Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Ruger ultralight rifles

Looking for opinions on the Ruger ultralight rifle with the 20 inch barrel. How are they for accuracy with the thin barrel, likes and dislikes. Looking at picking one up, thinking 270, 3006, 7mm08.
Thanks

Not talking about the Ruger American compact rifle. Rather the model 77 ultralight

If you shoot off some kind of rest they are a good rifle, but I have found them to be a little to light to be really good for offhand shooting.

I used to have one in 30-06. It is not the weight that makes them hard to shoot offhand, it is the balance. My Kimber weighs about the same scoped as the Ruger Ultralight does unscoped, but is much better balanced and very easy to hold on target offhand. Not a plug for Kimber or a knock on Ruger. You'll find about the same with most any short, thin barreled gun. There needs to be some weight forward and not all of it in the stock.

Other than that they are typical Rugers. Very good guns. Mine was acceptably accurate for 3 shots until the barrel got hot. Not a tack driver, but plenty good enough for hunting.

I have a 7/08 and a 204. Slapped both into walnut stocks. Love 'em.....

I had one in 30-06 a brutal little bich... The next time around I traded for one in 257 Robt's ,perfect. Mag Man

This is why a scout scope on a light rifle works in the field. You can have your thin barrel and balance at the same time. Put 100 rds through a Steyr Scout from field positions at steel and this becomes readily apparent.

theyve got some at CDNN right now for decent $.

Mine is a 257 Roberts in a Ruger Skeleton stock. I had a real fit with it in the wood stock until I noticed if you tightened the front action screw the tang was completely above the wood so when it was tighetned I can only assume it torqued the action. I dropped it into a zytel and it not only balances much better it also shrunk the groups to right around 1" - 1.25" for 3 shots. It was 3" plus on good days.

I bought two 77 Ultralights new about 25 or so years ago. One was a .250 Savage that provided decent hunting accuracy with 3-shot groups averaging about 1 1/2", maybe a little less. The other in .30-06 was horrible: 3 shot-groups averaging about 2 1/2"-3". No bedding or trigger work done on either gun.

Mine was .308 Win

Loved the gun, the cal./cartridge not so much.

Mine was in walnut OEM.

I didn't have any problem benching or hunting with it. Maybe 308, S A, made the diff in handling.

Don't remember why I let it go, probably a .270 W. <G>

I have a UL in .30-06 with the boat paddle stock. I really like it. I get 1 1/2" groups with hand loads. I like it enough that I would like another in a different cartridge just for variety.

My future wife bought me one in 308 so that was at least 27 years ago. It was my only rifle for a number of years. I used the 165 gr Hornady SP exclusively and took a fair number of deer with it. My load, using VV-N550, would consistently shoot inside 1 1/2", this after I bedded the action and floated the barrel. Some years ago I re-barreled it to 250 AI for one of my then young son's. I had no trouble shooting it.

I have had the ultralights since they came out, plus the ruger internationals, in 243 and 308, have found them quite accurate and nice to carry around, very quick to get into action on running shots I found.

My .257 Bob oem walnut bought at a Billings gun show in '89 has taken all manner of game. Bear, mulie's, whities, lopes, and elks of both genders. Purdy too.

Just picked one up from cdnn in .223. I have only shot it at 50yds so far. Dime sized 3 shot groups with factory 55grns. All I need for coyotes within 100yds.

I have a SS UltraLight Hawkeye in 30-06 with 20" barrel. It sits in the OEM stock and has had no modifications outside of the trigger. I'd agree that it wouldn't be my first choice for a long range weapon but thats not its intended purpose. It is made for carrying and use in tight situations. I use mine for hutning remote areas and treestand hunting in wooded areas. I find it fairly user friendly with respect to recoil and balance.

I killed 2 nice bucks last year with mine in the situations I bought it for. The first buck included a 1500 vertical foot climb in 1/2 mile, then out across the top for another 1/2 mile. I found that spot on map and hiked in before dawn to hunt it. Obviously I wasn't going to drag a treestand up there. Shot the 8 pt from the ground as he was chasing does. I had a couple seconds to make the shot as they were moving by me but fairly close.

Buck 2 was more classical - western PA wooded lot treestand. Shot the 10 pt at about 75 yards as he was headed to check out does right at last legal shooting light.

Rifle was quick, handy, and deadly in both situations. My rifle is fairly accurate and I wouldn't hesitate to shoot at 3-400 yards with a good rest. This rifle covers ~ 90% of my deer hunting needs - and gets carried alot.

Everyone needs a short, handy rifle for hunting on your legs in wooded areas with the occasional longer shot. The Ruger UL fits the bill nicely.

I had a t/s mod. 77RL in .308. Except for getting your shoulder's attention (for a .308 anyway) it was an excellent deer rifle for my purposes which was pretty much <300 yds. Bone stock, it was .75 to 1" at 100yds. FOR THE FIRST 3 SHOTS. After 3 shots, the spread was pretty rapid. I just picked up a MKII Lightweight Deluxe in .308 which is considerably lighter and trimmer, but haven't shot it yet.

Thanks for all the replies probably going to pull the trigger on one. Just got to decide on what caliber. Leaning toward the 270'

Think short action. hint........