Ruger Frontier rifle has been discontinued
While browsing the Ruger website I noticed that the Ruger M77 Mark II Frontier rifle has been discontinued.
The Frontier rifle featured a forward scout-style scope mount and a very short 16.5″ barrel. Sixteen inches in barrel length may be considered normal for rimfire or intermediate cartridges, but the Frontier was chambered in full power cartridge such as .308 Winchester and .300 Winchester Short Magnum.
The short barrel would certainty have had quite an impact on performance. These cartridges are usually fired in 20+ inches of barrel length, and this may have contributed to its demise.
The advantage of a short barrel is less weight and easier maneuverability in a tight space, such as shooting varmints from a vehicle, or when traversing heavy bush.
I was really hoping this concept would take off and am saddened that it did not catch on. Once you have fired, or owned, a short barrel (SBR) rifle, everything over 14″ seems much too long!
Does anyone own one of these rifles? I would really like to get my hands on the ballistic data for the cartridges the rifle fired. Ruger have not responded to my requests.
Thanks a lot for the blog post.Thanks Again. Wonderful.
I GOT A RUGER FRONTIER STAINLESS NEVER SHOT IT IS WORTH A LOT OF MONEY? ITS A 308 GRAY WITH LAMINATE STOCK IT SEEMS PRETTY COOL I MOSTLY SHOOT MY AR 15S
Are you wanting to sell this rifle ? 352 697 2276 Thank you, D. Creel
Hey man, I would like to purchase your ruger, name your price. I have one already in bigger chamber, but would like to buy the 308. Please email and we’ll talk.
Well gentlemen I did not get the Frontier rifle. One company that had a used one did not want to deal on the price and it got me to thinking. I went out and bought a new Savage Scout 10FCM in .308 and can’t say that I regret it one bit. I really like the gun, it’s actually my new go to gun. I carry it everywhere and it’s already taken a coyote. I am happy with everything about the gun and have no complaints as of right now. Still in the break in phase. I also found a cool website for scout rifles if you’re interested. It’s. Www. scoutrifle.org. Well thanks for this great area to speak about the rifle. Enjoy and good luck to all in your final rifle choice.
I recently purchased a .308 Frontier as a S.H.T.F. and general purpose hunting arm. I was a bit concerned about the barrel length, and how the 1:10 right hand twist on a 16.5″ barrel might impact bullet weight selection. It seems to like 150 and 180 grain soft-point factory loads. Any feedback would be appreciated as I want to use some surplus military ammo if the twist rate is appropriate.
I have a forward mounted Nikon Buckmaster in 1 X power and it is a super choice from in-your-face point blank out to 200 plus yards. I thought that no magnification might be a problem but for a brush gun, it beats anything I’ve ever used before. Kind of like open sights on steroids.
I had a flash suppressor mounted on the muzzle which also has a pretty fair braking effect.
I’m going to have a decent recoil pad installed to increase the LOP and also have the trigger pull reduced a bit. Other than that, this is a heck of a shooter. Fastest sight-on-target rifle I ever used.
The only downsides are that it’s a tad heavy, the sling studs are not placed optimaly, and the recoil pad is in need of a redesign for both LOP and buffering.
Alright Ruger and Guncite seem to be continuing to beat the Scout Rifle dead horse.
http://ruger.com/products/gunsiteScoutRifle/models.html
Personally, I liked the Frontier and will not be rushing out to buy one of these new rifles. They got it right the first time, IMO.
I have one in .308. THIS IS MY NEW GO-TO GUN! I remember seeing the Steyr Scout at my friends gun store and openly laughing at him when he told me he had bought the “goofy looking thing” for hunting. Well, like so many other times when I find myself overcome by ingnorance I ate those words and the laughs. I had some Bday money a couple a years later that was burning a hole in my pocket and decided that I’d give the Scout Concept a try. So I dropped a dime (or two) on a Stainless Laminate Ruger M77 Frontier with Leupold FX-2 Scout scope…I never looked back. Like I said this rifle is my go to gun now. It’s compact, points easily and is a great treestand gun. The loss of velocity is a minor issue for me where I hunt amongst the Georgia pines. My shots are <100 yds. I enjoyed the rifle so much that I bought a UltiMAK scout rail for my Mini-30! Both guns are a ton of fun to shoot and I hunt with both. Give a scout rifle a try at a range sometime if you have the chance.
