Rifle stock help

[Lakenut]

The gun is a Ruger m77mk2 chambered in 7mm mag. Walnut stock. 13 or so years ago it was a 1" grouper. Now those groups have grown inconsistent. For whatever reason, the barrel channel of the stock is not symmetrical and makes contact with the right side of the barrel. I am looking at my options to fix this. Looks like some wood needs to be removed from the barrel channel then a bedding job to make this stock right. Or....purchase a new stock....which brings me to 2 questions.

1. If I keep the current stock, how hard is it to ream out the barrel channel and bed the action without butchering the stock?

2. If I go with an aftermarket stock, what should I look for? Wood, laminate, synthetic? Brands? Would I expect to bed the action also?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Btw, I want a solid hunting rifle....not looking to have a gun that shoots sub .5" groups. Well that would be cool, if it could be done without dumping a ton of time and $$$$ Out of the box the gun was a solid 1" shooter with the right factory ammo....and I want to return to that.

 

[Pokinfun]

On an M77, I would check the torque of the front mounting bolt. If that bolt is not torqued correctly the gun will fire inconsistently. at the same time, I would check the torque scope mounts and screws. I guess, Ruger barrels like to be supported near the forward end of the stock. Therefore, try putting business cards between the end of the stock and the barrel to see if it helps with consistency. I would check the barrel crown and make sure you have not damaged it any. Lastly, have you measured the chamber to see if you are a proper amount of jump?
I killed lots of deer over 20 years with a Ruger M77MKII, but I would not waste my money replacing the stock. The way they mount in the stock makes it difficult to get the most accurate rifle.

 

[Calamity Jake]

On an M77, I would check the torque of the front mounting bolt. If that bolt is not torqued correctly the gun will fire inconsistently. at the same time, I would check the torque scope mounts and screws. I guess, Ruger barrels like to be supported near the forward end of the stock. Therefore, try putting business cards between the end of the stock and the barrel to see if it helps with consistency. I would check the barrel crown and make sure you have not damaged it any. Lastly, have you measured the chamber to see if you are a proper amount of jump?
I killed lots of deer over 20 years with a Ruger M77MKII, but I would not waste my money replacing the stock. The way they mount in the stock makes it difficult to get the most accurate rifle.

^^^^^^^^THIS

Plus the ammo is not the same as it was 13 years ago. To get the best accuracy, load your own, you can change components
around to get the best accuracy.
If the gun was stored in a good manner then accuracy should have not been lost due to the gun,
something else is wrong?

 

[Jcann]

Good advice on proper torque of the action/scope screws.

Approximately how many rounds do you have through this 13 year old rifle and how hard have you driven it? A 7mag is an over bore cartridge with a short barrel life, even shorter if pushed hard. You may find seating your bullet longer "may" improve accuracy.

 

[Lakenut]

The gun has less than 300 rounds down the pipe....sad I know. My guess is that the for end of the stock warped. Brand new you could do the dollar bill trick. Now not so much.

The scope I have on it has a lifetime warranty so it's off to be looked over to eliminate the possibility of a damaged scope.

 

[furlong222]

just use a dowel wrapped in sand paper on the place where it touches.....when it clears the barrel seal it...viola...

 

[crrcboatz]

I use a schedule 40 PVC pipe and cut my sand paper from the self adhesive Discs 6" ones . Never have broken the schedule 40 stuff and the sanding discs come in a variety pack of grits. Just peal the cover off the back and wrap it around your pvs. It will stick VERY well. Cut to shape before pealing the back off though. You can buy the pvc in 3 ft pieces at Lowes in different diameters too.

 

[Lakenut]

Update...scope is fine. Recounted and still getting crazy groups
Emailed ruger. They wanted to see the rifle....so it's enroute now. Talk about customer service....13 yo rifle and they want to make things right.

 

[Buzzdraw]

Several years back I had a Ruger .22 bolt rifle that would not group well. Problem was wood touching barrel. A gentile ride in the mill with a ball end mill fixed it for about a week. The wood "grew" back into barrel. The second trip with ball end mill was more aggressive. Still shoots great 20 years later.