Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Ruger MKII, will I be disappointed?

If easy accuracy is what you want, get the Tikka. If you admire the positive attributes of the Ruger bolt guns, pay a bit more and get a SS Hawkeye, which are still to be found. I've had three of those and think they're the best so far. They are not light however, so understand that going in. My AW .223 goes 8lbs 14oz with a 15.8 oz scope. Shoots pretty well though, and apparently likes to be dirty.

Both of my Rugers are more accurate than my Tikka. Not all Tikkas are tack drivers.

Buy the Ruger.

I'd get the Ruger MKII. I have several and all shoot very well. (I also have multiple M77 and Hawkeye rifles and they all shoot well.)

The trick for me has been to make sure the action is torqued into the stock properly - German tight in the front, tight in the rear and just tight enough on the middle screw to keep it from backing out. I also float the barrels, getting rid of the pressure bump at the tip of the forearm.

A couple weeks ago I had my Hawkeye .280 Rem at the range. Six shots went into .876" @ 100.

This.

I'll take the Ruger over the Tikka all day.

Agreed. I'll take an aesthetically pleasing 1 MOA rifle with a soul over a hideous 0.5 MOA rifle without one.

Having had some feeding and weak extraction issues with a M700 Remington push feed bolt action, for my go to whitetail 7mm-08 I wanted a control round feed claw extractor in stainless steel and when I built up my rifle, the Ruger MK II in .308 was what I used for the starting point. I wanted the M70 wing type safety and a staggered magazine instead of a clip. Tikka had none of those things and still don't. There is something very satisfying about pulling back sharply on the bolt like I would in a hunting situation and having the empty fly six feet over. I guess I'm one of those guys who did all of the above mentioned trick things to mine and it turned out perfectly at 7 pounds 2 ounces with a Euro 30mm variable 1.5-6x42 scope. I'm a hunter, not a target shooter and this morning's bulls eye to check zero was good enough for me.

I could never warm up to a Tikka either.

Here's a tale of three 6.5 pound rifles (sans scopes)

A Tikka T3X 6.5C

A Ruger UL MK II 257R

A Ruger UL Hawkeye 7mm-08



My comments for the Rugers apply to the several Hawkeyes and several MK IIs I have owned. This is my only Tikka, and I have yet to fire it. All of these guns are bone stock.

Feel is obviously subjective. The Rugers feel like quality pieces. The Tikka does as well but to a lesser degree. Some commented on the Tikka being plasticky, it doesn't feel that way to me. Not like a Ruger American. Some commented on the bolt being smooth on the Tikka. It is, but the Ruger is smooth (not as slick as the Tikka) and substantial. When I work the bolt on the Tikka, substantial isn't a word I'd use to describe it. Hawkeyes make brass look like it has been in a fight with a wildcat. MK IIs and Tikkas don't mar it at all.

I prefer the Hawkeye trigger by just a hair over the Tikka, though I like them both. The Hawkeye seems to break more glassy. The MK II trigger is not great. It's passable in a hunting rifle. Love the Ruger 3 position safety. Magazine? Hard to compare the two because one is detachable. If detachable is what you want the Tikka obviously takes the cake. Its mag does feel cheesy. Not as bad as a Savage Lightweight Hunter. The Ruger integral rings are solid though most folks like to tune them up a bit. I live with them stock.

Stock MK2s can go MOA with a good bit of load development or experimenting with a lot of factory fodder. With ULs I have been able to get them to 1.5 with a little piddling and haven't gone any further. All Ruger bolt action centerfires seem to prefer a dirty barrel. I have a Hawkeye Predator (8.5 pounds with a heavier barrel) that is easily MOA. I think most people will tell you they easily get MOA with Tikkas and crowding a half inch isn't hard. We'll see how this one does.

My experience tells me you can just about expect any new Ruger to have quality control issues. MK IIs didn't seem to have them save for some serious barrel issues on a few early models.

I probably forgot to touch on something.

Ruger over Tikka, for me. But they're both good.

Ruger for me I like to stuff em in that big port with my thumb----- No DBMs for me but sure wish Tikka would make fixed magazine .

I qualify to be considered an old dog.. Not anti Tikka, own several.

