Ruger M77 vs. Browning A-bolt?

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annasophia

Bearcat
Joined
Feb 4, 2010
Messages
68
Location
Northwest
Aside from the fact that we all love our Rugers, we all know there are other quality gun makers out there too. My question here is comparing the PROS and CONS of the Ruger M77 (second generation-with the wing style safety) to the Browning A-Bolt Medallion. In general, from the few triggers I've pulled on both of these rifle types, the Browning seems to be lighter (just my experience) and they both seem to be about equally crisp with basically no real discernible creep. As for the overall comparison, the A-Bolt has a lower angle bolt throw possibly making it a smidgen faster for the repeat shot, and the Ruger controlled round feeding (which appears to be the holy grail to some rifle shooters). The Browning has a mag. door with a detachable steel mag that attaches to the underside of the door while the Ruger's bottom door is made of aluminum and is the more traditional style with no detachable mag box. Ruger has their super tough scope ring system going for it and there's great options from Leupold for the Browning which seem plenty strong and better looking to me. What are the real pros and cons of each rifle to help me decide on a future purchase. I'm looking at used rifles for the most part and of course condition weighs heavily, but I've seen plenty of both in the same price range and condition range....so selection won't really be a problem in my area.

--Anna Sophia
 

Lloyd Smale

Blackhawk
Joined
Aug 10, 2003
Messages
555
Location
munising MI USA
never was a fan of the abolt. Not that there a bad gun. I just lont like the look or the flashy finish but have to say that ive never shot one that wasnt an exceptional shooter. If an accurate rifle is what your looking for id bet on the browning outshooting the ruger. Granted it might not be so in every case but id bet money that if you took 10 ruger 77s and 10 abolts the combined groups would show the brownings outshooting the rugers
 

hawk_driver

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
Messages
101
Location
Sierra Vista, AZ
Although I prefer Rugers, I do currently own one A-Bolt and have owned 2 others. The times I have bought an A-Bolt, was mainly due to weight.

When the 260 came out, I wanted one, but with a 22" barrel and stainless. The Browning might weigh 7 pounds with a 2.5-8 on it. When I had the 25-06 itch, I initially bought a Ruger. I sold it and got a Browning in 25-06. I still dont know why Ruger insists on that magnum contour barrell on a 25-06.

I still have the 260, it shoots so friggin good and is so easy to carry, that it will be the second to last rifle I ever sell. My Ruger 308 Norma Mag being the last.

With the Brownings, I like the tang safety, and I dont mind the magazine, although a bunch dont. The triggers have always been great right out of the box. Every one I have owned or shot, has shot great, with no tinkering.

Every Ruger I have owned has come with a lousy trigger. Easy enough to change, but still crappy. I do like the Ruger rings. The Ruger is my favorite, just because it fits and I like its overall lines and layout. I do not like the Hawkeye finish, either in blue or stainless. To me, it looks cheap, like it was put on with a rattle can.

For me the deciding factor would be the caliber and its use. If it were a gun that you were going to be packing up into the high regions, a Browning may win due to its weight. Were it going to be a rifle in a thumper of a chambering, I would probably go with the Ruger. I also think the Ruger is built to withstand a harder life than the Browning.

I would go with which rifle fills the niche that you need to fill and actually feels the best in your hands.
 

annasophia

Bearcat
Joined
Feb 4, 2010
Messages
68
Location
Northwest
I'm going to use it mostly for general western deer and elk hunting. Some of my use with it will be on coyotes (which will of course equate to the bulk of rounds put through it). I'm wanting either .30-06 or .308. I know that there are lots of other options out there that are much better suited for coyotes or elk, but I feel these calibers are super available in both factory loaded ammo and component bullet options for hand loading, they are inexpensive to shoot (relatively speaking), and I just like them because they are classics.....and they kind of fit the in-between use I intend for it. I currently own a Browning High-wall in .30-06, a Ruger M77 in .338 Win, and a Belgian Browning FN Safari in .30-06....but they are all in perfect new condition without a scratch on any of them....and have sentimental value to me. I'm wanting to pick up a used rifle in an all-around caliber to use the heck out of and not sweat the dings and bumps. I've been using a Marlin .30-30 for several years and actually like it a lot, but I'm ready to step up in power and range abilities. I also have a Savage in .223 that I use for coyotes (and will continue to use for coyotes) but I just want to give the new (new-to-me) rifle a go on them too for the sake of practicing for deer and elk hunting and getting the feel of my capabilities with a new, larger caliber rifle. The used market around here is pretty flooded with old "deer rifles" and I know I can pick up a decent deal easily enough.....I just need to decide on which cal and brand to go with in the price range I'm looking at. I'm wanting to possibly go walnut, but I can also appreciate stainless/synthetic and would get one like that if I found a good enough deal. I've found that stainless rifles in the used market around tend to hold their value better (granted they cost a bit more when new too). I've seen tons of Savage rifles in the price range I'm looking at, but I can't get over the plastic trigger guard on a wood stock look. If they just put metal on those guns they would have sold much better! I know it would have put the initial prices a bit higher, but they still would have been much less than a Rem 700 or Ruger M77, etc. As noted above, I've kind of started to hone in on either a Ruger or Browning...so I'll probably let the pawn shop availability and price dictate which I buy. Any other opinions would be much appreciated if you care to chime in. Thanks!

