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The Ruger M77 Guide gun is an excellent rifle that’s designed specifically for North American hunting guides to use while backing up a client or trailing a wounded animal — particularly bears. It’s a proven, reliable action and features a shortened barrel, express iron sights, and weather-resistant components. These are offered in thumping cartridges like the .416 Ruger, .375 Ruger, as well as traditional magnums like the .338 Win. Mag. and .300 Win. Mag. However, I think that for most people, the best one is chambered in .30/06.
If you’re one of the relatively few who are picking up a Guide Gun to use as a dedicated backup rifle while guiding coastal Alaska brown bear hunters, the .375 Ruger or .416 Ruger are better options. Both cartridges are designed for 20-inch barrels and offer great performance for that task — if you can shoot them well.
The .338 Win. Mag., and .300 Win. Mag. chamberings will certainly work, but they aren’t ideal for this platform. Both cartridges are somewhat neutered by the shorter barrel on the guide gun and are neither big hitters nor easy shooters. I’ve killed moose and bears with my .338 just fine, but I only see about 2,500 fps while handloading 250-grain slugs.
The M77 Guide Gun has a lot of practical applications — virtually any medium- to close-range hunting — and for the vast majority of hunters and big game guides, the .30/06 is perfectly adequate. I’d argue that it’s even better than any of the other chamberings for most folks. I am seeing a touch over 2,400 fps handloading 220-grain bullets, and 2,700 fps with 180-grainers. It’s not lighting fast, but it doesn’t lag far behind the .300 Win. Mag. model or even the performance the .338 can produce. At distances this rifle would be put to work, the animal certainly won’t tell the difference.
Even more persuasive, the .30/06 model holds more ammunition, recoils significantly less, and practice ammo is much cheaper. This variant is perfectly potent for the needs of most, utterly reliable, and the most fun to shoot. What’s not to like?
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