Thread: Ruger M77 Skeleton Stocked Rifles

My dad is a ruger man, he also shoots pistols, I have shot his m77 and his colt 44 revolver, and the shooting the revolver double action has a better trigger than the m77

I’d say it’s like a bit of a cult following. Grew up seeing them in the magazines as well and also heard about the harsher recoil in the bigger calibers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The Ruger boat paddle, you either love them of hate them!

I love them. My farther had one in 270 and together we shot a fair few animals with that rifle. Ever since I was old enough to follow him around in the bush I always wanted one for myself and at 14 years old had finally saved enough to buy one after years of mowing lawns, stacking firewood etc. I remember the day I marched down to the shop (with the old man of course) to buy one in 308 only to find that Ruger had discontinued them and replaced them with a more ‘ascetically pleasing’ stock!

Years later I have one in 223 (had to get the paddle stock of the forum Ruger hoarder Double Shot). It shoots alright with its 20” barrel with the cheap HnF bulk 223 ammo, the trigger has been polished/worked and is on par with the two Tikka’s I have and is a joy to carry around the hills. I like the solid ‘clunky’ action and it doesn’t need the same attention after a wet trip that my bloody Tikka does.

I will eventually get some dies and attempt to get better accuracy out of it with some heavier projectiles.

As a side note I believe M77 MKII 223 have the faster twist can anyone confirm this?

Originally Posted by Hayden C

The Ruger boat paddle, you either love them of hate them!

I love them. My farther had one in 270 and together we shot a fair few animals with that rifle. Ever since I was old enough to follow him around in the bush I always wanted one for myself and at 14 years old had finally saved enough to buy one after years of mowing lawns, stacking firewood etc. I remember the day I marched down to the shop (with the old man of course) to buy one in 308 only to find that Ruger had discontinued them and replaced them with a more ‘ascetically pleasing’ stock!

Years later I have one in 223 (had to get the paddle stock of the forum Ruger hoarder Double Shot). It shoots alright with its 20” barrel with the cheap HnF bulk 223 ammo, the trigger has been polished/worked and is on par with the two Tikka’s I have and is a joy to carry around the hills. I like the solid ‘clunky’ action and it doesn’t need the same attention after a wet trip that my bloody Tikka does.

I will eventually get some dies and attempt to get better accuracy out of it with some heavier projectiles.

As a side note I believe M77 MKII 223 have the faster twist can anyone confirm this?

"Ruger hoarder" no idea what you're on about...

The Skeletons are certainly a solid stock, they have a unique look and do have that "cult" following.
I've had a few, in various cals both rim and center fire
They are actually a heavy stock, and the recoil pad leaves a lot to be desired, they can be replaced with a limbsaver but you have to get the right one as it's not the same as the rest of the factory stocks.
I sold all of mine as I decided they weren't the way I wanted to go, may have another for sale soon in Long Action.
They are fairly tight along the barrel profile and really do need a bit of sanding to open up a bit.
As @Hayden C says the action is solid and easy to maintain, the Mk II's and Hawkeyes are good rifles.
The.223 had a 1:12 twist but the Hawkeyes now have a 1:9, not sure if you'll find a Mk II 1:9...

Originally Posted by stevodog

I think the first of the models had the same barrel issues that the tang safety models had. Sometime during manufacture of the paddlestock they sorted out the in house barrels. The non paddlestock mk11s and Hawkeye are probably a better rifle

What were the barrel issues?

The outsourced barrels were a bit erratic. Not my experience bit widely noted on the net.

I'm in the "love 'em" camp. They came out on the market as the first mass production S/S rifle when I was a high school student in the early 1990s and I thought they were the shit! I got one in .270 in 1995 as soon as I had enough cash to buy it. It is the only centrefire I have ever bought brand new.

Used it for about five years, when I swapped it for a browning A-bolt in .243. While I like the .243, really didn't like the A-bolt (have changed my mind on that since). Sold the .243 after about 18 months and got a canoe paddle in .308, which I hunted with for about 10 years.

In reality they really weren't/aren't that great. They are heavyish, not as accurate as firearms produced these days, kick a bit due to the stock design and that those bloody integral sling swivels will drive you nuts (I cut mine off).

Still they feel really good in my hands, they are completely bomb proof. If I had a lazy $1k or so I'd buy one in completely original condition just for the sake of owning it. A modern classic that for sure.

@doubleshot...did I read that right mate?? You have sold all your rugers? What replaced them? Hope all is well