I'd find a factory Hawkeye M77 in .358 and cut a new crown and a new LOP. If that poses too much challenge, I'd find a nice wood Hawkeye donor and rebarrel, likely duping the factory Ruger magnum contour. The rifle will balance better and inletting the little bit of extra forend is not a huge feat. A .358 bore is a big hole, and it takes a substantial contour to give you enough weight out front with a 20" pipe. All the actions mentioned here in this thread are not light, and walnut stocks also tend to be biased a bit toward rear ballast. No way I'd want a lightweight barrel on such a rifle. It'd feel like the front end isn't even there. We all have our preferences....
Completely agree. Which is why the featherweight option is not appealing. I have had Ruger tang safeties and MK2’s, never a Hawkeye. How does that action compare in function and build? I’ve never considered Ruger much for custom work as a team to be a bit odd with that angled actions screw and funny little recoil lug.