I have one in 7mm08 love it I bought it for guiding for deer but now take it every time I go hunting deer pigs coyote everything
I enjoy shooting this rifle mk 77 frontier 308 16.5 in barrel ! Fast on target packs a punch ..It’s awsom I want it another one but bigger like 338 lapua
I have owned the rugar scout in 300wsm for 3 years and found it to be one of the best black bear rifle i own when it comes to hunting in heavy cover. In the 300wsm with the short barrel the balistic are like the 3006 around 2800 fps.Great rifle to hunt with.
Talk to a dozen riflemen and you’ll get that many different opinions on what constitutes a scout rifle. Jeff Cooper, who popularized the concept some 20 plus years ago, established approximate parameters for length (1 meter) and weight (3 kilos), long before anyone produced such a gun. A variety of rifles have been adapted as “pseudo scouts.” As the concept gained momentum, manufacturers slowly responded with similar designs.
The advertising sounded good, but after closer inspection Sturm, Ruger & CO. didn’t finish what the Colonel’s idea was for a true Scout Rifle.
Criteria for a Scout Rifle:
Some individuals chose to build their own Scout rifle (many didn’t meet Cooper’s approval) using a wide variety of brands and actions. A bolt action carbine typically .308 caliber (7.62mm) less than 1 meter in length, and less than 3 kilograms in weight, with iron and optical sights and fitted with a practical sling for shooting and carrying, capable of hitting a man-sized target out to 450 meters without scopes. It should employ a forward mounted low-power long eye relief scope and sights to afford easy access to for rapid reloading.
1. Scope Mount – scope mounts in a forward position and easily removed in case of damage.
2. Scout Scope – Long Eye Relief (LER) scope designed specifically for forward mounting.
3. Ghost Ring or Rear Sight – this type of sight/s for the bolt-action rifles used as a backup to the LER scope.
4. Ching Sling – Cooper preferred hammer-head sling swivels.
5. Bipod – this would be desirable for use on a Scout rifle.
Modifications to My Ruger Frontier Scout Rifle:
The factory trigger was a good 5 to 5 ½ plus pounds of pull, corrected to the 3 ½ pound range it about right. I’m 6‘-1” (long arms), the length of pull was approximately 12 inches, a thicker recoil pad made a better fit at 13 inches. A “New England Custom Guns” peep sight made for the Ruger Model 77 fitting the scope ring mounting slot. Along with a NECG Masterpiece barrel banded front ramp sight to work with the NECG N-100 peep sight with removeable hood. A Leupold FX-II Scout Rifle Scope 2.5x 28mm Intermediate Eye Relief was purchased using the Ruger rings that can be removed with a quarter if a screwdriver isn’t available. I have an old Leupold fixed 6 power scope, now setup for the standard rifle mounting position using Leupold rings if ever needed. My Frontier Model 77 is starting to look more like what Jeff had in mind with these improvements. Before the rifle went for reblueing with the barrel band addition it was recrowned. After final testing, if needed, we may glass bed the action and free float the barrel for additional tuning. This has been a fun project like most things that go bang.
Russ, Jays is in Clare, Mi. Their website is http://www.jayssportinggoods.com. I’m probably going to have the ghost ring rear installed, with the front sight that goes on the Ruger #1 in 45/70. Found that info on the net and my gunsmith is tracking down the parts. I don’t feel they’re neccessary for what I’m going to use the rifle for, but it would be nice to have them. Don’t feel the need to own the Savage. A friend of mine owns one, and it’s a very nice rifle, but I can only use one at a time! I’m not into synthetic stocks, or laminate either. I much prefer blue/walnut. The 308 I have right now is the first laminate that I’ve owned…I think they’re ugly! Anyway…good luck!
