New - Ruger Hawkeye vs Model 70

If it’s the details your after then the Model 70 wins hands down. The safety on a Model 70 is more accessible, and is actually part of the bolt. The Ruger safety is kind of a faux three position type safety. It’s a good safety but IMO kind of an afterthought.
 
pathfinder76 said:
If it’s the details your after then the Model 70 wins hands down. The safety on a Model 70 is more accessible, and is actually part of the bolt. The Ruger safety is kind of a faux three position type safety. It’s a good safety but IMO kind of an afterthought.
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I've always prefered a safety that blocks the striker instead of the trigger, it's a far superior design in my opinion.
 
The Ruger has a better designed wood stock. Better floorplate release. Better safety. Simpler trigger. Their synthetic stock is lacking however.
 
I sat here trying to decide what I like more. It’s pick ‘em for me between those two, whichever you find in your combination of finish, stock, and chambering is what I’d go for.

If it helps, my client loaner rifles were stainless Rugers, just so reliable, tough, and came in the right configurations. But what I’ve kept, are Winchesters… old ones. Not a Ruger 77 left in the cabinet, which makes me sigh and reflect a bit on contemplation.

I will add I believe the Ruger 77 is the most underrated rifle on the market, and have thought so since I bought my first, a canoe paddle .243, 22 years ago.
 
Buckmastr said:
The Ruger has a better designed wood stock. Better floorplate release. Better safety. Simpler trigger. Their synthetic stock is lacking however.
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This simply isn’t true. Their stock looks nice, but it accentuates recoil. It is slim up front but extremely beefy in the middle. Their floor plate is a dog’s breakfast and the latch is far from superior. But it is good. Winchester and their floor plate release was so superior to anything on the market that the US Marines used them on their M40A1’s. They were bomb proof. We can argue the safety until the cows come home, but Winchester’s safety is copied as an aftermarket accessory more than any other safety on the market. Ever.

I prefer the design idea (Mauser) of the bolt release of the Ruger. But it’s execution isn’t great.
 
The Ruger Africans are in my opinion the best version of the hawkeye's. Beautiful wood, gloss deep bluing, when found they usually in classic cartridges like the 6.5x55, 7x57, 9.3x62.

Looking at these pictures makes me have sellers remorse.

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The m70 featherweight stock is everything pathfinder complains about but worse. The two piece M70 floor plate design is prone to not aligning depending on which screw is tightened first and by how much. Whereas the Ruger is superior. The latch nipple is small on the M70. Rugers is much bigger.
 
The featherweight stock is an abomination yes. It is not overdone in the middle though. But the new model 70 floor plate is two piece, not three piece, if tightening guard screws is difficult for you.
 
pathfinder76 said:
This simply isn’t true. Their stock looks nice, but it accentuates recoil. It is slim up front but extremely beefy in the middle. Their floor plate is a dog’s breakfast and the latch is far from superior. But it is good. Winchester and their floor plate release was so superior to anything on the market that the US Marines used them on their M40A1’s. They were bomb proof. We can argue the safety until the cows come home, but Winchester’s safety is copied as an aftermarket accessory more than any other safety on the market. Ever.

I prefer the design idea (Mauser) of the bolt release of the Ruger. But it’s execution isn’t great.
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As an ‘ardent’ M70 fan, only currently own M70s and M98s, he’s right about Ruger doing all those controls better. The Ruger version of the Winchester wing safety physically blocks the cocking piece in two locations, and folds away more being less prone to snagging on gear straps etc. The Ruger floorplate release is completely flush, and likely the most elegant made, with near zero possibility of ever being bumped open. The old Pre-64 trigger wins, but on new production tough to say. I prefer Ruger stock lines too.

All these are preferences, not trouncing wins.
 
The Ruger safety is that. It is a good design until you need to remove it in a hurry. My biggest complaint is that in safe mode they have buried it. Both bottom metal designs sit flush. Not sure what the difference is there, but have not seen either design fail in the field. Like I mentioned earlier the Marines adopted the model 70 floor plate on their A1 sniper rifles. Mainly, I imagine, to rid themselves of Remingtons offering.

The Hawkey finish is a bit abhorrent, but both rifles are great. Take your pick.
 
Ruger was the most prolific producer of LH rifles. Not only that, they had more cartridge options than any other manufacturer. Plus special LH runs through different dealers. I have owned several of them whether you think so or not.
 
pathfinder76 said:
The Ruger safety is that. It is a good design until you need to remove it in a hurry. My biggest complaint is that in safe mode they have buried it. Both bottom metal designs sit flush. Not sure what the difference is there, but have not seen either design fail in the field. Like I mentioned earlier the Marines adopted the model 70 floor plate on their A1 sniper rifles. Mainly, I imagine, to rid themselves of Remingtons offering.

The Hawkey finish is a bit abhorrent, but both rifles are great. Take your pick.
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Never found that with the Ruger safety, it has a good protruding corner that’s easily caught with even the fattest and least dexterous of thumbs and swept to fire easily. Another academic 77 benefit is it’s one of the few one piece bolts on the market, no soldered on (Rem) or splined on (modern Win) handle. I prefer one piece bolts and it’s all I own these days, but clearly two piece work the vast majority of the time.
 
Winchester doesn’t offer any small bolt face stuff either. There’s a portion of the market they are ignoring. Ruger at least chambers a 223 204. Or at least they did not too long ago.
 
Ardent said:
Never found that with the Ruger safety, it has a good protruding corner that’s easily caught with even the fattest and least dexterous of thumbs and swept to fire easily. Another academic 77 benefit is it’s one of the few one piece bolts on the market, no soldered on (Rem) or splined on (modern Win) handle. I prefer one piece bolts and it’s all I own these days, but clearly two piece work the vast majority of the time.
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Interestingly enough I had a bear, a very angry grizzly, end up within 10 yards of me and my brother in what turned out to be a bluff. I was packing a Ruger with a round chambered and safety on. Things happen so fast that you don’t think anything through. It’s all muscle memory. When it was all said and done I thought about the safety and felt sick to my stomach all of a sudden. I had no memory of taking the safety off. Quickly looking said I had. Obviously I had no trouble doing it.
 
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