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These are pretty rugged little guns.

If you had the gun in your hand what would be your first and most important modification you would make. (These are stainless actions, synthetic stocked guns.)

Gun Purpose: (as original) Hunting deer, pigs, coyotes and target shooting.

Directive is to preserve/improve the original gun's purpose with any modification.

Your bank account is flush.
 
Trigger. Not that the Ruger triggers are terrible, but the 77 MKIIs I've owned all benefited from a Timney. If one wasn't going to mount a scope, I'd get a rear sight from a Gunsite Scout (adjustable peep) that will fit in a rear scope dovetail.
 
Get a gunsmith to true and tighten the two piece bolt so it would have a perfect alignment no slop/ lockup.

Edit: Shilen Bbl. Pay to have Shilen do the work above. Although I don't think they do that work anymore. They might suggest the gunsmith.
 
Get a gunsmith to true and tighten the two piece bolt so it would have a perfect alignment no slop/ lockup.

Edit: Shilen Bbl. Pay to have Shilen do the work above. Although I don't think they do that work anymore. They might suggest the gunsmith.

Do you have any direct experience with this bolt modification? Measurable results?
 
cut the barrel back to 16.25" and thread it for a suppressor, shoot heavy 180-200 gr bullets.
Mount a red dot sight for fast shooting.
 
cut the barrel back to 16.25" and thread it for a suppressor, shoot heavy 180-200 gr bullets.
Mount a red dot sight for fast shooting.
I don't give two hoots about suppressor use, but I like the heavy bullet idea for a carbine length barrel. Pick the right powder and it would be a real hard hitter.

ps. I'm not anti suppressor, I just wouldn't use a rifle like this for a host.
 
Cut barrel to 10.5".

Reload 200 grain bullets.

Shoot and giggle.

117C27D2-BC7B-48F7-9F1E-D6E900F73EF9.jpeg
 
I have not had that work done to my two 77/xx Rugers.
It was always a suggestion/complaint that the slop in the pivoting bolt face half vs the rear lock up was a source of inaccuracy(I did experience inaccuracy).
Shim stock (kits) was most people's way to take up the slop.
That 357 is a nice rifle to have.

Edit: Shilen did barrel a 35 Whelen to a Rem. 700 ADL and true the bolt/action. True and great shooter to this day. (1998)
 
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1-Trigger, the stock one sucks.
2-Thread the barrel for suppressor, because duh!
I agree. I have two 77/357 rifles. Bought the first one, did some trigger work, mounted a scope, and intended to have it threaded. Then I ran across a member here selling one that he slicked up the action and trigger, shortened and threaded the barrel, and installed a permanent shroud for the suppressor, to make a shorter overall length without necessitating a SBR tax stamp. He also rechambered it shorter, for 38 Special only. With the modifications, it is pretty much a dedicated suppressor host. Even with a 16 or 18" barrel, a suppressor threaded on makes the handy little carbine not so handy, and also builds more velocity which makes it more difficult for keeping the speed down to subsonic velocities, so I appreciate the shorter one for running the supressor; I enjoy them both, along with their big brother, the 77/44.
 
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Well Boys, ya done good. Lawyers say never ask a question you don't already know the answer to.

I ain't no lawyer.

The guys that mentioned trigger were on the priority trail. YES! That was first. Timney seemed to have the best solution.
I benched this gun (which directed me to the trigger), and benched it again after the trigger with top-end hunting loads (125gr XTP's screaming like Banshees with Blue Dot) compared to quality Law Enforcement factory stuff.

It shot about as well as any .357 rifle (of which there are somewhat few) shoulda shot.

All of this experimentation (3x-9x Silver Leupold Compact as the eyes) was a dry run anyway. I bought this gun to butcher it.

You heard it here first, Gentlemen. I turned this tough little gun into a .256 Winchester Magnum. It might be the first on the Planet.

My infatuation with the Marlin 62's as being one of the absolute rarest modern production rifle came with the baggage of trying to understand the .256.

I'm not certain I can claim brainchild here. Over a long conversation (over beer and pizza) with a close friend that is a Riverboat Captain (and can cast bullets like Mike Venturino), we were talking about the .256 , and one or both of us nearly simultaneously (I know it was Rob, he says it was me) came up with this crazy idea to convert a Ruger M77/357 to .256 Winchester Magnum.

VERY shortly thereafter I called Dennis Olson in Plains,Montana and bounced it off him. He was surprised, interested, and completely confident in the simplicity of the conversion (in exactly that order of his responses). Dennis likes anything .25. Dan Lilja built the barrel, Dennis made the grueling trip to Dan's house upwards of 10 blocks away to get it and bring it to his shop and screw it on. Stainless Heavy Sporter at 21".

Anyway, its done. It works. Trigger guys take a pat on da head. SILENCER guys, that's not where I's goin' here. Sorry.

Pics and further to follow.
 
That is a neat project. I happened into some .256 Winchester Mag components a few years ago. Picked up a Marlin 62, and a set of dies thereafter. Haven't gotten around to loading ammo or firing it yet. I like where you are going with your 77/357, and look forward to pics and a range report down the road.
 
256 Winchester wasn't even on my radar till now.

That looks like a fun cartridge.

Look forward to pictures and perhaps shooting results.

I'm not entirely a fan of the weight and size of the barrel, but it sounds like an amazing shooter.
 
Do you have any direct experience with this bolt modification? Measurable results?
I know this thread is old, but wanted to share in case no one else has. So I bought two Ruger 77/17 WSM and two 77/357 rifles. As noted, the triggers were terrible, so I replaced the sears/spring with the Volquartzen kit - instant improvement in the triggers! Then I shimmed the bolts to tighten the two-piece structure when the bolt is closed. That makes the hold more consistent and solid on the cartridge. Both mods were easy to do myself.

With both rifles the trigger pull went from crappy to very good and improved accuracy. Original groups at 100 yds with the 17 WSM were in the 1 1/2" range. Now I love shooting it because it shoots 1/2 MOA all day long. It's such a flat shooting cartridge that it's fun to plink out to 300+ yds, deadly inside of 250. Have not test the 357's accuracy yet, but I'm sure it's good. I still have the second 357 NIB and will likely sell it at some point, but prices are only going up, so going to hold off for now.
 
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