Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Will Ruger bring back the stainless M77 Hawkeye soon?

I don't know what stock design Ruger is thinking about, but I have put 5 Boyds Heritage style laminated stocks on RAR-Ps and each of the laminated stocks was 16 ounces heavier than the factory synthetic stock. Since the ergs of the Boyds Heritage style stocks fit me better than the factory stocks, the additional weight is more than off-set by the fit and balance of the replacement stocks.

Pick up a 77 Mark II or Hawkeye and feel what a real rifle feels like. Ruger keeps dressing up the Americans and selling them so I will be surprised to see the Stainless Hawkeye come back other than a specialized version like a guide gun or Gunsite. They will keep putting lipstick on the cheap pigs.

My old 25-06 Ruger is one shooting SOB, but I have an American Predator that I would rather give it a new home than a new stock.

Better buy you a stainless Hawkeye while there are some NIBs out there.

You can always buy the predator version of the Hawkeye, gives you a real trigger instead of that crap LC6 anyway.

What do dislike about your RAR-P such that you wouldn't spend $200+/- on a replacement stock from Boyds?

I've bought five of the laminated Heritage style stocks for my RAR-Ps for around $200 per unit and despite adding a full pound of weight to the package, the change in ergs significantly improved the handling and balance of those rifles. The only thing that I don't care for in the Boyds stocks are the plastic trigger guards, but I've reworked some Marlin alloy units from the rimfire rifles, the 925 IIRC, that I got from GPC.

My stainless Hawkeye .243 had a perfectly usable trigger, crisp and under 4 pounds. I'd still be shooting it if not for the Number 1V I got from Darrik at such a deal. Something had to go.

Based on that one and a couple others I've handled in stores, I think the LC6s are a crapshoot at worst. The Predator is sweet, and added to the nice stock, well worth the ticket price.

Not Sanchez, but for my part, putting another $200 on an American is money up in smoke as it doesn't address my issue with the rifle, the crappy mags. Better to go a bit more for a chassis with better mags, basically a bargain RPR.

I think the action is solid, and they certainly seem to shoot well over their price point. They are a great disposable as is, and as a chassis rifle you could probably replace the whole barreled action cheaper than re-barreling.

All this is just my take and not meant to discourage anybody else's fun. My taste and preferences have been developing for a long time and are what they are.

I have many rifle of which the RAR-Ps are about 2%. I actually prefer the Howa 1500s and the no longer in production Marlin X guns to the RARs in the sub-$400 market niche, but spending $200 on a replacement stocks for an RAR-P doesn't seem any more of a waste of $$ than spending $500+/- on a McM stock for a Rem/Rug/Win bolt gun if it improves the fit of the rifle in question.

A very good looking and handy rifle is the Ruger 77 Hawkeye, the African version without a muzzle brake. The .338WM with its 23" barrel, walnut stock, and express sights is my favorite. But for hunting in Alaska I would replace the stock with a MacMillan synthetic, and put the walnut one away. A friend of mine has one, and got a Leupold scope with a # 4 reticle that has an electronic red dot in the center. The finish on this rifle (my friends), is a sort of satin black like the one you would see in military rifles such as the M-16 (sort of very dull and dark gray/black color like the Cerakote "sniper gray").

This one minus the muzzle brake:
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/products/HawkeyeAfrican/models.html

.338WM
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/products/HawkeyeAfrican/specSheets/47120.html

260Remguy I think its a combination of things with American Predator or the RAR in general. I am not crazy about the magazine but mine works OK. I hate a molded in trigger guard and I feel like you defeat the purpose of buying a low cost rifle when you have to replace the stock. On mine I had to even out the free float on the fore end of the factory stock, like some others have and filled the fore end and butt stock to stiffen and add some weight for balance. Still don't like the stock so I agree with what you have done as far a replacing them.

Back to the original question, I would rather had a Ruger Hawkeye Predator or buy a another Boyds stock for one of my Tikkas. Having a Tikka before the RAR kind spoiled it for me. It would be nice to see some hinged floor plates on rifles again rather than the crap magazines like Savage putting those Axiom mags on lightweight hunters.

Your dough, your show. It's all good. My first impression of the RAR wasn't good as the mag on that one rattled like castanets when I picked it up. The Marlin sitting next to it in the rack seemed solid. The DM is a cost cutting measure that the Marlin was able to avoid. Like a dummy, I missed out on those. Too bad they fell victim to NIH.

Gotta admit, a RAR Predator in 6 CM looks like an easy way to try that interesting round out without straining my fixed income too badly. Been wondering if the sharper shoulder might help with barrel life as compared with a .243 (not that I've ever worn any barrel out).

I have a Hawkeye 30-06 and a Predator Hawkeye in 6.5 Creedmoor. I like the Hawkeye trigger better. There's no take-up or creep. Just a glassy break. The one on the Predator has a good bit take up. They are both just as they came from the factory. Maybe that I could adjust the take up out of the Creedmoor trigger, but it gets the job done. In my grand total experience with one LC6 trigger, it is far from crap.

I am surprised Ruger has not brought out a Ruger American scout rifle yet.

Ray - " A very good looking and handy rifle is the Ruger 77 Hawkeye, the African version without a muzzle brake" 100% agree with you. The later model "African" looks like the brake was an after thought.
Original "African" model - love handling mine in 9.3 X 62mm. Just super ergo's. Homesteader