7.62x39 bolt gun which one?

I have a Ruger Ranch Rifle in 7.62x39 and it is a little rough around the edges but shoots very well and has lots of after market support if you are into modifying your guns.

I also have a Ruger M77mk2 with the Canoe Paddle stock in 7.62x39, it is the most accurate out of the box gun I've owned but very difficult to find one.
 
Tinybear said:
Thanks all, good food for thought. I am not asking moa every time just don’t want shot gun spread and enjoy striving to better my own shooting. I only have access to 25 or 100 yard ranges so longer range not a concern.

I do not hand load as I just don’t have the space tooling or spare time.

Most my trying for sub moa shooting is done with rimfire but every now and then I like to break out something with a bit more bang to it for fun or even for blowing up the odd bottle or fruits.

My Savage Axis II stainless is a nice shooter and looks pretty good in the thumb hole Boyd’s stock. When fed match grade ammo getting 1/2” groups at 100yards is not uncommon. With more bulk grade ammo it’s more like 1.5” groups. BUT it’s also a light sporter barrel and can only manage the tighter groups for 10 shots or so, Maybe 20 shooting very slowly on a cold day.

Still undecided. Part of me thinks I should just stick with what I have and just stick to buying low quantities of match only ammo for the savage(can’t shoot it too much due to light barrel profile anyway) and the just run the cheap non corrosive red box stuff for the SKS.

But as with anything a new toy sounds fun, the larger holes in target would make seeing impacts on paper at 100yards easier and the heavier barrel profile would make shooting it a little more less tedious (less 1/2hr breaks to cool the barrel).

This is the .223 rifle I’d be selling if I decide to go this route.
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That's a nice looking rifle in that stock, by comparison the Ruger American Ranch out of the box has a cheap feeling flexy plastic stock and as Joel mentioned they can use a bit of smoothing out as typically the action is a bit rough out of the box..... I'd only go that route to save some money and if you don't mind a plane jane gun that shoots well.
I saw one recently listed on the EE for around $700 with minimal use and buddy said it shot well. Maybe keep the sub moa .223 and use it for precision work and get a cheap Ruger bolt for in between the SKS and the Axis.

Something to shoot while your Axis cools down..... :)
 
Having come from a Tikka CTR, I can attest to the bolt being pretty rough on the Ruger, but it is perfectly functional and reliable. Shortly after I got it, I spent nearly an hour driving my wife crazy just opening and closing the bolt fairly rapidly. This made quite a difference in the feel/function. It's a cheap but decently accurate plinker with an adjustable trigger, rail, and threaded muzzle right out of the box.
 
armybuck041 said:
Having come from a Tikka CTR, I can attest to the bolt being pretty rough on the Ruger, but it is perfectly functional and reliable. Shortly after I got it, I spent nearly an hour driving my wife crazy just opening and closing the bolt fairly rapidly. This made quite a difference in the feel/function. It's a cheap but decently accurate plinker with an adjustable trigger, rail, and threaded muzzle right out of the box.
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Same. Its a better feel once you get a few hundred rounds through it. Some of em really aren't bad out of the box either.

The earlier stocks felt a lot cheaper than the newer ones with the "honeycomb" looking reinforcement inside. Pretty rigid. Heavier. But no one will ever confuse em for a McMillan lol
 
X2 for the howa mini action.. much smoother bolt then the ranch rifle (i have owned both) and an excelent shooter. Its also lighter i believe and a much more compact reciever.

I made a video on it a few years back,

 
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I've owned a number of .30Russian bolt guns over the years, eventually moved most of them down the road. One of the old Zastava mini-mausers was very accurate, but not very reliable with military primers. A CZ was reliable and quite accurate, and my only beef was really the cost of magazines. I would have kept it despite that issue, but I purchased a Ruger American Ranch and that turned out to be so perfect for my needs that I just sold the CZ.

