 is proprietary.
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

+ 1 sandwarrior . i have seen many more lemon rugers than rem. win. sav. combined . there are some good rugers . ive shot several that were .5 moa or better . but ive shot more that wouldnt do 2 moa . had a rimfire but didnt really like it until i repaced half the parts with aftermarket . ruger has some great ideas but they dont have high enuf standards for me .
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

I think its mainly because of the available upgrades and reputation that follows remington, even the Surgeon is based of the Remington, so they are pretty good
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Captain Kick-Ass</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Burris makes fine optics. </div></div>

CKA, which particular Burris's do you think are up to the task?
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">throwing the cats at you... naked </div></div>

Are you telling me that some folks dress their cats...?
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

my luck ith the RUGERS are not too good. I bought the new hawkeye in a 250 and it had all .224 bullets i put in it. I sold the sucker and never looked back i have a Tang saftey 257 roberts and its a 1 in gun at 100 ith 5 years of reloading for it ith nothing better. Most gun i buy no i can research for 15 minutes and find 5 .................1/2 inch loads from the net and go to the range and see which i can get the cheapeast and most powder for to load. I prefer Browning's over Ruger and SALVAGE not savage But REMY's are my baby
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Greg Langelius *</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">throwing the cats at you... naked </div></div>

Are you telling me that some folks dress their cats...? </div></div>

No Greg
grin.gif
That's not what I'm saying....its a quote from a friend of mine who's in the industry.
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

JW1911.....

I have a Ruger M77 that is chambered in .308 with a custom barrel. I'm one of very few people that shoots the Ruger M77 for precision. The reason why as MANY of gunsmiths explained to me is the material that the action is made of. Alot of Ruger actions can break really easy compared to Remington. Hence is why I can't get a badger knob installed on my Ruger bolt. But if you insist on getting the Ruger redone for precision shooting, good luck on finding a good smith willing to take it. I had a 14 month wait for mine to be done, then had to get a different smith to rebed it with pillars.

Here is the pics of the rifle and my best 100 yard three shot group.
DSCI0527.jpg

DSCI0412.jpg
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

Following up on the 3 MKI Rugers I just inherited; load development is complete.

I determined early on that I was not going to subject to 77V .280 to a life as a range queen. Just entirely too much mayhem going on inside the engine room to lay on a nice older rifle like that.

After two stages of ladder testing, I introduced the Hornady .280/139gr SST factory hunting load, and very simply, my search is ended. Both .280 rifles shoot it sweet, and they are both zeroed with it at 100yd.

I then skipped directly to the chase with the 77 .30-'06 Sporter, testing it with the PlainJane Rem CoreLokt Express 150gr factory hunting load my M70 likes so well. Like they were made for each other, this one is also now zeroed at 100yd with the factory load.

For any field application, I'd feel very well equipped indeed with any of the three Rugers, and that 3000fps .280/139 SST load would go the distance for a 1000yd shot, I'm pretty certain (1280fps/30MOA from 100yd zero).

Greg
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

I've owned 3 Rugers, one 30.06 that held roughly MOA, one .308 bull barrelled that held 2 MOA on a good day, and the only one I still own is my MKII 22/45...love that little pistol!!! Ruger's centerfire rifles accuracy is to hit & miss for my liking, but there rimfires, both rifle & pistols are GTG!
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

I have a 77 MKII that was built by Terry Cross(he said it was the "only Ruger that will ever leave his shop"). I was looking at some targets last night and that rifle flat shoots!

Of course, that is with a good deal of $$$ and a Krieger barrel.

David
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: nashlaw</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have a 77 MKII that was built by Terry Cross(he said it was the "only Ruger that will ever leave his shop"). I was looking at some targets last night and that rifle flat shoots!

Of course, that is with a good deal of $$$ and a Krieger barrel.

David </div></div>

Does that mean Terry is gonna keep all the Rugers for himself?
 
Re: Why no Ruger's?

I would think the biggest draw back is finding a smith that will work on one. I won't and I know two others that will not either. It's not that they can't be worked on it's you have to make or buy tools that only work for that rifle and the Ruger is a pain in the ass to glass bed because of the blind holes in the receiver and the receiver shape. Most after market tooling is set up for round receivers. And a round receiver is easier to distribute the torgue weight along a larger surface area. Throw in some square corners and a cast receiver and you may well be buying someone a new gun. Just not worth the headache. I own a few Rugers and their still stock and will stay that way as long as I own them. Donald
 
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