Ruger M77 SA

The History of Sturm, Ruger & Co.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., more commonly known as Ruger, is an American firearm manufacturing company headquartered in Southport, Connecticut. Founded in 1949 by Alexander McCormick Sturm and William B. Ruger in a rented machine shop in Connecticut, the company has since become one of the largest firearm manufacturers in the world - shadowed only by Remington and perhaps Smith & Wesson.

Ruger is widely recognized for producing firearms that span a broad spectrum of uses such as bolt-action rifles and pistols, semi-automatic rifles, single-shot rifles, shotguns, and revolvers. As recognition of its quality products grew so did the public’s interest in investing in the company’s shares. Ruger went public in 1969 and grew exponentially since then, and it is on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:RGR) since 1990.

In 2020, Ruger made another big move with their acquisition of Marlin Firearms from Remington Outdoor Company.

For decades now both newbie and seasoned shooters have been consistently trusting Ruger’s guns for their excellent accuracy and superior long-term performance as evidenced by its continued success over all these years.

Today, Ruger’s most popular products include the Ruger 10/22 semiautomatic rifle, the .22 rimfire semi-automatic pistol Ruger MK IV, the bolt-action Ruger American rifle, the tried and tested Ruger No.1, and, of course, the timeless Ruger Security-Six revolvers.

Ruger M77 (SA) Rifle Review

Disclaimer: This page is referring to long-action Ruger M77 Mk I., Mk. II., and Hawkeye models.

Figure 1: Ruger Alaskan in .375 Ruger (Source: Ruger)

Ruger Model 77 (M77 for short) was introduced in 1968 when Ruger decided to place a risky bet on the USA market which was, at the time, becoming oversaturated with bolt-action rifles. M77, however, managed to stand out and Ruger was able to add a new model on the shelves, one that would be sold more than a million times in a period of 22 years. This was, without a doubt, an incredible accomplishment that would give any manufacturer a cause for celebration even today.

The Model 77 was designed to compete with the then-more famous Winchester Model 70 and the legendary Remington Model 700. The fact that M77 was able to hold its own against these two giants is telling enough.

Since every manufacturer was trying to “wow” the buyers with various modern designs which were meant to lift the products above the clutter, Ruger decided to opt for a straight-grained American walnut stock with a traditional configuration and a subtle yet lovely checkering pattern. This conservatism paid off and the American rifle owners couldn’t wait to get their hands on the then-new Ruger M77. Naturally, Ruger gradually offered models with more modernly oriented stocks as well.

The inspiration for the M77’s action was actually drawn from the famous Mauser 98, but there are, of course, several significant differences.

It hosts a two-lug bolt with a 90-degree lift, and the action was initially of the push-feed style, but this changed with some modifications down the line, so newer models have control-feed actions. Early editions of the M77 rifles had a flat, somewhat S-shaped bolt handle, while later models were modified to have a more conventional grip with a round knob.

One feature that many found and still find aesthetically pleasing is the receiver, which is flat on the sides and gives this rifle a distinctive look.

Today, we are used to the unique scope mounting surface on the Ruger rifles, but in the early days of the Model 77, its receiver was actually rounded at the top and was drilled and tapped so it could accommodate traditional scope mounting bases and rings.

If you are looking for a scope mount for the early drilled and tapped Ruger M77, we recommend you find a Weaver #79 base to fit at the rear of the receiver, and a Weaver base #35 which will fit at the front of the receiver. To our knowledge, two-piece Scope Mounts for Remington 798 will also fit on the early drilled and tapped M77.

Figure 2: Early version of Ruger M77 with a rounded drilled and tapped receiver (Source: Gunsinternational.com)

According to our research, Ruger is usually supplying scope rings made to fit the integral receiver of the M77, so that is one issue less to worry about if you are satisfied with the basic rings.

Barrels were provided by several suppliers throughout the first decade of M77’s manufacturing life, and while there were no issues for the most part, some troubles pushed Ruger to start producing in-house cold-hammer-forged barrels during the 1980s.

Ruger M77 also used to feature a hinged floorplate with the release catch located inside the trigger guard, a two-position tang safety slide, and an adjustable trigger. Some of these features changed with the first major upgrade of the rifle in 1991 when the Ruger M77 Mark II. was introduced.

First off, with the introduction of the Mk. II, the trigger mechanism was altered, which some would argue was a move in the wrong direction as the trigger lost its prior adjustability.

Additionally, the original tang safety was moved to the side, so the Mk. II models have a winged safety catch at the rear of the bolt. This is still considered to be a considerable upgrade and definitely a bullseye for Ruger. The bolt and trigger are locked in the rear position, while only the trigger is locked in the central position.

Figure 3:Top: Tang safety Ruger M77 (Source: https://www.riflemagazine.com/original-ruger-m77); Bottom: Winged safety Ruger M77 (Source: https://www.riflemagazine.com/ruger-m77-hawkeye-hunter)

The cartridge extractor, ejector, and magazine catch were also modified. On top of that, a considerable number of calibers were added, and the bolt face was opened up to allow controlled-round feeding.

Another major M77 re-design followed in 2006 with the debut of the Hawkeye model. The trigger system, which was considered the Mk. II's weakest component underwent significant improvements. The stock was also slightly modified to fit the more modern design, but other than that, the rifle remained relatively unchanged, which remains true to this day. The Ruger M77 lives on with the Hawkeye models.

Ruger M77 (SA) Calibers

It was always in Ruger’s nature to never commit to just one way of doing things. Instead, they would test a lot, keep what works best at a specific time and cut the rest. This means that things tend to change with their products, which can be an excellent thing.

This is especially true when it comes to the chamberings of Ruger rifles. M77, for instance, was available for a really wide array of different calibers through the years, but many of them were dropped when the market went too dry for Ruger’s liking.