The American is as accurate as any of them, 100% reliable with any ammo including all the milsurp I have tried, and it uses all those old Mini-30 magazines I had lying around. It's not a pretty gun, but then the Russian is not a pretty cartridge. I have a ton of crappy milsurp ammo stockpiled, and the American is the ideal crappy rifle to shoot it up. It'll never hunt, it'll never see a reloaded round, it won't be expected to turn in precision groups measured with a micrometer, it won't be babied...in fact, aside from sighting-in, it will rarely even be shot from a rest! It's strictly a casual fun gun, might see action on coyotes or other pests within 100 yards of the back porch.

IMHO, the key to enjoying the cartridge and the gun is managing your expectations. :)

Yeah, you can smooth it up a bit by using some effort and polishing compound...or you can just shoot a few hundred rounds and you will notice improvement...or you can look at the rough-edged rifle, look at the mildewed crate the ammo comes in, look at the dull-finished, stained brass cartridge, and then quote that old poster that always makes me smile: "Nyet! Rifle is fine!" :)
 
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armybuck041 said:
Having come from a Tikka CTR, I can attest to the bolt being pretty rough on the Ruger, but it is perfectly functional and reliable. Shortly after I got it, I spent nearly an hour driving my wife crazy just opening and closing the bolt fairly rapidly. This made quite a difference in the feel/function. It's a cheap but decently accurate plinker with an adjustable trigger, rail, and threaded muzzle right out of the box.
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I bought my 7.62X39 used and buddy had already polished the bolt, I did the same with the 5.56 version that I bought new.... it's not hard to smooth out with a bit of polishing compound and elbow grease.
 
jjohnwm said:
I've owned a number of .30Russian bolt guns over the years, eventually moved most of them down the road. One of the old Zastava mini-mausers was very accurate, but not very reliable with military primers. A CZ was reliable and quite accurate, and my only beef was really the cost of magazines. I would have kept it despite that issue, but I purchased a Ruger American Ranch and that turned out to be so perfect for my needs that I just sold the CZ.

The American is as accurate as any of them, 100% reliable with any ammo including all the milsurp I have tried, and it uses all those old Mini-30 magazines I had lying around. It's not a pretty gun, but then the Russian is not a pretty cartridge. I have a ton of crappy milsurp ammo stockpiled, and the American is the ideal crappy rifle to shoot it up. It'll never hunt, it'll never see a reloaded round, it won't be expected to turn in precision groups measured with a micrometer, it won't be babied...in fact, aside from sighting-in, it will rarely even be shot from a rest! It's strictly a casual fun gun, might see action on coyotes or other pests within 100 yards of the back porch.

IMHO, the key to enjoying the cartridge and the gun is managing your expectations. :)
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Perfect summary of the Ruger American Ranch. the only thing to add is the option to run stanag mags with a simple conversion of the magwell if a guy wants even cheaper mags and the current ability to be 5 rounds closer to freedom.
 
Reminds me. Never looked into seeing if the Barnes 110 and 120gr Tac-Tx and Hornady 110gr CX loads can fit in the AR style mags. Aint missing much for some of them in the Mini 30.

The Rugers make a dang handy hunting rifle. Deer don't seem to like them much.
 
Joel said:
Reminds me. Never looked into seeing if the Barnes 110 and 120gr Tac-Tx and Hornady 110gr CX loads can fit in the AR style mags. Aint missing much for some of them in the Mini 30.

The Rugers make a dang handy hunting rifle. Deer don't seem to like them much.
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That's what I'll be using mine for some this fall. The small size and weight make for a nice little walking gun. I also thought it would be a good intro to centerfires when the kids get a little bigger. Not much recoil
 
I'm been looking at x39 bolt guns for a few months. I think I have decided to get a Ruger Ranch when they come back into stock locally. I looked at the Howa Mini actions and, at least the ones I saw, didn't come with a rail or mounting solution in the box for a scope. Anyone have any longer-term details of how the finish holds up on the Ranch if it were to say be bumping around in a Side x Side?
 
