Ruger 77/17 Range Report

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Glock4ever

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Location
Edmonton, AB
Rifle: Ruger 77/17 Varmint VMBBZ
Cal: 17 HMR
Shots: 9
Scope: Leupold 4.5-14x40mm Varmint Hunter's Reticle
Rings: Blued Ruger Factory Size 4 rings (lapped)
Ammunition: Hornady 17HMR 17 Grain VMAX

The Rifle:

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Weather: 8 degrees Celsius (Overcast)
Wind: 19KPH with gusts up 30KPH

So I thought I would share a range report on my newly purchased 17HMR. I originally bought a CZ452 Varmint but ended up returning it for a Ruger 77/17. Having limited experience with the 17HMR, I didn't know what to expect accuracy wise and the experience I had with past Rugers did not give me a great deal of confidence (last Ruger I had shot 3-4" at 100m). That being said, everything I read about the 77/17 really got me excited to get one. Needless to say, I was not disappointed.

Here is the first three groups I fired after sighting the scope at 25m:

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Group 1 was .48" (100m) but extremely high after adjusting I immediately fired group 2 which was 1.25" slightly left after a final adjustment I fired group 3 whch was 1.04" but a 4 shot group. As I was not really trying to group tightly focusing primarily on the scope I decided to fire the remainder of the 50 round box at another target.

Target 2:

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Group 1: 9 Shots 1.36"
Group 2: 1 called flyer 8 Shots 1.00"
Group 3: 5 Shots 0.42"
Group 4: 8 Shots 1.275"
Group 5: 1 called flyer 4 Shots 0.80"

I honestly believe that I can shoot better than this as I was not taking my time between shots (it was pretty chilly at the range) and the wind was pretty gusty (upwards of 30KPH) so it made it difficult to keep the rifle steady on the rest (Caldwell Rock). Overall I am pretty pleased with the rifle, the trigger is pretty stiff (probably around 5 lbs) but does break cleanly so I think a trigger job is in order. I am a bit concerned with the shift in POI, I don't know if it is because I have no parallax adjust on my scope or if the rifle needs to be bedded but she is an honestly good shooter. While I do love my CZ's, I really do believe that this is the best factory shooter I have bought in a long while. Target 1 is my CZ 527 .223 and I am still having difficulties getting it to group tightly - it does well enough for hunting purposes but it is not the tightest shooter I have seen.
 
For some reason most .17 HMRs shoot very well and group good at 100yds., make of gun doesn't seem to matter, groups well at 200 as well, wind is the only negative.
 
I really like the stock - I am a sucker for black laminate. I am taking her out again this weekend so I should have more pics up. I also just swapped the trigger spring man the factory one was really stiff. The trigger is actually pretty good now (~3lbs vs the original 5+lb monstrosity)
 
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It will likely start to shoot better after 100+ rounds. My CZ was dissapointing at first (1.5") but has been getting better each time I take it out.
 
I thought I would post on how I did the trigger job. As I didn't want to order a $90 aftermarket trigger, some of you may be interested in knowing how I did it:

1.) Clear magazine/action.

2.) Remove two action screws and detach the trigger guard/mag release assembly.

3.) Remove the action from the stock.

4.) Place the barreled action upside down on a stand (I used my CASE-GUARD Cleaning rack)

5.) Using a punch (I used the dollar store screwdriver set allen head) and LIGHTLY (I emphasize lightly because you don't want to send the trigger roll pin flying) tap out the trigger roll pin with a hammer. If you don't know which is the trigger roll pin from just looking at the the assembly - please refer to this hyperlink:

http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/PDF/InstructionManuals/26.pdf

Page 37 - Part D-19

If you are unable to from this blow up diagram still determine the trigger roll pin put the rifle back together because you don't have the mechanical aptitude to do this swap :)

6.) Swap Spring - Replace the trigger and roll pin.

7.) Reverse steps 5 backwards.

What spring did I use? I pulled the semi-perfect match from a PILOT G-2 0.7mm Blue Ball point pen (BTW this is the best pen in the world - I have a box of them) When you have removed the spring keep the rest of the parts and use the ink cartridge in another pen (Waste not want not - Right!)

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This pic shows the springs - the left is the factory one and the right is PILOT. I do not recommend trimming this spring to make it even lighter unless you really want to have a super light trigger - the normal length will provide an nice crisp 3lb pull with 0 chance of misfire. That being said if you do trim the spring - you should always give the rifle a "bump" test - basically #### the action and lightly bounce it on the floor, progressively dropping it harder (controlled of course) until you are 100 percent confident that it won't discharge or if it does discharge put in a heavier spring. I am going to shoot at least a 1000 rounds before I decide to re-work the trigger. I am not a fan of removing metal or polishing before firing a rifle - if you do it is almost impossible to tell where it is wearing and it could potentially make the rifle unsafe. Hope this helps any other 77/22, 77/17 shooters out there. Cheers!
 
overtravel stop

Now if you make a very small pin that will fit inside of that spring and get it just the right length, it makes a very good overtravel stop. Later, Mark.
 
I had the exact rifle and scope setup, grouped quite well but had a ##### of a time with the factory rings not staying put. I put a rifle basix trigger in it, worked great. Sold it cause I was totally disapointed with the terminal effects of the .17 on gophers, especially past 100 yds. Bought a 204 which I can shoot almost as cheap for 10x the fun. My2 cents. They are a sharp looking rifle, I had a GM grey VXIII on mine.
 
I don't know if I want an overtravel stop. I don't mind if the trigger travels past the break point. I will eventually polish the trigger but right now as I am still breaking it in so I am still hesitant. I installed a rifle basix trigger on my friend's 77/17 but it was so long ago I can't remember how good it was. Cummins, I am not going to disagree with you that .204 R is a superior round but I don't need another centerfire, I wanted something that is flat shooting but won't overheat your barrel and is not too loud. I shoot gophers without hearing protection so using even a .223 is hard on the ears. I shot some more groups last weekend, so I will post the results and some observations but in short I believe the rifle needs to be bedded - it shoots well but I can see that putting pressure on the forearm can seriously change the POI (1-2") it is somewhat predictable but in the end I don't want any shift - I believe it is because of the pressure band on the barrel.
 
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