Ruger 77/357 357 Magnum Bolt-Action Rifle with Kryptek Obskura Nox Camo Synthetic Stoc

I purchased a brand new Ruger M77/357 rifle. I inspected the firearm when delivered to my FFL and did not notice any issues. It was not possible to test fire and cycle ammo through the rifle until after accepting it from my FFL. That was the only way to determine the problem. The rifle could not be returned once I accepted it. So I accepted the gun and took it to the range. Every time the rifle was fired, the bolt could not be pulled back to eject the spent cartridge. The bolt had to be pried open with a big screwdriver. The issue was not the ammo. The issue was the bolt was not fitted to the receiver. The bolt would get pinched and stuck in place after each round. The ejector lever on the front of the bolt also did not index properly with the square slot on the side of the barrel. Thus, I spent $1000 on a brand new rifle that would not work, and I could not return it. I decided to try and fix the gun myself. I am not a gunsmith. I am just a guy who was really mad and did not want to invest hundreds more on a $1000 gun that was a total disappointment. The fix was to take an oiled whetstone to the front of the bolt and taper the top of the bolt so it would not get pinched under the receiver when it contacted the barrel. The ejector lever on the front of the bolt also needed to be honed so the bottom of the ejector lever would slide into the square slot on the side of the barrel. Putting a spent cartridge in the barrel and closing the bolt until it would eject the cartridge easily was the goal. I was able to fix the problem, and the rifle now cycles ammo flawlessly without the bolt hanging up and pinching on the receiver. I thought the factory trigger was way too stiff, so I also installed a Volquartsen sear and sear spring to drop the trigger pull from 6 pounds to 2.5 pounds. The trigger is now crisp, has no creep, and works fantastic. I highly recommend doing this. Here is the rifle’s performance. I’m reloading 125 grain Hornady jacketed hollow point bullets and using 22.0 grains of Hodgdon H-110 powder. COL is 1.590. The chronograph says this load is getting 2200 feet per second near the muzzle with this rifle. I can’t tell accuracy yet because temps here are in the 100s and it’s not possible to shoot with a cold barrel. In light of this, I’m getting about 2 MOA at 100 yards with a warm/hot barrel. I suspect this will tighten with colder conditions. Here’s my conclusion. I suspect this rifle was never test fired before it left the factory. The issue was not intermittent and very obvious with any ammo. Maybe other rifles work fine and I got a goofy one. I don’t know, but whatever happened should not have. Very rarely do I ever give a product a negative review, but I believe most people who experienced what I did would give this rifle a thumbs down and agree that Ruger can do better.