Actually after doing my research I am leaning towards the .308. Where is Jayes sporting goods is it in Clare Wi.? Is there a website, my computer has been doing some weird stuff lately and I cant find anything on it on the web. I know you own the .308 Ruger have you looked at the Savage 10FCM Scouts yet, they also look nice and the one thing I really like about them is that they come with sights in case of a scope failure. Anyways thanks for your time responding to my e-mail and I hope I can find more info. on the gun store you talked about. Russ
FYI Russ, Jays Sporting Goods in Clare have three of these rifles sitting on the rack. They are brand new, and at least one is in 300WSM. I believe the other two are 308s, blue w/walnut. The 300 is blue w/laminate.
Thanks for the offer Russ, but my kid wants the 308. I keep reading people pooh-poohing Rugers, but this is my fourth and they’re as accurate as any rifle I’ve owned. I bought the lightweight in 308 when they first came out, and fell in love. The next was a 30/06 in a standard, and they all shoot sub MOA. The 06 required some trigger work, but all in all they are outstanding rifles. Again, thanks for the offer.
Mike thats great, are you serious about selling the .308 I dont think so. If you are drop me a line so we can talk. Glad to hear you like the new rifle.
Just bought one in 300WSM. Wow is it loud!! Compared to the 308, it barks, but this baby is accurate!!! Will be my go to rifle next fall, bear hunting. 3 shot groups @ 100 yards are .330. Anyone want my 308? Ringing the 500 meter ram every shot!! Think I’m in love.
I have one of these Ruger scout rifles in .308, with an IER Leupold scope in gunmetal gray (2.5x).
Mostly I used Hornady Light Magnum cartridges in it (now using SUPERformance Hornady, as LM has been discontinued).
The one time I fired over a chrono, I noticed about 100 fps below published data. I expect the Superformance ammo to do better.
By the way, the short barrel did not, as you state, “…lead to its demise…”; this rifle is still offered in the Ruger Compact (no ability to mount a scout scope), still with the 16.5″ barrel.
One comment: It is LOUD!!
This is my favorite rifle. I have a normal scope in 4x for it, too. I may get around to mounting a rail that would allow me to change scopes in quick-detach rings without re-zeroing.
I bought one for use in the woods but ended up sitting on a field instead. 7pt jumped the fence at about 500yds. I took the shot and missed! The echo from the woodline 886yds away scared him back toward me. So I waited until he was 276 yds broadside and let her fly. SOLID HIT! I have loved that weapon ever since. BTW i had grabbed my fed gmm in the dark instead of the hornady that i usually use. Fed gmm is not a very good hunting round but it did it’s job on that cold oct. morning!
Bought mine set up and ready to go from a pawn shop in Pontiac, Mi. I’ve owned several rifles in .308 and this one is the absolute max!! It will shoot 180 gr. Remington corlokts into .75 @ 100yds. all day long. One of my pet 165 Hornadys will do .5 if I do my part! Velocity loss is negligible considering what this rifle was meant to do, perhaps 200-300 fps. Will not hesitate to take a 300 yd. shot with it. Can’t wait to take it to the U.P., whitetail hunting this fall, and I should have the points for my bear permit next year. From the tamaraks to the open field hunting down home, I have no doubt that this rifle will do the job!
I have one in .243 with a Leupold Scout scope. I have had more rifles than I can remember and this has become my absolute favorite. It is a compact, utilitarian gun that kills anything I shoot at out to 300 yards. (I have not shot at anything farther yet.) I was a little hesitant since this was my first .243, but in keeping with the smaller rifle idea, I decided to give it a try. Does great on whitetails with 95 grain Hornady SSTs. Lots of fun.
I have this rifle in 300 wsm with a Zeiss scope on it and it is a great rifle, I love mine and it shoots great I also hit gongs at 500 yards at the range. I have killed over 10 deer with it in the 2 yrs I have owned mine and I use it more than many of my other rifles, it is light, accurate, and get on target very fast although I donot have it set up as a scout rifle I still feel it is extremely fast to aquire a target. Would buy another if I could.
My mistake about the 300 WSM; I consulted the Bluebook and found out they made them up until 2006 so you might find one and it should be cheaper than a Hawkeye.
