# Ruger 77/22 Bedding Needed



## jmoser (Sep 11, 2002)

I have two Ruger 77/22s; one in .22 LR with black synthetic stock and one in .22 mag with the 'Varmint' bbl and laminated wood stock.

Both have been accurized in chamber / crown and always shot well, but I recently tried glass bedding another rifle and took on the .22 mag as well.

I must say I was amazed at how loose the action/bbl fit was in the laminated 77/22 stock - with screws and trigger guard removed you could slide the whole action assembly back and forth at least .050" - .070".

I bedded last night using Brownell's AccraGlass Gel '1 gun' kit, it is cheaper to buy the bulk stuff for many guns but the small kits only cost $20 per rifle so it is still a bargain.

Anyone looking for better accuracy out of your 77/22 may want to look into a bedding job - I will report back on accuracy results when available. The epoxy gel is cured for initial takedown and cleanup now but requires several days for final cure prior to shooting.


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## Skinner 2 (Mar 19, 2004)

jmoser,
I have the 77/22Hornet in the sports model. I then had a thumbhole stock made. That being said I ahve now bedded 4 of my rifles and what I am using is Pig Putty. You can buy a tube int eh hardware store for a few bucks. The stuff is pliable and easy to work with. it is a putty not a gel or liquid so it is pretty controlable. It sat fast and cures fast. Do everything like you have been, Bed one day and shoot the next. I bed the action and the first inch or two of the barrel.

I have no complaints so far and the last gun I bedded was a syntehetic 204 Ruger. The Pig Putty stuck very well to the stock which I have heard Acuglass is not.

Skinner 2


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

I will be interested in your results! I have a 77/22mag, the standard walnut version that I believe has some potential. It's completely factory as of right now, and the first order of business is a new trigger as the one from the factory is horrible. This alone should make a world of difference but I have considered doing the accraglass thing as well. I have not taken the stock off so I do not know how the tolerances on my gun will shake out yet. 
Do you have the factory trigger or did you tune it, or just go with an aftermarket set up?


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

Swamp Monster said:


> I will be interested in your results! I have a 77/22mag, the standard walnut version that I believe has some potential. It's completely factory as of right now, and the first order of business is a new trigger as the one from the factory is horrible. This alone should make a world of difference but I have considered doing the accraglass thing as well. I have not taken the stock off so I do not know how the tolerances on my gun will shake out yet.
> Do you have the factory trigger or did you tune it, or just go with an aftermarket set up?



Pig Putty eh? Hmm, I'll have to look at that as well.


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## jmoser (Sep 11, 2002)

My Rugers went to Randy at Connecticut Precision Chambering for recrown, bbl setback and rechamber, and bolt tightening.

10/22s and 77/22s are CPCs speciality, Randy did the trigger job on my .22 LR but I used 'drop in' parts kit from Volquartsen on the .22 mag. Both are good but the Volq. has a tiny bit of creep in it. Randy can give you 2 lb +/-.

Considering you can remove the stock and ship the action/bbl via US mail sending it out is a pretty easy proposition. CPC has a website, 

www.ct-precision.com

Randy did mine several years back so check his website for current pricing.

My .22 mag would shoot 0.5" or better at 50 yards, I am tuning it for better 100M accuracy now. My opinion on bedding is that most of the time it does not really improve groups but over time it will keep the POI from shifting as the stock shrinks and swells due to temp and humidity changes. The 77/22 was so sloppy [also has no true recoil lug] that I felt compelled to do it.

I will check out the 'Pig Putty,' need to know what the material is [polymer, elastomer, etc.] and how it compares via thermal expansion, shrinkage, etc.
[Sucks being an engineer when you can't just take peoples word for it!]  

In all seriousness any bedding compound should be fairly insensitive to dramatic swings in temp and humidity, many synthetics are suprisingly susceptible to these issues. I was going to fix the stock liner on my Mini-30, maybe I'll try the Pig Putty on that.


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

Thanks for the info! Looks to be $171 dollars for the action work and the trigger work, including shipping. Does not seem to bad. Do you feel the work was worth the money? .5" groups at 50 are pretty impressive for most .22 mag ammo. I have not really put mine to the test due to the trigger.
What kind of groups were you getting before the work?

I love the little 77/22, what a great off season plinker to practice with!


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## jmoser (Sep 11, 2002)

I feel CPC's work is well worth the money, especially the bbl setback and rechamber. The 77/22 uses a tapered bbl shank that is clamped into the receiver. Randy cuts off 1/4" from the bbl and installs a V-block spacer to compensate for the cutoff.

Hint: ask Randy to setback further if he feels the chamber is especially sloppy. I learned after the fact that he can and will cut back as far as needed. .250" should be plenty to give the freshly reamed chamber the right tight close-to-the-lands dimensions, but Rugers are known for rough chambers with lots of machining marks left in the walls. If you want more 'good' chamber back from the case mouth then he can set the bbl back a bit more.

