M-77 in .338 won't shoot

F

flatgate

Hawkeye
Joined
Jun 18, 2001
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6,784
City & State/Province
Star Valley, WY
I have a good friend whom has a stainless M-77 in .338 and it just won't shoot very well. First things first, the owner is very gun savvy and can shoot very well. The M-77 really fowls the bore after 4 shots :shock:. I'm no rifle guy but I watched him clean it after the 4 shots and it was way dirtier than I could imagine. The rifle won't shoot better than a 2 inch group at 100 yards. He's a very experienced handloader and is just about ready to sell the gun. He's tried several "top notch" scopes to no avail. The rifle has been "bedded" by a pro in Texas. He's tried many different bullets and powders, too.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what he should do next? I thought fire lapping but don't really know....

TIA,

flatgate
 
Absolutely, JB Borepaste will clean that snotty bore up right quick and that rifle will be a "keeper" for sure.

He can use valve lapping compound too if he can't find JB, but I recommend JB.
 
You also said it was bedded. Is it free floated too? Most Rugers I've toyed with don't respond well to that. Might have to put a pressure point back in the barrel channel for a bit of pressure on the barrel if that is the case.

I used to free float and gave up on that. Now I bed the action and first couple of inches of barrel and leave the rest alone. A lot of my accuracy issues went away after that.

Before spending any $$ on it , try more than 4 rounds to see if the groups tighten up after the bore is "seasoned".
 
Lead Sled. That will remove any doubt about repeatability on-target.

Trigger - chamber/lead/seating - muzzle - lapping - bedding. In that order!
I'd also check the bolt lugs for contact area, a relatively easy fix to eliminate the notorious Ruger bolt wiggle.

Trying different scopes won't improve accuracy - only the clarity of the view.

And methinks a 2" group (1 MOA) is pretty darn good for a stock 77 (sporter taper) in .338 WinMag!

.
 
+1 on rugerjunkie's statement. That bedding under the chamber ahead of the action seems to help 77's
 
Here's his reply; It is bedded in front of the receiver, about to the end of the chamber. The trigger was adjusted for creep and brought down to about 2.5 pounds. It has an eleven degree crown, which helped the most. The rings were filed for alignment to the bore. What I read on the forum is what my good friend Alec said "Fire Lap It." I guess it is worth a try, can’t loose anything with that many guys saying the same thing. Thanks for the help!

I'll also say thanks for the help!

flatgate
 
I'll say it again - 2" grouping with a 338 WinMag. I doubt the shooter is much better than that. (nothing personal, but with a 338 who here has shot better than that ?

non-problem...
 
mohavesam":1ikstl70 said:
I'll say it again - 2" grouping with a 338 WinMag. I doubt the shooter is much better than that. (nothing personal, but with a 338 who here has shot better than that ?

non-problem...
Click to expand...

Lots of people can shoot the bigger bores without the need for a led-sled or similar rest. Some people just aren't that sensitive to recoil. I can do better than that with a 338 and have also done several sub 1" groups with full house 225gr loads in my 350 Rem Mag. and that was after putting 40-50 rounds on the target in one session. I won't call anyone that doesn't handle recoil well a pu$$y since I know several people in that category that could still kick my a$$!! :lol:

So , I say yes , many shooters can do better than that. My $$ says the bedding/free floating or ammo is the problem.
 
I would order a pack of Tubb's Final Finish lapping bullets (Midway should have them) and give it a go. I have fire lapped many rifles using the old NECO kit and none ever shot worse, some much better and all cleaned up far easier. I bed all of my rifles (Ruger's, Rem's Win's Mauser's, etc) just as his is and free float the barrels and all shoot exceedingly well. And I agree, a 338 Mag ain't that hard to shoot well if one is an avid shooter as it sounds like your friened is.
 
mohavesam":3l4b8g6o said:
I'll say it again - 2" grouping with a 338 WinMag. I doubt the shooter is much better than that. (nothing personal, but with a 338 who here has shot better than that ?

non-problem...
Click to expand...

Mine shoots 3/4 inch at 100 yards consistantly. Winchester cases, fed 215 primer, 72.2 grains of H4831 and a 250 grain sierra SBT. Work up on the powder charge, its a max load.
 
The one thing that jumps out at me in the original post is -- "bedded by a pro".

That is, to me, a red flag. Unless I know for a fact a rifle is a shooter, I want no part of it after someone else has bedded it, unless I am getting it cheap enough to afford potential remedial action. Bedding is just as likely to mess up a rifle as improve it. Neither lapping the bore or bedding, are not things I will just jump right in and do until I have plenty of evidence that something with the bedding or bore is the problem. Neither of them is a step I will do simply as a matter of course, believing that it will improve performance. Often, it won't.
 
pisgah,

My friend has had the gun for several years and has slowly and methodically instituted "changes" one at a time after serious consideration as to the validity of said changes. He did not simply have one bad shooting session and then "rip and tear" through a bunch of changes in a short period of time. No way.

He visited with Ruger and mentioned the current state of the rifle. Ruger said "no problem" with the current modifications as far as warranty goes and Ruger wants to inspect the rifle ASAP.

I had a '57 vintage Flattop .44 that just wouldn't shoot. I tried lots of different ammunition. I tried handloads, from mild to wild. I tried recrowning. John Linebaugh firelapped it to no avail. He then screwed on a spare Ruger .44 barrel he had setting around. Voila!

I eventually sent the gun back to the Factory along with funds for a rebarrel/refinish job. Money well spent! :D

flatgate
 
I acquired a like new Howa 1500 in .338 CHEAP several years ago. It came with a tupperware stock that did nothing for the gun. I ordered a Boyd's laminated JRS? stock and fitted the gun. After much trial and tribulation, I made the following discoveries about this particular gun:
1. The gun did MUCH better with full length bedding (.i.e. no free float at all)..
2. This .338 became a hugely more accurate rifle when I began loading up toward max levels. (I'd been trying to load .338-06 levels).

Every gun makes its own rules, of course, but this particular rifle went from 2.5" or larger groups to near minute of angle with these two adjustments.

Given what you've revealed about the easy fouling barrel, I agree with those who've suggested some kind of polishing/lapping regimen. Veral Smith's "fire lapping" technique might be an option.

PC
 
Update.

Ruger tested the gun at short range (indoor shooting tunnel is my guess) and it was "OK" with a mediocre group. My friend discussed the situation with the Tech in Newport and the gun was taken to a outdoor range. There it displayed it's troubles.

The .338 is back in Wyoming with a new barrel and is showing great promise to be a stellar shooter. A new barrel and a few other items were included in the box.

Thanks for all the assistance, Gentlemen!

flatgate
 
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