Ruger drops the 77

[winchester37]

I find it 'interesting' that almost no one seems upset enough to comment on Ruger's decision to drop, or 'temporarily suspend' production of the model 77s....all of them.

apparently no one cares and all are enthralled with the plastic and black RAR......with the low price. And those who enjoy blue/walnut guns are out buying up those they want before they are gone.

Just a thought.

 

[BlkHawk73]

That discussion started when it was first announced. A couple threads on it I believe. Keep up. LOL :lol:

apparently no one cares and all are enthralled with the plastic and black RAR......with the low price. And those who enjoy blue/walnut guns are out buying up those they want before they are gone.

Those that have their already...well, they're good to go. Those that wanted one and procrastinated...well, it's now or wait. Who's to say it won't be like the Red label and come back with a redesign? Then everyone will be ticked because theirs is "inferior" or expect a refund from Ruger because they made a new one and didn't alert buyers of the old one. :lol:
Funny part is how ppl don't understand that if these models were the big sellers and as popular as they seem to believe, they wouldn't be dropped. Yes there are a lot that do prefer the walnut & blued steel but more and more the market has changed to whatever is inexpensive and now more than ever, if it's black synthetic, it's gotta be good - it's tactical :roll: Go look at production numbers (use the trial number charts on Ruger's site) and see which is selling and which isn't.

77/22 & 77/17: 2014 - 2015 -> 4466 units
77/22 Hornet: 2014 - 2015 -> 1672 units
77/357: 2014 - 2015 -> 8637 units
77/44: 2014 - 2015 -> 8698 units (including distributor runs)

American Rimfire: 2013 - 2014 -> 42000 units (chart doesn't give '14/'15)

So 42000 vs barely over half of that...Hmmmm

Bigger question...why didn't all those upset and bothered buying them all along to keep that demand going?

 

[DGW1949]

Not upset here.
If I'd have ever wanted one, I'd have bought it years ago.

DGW

 

[9x19]

Black Rifles Matter! :mrgreen:

Even when Bill Sr was alive, the only 77s I wanted were the ones with the synthetic or laminate stocks... wood is pretty but not nearly as durable or reliable (scratches, moisture) for most hunting. Heck, none of my knives have walnut handles, why should my rifle?

 

[BlkHawk73]

Not upset here.
If I'd have ever wanted one, I'd have bought it years ago.

DGW

There ya go! They've been available for years, zero excuses.

 

[pete44ru]

.

(he smugly said :roll: ) I've got mine (I like tang-safety Model 77's), and now it's (a .250 Savage) only gone up in value . :mrgreen:


.

 

[WAYNO]

It's sad, but the writing on the wall was quite obvious.

Newer shooters just aren't "into" nice guns as many of us are/were. A once a year deer hunt with the guys in the office, let's see, a $400 gun or a $600 gun? And as far as they can tell, they both do the same thing. Easy choice for many folks.

Even me...I've got an assortment of 77's. I'm not necessarily in the market for another one, unless a "special" one was to catch my eye. But if I found an American, chambered in a revolver cartridge, I'd be all over it.

Two HUGE things I would miss from the 77's, if they were to discontinue them, and glaring omissions with the replacement American. The built-in box magazine, and the Ruger scope-ring system. Oh. I forgot the third thing. Beauty.

And let's not confuse M77's with the rotary-mag 77's. Not at all the same gun. Not even the same league.

WAYNO.

 

[22/45 Fan]

....let's see, a $400 gun or a $600 gun? And as far as they can tell, they both do the same thing. Easy choice for many folks.

The real problem is that $400 gun objectively does do the same thing, or better, than much more expensive guns. Ruger Americans that shoot minute-of-angle with decent ammo are almost the rule rather than the exception. It isn't as pretty as a walnut stocked polished blue Win. 70, Rem 700 or even an M77 but it does the same thing or better for much less money.

 

[buckeyeshooter]

I already have a set. So, if anything, the ones I have will appreciate.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Once again, I must state that the biggest problem with the 77 has always been that it has always been just expensive enough not to be competitive with other flagship bolt actions such as the 700, 70, and 110. It occupies the niche of an inexpensive semi-custom rifle with a wide variety of calibers, stocks, metal finishes, etc. but on average won't shoot well enough to please the custom rifle crowd. I think that if Ruger had designed the 77 to use a simple push feed bolt it would make the rifle price competitive and probably be more accurate as well. Put that in a mass market grade synthetic or plain wood stock with a matte metal finish in a half dozen popular calibers and suddenly the Remington 700 has some serious competition. Save the nice walnut, high polish blue, and long list of cartridges for those who really want them. The recent Hawkeye 77 was seen as an effort to partially address this but it still cost as much as the previous version and deleted most of the long list of available cartridges, which was one of the biggest reasons anybody ever bought a 77 in the first place.

 

[pruger45]

Ruger does what they want....................................they don't care about the customers, only what makes money!

