I'd do it if I was you and had your money.

It's been over 30 years since I had a Ruger bolt action rifle. The last one was a heavy barrel .25-06 that wouldn't group under 2" to save my life. That made me very wary when hitting the "buy it now" on this one. So how come nobody over the past 30 years told me they were this good? (or someone probably did and I just wasn't listening )

Have had the lefty SS short action Model 77 .308 for a few weeks now, long enough to get to know it. By all accounts I shouldn't like it as much as I do.

That stock is just weird. Why couldn't they put a normal salt and pepper laminate on it instead of this funky green-black-brown combo? But after living with it a while the combination is becoming "interesting".

The forearm shape is great but the pistol grip is all wrong for me - too flat on the sides, no swell at the bottom at all, too short, yada, yada. The rifle is heavy - just 2 ounces shy of 8 pounds with the Ruger rings and a Leupold VX-II 3-9X40. It could probably shed about 2 pounds with someone else's rings. But the weight keeps the recoil down and helps it hold steady, and even at 8 pounds it balances very well so it doesn't feel overly heavy.

But the main thing is - it shoots. Boy, does it shoot! Had it glass bedded and free floated and the smith worked on the trigger so it breaks really cleanly at a very consistent 3 pounds. the action is smoothing up and I've figured out I have to put a tad downward pressure on the bolt handle to keep it from binding.

The proof is in the pictures. Both groups below are the load it loves, Winchester cases, Fed 210, 47.5 grs. RL-15 and a Hornady 150 Spire Point seated .030" off the lands. It averages 2817 fps which is just perfect, it can take more without strain but I like it right where it is.

Two weeks ago working up loads - 7 shots, blustery windy day, wind shifting from 8 to 12 o'clock and gusting from from 2-3 to 15 mph. The flyer is my fault but those other 6 went into .570"



Today - another cold and windy day but it was steady at 9 o'clock and a pretty constant 15 mph. These were for sight-in, three shots into .404". two of those shots are right on top of each other.



And here it is. The ringer was the result of practice this morning, all shots at 200 yards, most from kneeling with a few from offhand. You can see the wind pushed most shots to the 3 o'clock side but the weight and steadiness of the rifle was a real help.


(Just noticed but that stock does camouflage nicely against my muddy ol' weedy back yard.)

To say I like this rifle is an understatement. Despite all the stuff that's "wrong" about it I really, really like it.

Damned if I'm not having a heck of time deciding whether to get another one. Don't need another .308, got two already so it'd have to be a rebarrel, but I'm thinking with that 2.9" magazine box I could be the first kid on my block with a left hand, stainless steel short action M77 in .257 Roberts. Somebody please talk me out of this...

You've already got one of those All Weather Hawkeye's in 308 so you know what he's talking about..... .

You probably already sold it off though didn't you.......

No he doesn't.



Yes he did.

I wont be without one.

Go for the 257 Roberts. I bought a M77 tang safety recently and it shots great with my reloads of 100 gr Sierra PH's and IMR 3031 (right our of the Sierra Manual). I didn't really need this rifle but I got a good deal so I bought it or at least thats what I told my wife when she saw it hidden in the back of my car.

An article in Precision Shooting a few years back, said the Ruger barrels are made on exactly the same hammer forging machinery used by Remington and Winchester.The machinery is "one source",out of Germany and there are not many in the US,although that might have changed by now.

The rifle is heavy - just 2 ounces shy of 8 pounds with the Ruger rings and a Leupold VX-II 3-9X40. It could probably shed about 2 pounds with someone else's rings. But the weight keeps the recoil down and helps it hold steady, and even at 8 pounds it balances very well so it doesn't feel overly heavy.

...


... Don't need another .308, got two already so it'd have to be a rebarrel, but I'm thinking with that 2.9" magazine box I could be the first kid on my block with a left hand, stainless steel short action M77 in .257 Roberts. Somebody please talk me out of this...

Remington and winchester dont use CHF barrels that I am aware of. Maybe on 22's which is how ruger got started using them. The 10-22T madel had Steyr bbl.
Ruger owns thier machine. bought it in '93 I think, used from CZ when they upgraded. It cost ruger something like 9 million.
Think about the difference between a Japanese tanto and a CSA calvary saber. The hammering. the folding. The temering.
You cant take a piece of tubed carbon steel and drag a button thru it and get the same exact dimensions each time like you can hammering steel over a carbide mandrel.

Remington and winchester dont use CHF barrels that I am aware of. Maybe on 22's which is how ruger got started using them. The 10-22T madel had Steyr bbl.
Ruger owns thier machine. bought it in '93 I think, used from CZ when they upgraded. It cost ruger something like 9 million.
Think about the difference between a Japanese tanto and a CSA calvary saber. The hammering. the folding. The temering.
You cant take a piece of tubed carbon steel and drag a button thru it and get the same exact dimensions each time like you can hammering steel over a carbide mandrel.