My rifle is 308 and I used factory loads. They discontinued the “scout rifle” Frontier model but it looks like they’ve continued making the same gun under the name of Hawkeye. I wouldn’t trade mine for anything but it looks like they closest thing you’re gonna get to 300 WSM is 300 RCM.
http://ruger.com/products/m77HawkeyeLaminateCompact/models.html
Sean is your rifle in 300 WSM ? If not what caliber. Were the rounds you shot handloads or factory. Sorry for so many questions just curious and have not decided whether to get a .308 or 300 WSM, I would prefer the .300 WSM but am still doing my homework on the caliber, have already decided that I am getting one of these rifles though. Thanks for your time.
I dropped a deer in it’s tracks about 2 weeks ago using this rifle loaded with 150 grain Winchester soft points. I did notice that the blast seems to be more pronounced and visible but it’s just as accurate at 100 yards as a rifle with a standard 22 inch barrel.
I saw one of these in 300 W.S.M. and was wondering if anyone had any experience with this particular round. I intend to use it on Elk in the Pacific Northwest and it seems like it would be a good gun to carry all day if you have to.
I want to make a correction to my above post, Actually the Gunsmith put a 1″ Inch Packmier Recoil Pad, and a 1/2 inch spacer on my Rifle, and it increased the LOP to 13.5″
Very Comfortable, If you plan to mount a scope on the reciever, you can mount a 3x9x40 without removing the forward scout mount by using a Ruger 5b for the front and a Ruger 6b for the rear.
I would like to get some quick detach rings, and a pair of scopes, one 3x9x40 for stand hunting, then when trying to stalk hogs, while moving mount a leupold scout scope. But thats a future project.
Ruger recomends against mounting a scope on the reciever of the Frontier, due to the shortened Lop, but thier new compact rifles have the same LOP and its alright.Ignorant in my opinion I modified mine to work for me, and I love it.
Great little Carbine.
I have one in 308 with a Leupold 4x long eye relief scope.
This is a fantastic shooting rifle. Extremely accurate off a bench, and as accurate as I ever have been off hand (I’m only more accurate with a 1980′s Remington Model Seven Youth in 243 Win). Expect around 200-300 FPS drop in velocity when compared to a 22″ bbl. Considering this rifle is designed for quicker shots at shorter ranges, this isn’t an issue. The Ruger short bbl is actually more accurate than a longer bbl due to the lack of bbl whip.
While some piss and moan about this not being a true scout rifle
(it isn’t supposed to be), once you actually try it, you will fall in love.
2 things I wish were different about it:
Better recoil pad. The one on there is super thin and does very little.
Heavy for size. Though not too bad, my Model Seven is probably 2 lbs. lighter with an 18″ bbl.
I rate the rifle 8 out of 10
I am very glad I got one before they were discontinued, This is a great little Rifle, I mounted a Scope over the reciever of mine, and can hit a Coke Can at 100 Yards with it. I like the idea that I can forward mount a Scope on it if I want to. My favorite Rifle Ever. Mine is a .308
My only complaint about the whole thing is the leinght of pull. I took mine to a Smith, and had him put a two inch Recoil pad on it, so now it has a normal 13.5 inch pull.
I thought the biggest “advantage” of a short barrel is that they tend to be more stiff, the muzzle has less movement shot to shot before bullet exit.
Handloading with faster propellants ought to lessen velocity drops from the shorter barrel (Think along the lines of TC Encore pistol data).
I don’t care about blast, so run my remnant jug of 4350 in my Remington 600 Mohawk .243…………..it’s loud, but shoots well (free floated barrel, under .75″ for 5@100 c2c with a max scope mag of 9X).
I’m not familiar with the newer 77′s, but if they bedded like the old ones I’d be looking at something a little “better” (don’t care for the front screw angling in).
OOPS here are the ports lol
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa41/mikeone_photo/scoutcoolingports011.jpg
I have one in 7mm-08 and It is just an awesome firearm, Im a Custom Remington 700 snob so I was weary about this purchace. This rifle does all it needs to do and I can carry it all day, it actually fits in and out of vehicles easily. Ive shot 500 meter gongs with it out at the Whittington center regularly with a 2 power Nikon scope off hand, even though it has a 16in barrel. This is my go to gun for just about everything.
A few years ago I saw a guy on The High Road.org mod a M1a 10 rnd mag to fit the gun, I followed suit with a conversion for my 7-08, Talk about an easy modification.