--Anna Sophia
 

annasophia

Bearcat
Joined
Feb 4, 2010
Messages
68
Location
Northwest
OK, after hitting several pawn shops this afternoon I've narrowed my choice down to two rifles: Choice #1 is a Browning A-Bolt Medallion in .30-06 with a BOSS and with Leupold scope mount and rings and they want $430 out the door. The other is a Stainless steel Ruger M77 MKII in .308 Win that has the old style paddle stock that says "Ruger" molded into the sides of the butt end of the black synthetic stock....$375 out the door. The A-Bolt has nice walnut and does have some scratches in the wood and bluing wear (probably about 80-85% condition) while the Ruger is more like 90% cond. I'm leaning towards the Ruger because it's in such good condition and the trigger is very comparable to that on the Browning. Probably about 4 lbs. or so, and crisp. It doesn't come with rings, so I'd have to shell out another $50+ for some stainless Ruger rings which would make the comparable total about $425....so I'd basically be into either rifle the same amount either way. Both rifles seem to be about the same weight give or take a pound or less...and I measured them both for overall length and the Browning is only 1" longer, despite the shorter barrel to accommodate the BOSS. Which would you chose and why? Which is the better deal? Please help direct me to the better choice.

--Anna Sophia
 

Silent Sam

Blackhawk
Joined
Feb 26, 2006
Messages
728
No problems with Browning. Not a fan of the BOSS or any brake for that matter, especially on a 30-06. Obviously a Ruger fan but, not a fan of the boat paddle stock, although they are generally very serviceable and many like them. A Ruger trigger can be cleaned up, if it needs it, into a very nice hunting trigger pretty easily. I would check on the price of Ruger rings. That's a good price WITH rings. W/O not so good unless you are specifically looking for a boat paddle stock/model. Honestly my choice would to keep looking.
 
Joined
Jun 19, 2009
Messages
1,443
Location
Pennsylvania
I like the aesthetics of wood and blue rather than plastic and stainless, so personally I would lean in that direction, even with wood and blue in used but not abused condition. You don't say what type of elk/deer hunting you anticipate, but if it's a situation where you'll be out in the changing weather a lot, then the stainless and plastic would be a plus.

The cost of the Browning you mention, with glass installed, is going to be a lot less than the Ruger when you figure in the cost of a scope. That of course assumes the Leupold meets your needs.

Neither would be my choice for coyotes - just the wrong calibers in my book. I like the coyote pelts, and either of those moderate boomers is going to make a mess of a coyote pelt.

Choosing a long gun is fun - it will come down to critical examination of your personal use factors.
 

6mmsl

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jun 8, 2009
Messages
153
Location
Utah
Anna, buy the Ruger. Why?

1. The MKII stainless is an excellent rifle basically does not show much wear with field use-mine is bomb proof. Accurate,no -nonsense hunting rig.

2. You will probably put a black scope on it -most do. I use Leupold rings-why put stainless rings on a black scope. Anyways, plenty of rings out there (Ruger) if you shop around.

3.You are splitting hairs on price-I would not let that drive your entire decision.

4. Boss system - come on a device to tune your rifles accuracy? Really? I guess Browning fans will support it. This is a Ruger site and Rugers don't need a tuning device in my opinion.

5. Boat paddle not my favorite- mine has the standard synthetic- again bomb proof rig.

Awesome rifle - you will not be sorry.