I have been shooting Steyr's , almost exclusivly, since my forst one in 1998. They amazed me and I started learning about the CHF prosses.
Steyr, SAKO, A zoli, Blaser, Tikka, CZ....
When you hear thosenames does inaccurate ever come to mind?
Ruger barrels are very good. very fine examples of CHF and more smooth off the machine than the best handlapped remington.
But their trigger SUCKS. The last ruger I bought, AND I MEAN THE LAST, was a hawkeye SS.
I shot it beside a 1942 bring back, 100% factory configuaration K98 shooting Nazi stamped ammo.
The out shot the ruger by a large margin using iron sights against a burris 3-9 on the ruger.
The problem. The trigger was 75% the weight of the rifle. theres no way to pull 75% of the rifles weight in the trigger without disturbing sight picture.

here is the article the came out in PR mag...
Precision Shooting Magazine November 2005

It's been over 30 years since I had a Ruger bolt action rifle. The last one was a heavy barrel .25-06 that wouldn't group under 2" to save my life.

Please tell me you still have your pre 64 300 winny....

I arranged for the FFL transfer on one of these today- now I just need to heal up from the two back surgeries I got the last two weeks in a row. I can't wait to get this Ruger tuned up; it's the first left bolt I've treated myself to.

There are still four left, if anyone (including Jim getting his second one) is interested.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=283682719

Sorry to hear you had problems with your "last" Ruger due to a bad trigger (on a Hawkeye with the LC6 nonetheless).....but the trigger is one of the easiest things to fix on these rifles....Too bad they couldn't go back to the oldstyle adjustable trigger the M77R (tang safety) model had......My hawkeye 308 has a pretty sweet trigger after just replacing the spring and polishing the sear (I don't mean hone or file either, just polish)......Now the M77 MKII's had the worst triggers I've ever seen, you had to either hone to reduce sear engagement, change an angle or 2, polish, and change the spring or replace the whole unit to end up with a nice trigger..what a PITA they are......One thing about a Ruger M77 rifle though, is once you bed them, and refine the trigger they usually end up good shooters. My most recent cheap rifle find was an old tang safety model 77 (300 win mag) that I had cerekoted last week since I knew it was a good shooter (even though they are known to be inacurate sob's). I threw the scope back on the rifle (since I had the rings cerekoted too) and proceeded to check where the POI was so I could adjust the scope. With my last 5 cartridges I had loaded up from the last outing I let them fly and this is how the old girl did (180gr. winchester powerpoint load):



This is it after cerekoting:


The rifle is bedded with factory pressure point left in, trigger is great and action is slick as my winchester model 70's....Going back to the 308 Hawkeye like the OP first posted, mine shoots just as good as my 300 win mag tang safety shown above......maybe even a tad better

You still missing the orange dot mate!!!!

gus

I arranged for the FFL transfer on one of these today- now I just need to heal up from the two back surgeries I got the last two weeks in a row. I can't wait to get this Ruger tuned up; it's the first left bolt I've treated myself to.

There are still four left, if anyone (including Jim getting his second one) is interested.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=283682719

I've had that ad on "Watch This" for a while now. Still making up my mind - today it's about 70/30 in favor of getting another one.

Hey ol buddy. Yep, that's where it shot after I threw the scope back in the rings after the rifle and rings were cerekoted.....I'll try to tear up some orange for you this weekend at the rimfire competition I'm going to....wish me luck....

Update.

Went out yesterday working up some target loads with Sierra 125 grain Spitzers and IMR4895. 4 shot groups at 44, 45 and 46 grains, all very mild loads.

The morning was chilly and windy (gee, windy in Idaho in the spring - go figure!) but 46.0 grains shot the group shown below. That flyer is my signature, it wouldn't be a "Genuine Jim in Idaho" group without one $%&#! flyer. But three of those four shots went into .238", that's under 1/4 MOA. From a .308 sporter weight Ruger factory rifle and barrel. The other groups aren't quite as bug holey impressive but I sure wasn't unhappy with any of them.

Anyway - the rifle's performance yesterday finally knocked me off the fence. I went home and hit Buy It Now on a second one.

If I can resist shooting the donor the next great decision process will begin - .257 Roberts, .243 AI or something really exotic? I want to take advantage of the longer mag box so the front runners right now are the .257 Bob or a 6mm Remington, but that could change in five minutes.




Not trying to tempt anybody but he still has 4 left. Just sayin'...

Why couldn't they put a normal salt and pepper laminate on it instead of this funky green-black-brown combo? But after living with it a while the combination is becoming "interesting".


(Just noticed but that stock does camouflage nicely against my muddy ol' weedy back yard.)

Are there any left? On Gun broker they say they are out, E mailed seller. Can,t let Jim corner the market.

That stock is just weird. Why couldn't they put a normal salt and pepper laminate on it instead of this funky green-black-brown combo? But after living with it a while the combination is becoming "interesting".



(Just noticed but that stock does camouflage nicely against my muddy ol' weedy back yard.)

And now there are 3 left

Yeah, Remington has been using hammer-forged barrels on their mass-production centerfires for years. The barrels on Rugers have been more consistent since they started making their own, but a lot of the barrels before then shot quite well too.

One thing I have noticed in the past few years is Ruger's barrels look like they've been lapped--not as much as a hand-lapped custom barrel, but enough to take remove some of the rougher spots. Or at least that's what they look like through my bore-scope. Some look absolutely perfect.

The triggers on the Mark II 77's and the slightly improved version on the Hawkeye may not be perfect out of the box, but they're really easy to fix. Even I can convert them to a safe, crisp 2-3 pound pull in about half an hour.

Usually any of the Ruger centerfire bolt-actions shoots better if the barrel's free-floated. I don't know why they don't just do that at the factory with all their models, but for some they don't.

I haven't had a good one yet.

You should play the lotto.