Ruger rifles
- Thread starter oldfart
- Start date
Hawkeye has a supposedly improved trigger. Its easy to improve the trigger on a Mark II in any event. I'm sure there are other changes. I believe the magwell drop plate is no longer aluminum and is now steel. The Mark II's are mostly good rifles. Everyone make a lemon every once in a while. I heard so much trash talk about Ruger it made me scared to buy a Mark II. I took the plunge and bought one when the Hawkeye's came out. The Mark II's were on sale to make way for the new model. I don't regret buying it. It shoots great and I like the look and feel of it.
- Location
- Whitehorse, Yukon
Stock configuration is different, slimmer forend and pistol grip! Two excellent changes IMHO.
- Location
- Lumby Town!!
rugers
Hey there Old Fart! , how's my old mkII 6.5x55 making out, hope it's treating you well. I really like the feel of the newer Hawkeye stock, much slimmer then the mkII's, I think the trigger is better too. Although I never had trouble slicking up the older Ruger triggers. I'm still not sold on the new matt finish on the hawkeyes, I'd did like the regular style blueing. The other thing I really like about the newer Rugers is that they seem to come in lighter then the mkII's. That's made me sell more then one Ruger, including that 6.5x55 you've got. My 35 Whelen Hawkeye just feels better b/c it's about a pound lighter then most Rugers....ya,ya, I know, lots of guys bark about how 1lb should make no difference, just go to the gym. But the older Rugers always had the "chunky" feeling, and the RemChesters always felt better balanced, more lively. Both my newer Rugers "feel" better in the hands then the others I've owned
Hey there Old Fart! , how's my old mkII 6.5x55 making out, hope it's treating you well. I really like the feel of the newer Hawkeye stock, much slimmer then the mkII's, I think the trigger is better too. Although I never had trouble slicking up the older Ruger triggers. I'm still not sold on the new matt finish on the hawkeyes, I'd did like the regular style blueing. The other thing I really like about the newer Rugers is that they seem to come in lighter then the mkII's. That's made me sell more then one Ruger, including that 6.5x55 you've got. My 35 Whelen Hawkeye just feels better b/c it's about a pound lighter then most Rugers....ya,ya, I know, lots of guys bark about how 1lb should make no difference, just go to the gym. But the older Rugers always had the "chunky" feeling, and the RemChesters always felt better balanced, more lively. Both my newer Rugers "feel" better in the hands then the others I've owned
Hi piched link, I had a trigger job done. It shoots like a damm you can ring the gong at 500 meters. The reason I asked this question Is I like it so much I have thoughts of replacing my rem 700 mtn rifle 06 with a ruger in 06. I tried the trigger on the Hawkeye and it would have to be worked on but not sure on the rest of the rifle, polish etc. You made a mistake parting with that one. But thanks just the same.
anyone know a shop that has compacts in stock? I love the 16.5 inch barrel and am having a rough time finding one.
was looking myself. P&D have a .243 & 7mm-08
- Location
- Lumby Town!!
Just to save my own butt, I didn't work on that trigger I stupidly didn't own that gun long enough to get around to it It was plenty accurate for me, but I never got around to playing at long range with it. If it even needs a new home, you know where I am!! I've had a mkII '06 as well and after free floating and bedding it was plenty accurate...that gun still had one of the smoothest actions I've played with yet, and that's something to say for a Ruger. Not one of my Hawkeyes has slicked up near what that one was. Another mkII 270 Win, I sold earlier this year, was the most stupidly accurate hunting rifle yet, it just shot everything. I was playing with it to find a load that it wouldn't shoot when I sold it to finance something else. For the money, I think they're damn good guns
I stupidly didn't own that gun long enough to get around to it It was plenty accurate for me, but I never got around to playing at long range with it. If it even needs a new home, you know where I am!! I've had a mkII '06 as well and after free floating and bedding it was plenty accurate...that gun still had one of the smoothest actions I've played with yet, and that's something to say for a Ruger. Not one of my Hawkeyes has slicked up near what that one was. Another mkII 270 Win, I sold earlier this year, was the most stupidly accurate hunting rifle yet, it just shot everything. I was playing with it to find a load that it wouldn't shoot when I sold it to finance something else. For the money, I think they're damn good guns
- Location
- Chilliwack
338-06 Ruger M77 tang safety
308 win. Ruger M77 tang safety
257 Rob. Ruger M77 tang safety
always on the look for Rugers M77 tang safeties. IMHO there is nothing better.
