Review of Ruger 77/357

[Hfisk]

Hi guys,

Looking into getting a Ruger 77/357 and was just wondering if anyone had any experience shooting this rifle and what they thought of it.

I would mainly be using at a range shooting targets.

What sort of range can you accurately shoot this rifle? Would it also be suitable to shoot rabbits/vermin, if so what would the max kill range?

Thanks in advance.

Harry

[Kungfugerbil]

Seems like an odd choice. Unless you already have rifles in more commonly used target or vermin calibres, why would you pick a 5-shot pistol calibre bolt action carbine/rifle? Other rifles are better for bunnies, fox, targets...everything.

Is there a specific reason? What range do your club shoot targets at? What are the vermin you need to control? These are all questions I would ask if I was the FEO looking at the variation :)

[zanes]

Seems like an odd choice. Unless you already have rifles in more commonly used target or vermin calibres, why would you pick a 5-shot pistol calibre bolt action carbine/rifle? Other rifles are better for bunnies, fox, targets...everything.

Is there a specific reason? What range do your club shoot targets at? What are the vermin you need to control? These are all questions I would ask if I was the FEO looking at the variation :)

Good thing you're not an FEO then- their enquiries are limited to simply "Does the applicant have good reason for this firearm", rather than advising on which rifle the applicant should buy.

One of the guys in my club has a 77/357 for target shooting alongside his Marlin and gets on very well with it, after the obligatory Ruger trigger work.

[dromia]

The 357 magnum can work well out to 300 yrds+ with good rifle bullets and can be real fun on the range at known distances. However as a vermin round the trajectory can give problems at guessed distances. For vermin there are far better rounds out there that will respect the the quarry with flat shooting within known maximum range, set for point blank zero and away you go.

I have a Ruger 77 in 22rf set up for lamping with a cheap Tasco scope, Culson 1/2 million candlepower scope mounted lamp and an old PH moderator, with good subsonics it can drop bunnies all night out to 100yrds maximum. So a fine rifle in itself. It is intelligent choice of calibre for the intended task that will make it sing, there are some good all round rounds but for rifle the 357 magnum isn't one of them. It will certainly drop what it hits but is actually over kill for most vermin here. There are far better calibres out there that will help you fulfil your responsibility to making a clean kill on live quarry.

The beauty of the Ruger, which was its great selling point when it originally came in and is now forgotten because we take it for granted, is its ten round flush fitting rotary magazine. What a leap forward that was when they arrived over here, prior to that the usual B/A configuration was detachable magazine that stuck out from the bottom of the rifle and got in the way with resting the rifle in the field where you are always looking for all the help you can get, also regularly accidentally dropped and lost the magazine were a feature of these sticky out magazines with exposed release catches. The Rugers being flush could just be laid on a fence post etc and jammed up against the trigger guard for a good rest with no shoogly magazine to worry about and it still being in the rifle when you went for the next shot.

[the running man]

My. 44 version is great but I'm just not getting out much any more...

[Kungfugerbil]

Good thing you're not an FEO then- their enquiries are limited to simply "Does the applicant have good reason for this firearm"

Indeed - and "What can I kill and how far away" is the sort of question that would cast doubt on the applicant's good reason.

.357 for rabbits is not a common choice...

Note that I'm not suggesting anything untoward or nefarious on the part of the OP - but some more questions may be forthcoming if vermin control was used as the good reason.

[Hfisk]

Hi guys,
Thanks for your comments, as you can probably guess I am new to rifle shooting and therefore, trying to learn as much about rifles before I get my licence.

I do not have land that I am allowed to shoot on as yet, that is a possibility later on. At the moment I would purely be shooting the rifle on the range.

I was wondering about he .357 rifle as the range where I go uses pistol caliber rifles only. I would be keen to get a centre fire rifle as well as a .22 rimfire and the 77/357 sounded like a good choice, but I may be wrong?

Thanks again,
Harry

[dromia]

Pistol calibre only, what do they mean by that?

What does the range certificate say?

What distances can you shoot at?

Most range certificates only state maximum calibre, muzzle velocity and muzzle energy. Any ammunition used should comply with those limits, "pistol" calibres could well exceed the limits depending on what they are.

Pistol calibre restrictions are meaningless it seems that it is used by that failure of a shooting organisation the NSRA, but then what would small bore organisation know about full bore? It this case absolutely nothing at all.

[Hfisk]

I've probably got my info confused there sorry, they allow .22-.455, they have a max velocity but I cannot remember what is it I'm afraid, I believe it is around 1200 fps, but I may be wrong. Max range is 50m. I have probably made the pistol caliber up as for some reason I was thinking that was correct so for that I apologise.

With regards to the 77/357 does anyone have any experience of shooting targets on a range of this rifle? And have any views/opinions if it is a enjoyable rifle to shoot?

[mag41uk]

TBH I just had to Google it to find out more info!
There seems to be some good reviews of it.
A claim of half moa 3 shot group at a 100 yards with factory 357mag.
It would make a fun gun. I would be trying it out to 300 yards.
The only downside I can see is there isn't a lot you can use it for (apart from fun!).
Not many gallery rifle comps that it would suit due to the magazine capacity.