Should a Ruger M77 barrel float?

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I am looking at one that the barrel bears hard in the center of the groove. If it were a mauser I would float it before I tried it. Should I float the ruger? Thanks
 
Newer Rugers will shoot just fine when free floated.

There were a few years when finding a Ruger that shot well, fore end tip pressure point or not was a hit and miss situation. If the rifle is shooting well don't fix it if it isn't broken.
 
A pressure point dead at the bottom center of the barrel usually does not shoot well as the barrel moves slightly side to side as it is shot and vibrates. The pressure point is best if the barrel does not touch dead on the center but on each side of bottom center so when shot it vibrates and settles in the pressure point the same each time.

Free floating is usually easier to do.
 
For year round consistency and better accuracy ( most of the time ) free float the barrel. I have a wood stock 77 .35 Whelen that after I free floated it, point of impact dropped down and left 18" at 100 yards, It now shoots to the same point of impact from -10 to scorching hot summer days and I have not adjusted the scope in over 20 years.
 
I have an older M77 MKII 7mm rem mag it's been trued, bedded and free floated in it's factory walnut stock. It is a very accurate rifle with the load it prefers.
 
When free floating a Ruger 77 barrel, I found that bedding the barrel chamber area for an inch or inch and a half was necessary - the angled front guard screw easily compresses wood otherwise. A Ruger action is readily distorted with a poor bedding job.
I have had a few that were fussy - shooting accurately with one or two specific loads only. My experience with Ruger 77 - 7x57, .280 Rem, 30-06 was entirely with the earlier tang safety models.
 
I picked up an all weather Hawkeye 270 at a store close out sale a month or so ago, it shoots better free floated....:)
 
should also be noted that the throats are long in these rifles so those who are striving for accuracy might need to reload and seat the bullets accordingly
 
45ACPKING said:
should also be noted that the throats are long in these rifles so those who are striving for accuracy might need to reload and seat the bullets accordingly
Click to expand...

I have seen some horrid factory chambers in Rugers... The first Ruger #1 in 6mm Ruger I sold while at Barotto Sports in Calgary back in the late 60's early 70's had a chamber so large an actual neck sizing die had to be used for full length sizing and the throat was so long a 100 grain flat base bullet was only seated into the case 1/8 of an inch. It struggled to shoot an inch... but it had the prettiest wood. My friend eventually gave up on it and sold it several years later.
 
When I first saw the title of this thread, I thought, of course not; they are made of steel. They shouldn't float unless fitted with a lifejacket. My wife often says I should be more serious. So, seriously, I would float the barrel. As Dennis pointed out, a pressure point at 6 o'clock doesn't usually work out that well.
 
I floated it before we tried it, it belongs to a friend of mine, who will be looking for a moose but will never shoot over 300 yards. I had some very old 175 gr rn bullets and loaded them to 2800 fps. It actually shot pretty well. Within an inch of the line horizontally, and within half an inch vertically. I was happy to see a couple of my reloads go across the chronograph first one at 2804, second one at 2791. This will serve his needs nicely.
 
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