Zytel M77s

Anyone here collecting them?

I've been a flatbolt collector for years and also accumulated a few Zytel stocked MKII rifles with sights. I'm wondering if there is any interest out there or if I'm the only guy who likes them.

I have seen a few folks who collect them. Not many.

With sights have always been the rarest. I wonder if production even approaches 10% of the total?
Chet15

chet15 said:

With sights have always been the rarest. I wonder if production even approaches 10% of the total?
Chet15

Click to expand...

I see very few stainless with sights. Mostly 7Mag and .30-06. The .270Win that I have is the only one I have ever seen. It has the 'boat paddle' Zytel stock. I have seen some of the regular butt stock Zytel stocks with sights and I have two of them a .30-06 and a .223. I think the .223 was a limited run.

I think the 10% that Chet15 references is a good number for sights in both blue and stainless M77s, but I think in some calibers there are much less than 10% or even none built. To me, that makes some of the sighted models/configurations very rare.

Full stock ( non BT) with sights in the MKII 223 Stainless totaled 100, according to a factory records confidant I once asked.......I do not believe/know if there were any blue versions. Still have a few here...............Splitz BTW, the full "rubber" stock sighted SS models were on the cusp of the closeout.

I can tell you that I have owned three Zytel M77' s.One of them a stainless Zytel M 77 7mm Rem. mag used for a Mexican whitetail hunt. It had the
Paddle Stock.
Shortly afterward I managed to purchase another Zytel Stainless 77 in 7.62X 39 ( paddle stock). Little did I realize the scarcity of this Zytel Stainless 77 chambered in this caliber. These prized posessions went the way of a divorce court ordered consignment sale.
While rebuilding my repitoire of firearms, I intended to purchase a Mini Thirty at a very nice gun shop in San Antonio-- "The Powderhorn". The shop had special ordered the Mini Stainless Synthetic and was preparing the receipt when I happened across of all things a M77 chambered in 7.62X39. I immediately told the proprietor that I wanted to purchase the M77 7.62. rather than the Mini. He was more than happy to oblage. The M77 now sits in my safe. This version was different. It is very different from the paddle Zytel Stainless. Has a full stock as well as a blued barrel and receiver. I know that this, like the first 77/ 7.62 x 39 has to be a special run. Unfortunately, I have no Idea of which distributor the run was for or its date of manufacture. It continues to be my most valuable and only hunting rifle ( 7.62 ballistics are equivalent to a 30.30 Win. ).Anyone have any info about these synthetic 77's in 7.62X39?
Anyone know who the special run of the M 77 7.62 was made for and the dates of manufacture of the blued version?
Forgive my long winded response.

I think I recall reading somewhere that the first batch was an order of 62 blued guns for a Sporting goods store in Ohio can't remember the name right off will have to do some double checking on it.

mcknight77 said:

chet15 said:

With sights have always been the rarest. I wonder if production even approaches 10% of the total?
Chet15

Click to expand...

I see very few stainless with sights. Mostly 7Mag and .30-06. The .270Win that I have is the only one I have ever seen. It has the 'boat paddle' Zytel stock. I have seen some of the regular butt stock Zytel stocks with sights and I have two of them a .30-06 and a .223. I think the .223 was a limited run.

I think the 10% that Chet15 references is a good number for sights in both blue and stainless M77s, but I think in some calibers there are much less than 10% or even none built. To me, that makes some of the sighted models/configurations very rare.

Click to expand...

I would be pretty sure that all cataloged were built. I have a lot of records.
Chet15

HAWKEYE#28 said:

Full stock ( non BT) with sights in the MKII 223 Stainless totaled 100, according to a factory records confidant I once asked.......I do not believe/know if there were any blue versions. Still have a few here...............Splitz BTW, the full "rubber" stock sighted SS models were on the cusp of the closeout.

Click to expand...

Here's the serial number range of that one...model 7958…
787-94473 to 789-90274

I would be wary when an employee gives info about production numbers.
Have a feeling that's how the "50" quantity came out for 8-groove 10" .357 flattops many decades back....and at a time when Ruger didn't have a jillion models like they've made since that time!
Also had a dealer tell me he called the factory once to see how many Number One's in .222 were made and that same "50" came out.
The reason I say that is the serial number range for the KM77RFSP in .223 in above is nearly 200,000 wide. That is a long possible production run.
If I have a chance I'll see what the quantity was that that one distributor received.
Chet15