Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Question for you Ruger Hawkeye fans???

I've never been much of a Ruger fan, as I have had a less than satisfactory experience with the two I have had, but am seriously considering picking up a Hawkeye in 338 Win Mag. For those of you that are fans, what in particular is it that you like about them? As always, any thoughts are appreciated.

sns, simply put, I think the Hawkeyes may be the best mod. 77s yet. I only have a sample of one but have or have had upward of a dozen various configurations of tang safeties and MKIIs. My HE 7MM08 shot so well right out of the box with fac. 139s that I've literally never tried anything else. Weight, balance, ergos are the best of any standard size Ruger I've owned. It seems that after maybe years of hit and miss, Ruger has finally got their barrel manufacturing on par with anyones and their synthetic stock versions seem to be at the top of the heap for fac. Tupperware. Just a good, real solid rifle that won't break the bank.
The LC6 trigger, while not perfect, is the only Ruger trigger I've not felt compelled to replace or have adjusted. Works just fine on a whitetail only rifle.
John

I own two Hawkeye Rugers. A stainless laminated 300 win mag that I bought to turn into a 338....but after shooting it found out it would put 180 Remingtons into a nice and neat 5/8" circle all day. It will stay a 300 And a Standard Hawkeye in 7mm o8 that will do almost as well with Remington 140s. I have found the accuracy is there. The triggers on both are factory issue and break at 4 lbs. No creep. I like the fact that Rugers are still all steel...no crappy plastic parts. I prefer the steel bottom metal to the Mark ll,s painted Aluminum. And they are 100% made in the USA. The stocks feel and fit very well.It doesn't hurt that they are flat out durable and reliable. These are my reasons.I think they are the best deal going for a hunting rifle made today.

sns2 –

If you notice my sig lines you will realize I am very much a fan of Ruger M77/MKII/Hawkeye/#1 rifles. The reason for that is I have a safe full of them and not one has disappointed me. (I did sell my .280 #1 but I purchased an All-Weather .280 Hawkeye as it better suited my hunting needs. Nothing wrong with the #1 and in fact it was a .5MOA shooter with preferred loads. Would like to buy another in .45-70 one of these days.)

My Rugers are hunting rifles, pure and simple, and for that purpose they excel. You won’t read about Ruger triggers breaking off or bolt handles separating from the bolt. They (to my eyes) look great, are near indestructible and feel great in my hands. The scope mounting system is very strong, something a mule, a downed tree trunk and a couple broken ribs proved to my lasting satisfaction. I don’t think itty-bitty scope mount screws would have survived that incident.

Rugers often get knocked for a couple of reasons – accuracy and the trigger. The Hawkeye LC6 trigger is an improvement over older Ruger triggers but all (M77/MKII/Hawkeye) are very easy to improve with a simple polishing of the mating surfaces. I go further with some of mine and reduce creep but the worst case is you might want to do what many people do with other rifles and get an aftermarket trigger. The older M77 triggers are the only ones that are adjustable but I’ve never found a need to replace any of my Ruger triggers. None. The new LC6 triggers are both the best out of the box and the easiest to further improve. I have two Hawkeyes and a Scout with the LC6 trigger and think most people would have been happy with them as they came. After tuning them I can’t imagine needing anything better – they are a little lighter and very clean and crisp.

The reputation for hit-and-miss accuracy stems from decades ago when Ruger purchased barrels. They have long been making their own hammer forged barrels and all of mine (M77/MKII/Hawkeye) shoot great. I’ve posted targets many times and won’t do so here but MOA is kind of a worst case of what I consider acceptable with my handloads as all are capable of that or better.

One thing I do to my Rugers (and Remington/Savage/Interarms/etc.) is float the barrel if it doesn’t come that way. A little sandpaper, a round cylinder (a Magic Marker works), a little polyurethane to reseal the wood and about 15 minutes of your time is all it takes. Once that is done, pay attention to how you install the action and barrel back into the stock. The front bolt should be German specs (gudentite), the rear bolt through the trigger guard should be tight and the middle should be just tight enough to keep it from backing out under recoil.

From value and utilitarian standpoints, I think it is very hard to beat Ruger Hawkeye rifles. They are arguably the best commercial instantiation of the Mauser action available, good looking, moderately priced, rugged as hell and, in my experience, capable of very good accuracy.

What he said.🔼

If you just want to buy a solid, reliable, and decently accurate rifle and go hunting, look no further. If you want to dink around with this and that on on your rifle (a perfectly good reason to buy one), other brands may give you more options.

A lot of the criticism on here, and not just about Rugers, is really about the fact that some folks have to tear down others' stuff to make them feel better about their own. I have some pretty strong preferences in rifles, but whatever makes you happy about yours,"tickles me plumb to death".

Coyote Hunter just nailed the reasons to like Rugers. Exactly.

As a retired Gunsmith I stayed away from Rugers for many years due to their inconsistent accuracy with different barrel manufactures. Lost the vision in my right shooting eye a couple of years back so have had to go to left handed rifles after giving away my custom rifles. I have Tikka and Savage but looking for one more I decided to purchase a Hawkeye in 7mm-08. Liked the thought of a walnut stock as I formally built many custom stocks and sort of longed once again for a wood stock and heard Rugers had improved.

Long story short, it is an unbelievable shooter. Didn't like the 4 lb trigger pull so put a new spring in from erniethegunsmith which dropped it down to two and a half which is just right for me. First five shot group would of been appox. a half inch but I threw the second shot which opened it up to three quarter of an inch, and I'm a lousey bench shooter. Harvested a nice Blacktail with a neck shot so it now sits in the front of the Gun Safe. Love this rifle.

I know this may sound silly but a Ruger just feels like a "real rifle" while so many others feel "tinny."

I'm quite fond of my only Hawkeye and plan on purchasing another down the road.

sns, What the others have said is right on the money.
I have more than a few hunting rifles from different manufacturers but only one Ruger Hawkeye (358 Win) and it is a very sound, well put together item. I would tell you to go ahead and buy the 338, you will not be disappointed.

Insightful......I have felt the same way.