I had a CZ 527 years ago and foolishly let it go. And I can't justify the price that people are asking for them now to replace it. I was going to buy one of the Ruger rifles, but a Baikal single shot popped up on the EE for about half of what I'd pay for the Ruger. So I decided to give that a try for this year. Haven't scoped it yet, but I can get 3-4 inch groups with the irons at 100ish yards and M43 ball. I'm going to give it a try with some better ammunition and see if I can get it to tighten up a bit. But overall, I'm pretty pleased with the gun. Maybe I'll try the Ruger next year.
 
Dorian Gray said:
I had a CZ 527 years ago and foolishly let it go. And I can't justify the price that people are asking for them now to replace it. I was going to buy one of the Ruger rifles, but a Baikal single shot popped up on the EE for about half of what I'd pay for the Ruger. So I decided to give that a try for this year. Haven't scoped it yet, but I can get 3-4 inch groups with the irons at 100ish yards and M43 ball. I'm going to give it a try with some better ammunition and see if I can get it to tighten up a bit. But overall, I'm pretty pleased with the gun. Maybe I'll try the Ruger next year.
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If your having issues mounting scopes, I had success with a BKL cantilevered scope rail on a Baikal single shot to help with extending the short length of the receiver grooves on that rifle. The BKL's work on3/8" rimfire grooves and also the metric size that is similar but not the same.

Purchased from D&L Airgun in B.C.

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Can-down said:
Perfect summary of the Ruger American Ranch. the only thing to add is the option to run stanag mags with a simple conversion of the magwell if a guy wants even cheaper mags and the current ability to be 5 rounds closer to freedom.
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How about the fact that 10 rounds won't work reliably from Stanag mag? Well, you can use Berserk mode and make it work and also you'll have to push bolt at certain angle. Now try it prone. Now try to disassemble the bolt. This is cheap POS, reliable in 223 and I guess maybe with 7.62 ruger mags, but sloppy and non technological. Considering expired patents for tons of proven military designs, this is disaster. Considering modern manufacturing technologies and comparing this rifle to tolerances of any European 19th century military rifle - this is abomination.
 
Horilka said:
How about the fact that 10 rounds won't work reliably from Stanag mag? Well, you can use Berserk mode and make it work and also you'll have to push bolt at certain angle. Now try it prone. Now try to disassemble the bolt. This is cheap POS, reliable in 223 and I guess maybe with 7.62 ruger mags, but sloppy and non technological. Considering expired patents for tons of proven military designs, this is disaster. Considering modern manufacturing technologies and comparing this rifle to tolerances of any European 19th century military rifle - this is abomination.
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Time to put the bourbon back in the cabinet brother :)
 
Horilka said:
How about the fact that 10 rounds won't work reliably from Stanag mag? Well, you can use Berserk mode and make it work and also you'll have to push bolt at certain angle. Now try it prone. Now try to disassemble the bolt. This is cheap POS, reliable in 223 and I guess maybe with 7.62 ruger mags, but sloppy and non technological. Considering expired patents for tons of proven military designs, this is disaster. Considering modern manufacturing technologies and comparing this rifle to tolerances of any European 19th century military rifle - this is abomination.
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Dang. And to think that up till now, I was enjoying this rifle.

But now...enlightenment!
 
I myself don't own a Ruger ranch rifle but a buddy owns one . the first thing he said even before I picked it up was the stock is kind of Cheezie . I agreed . he said it shoots great . he has been shooting longer then me . if I'm not mistaken . to me the action looked like a copy of a Tikka T3 rifle . I understand where Horilka is coming from kind of as in cheap looking but isn't that the way most things have gone nowadays? quantity over quality . it doesn't have the beauty of a finely made rifle say an old Military rifle that was hand made but if the person who buys it is happy with the groups that they get from the rifle and it's function after a little work then so be it . it's their money .

my friend told me that some people are filling the stocks with spray foam. not the high expansion stuff . I thought to myself heck I have to spend good money on a rifle that I now have to fill the stock with spray foam ? same as a Condom with a Hooker sort of . you have to do what you have to do to be happy . happy shooting .
 
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