#M77

Zastava Arms USA brought to SHOT Show 2022 two new firearms chambered in .308 Winchester – the M07-AS bolt-action rifle and the M77 semi-auto rifle. While the former has already made its way to the stateside and can be found on the Zastava Arms USA’s website, it is not yet known if they will import the M77 too.

Earlier this month, the Serbian Army debuted a new 6.5 Grendel weapon system, developed by Zastava. The rifle, called M17, is a heavily modified variant of the M70 AK family that has been developed by the company for decades. It incorporates a number of significant new features and improvements detailed below. The new rifle comes as part of an infantry upgrade for the Serbian Army which includes new 7.62x54R rifles, optics, helmets, and load-bearing equipment. This development marks the first adoption of the 6.5 Grendel round as standard by a national military force. The new rifle is advertised to be half a kilogram lighter than the previous rifle, although it’s not clear whether that is supposed to be the 7.62x39mm M70 or the 5.56x45mm M21. Reportedly, the rifles and the new caliber have not yet been adopted, but are still in testing.

The 6.5 Grendel is in many military small arms enthusiasts’ eyes the ideal military caliber, in theory combining the best characteristics of both 7.62mm and 5.56mm rounds. However, in the thirteen years since the round’s introduction, it has found little if any traction with actual military users – until now. It seems that the Serbian government has quietly adopted the “slow and steady” six five earlier this summer. From Novosti Online:

At Industry Day, Ruger had squirreled away on their rifle rack a prototype micro-length action M77 Hawkeye chambered for .17 WSM. The gun is reduced in size from the regular M77, but features the same twin-lug bolt and Mauser styling (the Mauser extractor appears to have been reduced to a guide for the spring loaded extractor).

When I wrote about the auction of Saddam Hussein’s Ruger M77 last month I said the estimate sale price of $7,000 – $15,000 was to low. At the low end of that estimate even I was considering bidding on the historic and very symbolistic gun. I contacted Rock Island Auction Company and they told me it sold for $48,875. I am not surprised. I am sure it will end up prominently displayed on the wall of a wealthy person’s man cave.

The new line of Ruger M77 Hawkeye Compact Rifles are very very cool. They are 16.5″ carbines chambered in the intermediate .223 Rem, 7.62x39mm and 6.8mm SPC cartridges as well as the .300 Ruger Compact Magnum, .243 Win. 7mm-08, .308 Win. and .260 Rem.

Ruger really is going tactical this year. The Ruger M77 Hawkeye Tactical is a new line of M77 bolt action rifles.

Ruger and Hornady have teamed up to produce the new .416 Ruger cartridge which will be available next year (2009).

Ruger have announced some new products.