Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles If Ruger....

Please tell us your not holding your breathe . . . . .

American Rifle - no; on the new Precision Rifle platform - yes.

Count me out. I already have a tack-driving Ruger MKII .22-250, albeit with the slower 1-14 twist. Also a very accurate MKII in .223.

If those two can't do the job, I've got plenty of rifles that will.

Lately I've been thinking I've reached a saturation point where I have quite a few rifles, like what I have and simply don't have any desire or need for any more. (Or at least not many more, and I'm going to be more picky than normal on any more additions.)

Compromises or not, there are a lot of very good factory rifles available, both new and used. My safe contains a mix of about 50/50 each, along with one custom and one semi-custom.

The custom rifle, a 6.5-06AI on an Interarms Mauser action, was built with 1200-yard shooting in mind, from a rest. So far it has never been shot at ranges over 600 but it slays clay pigeons at that range very effectively. The semi-custom started as a naked Ruger MKII action, got a Ruger take-off barrel in .338WM, and a Ruger semi-skeletonized 'boat paddle' stock. The original owner had chopped and fluted the barrel. Those are easily the two most expensive rifles in the safe and by a wide margin.

Now the 'compromises'. A Remington M700, some Marlin levers, a Browing B92 carbine and a bunch of Rugers. Calibers from .223 to .458. All accurate, some are very accurate. And there isn't one I want to sell or trade so I can spend more on another custom. Low-cost functionality with good looks is a good compromise in my book.

Same here! In a heartbeat!

Ruger will need to step up to be the first to offer a big bore African cartridge in a inexpensive rifle

.375 and .416 Ruger chambered in the American rifle

They could call it the .Ruger Afro-American Rifle

All black of course

I don't have an answer yet, but I expect to hear something from my rep after he returns from vacation.

Since this thread is a sticky in the Hunting Rifles Forum, I'd say keep it going to tell Ruger what we're looking for in a hunting rifle.

The stainless Hawkeye's are discontinued. Obviously, something is on the horizon. This would be the perfect place and opportunity for them to take our ideas and meld them into something we're all looking for. If they get it right, they'll sell a ton. If not, it will just be another rifle on the shelf.

Ideas?

And I'll even throw some ideas out....

What about an upgraded version of the American? Real bottom metal and metal bolt shroud. A nice stock....keep the V-Block bedding, but incorporate that into a fiberglass stock with a higher comb. Not something chunky like the B&C, something slim with the ergo's of the Kimber Montana. Ditch the bladed trigger on this version. Go Timney from the factory. A nicer finish on the metal too. Not some funky gray on the stainless version either. I'm thinking of a true bead blasted stainless.

They could also take some of the features of the American and incorporate those ideas into the Hawkeye line. Keep the current LC6 Trigger and the CRF bolt design. Ditch the Ruger rings and go round on the top. Ditch the angled action screw too. Use the same V-Block deign from the American line. A fiberglass stock with a higher comb would be nice. This could be sold in two versions - blind mag box or bottom metal. The could float the barrel instead of the bumps.

They already have the budget end covered with the American series. The upgraded American would need a real shelf price of $700 or less. The hybrid Hawkeye could be in the $1000 range on the shelf.

The 2 things I'd change on the Hawkeye are the angled screw and ONE PIECE BOTTOM METAL.

And if I had to pick one, it would be doing away with the 2 piece bottom metal

And they need to be twisted right with mag box room for high BC bullets...

How about the American CFs with the changeable butt stock modules like the rimfires?

Naturally.

All I want them to do is take one of their 1-9" or 1-8" .224 barrels, chamber it in a 22-250, and thread it onto a Hawkeye.

I have drunk e-mailed this advice to them but they never acknowledge that they're going to do what I told them to do.



Travis

I think the current scope mounts on the Hawkeyes are one of the best systems going. It would be a shame to make those rifles less heavy duty, which is just what would happen by adding additional screws to come loose.

As is, a guy can carry a previousy sighted-in backup scope with rings in his pack, and swap the scopes to be back in the hunt with 4 twists of a screwdriver.

The only benefit I see to a regular mount setup is to take advantage of the sloped LR bases, and since there are plenty of scopes out there these days with the built-in travel to get a guy way out there it would hardly be an advantage. Plus, extreme LR shooters aren't buying many sporter weight, controlled round feed rifles anyway.

The major changes I would like to see on the Hawkeye are better twist rates, and fix the damned safety so a guy can actually disengage it while wearing gloves!

Something like what Phil Shoemaker did here:



Also a Kimber Montana-esque stock, while I'm dreaming.

Ruger really is taking the market by storm. I love how they're asking for suggestions, coming up with new rifles.
I have been thinking for the last week or so about buying another Predator, filling the stock with Rockite and adding a Timney. I just like the options the American has when it comes to scope rings. Maybe I'm flawed in my thinking?

Yeah, I've always like Ruger scope mount system. Simple and rugged.

If Ruger tweaked a few things on the Hawkeye and set them in a better stock, they may be able to market it towards the "hardcore hunter" crowd as the most heavy duty rifle on the market today. Take away some of the higher end hunting rifle market, since the American seems to be doing well in the entry level market.

Remember the ads Leupold put out in the early 90's or thereabouts of hardcore deeds done with their scopes? IIRC one was a tale from an Alaska guide of losing his rifle in the surf for a year; when found the rifle was rusted beyond recovery (Pre 64, I believe), but the scope was still good? Anyway, Ruger could market the Hawkeye in just such a way. Make people think "The toughest dudes on the planet hunt with a Hawkeye, so I want one".

But of course that would necessitate bringing back the Stainless Synthetic version. Just leave off the retarded muzzle brake of the Guide Gun. The brake really isn't necessary, even for shooting icebergs.

I think the Hawkeye has a lot to offer as well. They won't make it a lightweight but with places like Lipseys and others out there, I'd think a fast twist 22-250 would be easy, and sell like the .44 Special Flattop they refused to make all those years.

A distributor exclusive in a McMillan would probably sell like a mofo too. I would suspect anyway.



Travis