Ruger 77/50 - Manual (Page 12)

12
INSERTING THE BOLT
1. Be certain the barrel is empty by pointing the muzzle upward towards a
light source and glancing through the rear of the action at the rear end of
the nipple. You should see light through the hole in the nipple, indicating
that the barrel is empty. Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, and
keep your fingers off the trigger throughout the assembly and loading
process until you are actually ready to fire. (See Rule 2, p. 43).
2. Position the safety selector in the “Load-Unload” position (see Figure 3,
p. 6).
3. Make certain the bolt is correctly assembled and ready to be inserted in the
receiver. If there is any doubt, see numbered paragraph 6, p. 33 (To
Assemble the Bolt) in the “Reassembly” section of this manual.
4. Note that if the breech plug is not screwed all the way into the receiver, the
bolt cannot be fully closed. Whenever you install the breech plug, be sure
that you coat its threads with grease in order to be able to remove it for
cleaning. (See p. 31).
5. Depress the bolt-stop and insert the bolt into the receiver.
LOADING
WARNING: Please re-read carefully the paragraph entitled
“Warning - Black Powder”, p. 9.
!
In the interests of both performance and safety, it is important that steps which
follow be performed in sequence and with attention to detail:
1. BEFORE LOADING:
Lift the bolt handle and place the safety in the “load-unload” position. Remove
the bolt by pressing down on the bolt stop and withdrawing the bolt to the rear.
Look through the hole in the nipple with the barrel pointed toward a light
source to
make sure the barrel is empty of powder or ball. Reinsert the bolt.
Check rifle to ensure that:
A. Nipple is uncapped.
B. Barrel is empty.
C. Bore and nipples are free of grease, oil or other obstruction.
2. CLEARING THE NIPPLES:
Without loading the barrel, place a percussion cap on the nipple. Point the
rifle in a safe direction , a few inches from some grass, leaves, or snow. Move
the safety to the full forward “fire” position, and pull the trigger to fire the
cap. You should see the grass, leaves, or snow move from the force of the
percussion cap. Repeat this process with a second cap. This is done to ensure
that the nipple passage is clear and dry.
Open the bolt, place the safety in the “load-unload” position and remove the
percussion cap and cap fragments.