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa41/mikeone_photo/rugerfrontierm1a001.jpg
I also added some cooling ports because it does get hot when your blasting through a ton of reloads shooting steel
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa41/mikeone_photo/rugerfrontierm1a001.jpg
This is a great gun and Im sorry to see Ruger stop making it, too many nay sayers that have never fired a scout I guess.
All I know is that when I shoot out this barrel ( Probably due soon about 6000 rnds down range) Ill do a stainless 18in and be done.
MIke
This is sad news i for one really like the whole concept of the scout type concept. The Ruger version has a certain look and appeal.
Does a 7.62 mm Spanish FR-8 count? I paid $175 for my beat up rifle, and despite it’s rough construction and worn condition, it shoots surprisingly accurately (for me at least) with decent ammunition. Recoil is stiff and length of pull a little short, but a slip-on recoil pad fixed that. I found that the charger guide is still usable by fitting 7.62 mm cartridges into 7.9mm chargers. The rear peep sight cuts my knuckles during rapid fire, unless I use the open palm method of operating the bolt.
I have one in 308 and it’s just as accurate as a regular length barrel M-77 of the same caliber. It is much more handy and easier to move around with in the woods. Any velocity loss is inconsequential and very minimal.
I think it’s a good concept that should be reexamined; though not with the scope so far down the barrel.
Similar to Mr. H-D above, I purchased one new ($495, MSRP was $900) in .243 Winchester back in February, I think, and then spent a couple months tracking down a Leuopold Scout Scope on fleabay ($150). Now it is set up & boresighted, I have not shot it yet, but I will be sighting it in for Coyote this fall/winter. Yeah, there is open season 24/7-365 here, but why fight the bugs for a mom & her pups? I’ll be out this fall, but I have no chrono. I do have several brands/bullet weights from light varmint to heavy deer, all factory loads. What info are you seeking? (maybe I can borrow a chrono). I too hoped this would be a popular rifle, it’s sorta light & handy, and easy to point and shoot quick. When they first came out, all the heavy calibers seemed to sell, 7mm & .308 did not last long at the store. Lots of folks around here go for feral hogs, and drive South to get ‘em: MO, OK, TX, perfect for that, as the piggies like the heavy cover.
http://www.shootingtimes.com/longgun_reviews/scout_102606/index.html
it gets to the velocity loss on Page 4.
Chris, thanks for the link!
I have a frontier in 308 and enjoy it. Answering your main question Dick Metcalf from Shooting Times penned such an article, regarding loss of velocity from the Frontier, and IIRC you can find it on their website.
Steve, you can find ballistic info for Steyr’s Scout in .308Win at . Not the exact same rifle, since the barrel is slightly longer at 19″. In general you’ll lose about 100 FPS per inch of reduction in barrel length.
I’ve got one, in .308. I really wanted on in 7mm-08, but chose the common caliber. I’ve had it for a couple of years, specifically to imitate the Steyr scout. Theres a mod you can do with an M1A mag, to increase the capacity to 10 or 20 rounds, fixed, not detachable.
I don’t recall the ballistics being hampered by the short barrel, but I never shot it at anything past about 180 yards.
I’m disappointed more people didn’t realize the utility inherent in these little rifles. I look for it to be a similar story to the Savage scout – discontinued until the gun-buying public realizes they really want one.
Aww, this is sad news. I rather like the scout concept and it was nice for some company other than the very expensive Steyr to offer a “scout ready” rifle.
I always thought these were a half-assed attempt at a Scout Rifle. No open sights, no detachable magazine, no ability to use stripper clips, two sling points instead of three, and a crap-tastic Ruger barrel to boot. Even if I liked Ruger, I would never buy one of these.
reminds me of a steyr scout
I have one chambered in .270, picked it up for a song a few months back, but sadly i havnet had a chance to go out and shoot it yet.
I have this rifle chambered in a 7mm-08 and I can shoot a 5 round group at 200yds and touch most of my shots within an inch or 50cent peace group using fusion 140g ammo and a 4-12×44 scope
***Also I have the scope mounted in the rear (above the bolt like a regular rifle)