Ruger in walnut.

g

Had two Ruger MKII and one Hawkeye rifle at the range yesterday. It was a rare but wonderful day for shooting - no wind to speak of and temps in the 60's. Too bad the damn guns wouldn't shoot. All three rifles I took had the same scope on them - Burris Fullfield II 3-9x with Ballistic Plex BDC reticle.

Te first up was my .300WM MKII with 175g LRX. A scope check at 100 printed 2.5" high and dead center vertically, just where it was last time i had it at the range. Printed right where it should at 400 so I went for the 500 and 600 yard steel.

A note about the range - there is a valley between the 300 and 500 yard berms that rises and narrows towards the east. The prevailing west winds blow up the valley and cause bullets rise at te 500 and 600 yard targets/ With no or very little wind (600 yard flag hanging straight down, the typical rise was not in effect yesterday - a good thing.

As a result of the lack of wind, the drop charts I had put together last time I was at the range were NFG - the .300 was hitting about 4" high at 600. I figured out the new chart for the .300WM and was able to consistently hit the 500 and 600 yard steel.

Had the same drop chart problem with the .280 Rem Hawkeye - had to redo it due to lack of wind through the valley. Once done smacking the steel at 500 and 600 was childs play with both 140g TTSX and 140g AB. The AB's launch slower but their higher BC puts them on target at 500 and 600. Works for me.

The last rifle shot was my .338WM MKII with 225g AB running an average of 2778fps. After zeroing at 100 I went for the 300 yard target. First shot printed 1-1/2" left of center on the centerline. Good enough. Asked another shooter to spot for me while I tried the 500 and 600 yard steel. Turns out I didn't need a spotter - the first shot rang the steel at 500 and the second hit the steel at 600. The 500 and 600 yard drop chart for the reticle is exactly the same as for the .280 Rem. That works for me, too.

After that I cycled through the rifles a couple times, shooting only at 500 and 600. Left the range with a big smile. Now to decide which two to take elk hunting.

I must edit this post. It should read all my Rugers bar one have shot good. I bought a second hand tang safety model in .257 Roberts that shot 1.5 inch groups at best. My apologies. It was in 95% condition so I can't really blame a shot out barrel. It was made around 1980 so it might be in the time of the iffy barrels. I have another tang safety .250 Savage made around the same time that has been used a lot judging by the condition of it but it still shoots under and inch.

I don't own a Tikka but have shot my son in laws Tikka M695 Whitetail Hunter 243 some. It's consistently accurate with most everything we've tried. I just can't like the looks or feel compared to my Rugers. He had trouble with the ejector or extractor, can't remember, and had a heck of a time finding parts. Took several months to find replacements. Now that the kids have their own rifles, it hardly ever gets used anymore.
I have 3 Rugers, a Tang Safety 250 Savage, a MkII 22-250, and a MkII 257 Roberts. With a little seating depth juggling the two 25s are easily MOA with several bullets. The 22-250 may be the most accurate rifle I've ever owned with it's favorite load.
I love the look and feel of the Rugers, only dislike with them is the weight. That 257 must have particularly dense wood, weighs close to 8.5lbs with a 3-9 Leupy mounted.

I've owned two mk ll's. One was a stainless in 223 with that hideous stock that says ruger in the buttstock. It was my winter rifle. The other was a 260 Remington blued with wood atock. The 223 was glass bedded. The trigger was polished, a coil cut off the trigger spring and broke at 2.5 lbs with no creep. The rifle would group clovelreaf three shot groups with anything 55 grain, hand load or factory load. All bullets would hit the same hole. The 260 rem I didn't shoot too much. I've never owned a rifle since, that was more accurate than that ruger 77 mk ll.

^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Mine have been accurate as well and I've had a bunch or them.

Rifles with that "hideous" boatpaddle stock were commanding ridiculously high prices not very long ago. I have three and think they are great for a variety of reasons.

The take-off barrel you sold me has accounted for 3 elk now, including my longest ever at 487 yards (per google earth). Several years ago I took it to the range for a final scope check before elk season. After checking zero at q100 I decided to go for a clay pigeon on the 600 yard berm, having never shot it at that range before. First shot gave me an ideal about the drop, second just missed, third hit the pigeon. Then I took my MKII .30-06 and hit another 600 yard pigeon on the second shot. Called it a day and went home.

Both MKII actions in "hideous" boatpaddle stocks. Love them!