Bending a ruger 77
 

Hi all,I’m thinking of bedding my ruger 77,anyone done one? Looks a little difficult the way it’s set up with the action screws.Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Bill.

several tutorials on You Tube
 

Tang safety or Mk2/Hawkeye style? I’ve done both the newer style is a bit easier to work with I found. I didn’t get as carried away with the bedding on the m77 as some of the rem style ones I’ve done as it is a flat bottom action I simply free floated the barrel and hogged out some material around the front action screw/recoil lug area and bedded it as well as the first 1” or so of the barrel. The rear portion of the action on the Mk2/Hawkeye style I just bedded the rear tang with a small bit of epoxy stress free the next Ruger I do of this style I will open up the rear action screw hole and Pour an epoxy pillar. The angled front action screw is a bit of a pain I normally use inletting screws on Remington style actions when I let the bedding cure but in the case of the Ruger the front screw geometry doesn’t make this possible so I make sure to use release agent in the front action screw hole and front action screw and just loosely tighten down the screw when the bedding cures in order to keep things lined up.

With the action screws, get lots of wax on the screws and into the holes in the action, then 6 hours after bedding, crack the front screw and thread it out and back in. Then do the same with the rear. This ensures easy in and out.If this is your first Ruger, I would do the rear tang first, then do the recoil lug and front inch of the barrel.

Do not pop the action out of its bedding for at least 24 hours, I usually wait 48 hours. They come out much easier when the Devcon is properly hardened. To release the barrel, do not tap straight up with the rubber mallet like you do on a 700, you need to consider the recoil lug angle. A layer of electrician tape on the front of the recoil lug helps a lot. Make sure you wax, buff, then wax and buff again EVERYTHING metal on the gun, including the bottom metal. Devcon will go lots of places you did not expect it to.

This is a lot better video of doing a 77.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRPPsPSVnks

I should have also said that you don't actually need to use the action screws to bed a rifle. You can get adequate tension with tape or surgical tubing. The guy in the video just uses gravity but I prefer a little tension. I also prefer a little better coverage than he got just for appearances but his system works.

This is what bedding should look like when you pop the gun out, in my opinion. This is what I am trying for on every gun.

Before

https://i.imgur.com/uRr4OPG.jpg

After. Action just removed, no cleanup done yet.

https://i.imgur.com/f4BnBtxl.jpg

Not using the action screws is by far the best method and IMO the only method to ensure a stress free bedding job.

I have made up threaded pins go in the receiver in place of the screws (no heads ).Extremely helpful with alignment .

Agree completely. Being lazy I just order mine from Amazon. I too really like them for aligning the action. I am doing up a post under my Anschutz 710 thread about bedding that rifle. I will post pictures with the double ended, threaded 5M locating pins, installed in the action and then pictures of them snugged down finger tight by spinning on a threaded rod joiner nut and a washer.

First rifle I ever bedded was an old style Ruger 77.
Made a couple of blind action bolts and was no challenge at all.