Forged Vintage

When did ruger m77 barrels lack accuracy?

Just aquired a 1978 vintage Ruger M77 in .308. It's got the early bolt handle and red recoil pad. I know Ruger ran into problems when they had others making their barrels for them as now they hammer-forge their own. Anyone know what time-period to avoid?

My friend had one in .308 he had to send back to Ruger. He couldn't get it to group at all, so he sent it back and Ruger put a new barrel on it. That rifle was new ten years ago, so maybe around that time.