Tuning a 77/357

I'm about 90% certain that I'm going to buy a 77/357 this month. From reviews I've read, accuracy is pretty decent out of the box, although factory triggers make it difficult to extract the rifle's potential. Other than a trigger job, are there any other opportunities to tune the 77/357? Bedding/pillar work? Any other avenues to improve the rifle?

Also, does anyone have any recommendations for a scope for a 77/357? Seems like something with a short parallax-free distance would suit the .357 mag well. Shotgun scope? Thanks in advance.

Mine wears a 2x7 Redfiled, I like it alot works real well.

Ferdinand,
I have an early 77/357. I fixed the trigger and bedded and barrel free-floated mine in a walnut stock. With loads it likes, I can consistently shoot close to 1.5" groups @ 100 yards. Surprisingly, one of those very accurate factory loads was Speer 125 grain Gold Dot +P 38 Special. I shimmed the bolt but it did not seem to make any difference. I think this is damn good accuracy for this type of rifle. However, this is not a limitation of the 357 Magnum cartridge. I also have a T/C Contender carbine with a 20" Bullberry custom barrel in .357 Mag. The chamber has match specifications and with handloads fully resized, you still have to press the cartridge in the last quarter inch. Some factory loads are tight too. But, that barrel will shoot. It will consistently group under 1" at 100 yards and with a few handloads I have tried, It will put 3 shots into a half an inch. Some folks at the range could not believe a pistol cartridge is capable of that kind of accuracy. The scope was a 2x7 Nikon Monarch. But the Ruger 77/357 is an accurate fun carbine. I hope you enjoy it. RJ

RJ - thanks for the tip on bedding. Was that a factory walnut stock, or aftermarket? I also have a Contender in .357 Mag with custom barrel - mine's from OTT. It's accurate, but I haven't seen the level of accuracy that you have from your Bullberry. I need to put more time and experimentation into it. Shooting a pistol seems more technique-sensitive than a rifle for me.

Good tips on the scope; seems like 2-7X is the right power range, and I think that the proportions fit the rifle well.

Thank you both for your insight on the rifle.

Nikon makes a Prostaff-series 2x7 shotgun scope set parallax-free at 75 yards. That would make it a good match for a .357 rifle.

Ferdinand, that stock was a factory 77/44 walnut stock. Those loads that gave me the best accuracy were made using Hornady XTP 158 grain hollow point bullets and Alliant 2400 powder. I also got excellent results using VihtaVuori N110 powder. RJ

For the cartridge there is no tuning needed. I cut down the stock on my daughter's and it wears a 2.5-8 Leupold. Last Saturday evening she shot a button buck with it.

I absolutely love my 77/357. I bought it new on an impulse almost two years ago, and it sat in a safe until this summer. I had no idea of the fun I was missing. Mine is scoped with a 2-7X Leupold Rifleman from Walmart and wears a folding bipod (Walmart) for ease of use. Here's the nifty thing. I cast 125 grain slugs for both it and my revolvers using a Lee .358-125-RF round nose flat point mold. With putterbutt mid weight range Trail Boss powder charges my 77/357 shoots 3/4 to 1 inch groups of 5 rounds at 50 yards from the bench! Light recoil, cheap to shoot at about 6 cents a round and easy on the shoulder, these piddling loads have become my favorite for range time. And the rifle has only 300 or so rounds through it total. Maybe it will even improve as it's broken in (?). I did relieve the plastic of the barrel channel only where it touched the barrel, but haven't been able to try it out since the modification (hope I didn't mess up a good thing). The trigger is heavy but really crisp and clean, so I decided not to mess with it. I hope you enjoy your 77/357 as much as I do mine. This is a good rifle to begin reloading for if you don't already. Brass is relatively cheap and is widely available, ther's a huge number of cast and jacketed slugs available for it, and a large number of powders that can be used for its loads. A win-win-win at least for me all the way around. Sure would be fun to have mine fitted for a suppressor. I'll have that done if suppressors become a $5 AOW tax transfer. Don