Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Ruger Hawkeye Predator Stock

So, I finally ordered in a Hawkeye Predator in 223. I already know I do not like the stock so I'm hoping for some opinions from you guys. First of all, is this a standard stock? I know the barrel channel is a bit wider for the barrel contour but what about the rest of the gun stock? Currently, all my other bolt guns are Winchester so I don't have another gun to compare it to. Would I be able to refit any other Ruger stock? Finally, anyone interested in a trade/buy of this stock? I'll have the actual gun in hand tomorrow. I would prefer a sporter or supergrade type stock over this laminate version. Representative pic pulled from the interwebs below. Thanks in advance.

What is it that you don't like about the stock?

Lam=heavy and not a fan of the colors.

Paint. hint........

I rather like the ergos of the hawkeye stocks. Wouldn't mind having another....

Any ruger short action mkII or hawkeye SA stock can be made to fit. The 2-stage trigger needs a bunch of inletting, along with fixing the barrel channel. PTG dbm will not work on the 2-stager.....

If you was worried about weight, you'da never bought one with that barrel contour, to start with......

Mine sure isn't a feather weight. But like the ergos.

@hunstman22 I agree with you on that point. The gun will rarely be used in the field so any weight savings is low on the priority list. I think the biggest issue is that I'm no fan of the color scheme. The black/grey version of this stock they had a few years back would be preferred.

Fi'th, Get the rifle and use it a bit. I think you'll find that green mtn stock will really grow on ya... Before I even bought my 17 hornet, I was on the hunt for a hornet-sized walnut stock to slap it in. After a month of use, I wouldn't trade that green, ugly piecer for a nice walnut one. I hate plywood, generally, and took a lot of criticism for painting my VT. But the paint was purtier (to my eyes) than the fugly plywood. Krylon and webbing made it better, and kinda camo-like. It really blends into the prairie....

see? the green just ain't THAT bad......

Not a laminate, but I did a Krylon job on my Hawkeye in 223/sythetic, and added a red Pachmayer pad.

If appearance is your only worry... I kinda like the laminate you have.

I like it. Cows seem to also.

No cows were harmed in the shooting of these varmints.

Thanks for the input. I'll try it out for a bit to see if it grows on me.

If not, just grab a mkII or hawkeye walnut or lam sporter and hog out the barrel channel and chisel out enough room for the 2-stage, and you're there.....

I did that on the VT with the heavier barrel. The hawkeye stock won't leave much thickness on the forearm for the bigger VT barrel, but will be identical reveal as your green mtn. Here is a target grey VT in a mkII sporter.

or you can go Boyds or McMillan......

EGW 20 moa and their lowest rings. Still purty high.....

Just to save you the trip; I ordered a regular All-weather synthetic for my Hawkeye .308, hoping to lighten it up a bit, and it's very little, if any lighter than the laminate. The laminate is a bit longer, which probably explains the couple of ounces difference. The syn stock is very stiff and solid; no flex at all. It still would be a good choice for someone wanting to preserve a walnut stock. Fitting it to a predator would take a good bit of barrel-channel work.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with my Predator and like the veggie pizza stock. The inletting is very clean. It is IMHO, the best deal out there for an all-steel, traditionally crafted rifle. The 2-stage trigger is amazing.

Thanks, temp setup on my Creedmoor at this time. Thinking options.

not many rail options out there. EGW and Ken Farrel was all i could find.. I'm a cheapskate.