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Ruger 77/17 (.17 HMR)

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Bases and Rails

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 77/17 Rifle Review

Ruger 77/17 chambered for .17 HMR

Figure 1: Ruger 77/17 in .17 HMR (Source: https://www.collectorsfirearms.com/products/50253-ruger-77-17-17-hmr-r21079.html)

Ruger 77/17 was introduced in 2002 after what was a relatively calm period for the Ruger 77 Series. The first 77/17 model was the standard Ruger 77/17RM with a classic hand-checkered American walnut stock. The model was built on the basis of the older Ruger 77/22 which already gained international recognition by the time 77/17 entered the market.

Initially, the 77/17 was chambered for the then-new .17 HMR caliber, but a shift in the market’s preferences pushed Ruger to start producing this model for .17 WSM and .17 Hornet as well. Those two pushed the .17 HMR out of the lineup but considering Ruger’s capability to quickly adjust to the needs of their customers, it is very probable that we might see further changes in the future.

Because the .17 WSM and .17 Hornet are slightly longer than the .17 HMR, the formers have a slightly longer action and receiver as well, which in turn means that the models chambered for .17 WSM and .17 Hornet don’t have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with .17 HMR models.

Ruger 77/17 has sort of a "quality" feel to it, which is often absent with the rimfire and smaller caliber rifles. The barrel’s length depends on the variant, but it varies between 470 mm and 560 mm (18.5 to 22 inches). It is cold-hammer-forged and it is threaded, with a factory-installed thread protector included when the rifle is purchased.

The trigger mechanism on the Ruger 77/17 is quite snappy and smooth, with a satisfying break occurring at around four pounds of pressure; however, one notable downside is that it lacks adjustability, meaning it might not be the ideal choice for those seeking a customizable shooting experience.

Naturally, the Ruger 77/17’s solid steel action features a steel receiver with a patented Ruger mounting surface. The latter is unique to Ruger and there are not as many scope mounting solutions available on the market as we would perhaps like. Luckily, though, rings are usually included when the rifle is purchased, and there are also some great aftermarket solutions in our offer.

The action hosts a rugged, stainless-steel bolt with a 90° throw, and it locks into the receiver with two opposing locking lugs.

Last but not least is the magazine. Those who are familiar with the Ruger 77/22 rifle will recognize a signature detachable rotary magazine. It has a capacity for up to 10 rounds, and we think it wouldn’t be too much to say that it is one of the main strong points of the rifle. It can be chambered for either .17 HMR, .17 WSM, or .17 Hornet.

Ruger 77/17 Calibers

Ruger 77/17 can be chambered for:

.17 HMR
.17 WSM
.17 Hornet

The issue is, however, that .17 WSM and .17 Hornet are a bit longer than the .17 HMR, resulting in a longer receiver and loss of scope mount interchangeability.

Ruger 77/17 Variants

We tried to build a comprehensive list of Ruger 77/17 variants, and these are the ones we were able to find. If you know of any more that we should add to our list, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@optics-trade.eu. We will gladly update our database:

Ruger 77/17 RM
Ruger 77/17 RMP
Ruger 77/17 VMBBZ
Ruger 77/17 All-Weather
Ruger 77/17R
Ruger 77/17RP
Ruger 77/17RS
Ruger 77/17 VHZ
Ruger 77/17 X-17

Ruger 77/17 models feature a unique Ruger® mounting standard. It is factory-machined into the steel receiver.

Ruger 77/17 receiver, chambered for .17 HMR

Figure 2: The receiver of 77/17 in .17 HMR with a visible unique Ruger mounting surface

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Ruger 77/17 (.17 HMR)

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Ruger 77/17 (.17 HMR)

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension. To our knowledge, Ruger 77/17 models chambered for .17 HMR don’t have scope mounts interchangeable with models chambered for .17 WSM and .17 Hornet. The latter two have a longer ejection port which is not compatible with the 17. HMR version.

Rifles that have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with the Ruger 77/17 (.17 HMR) are:

Ruger 77/22 Rimfire

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Ruger 77/17 (.17 HMR)

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 77/17 (.17 HMR) are:

Best Scope Mounts for Ruger 77/17 (.17 HMR)

Fixed Scope Mounts for Ruger 77/17 (.17 HMR)

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 77/17 (.17 HMR).

We recommend these Warne Maxima Vertical-Split Fixed Rings for Ruger No. 1 which will also fit on the 77/17. They are made of steel and come with a 10-year warranty.

Weaver Base for Ruger 77/17 (.17 HMR)

One simple way to solve a lot of scope mounting problems on the Ruger 77/17 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 is made of steel.

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Ruger 77/17 (.17 HMR)

With the aforementioned Weaver base installed, you can then proceed to mount this detachable repeatable 30mm Innomount for Weaver scope mount.

It is made in Germany and also comes with a 10-year warranty.

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