Steve
 

Otony

Blackhawk
Joined
Aug 4, 2000
Messages
560
Location
Pacific Northwest, on the "Dry Side"
Just an observation, but there is a lot of aluminum on the A-Bolt, as opposed to the MKII.

I know that the bolt shroud, trigger guard, floorplate, various trigger parts, and the short tang on which the thumb safety rides are all aluminum. As much as I like A-bolts, those parts have always appeared cheesy to me.

The only aluminum parts on the MKII are the floorplate and trigger guard, both of which I believe can be replaced with steel Hawkeye parts. If you are looking at a stainless MKII, then everything is SS to the best of my knowledge.

A small touch perhaps, but on some rifles I perfer all steel, especially if the end weights are similar.
 

mattsbox99

Hunter
Joined
Jan 12, 2009
Messages
3,391
Location
Montana 'Merica
The first time you drop that $50 magazine on the A Bolt in the woods on a long trek will probably be the last time you take it out.

The best feature of the BOSS is that it can be replaced with a non ported version.

The ABolt is a good looking rifle, but the MKII is darn near the perfect rifle. The MKII Magnum and No. 1 are the only better looking guns out there IMO :D

Metal wise the ABolt is most likely strong enough despite have some more aluminum.

Accuracy is probably good enough with both rifles for any deer hunting. All of my Ruger rifles shoot MOA or better, some people report that their rifles don't. I can promise you that you do not need MOA accuracy to shoot a deer, as much as it is hyped up.


In the end, I prefer the American made Ruger with a no hassle lifetime warranty over a japanese made gun, but in truth they are probably equal for what you need. Good luck.
 

hawk_driver

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
Messages
101
Location
Sierra Vista, AZ
Not too much of a worry about the magazine on the A-Bolt. It does not drop out like a conventional magazine. It is latched into the floorplate pretty tight. Even if you accidently open the floorplate, the magazine is not going to drop.
 

annasophia

Bearcat
Joined
Feb 4, 2010
Messages
68
Location
Northwest
Sorry if I wasn't clear before but NEITHER rifle I mentioned comes with a scope. The Browning comes with scope base and rings, but no scope....and the Ruger comes with just the rifle, so I would need to buy Ruger rings which don't require any kind of scope base to use. They cost around $50-60 for new ones.

I really like the idea of stainless steel in a hunting rifle and am leaning towards the Ruger. I think at this point, my only hang-up is that it's in .308 Win, which I have no experience with. I have several rifles in .30-06 and do have reloading dies for that cal., and of course it's no big deal to get another set of dies to pick up a new caliber. How big of a deal is it to reform .30-06 brass to .308 Win? Is it much better to just buy some .308 brass to start with instead of try to convert some of my .30-06 brass I already have to .308 Win? I know that balistically the two cals are very similar....but with real world use, is there much a handicap using the .308 Win? I'm quite conservative when shooting distance at big game, but I do like to try to push myself when poping out at coyotes being as there are tons of them here in the intermountain west and you're doing a favor greasing as many as you can for the most part.

--Anna Sophia
 

3DTESTIFY

Single-Sixer
Joined
Aug 26, 2007
Messages
246
Location
Skiatook, OK
About 5 years ago, I was in your position looking for a new hunting rifle. My narrowed down options were the Browning A-bolt micro hunter in 7mm-08 or Ruger M77RL MKII in .257 Roberts. Comparing the Brownings modern design vs Rugers time tested features were as follows.

Browning A-bolt has 3 locking lugs, 60 deg. bolt lift, push feed, 2 position tang safety, brazed on bolt handle, detachable magazine on swinging floorplate, adjustable trigger, epoxy bedded barrel lug, aluminum triggerguard & floorplate & required scope bases & rings.

Ruger M77 MKII has Mauser style 2 locking lugs, 90 deg. bolt lift, control round feed, 3 position wing safety, one piece bolt handle, floorplate magazine, non adjustable trigger(easily tuned), angled barrel lug bedding, Steel triggerguard & aluminum floorplate, receiver milled scope ring bases(very strong) & rings supplied.

After much consideration, I chose the Ruger for it's more hunting rifle features based on ruggedness. It is hunting accurate and I've never regretted making the decision.
 

Vaquero_#1

Bearcat
Joined
Sep 17, 2010
Messages
5
The price sounds like a wash to me.

I'm not a fan of porting - so the BOSS system would steer me away from the Browning. Although the .30-06 would be just fine.

I have a Browning BLR81 in .308 that I've hunted with for over 20 years (and I'm only 33). I've taken many elk with that gun (10+), but don't pack it elk hunting anymore. The 'final straw' was a cow that I shot at 10 yards in the timber. I took her through the heart and she ran over a mile uphill. I found her the next morning - bullet went and destroyed the heart but never exited (not much of a blood trail).

This was with 150gr Nosler Partitions (loaded around 2700 fps, 50.1gr of Win760).

I don't want to get into a caliber debate on what to use for elk - but I personally feel that the .308 is too light on elk. Only thing I can point out is I've shot more elk with that gun than any other. I just want to guarantee a quick kill - and can't do that with a .308. It's awesome on deer though.

I'd pass on both guns. If the Ruger was a .30-06 I'd do it in a heartbeat. Same if there wasn't a BOSS on the browning....

Good luck!
 

sargents1

Single-Sixer
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Messages
365
Location
Maine
Keep in mind that the magazine on the browning is not really useful the same way a more typical detachable box mag is. Yes you can take it out and replace it with a fully charged mag, but it is awkward to do in practice. The only big advantage of the browning mag system is that when you go to unload your gun, the cartridges won't spill out of the gun and onto the ground (this can happen with the pop-open ruger floor plate). Oh and BTW, replacement mags for an Abolt run about 60$ each. (ouch) So if you get a browning, Dont Lose the Magazine.

I have a Synthetic A-bolt in 7mm08 with the BOSS. I cant say that I really care for the BOSS for hunting, but when you are at the range sighting the rifle in, its actually really nice. 7mm08 isnt really a shoulder buster to start with but with the BOSS on there its about like a 223.

It is LOUD though. The folks sitting at the next bench over will be picking their hats up off the ground after the muzzle blast flattens the ground to each side of you. I dont really notice it when I am shooting it but people standing around the firing line definitely notice.

Other stuff to note. The 60º Bolt throw on the A-bolt is slick and nice. I also like the tang safety on the Abolt. (My M77 ruger also has the older tang safety). (two points Browning)

I dont care for the Canoe paddle stock on the older M77s, but I am sure it works fine and Stainless guns are nice. Low maintenance, tolerant of abuse etc. (Point Ruger)

The Boss can be changed out for a BOSS CR (conventional recoil). Its the BOSS adjustable weight system without the muzzle brake feature. This allows for more accuracy potential for the Browning without deafening yourself. (Point Browning)

The M77 is cheaper. (Point Ruger)

The two guns you are looking at are 30-06 (Browning) and .308win (Ruger). Its close, but for all around use I would go with the '06. Point Browning.

So, we have four points for the Browning, and two for the Ruger. Still, you wont go wrong with either.

Good luck!
 

6mmsl

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jun 8, 2009
Messages
153
Location
Utah
3DTESTIFY said:
About 5 years ago, I was in your position looking for a new hunting rifle. My narrowed down options were the Browning A-bolt micro hunter in 7mm-08 or Ruger M77RL MKII in .257 Roberts. Comparing the Brownings modern design vs Rugers time tested features were as follows.

Browning A-bolt has 3 locking lugs, 60 deg. bolt lift, push feed, brazed on bolt handle, detachable magazine on swinging floorplate, adjustable trigger, epoxy bedded barrel lug, aluminum triggerguard & floorplate & required scope bases & rings.

Ruger M77 MKII has Mauser style 2 locking lugs, 90 deg. bolt lift, control round feed, one piece bolt handle, floorplate magazine, non adjustable trigger(easily tuned), angled barrel lug bedding, Steel triggerguard & aluminum floorplate, receiver milled scope ring bases(very strong) & rings supplied.

After much consideration, I chose the Ruger for it's more hunting rifle features based on ruggedness. It is hunting accurate and I've never regretted making the decision.

Hunting accurate?
 

3DTESTIFY

Single-Sixer
Joined
Aug 26, 2007
Messages
246
Location
Skiatook, OK
Acceptable accuracy for big game hunting at reasonable distance! The Ruger RL's not a bench rest shooter, but it is M.O.A. @ 100yds. with the proper handloads which is good enough I.M.H.O. Then it's up to me to do my job & get the bullet placed correctly.
 
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