My best groups were with Win Powerpoint 40 gr JHP ammo, I tried the 30 gr Sierra Federal Premium at the time and it was OK too but I liked the heavier bullet.

My first attempts at 100 were with the current Remington 33 gr polymer tipped ammo, did not try the Win yet. The rifle was shooting better than 1.5" at 100M with the Remington, remember that the .22 mag is quite susceptible to wind drift despite its higher velocity. The Remington polymer tipped ammo nears 2000 fps, but that Win JHP 40 gr is hard to beat especially for the price.

I found when switching ammo that it could take 10-20 shots for the groups to settle in, I believe it is the different bullet lube that needs to be 'seasoned' before tightest groups are achieved.


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## jmoser (Sep 11, 2002)

Well I finished the bedding, removed the action, cleaned it all up, Dremeled off a few over-filled spots, and refit the action.

It is really snug now - that baby ain't moving at all!

Before reassembly I reworked the Volquartsen sear to remove the creep - took some fiddling but I have it back under 2 lb with zero creep now.

I do not recommend trying the 77/22 trigger/sear job yourself - the engagement angles are not as intuitive as in other guns, you cannot see the engagement surfaces as they mate while assembled. I found very minor touches with my diamond file made huge differences - my first try lifted the pull from 2.5 to 6 lbs! :yikes: I had to try and refit many times to get it right, luckily this rifle needs only 2 pins pushed out by hand to free up the trigger and sear so I could work fast.

Can't wait to get to the range and try her out now!

My 77/22 .22 LR is next, my Brownell's shopping list is growing as we speak!

BTW: I looked up Pig Putty on the web, it is a 2-part epoxy with filling so it should be a decent bedding compound. My concern is that as a putty it will not flow into the tighter crevices of the stock recess, the Epoxy Gel from Brownells works fairly thin when fresh mixed and will go everywhere.


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## mparks (Sep 4, 2001)

I've got a 77/22 in .22LR that shoots great for me stock. Love that rifle but I'm ready to unload it since my .22 Mag Marlin shoots just as good and has better killing power for 'chucks.

I had a 77/22 .22 Hornet that wouldn't shoot for squat. I tried free-floating the barrel and even shiming the bolt per instructions on the web. Had good luck re-working the trigger. After every handload under the sun and a box of factory rounds I gave up and sold it. Lots of guys talk about going through CPC to re-work the 77/22 Hornet but I didn't want to put the $$$ into that.

So far, the Marlin 25M has replaced both. I need a 100 yard woodchuck gun and a squirrel and **** gun and the .22 Mag is a good solution.

So any evidence that glass-bedding improved accuracy? I agree that it would make the rifle more resistant to POA changes but I wonder if the .22 LR barrel vibrates enough to make glass-bedding helpful. I'm sure it can't hurt and it sure sounds like a fun project anyway.


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## Skinner 2 (Mar 19, 2004)

jmoser,
Yes it is a putty and does not 'Flow" but when placed into th stock an dthe action is pushed down and drawn up with the bedding screws if flows fine. I have been using a couple of these guns now for a few years. i cannot remeber the last time I adjusted the scpoe on my Tikka .223. I have been using this gun from 90 deg. woodchuck day's to -30 deg winter coyote hunts. Wood stock and so far nothing has changed.

The M77 204 Ruger All weather I did a just over a month ago and it attacthed to teh synthetic stock just fine along with my Rem 597 .17HMR also synthetic stock. I have read that the glass bedding don't want to do that so well.

The Pig Putty is allot cheaper and easier to get as a added bonus. I work as Maintenance Technicion for a Major Chemical Co. I have spoken with Factory Reps a few time about the putty before I decided to try it the first time. I will continue to use it. I think it makes the bedding process eaiser.

SKinner 2


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## jmoser (Sep 11, 2002)

Skinner -

I may try the putty on my .22 LR just for fun.

What do you use as a release agent? I have plenty of the Brownell's release goop left but I expect wax or light grease would suffice.


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## Skinner 2 (Mar 19, 2004)

I have a couple tubes of white lithium grease and it goes a long way. I would think any grease you have would work.

Skinner 2


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## Xstream Outfitters (May 4, 2003)

Jeff,

How funny ... me and you have way too many things in common. I just bedded my Volquartsen 10/22 LR last weekend with that same stuff. I'd put up a fresh pic but the stock was shipped out Monday to be glossed. I'll try putting up an old picture though but with the old Ruger receiver.

Anyways, all you guys should check out www.rimfirecentral.com as it has some great links and threads. I have a Volquartsen trigger with 1.75# of trigger pull, but Kidd makes a trigger that will go down to 6 ounces and I found this through that site.










BTW, my gun shoots 0.5" groups at 100 yds if I do my part. I can't wait to get me Volquartsen 22 WMR ..... that will set me back $1700.


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