 

[FergusonTO35]

Still, I must say it.
Hawkeye Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor:

 

[gunman42782]

I, for one, lament the passing of a very fine bolt action rifle, the 77. I have owned several over the years, and the ones I have owned have all been fine rifles indeed. Currently just own one, in .308, that will drive tacks, and that with the skinny barrel. It aint going nowhere. I have always considered the 77 MK2 to be one of the finest off the shelf bolt actions, although from everything I have read accuracy can literally be hit and miss with some of them. Guess I have been lucky. The worst shooting one I ever owned would still do an inch and a half at 100 yards, which is plenty good for deer. Like all rifles, you have to find the right load it likes. Some prefer lighter bullets, some heavier, some this powder, some that powder. I know Ruger has made a butt load of money since Bill Ruger's passing, but I, for one, wish they would go back to caring just a little bit what us old guys think. I know Bill said they would never discontinue the Old Army, and he was hardly cold before they did. Lots of good guns no longer made because cheap plastic is what sells now a days.

 

[Frank V]

I like blue steel & walnut as well as most, however if you have a 77 or buy one with a plastic stock look at Boyds web site. You can get a pretty nice wooden stock for a lot of rifles for just over $100 & they even offer drop in stocks.
Most of us will miss the 77, with wood, but our generation is getting old & the younger generation doesn't appreciate asthetics like most of us do. I've spent hours watching a trail in a draw when nothing was moving & at those times nice Walnut on a rifle stock is really appreciated.

 

[The Preacher]

I for one will sadly miss a walnut stocked Ruger 77 in the market place. Question is, what's next on Ruger's list to discontinue? And how cheaply will the next generation of Rugers be? Seems to me we now live in the age of plastic and bottom-line minded bean counters and to stay competitive the cheaper one can "mold" a firearm together the better it is for the bottom line. Can't say I blame the companies, and I'll be looking elsewhere for any future bolt actions, but it's sad that the coming generations won't be able to appreciate a fine blued steel and walnut firearm. I guess I'm just too old too soon...

The Preacher

 

[mohavesam]

The 77 -17, 77-22, 77-357 and 77-44 are (pay attention now) TEMPORARILY DISCONTINUED. These are the two-piece rear-locking bolt models. This is akin to the temporary suspension of the Redhawk, which lasted less than a year while tooling and manufacturing lines were replaced & improved... The two-pc bolt is labor-intensive, and drives the high cost of manufacturing into the product (adversely affecting margin, hello?)

The 77 centerfires havebeen all-but gone for a couple of years now, except for the Gunsite Scout rifle. The Hawkeye replaced it. the Scout and No.1 are now the low-producers on the product-profit curve. Paying attention now?

To anyone with a little manufacturing experience, this is well-understood.
Ruger as a manufacturing company is moving toward the model of assemble & test - "the Dell model". Move the manufacturing to the supply chain as much as possible.
Most handgun models now have a manufacturing target of five minutes or less of value-add time. The SR1911 are an exception, and there are those within Ruger who wish they didn't have to make it. (outsourcing all but assembly and test is under consideration, including divesting the CNC operations. much like Pinetree is to Ruger: a profit center contracting to a larger customer base). Re: it is the bolt, not the receiver if the 77-RL series is the cost-driver.

As-evidenced by the Mayodan plant, the second initiative is what we know as "dumbing-down" the designs to enable all products to utillize semi-skilled or entry-level labor. skilled labor is obsolete insofar as Ruger's business model. And should a Democrat win the Presidency - with 90-day NICS checks and an end to private transfers of privately-owned guns, and probably a national registry - there may be some big changes coming to American gun manufacturers' future. You can bet these things are agenda items at Ruger's Monday-morning meetings! Any product that takes time and skilled labor is getting in the way of fast "assembly and ship-out" product.
Don't shoot the messenger...

 

[FergusonTO35]

I will miss the 77, at the same time I never bought one so I guess it never was that important to me. Regardless of the sentiments one may express, at the end of the day all that matters to Ruger or any other maker is what you actually plunk down your cash on. Apparently not that many are putting it into 77's. If you examined my gun collection, you would notice I put most of my gun money into lever action rifles, plastic bottom feeders, and double action revolvers. Only own one centerfire bolt action and that was a 13th Christmas gift. Other than the aforementioned 6.5 Creedmoor I don't plan to acquire any more of them.

 

[6mm Remington]

That's too bad they are doing that. The wood laminate stocked 77's just do it for me. Stable and strong and yet have that look and feel of wood. They cannot be beat!

 

[22/45 Fan]

The 77 centerfires have been all-but gone for a couple of years now, except for the Gunsite Scout rifle. The Hawkeye replaced it. the Scout and No.1 are now the low-producers on the product-profit curve. Paying attention now?

I thought the GS Scout was built on the Hawkeye action. How do they differ? I also thought the Scout was selling in good numbers. Is that not the case?

 

[mohavesam]

The Hawkeye incorporated a new trigger design, and the receiver casting had a slight change to the tang to accommodate asssembly and installation of the safety; some minor revisions to facilitate fewer casting/manufacturing rejections. The finish also went to a bead-blast (matte) metal finish to save costs. Stock-wise a newer (better buttpad was used. Logo engraved on all floorplates as-introduced. Decisions were made to avoid using a "MkIII" moniker for the revised 77 rifle.

The Gunsite Scout sells steadily in all configurations AFAIK.