Initially, M77 was only available in .22-250 Rem., .220 Swift, 6 mm Rem., 243., and .250-3000 Savage, but the list soon extended. Generally speaking, the short-action M77 is available in:

• .204 Ruger

• 17 Hornet

• 17WSM

• .22 PPC

• .22 Hornet

• .220 Swift

• .223 Rem

• .22-250 Rem

• .250-3000 Savage

• 6mm PPC

• 6mm Rem

• .243 Win

• .260 Rem.

• 7mm-08 Rem

• 7mm Rem SA Ultra Mag

• .308 Win

• .300 Rem SA Ultra Mag

• .300 WSM

• .357 Mag

Ruger M77 Variants

There have been a lot of Ruger M77 variants produced in the years since 1968, and we did our best to find as many as we could. Below you will find our list of M77 variants, and if you happen to notice some are missing, please make sure to contact us at info@optics-trade.eu. We will gladly expand our database:

• Ruger Hawkeye Hunter*

• Ruger Hawkeye FTW Hunter

• Ruger Hawkeye Long-Range Hunter*

• Ruger Hawkeye Long-Range Target*

• Ruger Hawkeye Predator

• Ruger Hawkeye Compact

• Ruger Hawkeye Laminate Compact

• Ruger Hawkeye African

• Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan

• Ruger Hawkeye Guide Gun

• Ruger M77 Hawkeye All-Weather

• Ruger M77 Hawkeye All-Weather Ultra-Light

• Ruger M77 Hawkeye Magnum Hunter

• Ruger M77 Hawkeye International

• Ruger M77 Hawkeye Tactical

• Ruger M77 Hawkeye Ultra-Light

• Ruger M77 Hawkeye Varmint Target

• Ruger M77PRCM Hawkeye Compact Magnum

• Ruger M77RCM Hawkeye Compact Magnum

• Ruger M77 Mk II Heavy Express Premier

• Ruger M77 Mk II Heavy Express Monarch

• Ruger M77 Mk II International (RSI)

• Ruger M77 Mk II Standard (R)

• Ruger M77 Mk II Standard (RS)

• Ruger KM77 Mk II All-Weather RP (Later known as Ruger M77 Mk II RFP)

• Ruger M77 Mk II RL Ultra Light

• Ruger M77 Mk II RL

• Ruger M77 Mk II RLS Ultra Light Carbine

• Ruger M77 Mk II RSBZ Sporter

• Ruger M77 Mk II LR

• Ruger M77 Mk II RSP (Later known as Ruger M77 Mk II RSFP

• Ruger M77 Mk II Varmint Target VT

• Ruger M77 Mk II RBZ

• Ruger M77 Mk II RLP (Later known as Ruger M77 Mk II RLFP)

• Ruger M77 Mk II Compact Rifle CR

• Ruger M77 Mk II CRBBZ

• Ruger M77 Mk II LRBBZ

• Ruger M77 Mk II Express

• Ruger M77 Mk II Magnum

• Ruger M77 Mk II RSM

• Ruger M77 Mk II GS

• Ruger M77 Mk I ST

• Ruger M77 Mk I R

• Ruger M77 Mk I RS

• Ruger M77 Mk I V

• Ruger M77 Mk I PL

* Comes with a pre-installed Picatinny rail.

Ruger M77 models feature an integral scope mounting system unique to Ruger.

Figure 4: Integral scope mounting system by Ruger on the Ruger Hawkeye Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Ruger M77 (SA)

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Ruger M77 (SA)

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension.

We, unfortunately, aren’t aware of any rifles that would have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with the unique Ruger integral scope mounting surface of the short-action Ruger M77.

If you happen to have any information that would allow us to expand our database, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Ruger M77 (SA)

For two-piece scope mounts to be interchangeable, the mounting surfaces of the rifles must match in every dimension except the action length which can vary.
Rifles that have two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with the Ruger M77 (SA) are:

• Ruger M77 (LA)

Fixed Scope Mounts for Ruger M77 (SA)

Warne produces all kinds of quality scope mounts, especially for American rifles. It comes as no surprise, then, that they also offer a great fixed scope mounting solution for Ruger M77 (SA).

We recommend these Warne Maxima Vertical-Split Fixed Rings for Ruger No. 1 which will also fit on the M77 (SA). They are made of steel and come with a 10-year warranty.

Check out Warne Maxima Vertical-Split Fixed rings

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Ruger M77 (SA)

You might run into some issues if you try to mount a detachable repeatable scope mount on your Ruger M77, mainly due to a lack of scope mounts that would fit directly on the unique Ruger receiver.

This is why we recommend you first mount a Picatinny rail on it. The EGW Ruger M-77 Short Action Picatinny Rail will fit on it, but you will need to drill and tap the receiver of your rifle to mount it.

From there, you can mount the Henneberger HMS Swift Mount for Picatinny, which is our top recommendation for a detachable repeatable scope mount.

Order EGW Ruger M77 SA Picatinny rail

Click here for Henneberger HMS Swift mount

Picatinny Rails for Ruger M77 (SA)

We trust EGW when it comes to Picatinny rails, and luckily they have a few available for the short-action Ruger M77 as well.

We recommend this EGW Ruger M-77 Short Action Picatinny Rail:

Order EGW Ruger M77 SA Picatinny rail

Weaver Base for Ruger M77 (SA)

One simple way to solve a lot of scope mounting problems on Ruger M77 is to install a Weaver base that requires no drilling. Burris has a solution for that.

We recommend this Ruger to Weaver Base Adaptor from Burris. It is made specifically for the Ruger integral mounting system, and it’s made of steel.  It will fit perfectly on the short-action Ruger M77.

Check out Burris Ruger to Weaver Adapter

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu