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In its final form now and ready for a month in Montana: The Ruger 77/256:
It is my firm belief this is the very first one ever built. Early '60's Marlin brochures with the debut of the .256 Winchester Magnum (as chambered in the Marlin Model 62 Levermatics) talked of application of the cartridge to a list of game that topped out at "Wolves". The cartridge is capable of that and more as I proved to myself a few years back by taking a nice Pronghorn buck with one shot. However, with Marlin's early reference (and having seen the dramatic effect of this cartridge on multiple Coyotes) I have chosen to call this conversion "The Wolfer".
I appealed to Members of this site a while back asking for suggested improvements toward a Ruger M77/357 and then revealed my end game when I got the re-barreled gun back from Dennis Olson in Plains, Montana. See thread Ruger 77/357: best modification
Since that time the gun has had the Shivley Shims installed in the bolt (amazingly taking up the "built-in tolerance slack" in the two-piece rear-lockup arrangement), and an impressive dip done by HGI (Hydro Graphics Incorporated) in Newberg. Optics are a silver finished Leupold 3x-9x Compact. The barrel is by Dan Lilja (screwed on by his neighbor Dennis Olson).
The preferred load (so far) is a 70gr Sierra BlitzKing propelled by 17.5gr of AA1680 and a Federal Small Rifle Benchrest primer, doing 2510fps from the heavy sporter 21" tube. I modify these bullets prior to loading by buffing the plastic tip down to a semi-spitzer in order to achieve proper overall length to operate in the rotary magazine. (Learned this technique working with box-magazine Hornets in order to utilize better bullets than commonly offered for that cartridge).
Groups are now averaging .90" with a noticed improvement since I installed the bolt shims, along with the Timney upgrade to the trigger.
I'm happier'n a hound dog in a coon den.
It is my firm belief this is the very first one ever built. Early '60's Marlin brochures with the debut of the .256 Winchester Magnum (as chambered in the Marlin Model 62 Levermatics) talked of application of the cartridge to a list of game that topped out at "Wolves". The cartridge is capable of that and more as I proved to myself a few years back by taking a nice Pronghorn buck with one shot. However, with Marlin's early reference (and having seen the dramatic effect of this cartridge on multiple Coyotes) I have chosen to call this conversion "The Wolfer".
I appealed to Members of this site a while back asking for suggested improvements toward a Ruger M77/357 and then revealed my end game when I got the re-barreled gun back from Dennis Olson in Plains, Montana. See thread Ruger 77/357: best modification
Since that time the gun has had the Shivley Shims installed in the bolt (amazingly taking up the "built-in tolerance slack" in the two-piece rear-lockup arrangement), and an impressive dip done by HGI (Hydro Graphics Incorporated) in Newberg. Optics are a silver finished Leupold 3x-9x Compact. The barrel is by Dan Lilja (screwed on by his neighbor Dennis Olson).
The preferred load (so far) is a 70gr Sierra BlitzKing propelled by 17.5gr of AA1680 and a Federal Small Rifle Benchrest primer, doing 2510fps from the heavy sporter 21" tube. I modify these bullets prior to loading by buffing the plastic tip down to a semi-spitzer in order to achieve proper overall length to operate in the rotary magazine. (Learned this technique working with box-magazine Hornets in order to utilize better bullets than commonly offered for that cartridge).
Groups are now averaging .90" with a noticed improvement since I installed the bolt shims, along with the Timney upgrade to the trigger.
I'm happier'n a hound dog in a coon den.
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