M77 Tang Safety 7x57 rebarrel project

[homers]

I have a mid 70's Ruger M77 Tang Safety 7x57 that I've never been able to get to shoot, especially with bullets less than 175gr. I'd like to find a replacement barrel (still 7x57) that can shoot 130-150 gr bullets. Looking for barrel and twist recommendations. Any gunsmiths that can do the job as well.

 

[6mm Remington]

I just had a Shilen match grade stainless 24" barrel put onto my .280AI and I'm very happy with how it turned out. The twist is 1-9".

If it was me and I'm no expert buy any means, but I would do a 23 or 24" barrel about the same contour as the factory barrel and I would choose a 1-9" twist for it also. As far as barrels there are many good ones out there.

 

[Sagebrush Burns]

Bea aware of throating depth and rifling twist. Many 7x57s have very long throats for the 175 bullets and end up with a lot of free bore for anything lighter. In my experience free bore is no friend of accuracy. 7x57 twist rates are usually fast (also for the 175s) but they usually will work OK with lighter bullets.

 

[kodiakisland]

The long throats on the early Rugers are an issue for many. Where they got their specs for the chamber are anyones guess, but it's even longer than many military mausers.

There are probably at least 20 or more good barrel makers these days. It's really hard to pick a bad one. My advice for people who don't have a preference for barrel or smith is to send it to Pac-Nor and have them do the work. Cut out the middle man by having the barrel maker chamber and install it. I have Mark Chanlynn in Colorado install his barrels on my rifles, but the wait time can be long.

There is really no reason to go with anything other than a 9 twist. It will shoot all lengths well except for the really long VLDs that are not meant for the 7X57 anyway.

Where are you located? There is probably a good barrel maker near you that can help you out.

 

[OldRugerMan]

homers, Welcome to the rugerforum!!! Assuming you haven't changed it any way from the day it left the factory - ie, glass bedded the action or barrel or both, shortened the stock, took the sights off (if any) or any modifications, my advice is leave it alone, sell it and get one that shoots. That's just me - others have no problem re-barreling anything. You can do what you want. I have a 200th Year 7x57 that shoots right along with the rest using 140 gr. bullets :!: :mrgreen:

 

[homers]

homers, Welcome to the rugerforum!!! Assuming you haven't changed it any way from the day it left the factory - ie, glass bedded the action or barrel or both, shortened the stock, took the sights off (if any) or any modifications, my advice is leave it alone, sell it and get one that shoots. That's just me - others have no problem re-barreling anything. You can do what you want. I have a 200th Year 7x57 that shoots right along with the rest using 140 gr. bullets :!: :mrgreen:

Can't (or won't) sell it. It's my first deer gun my father bought me when I was a teenager. Just need to get it to shoot consistent 2" groups at 100 yds. Looking for a reasonably priced replacement barrel and installation.

 

[mcknight77]

Homers, The 7x57 that I owned for many years had a long throat and shot poorly until I found the right load. With that load it was a steady MOA rifle. Against all wisdom and logic it shot the 140gr Nosler Partition with a max load of Norma MRP. The load is listed in the wonderful book "Game Loads and Practical Ballistics for the American Hunter" by Bob Hagel.

 

[Luckyducker]

Homers, I just recently had my late dad's tang safety 25/06Rem rebarreled to 22/250Rem by a local gunsmith using an E.R. Shaw barrel. I told him I didn't like a long throat and he did a dandy job on it. He said it is no big deal rebarreling one of these, and it is a tack driver to the extreme now. Any competent smith should be able to give you good results. Let us now how yours turns out if you follow through with a new barrel. Where are you located? My smith is one of the least expensive I have used and IMO does a better job than the guy I used in Kansas.

 

[22/45 Fan]

A twist of 1:9" or 1:9-1/2" is almost universal for 7 mm barrels from 7mm-08 up through the 7 mm magnums and has been for decades. They can and do shoot 120 to 150gr bullets just fine. I expect you problems are due to the excessively long throat as mentioned above. You might be able to find a 130 to 150 gr load that groups adequately in your rifle by handloading them to a longer than normal COL.

 

[tigerbat7]

I have 2 m77 tang safety 7x57''s , both have long throats ! I found as a old handloader over 50 years that 1 likes 139 Hornady bullets seated with approx 1\16' of bullet in case neck and it will hold 1 to 1 1\8" groups all day long 2nd one likes nosler 120 ballistic tip seated same as the 1st one and it will shoot 3\4" groups my father has one also that he bought the first year they came out , his was a 3 to 4" group gun no matter the load so he took it to a gunsmith and had the barrel cut off at the chamber end 1\4" and rechamberd back to 7x57 with a new chamber reamer but leaving throat now 1/4" shorter and once put back together it now shoots 1 1/4" groups with many types of bullets. my loaded case OAL is (3.150)

 

[homers]

Thanks for the responses. I've handloaded for years, trying different loads without much success. I will look into an ER Shaw barrel I'm in California and don't have a local gunsmith I work with so maybe I'll have ER Shaw fit the barrel to the action as well if I can't come up with another solution.

 

[mohavesam]

Can't (or won't) sell it. It's my first deer gun my father bought me when I was a teenager. Just need to get it to shoot consistent 2" groups at 100 yds. Looking for a reasonably priced replacement barrel and installation.

You can hit inside a 6" circle at 300 yards? Why the... A two-inch group at 100 yards is no slouch stock rifle. Trigger, technique and a slower-heavier bullet handload.

 

[marko]

I have a #1 7x57 with a long throat and went to reloading 120 grn Barnes TTSX way out. Its a lighter bullet (though much longer), but if you up the velocities to impacts of around 2600 (overbook, so be careful and work up slow) it performs wonderfully on animals up to elk size. My groups shrank like snow in April.

 

[homers]

Any competent smith should be able to give you good results. Let us now how yours turns out if you follow through with a new barrel. Where are you located? My smith is one of the least expensive I have used and IMO does a better job than the guy I used in Kansas.

California

 

[homers]

Leaning towards an ER Shaw and having them fit it. Seems like a decent compromise between quality and cost. Now I need to figure out if I want stainless or blued, how it would look with my original blued action, and what finish (leaning towards matte). I need to contact them to add it all up including drilled for scope.