Thursday, July 28, 2011
Jeff Quinn Reviews The Ruger 77/357 Rifle!
I've been waiting for it, and here it is! Jeff Quinn at Gunblast.com has done a thorough review of Ruger's newest bolt action rifle, and he provides good information for us on his website. Watch Gunblast's video, then click over to read his review; especially look at his chronograph results. The .38 Special loads are gaining enough velocity in the rifle barrel that they are up around magnum velocities out of a pistol. He also found that this rifle puts the .357 cartridge into the realm of the 30-30 Winchester. Handloaders can propel 158 and 180 grain bullets around 2000 feet per second if they use the right powder combination, and that makes this a good 150 yard rifle for deer sized game. Light bullets and light loads of quick burning powder will make good rounds for plinking, and for making head shots on squirrels and rabbits.
Jeff recommends this rifle for game up to 400 pounds in the comment section of his video on YouTube, and that sounds like good advice. That would make the Ruger 77/357 a good gun to carry for game smaller than moose, elk and grizzly bears.
There's a lot to like in a .357 Carbine. I've got a Marlin 1894C and it's a keeper. I don't know that I'd say that the long barrel puts the .357 in the same realm as the .30-30. The .30-30 has so much more depth.
ReplyDeleteBut, the little carbine is good for lots of things, not the least of which is that it's a 6 lb rifle, loaded and it'll put a 180 grain bullet on just about anything you aim at, out to about 125 yards.
It's not quite there, but it's not very far behind when you study the charts. Jeff figures it is good for hunting out to 150 yards, and a 30-30 adds about 50 yards to that. The .30 caliber bullets have a better ballistic coefficient, but the .357s punch a bit larger hole. Everyone using one of these rifles needs to reload, and to buy a chronograph. Jeff was getting 1800 f.p.s. with 180 gr bullets, and 2000 with 158 gr. He was using Hodgdon's Li'l Gun, which burns a bit slower than Alliant 2400, and a bit faster than Winchester 296.
ReplyDeleteClick over to his review of the 77/44 from his .357 review, and look at the difference in velocity gain. The .44s don't get near the bump from the extra inches of barrel that the .357 gains; of course the .44 punches a much better hole going in.