Previous Rugers
280 Rem. M77 MK II
338 Win Mag M77 MK II
30-06 M77 Tang safety
243 Win M77 tang safety
I kick my azz for selling any of them
308 win. Ruger M77 tang safety
257 Rob. Ruger M77 tang safety
always on the look for Rugers M77 tang safeties. IMHO there is nothing better.
Previous Rugers
280 Rem. M77 MK II
338 Win Mag M77 MK II
30-06 M77 Tang safety
243 Win M77 tang safety
I kick my azz for selling any of them
- Location
- Yellowknife, NWT
I have a Hawkeye in .257 Roberts. I tried a few Mk II models and they were good rifles but I never did own one. The trigger on the Hawkeye is just plain better than the Mk II. Mine works well enough that I don't intend to slick it up. And the stock, though outwardly very similar, has been vastly improved, in my opinion. Both the forend and pistol grip are slimmed down, and the recoil pad is much nicer. Some would argue that a recoil pad on a Roberts is superfluous, but I find with maximum +P 120-grain handloads the perceived recoil rises dramatically.
The thing that I like very best about the stock, though, is the wraparound forend checkering. I think that's a big plus on any rifle. I don't know if it's on the synthetic stocks or not, but on the wood-stock Hawkeye it's a big plus for me.
The rifle shot okay out of the box, and with minimal load development and a quick free-floating, shoots better than MOA.
What do I NOT like? A few things. Much as I like the stock, I don't find the forend grip as secure as my old Win 70 Fwt, but it's pretty good. My rifle has pretty nice woodgrain, but the finish mars fairly easily and I expect it to be a bit battered in a couple more years. I'm no huge fan of lightweight rifles, so the fact that the Hawkeye is a standard-weight rifle is fine by me, although I hear a lot of hunters who were raised in this age of flyweight arms actually find the Hawkeye heavy. It's not.
I also PREFER a removeable mag. Note, floorplate guys, I said PREFER! Not available, so no biggie. I also prefer the tang safety to the 3-way, but once again, no big deal.
The biggest disappointment I have had with the Hawkeye, particularly vs the Mk II, is the fragility of the finish, both metal and wood. The wood is easy to scratch, and the metal likewise. I don't mind the greyish matte finish, but I think I'd rather have the old Ruger gloss blue. And I don't know what the finish is on the stock, but a few more coats would probably help.
If there had been a .257 Roberts available in the same price range with the features I prefer, i.e. tang safety and drop-out mag) I likely would have bought one of those instead, but at the time I was unaware that Savage does custom chambering. Still and all, it's a good rifle.
The thing that I like very best about the stock, though, is the wraparound forend checkering. I think that's a big plus on any rifle. I don't know if it's on the synthetic stocks or not, but on the wood-stock Hawkeye it's a big plus for me.
The rifle shot okay out of the box, and with minimal load development and a quick free-floating, shoots better than MOA.
What do I NOT like? A few things. Much as I like the stock, I don't find the forend grip as secure as my old Win 70 Fwt, but it's pretty good. My rifle has pretty nice woodgrain, but the finish mars fairly easily and I expect it to be a bit battered in a couple more years. I'm no huge fan of lightweight rifles, so the fact that the Hawkeye is a standard-weight rifle is fine by me, although I hear a lot of hunters who were raised in this age of flyweight arms actually find the Hawkeye heavy. It's not.
I also PREFER a removeable mag. Note, floorplate guys, I said PREFER! Not available, so no biggie. I also prefer the tang safety to the 3-way, but once again, no big deal.
The biggest disappointment I have had with the Hawkeye, particularly vs the Mk II, is the fragility of the finish, both metal and wood. The wood is easy to scratch, and the metal likewise. I don't mind the greyish matte finish, but I think I'd rather have the old Ruger gloss blue. And I don't know what the finish is on the stock, but a few more coats would probably help.
If there had been a .257 Roberts available in the same price range with the features I prefer, i.e. tang safety and drop-out mag) I likely would have bought one of those instead, but at the time I was unaware that Savage does custom chambering. Still and all, it's a good rifle.
