The Ruger M77 Compact (above left) is only an inch longer overall than Winchester's 16-inch barreled Model 94 Trapper
Like all major firearms companies, when Sturm, Ruger Co. comes up with a workhorse model, variants to that design follow pretty much on a yearly basis. And make no mistake about it, the Model 77 bolt-action is a workhorse, well-qualified to serve as a platform for a blizzard of specialized factory "tweakings." The latest is the M77CRMKII, or as it will be popularly known, the M77 Compact. This little short-action number has a shorter length of pull than standard M77s, a 5 3/4-pound weight and a very trim 16 1/2-inch barrel. The short length of pull will appeal to many experts--Jeff Cooper among them--who maintain that American rifles are stocked too long for adults--let alone kids. The M77's length of pull is a hair under 12 inches, as opposed to the 13 1/2 inches on a standard M77.
It's an extraordinarily petite rifle--in fact, it's about an inch longer overall than a 16-inch barreled Winchester Model 94 Trapper. Our particular specimen was chambered in .243 Win.. And although the rifle can also be had in .260 Rem., .223 and .308 Win., it's as a .243 that the M77 Compact will probably be best suited to its obvious "kid's first deer rifle" niche. Sure, the .308 is a better all-around hunting load, but in a rifle this light, even a 150-grain .308 is going to make its presence felt recoilwise--even to an adult shooter, we might add.
Naturally, the first question that pops into the ballistically inclined mind is this: What effect will a 16 1/2-inch barrel have on velocity? We chronographed three types of ammo that span the spectrum of what's available in factory .243 fodder to find out. In order to establish a basis for comparison, we also ran the same loads through a 26-inch barreled Ruger Model 77 varmint rifle.
While the loss is fairly considerable, it's not crippling. The main thing to keep in mind is that, for "edible game" hunting, the .243 is best suited to thin-skinned critters such as small deer and antelope at ranges under 200 yards. Viewed in this context, the Ruger Compact is still a very serviceable hunting rifle within its limitations. For varmint/predator hunting, velocities are entirely adequate. After handling the M77 for a day or so, we mounted an excellent Bausch & Lomb Elite 1.5-4.5X variable on the rifle and set out for the range to see what it could do. Despite its somewhat heavy 51/4-pound trigger pull, our test gun delivered very good accuracy at 100 yards.
The best performing load turned out to be Winchester's 100-grain Power Points, which averaged slightly under one inch for three shots. Remington's 80-grain PowerLokts averaged around 1 1/4 inch. That's an excellent performance for a slender-barreled rifle this light. With a better trigger, it could be a showstopper.
Sturm, Ruger & Co. is to be commended for this useful little Model 77 variant. Despite its limitations, it'd make a very nice "first deer rifle," or a very handy addition to a truck cab gun rack.
