Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Ruger Hawkeye FTW

Hi. I recently gave in to the 6.5 Cr craze and purchased a new, Ruger Hawkeye FTW in 6.5 Cr. It's not really my first choice in calibers but I'm a lefty and wanted a higher end, longer range left hand bolt to add to the stable. I topped it with a Leupold Var-X 3i 4.5-14. Out of the box, the factory trigger is nearly 4# but I figured I can work with that later - at least it's rather crisp.

I proceeded to break in the barrel by shooting 20 rounds with a thorough bore cleaning and Kroil treatment between rounds. Same treatment was given after 8 more, 5 shot break-ins. Total round count is 60 rounds.

Then, I fired 4, 5-shot groups using four different factory rounds from 125 to 140 grains. Barrel was cleaned in a similar fashion after each group.

Accuracy from the 100 bench was dismal. Best group was nearly 1.75" center-to-center with Rem 140 PSPCL.

I obviously checked bedding screws, ring screws, etc.

Who owns a similar rig?

What kind of accuracy are you experiencing?

Does this rifle need a longer break-in period?

I am very disappointed. I realize this is not a custom rifle, but it's touted as Ruger's high end factory "instant classic". My wife's $325 Savage Axis compact shoots nearly 1 MOA with factory ammo and I only used a 20 round barrel break-in.

I purchased 200 Lapua cases, Berger 140 bullets and new dies but I am a little hesitant to even start handloading if this is what I can expect for performance.

Thanks. DJB

try another scope?

Terry Wieland worked with a couple of those for an article in Rifle 288, (Sept. 2016), one at the FTW Ranch, then another he bought for himself later. He reported good accuracy and consistency with both, using factory ammo, and perfect function as well. No break-in was involved with either, btw.

I'd replace the scope with one known to be reliable and try some other ammo. I have the very similar Hawkeye Predator in .308, and it shoots well with ammo it likes, though nary a single round of factory has ever gone down its pipe.

I have an LH 6.5 CM FTW, mine had a bad chamber Ruger replaced barrel, & bolt came back great. Although my cheaper LH Ruger Predator will out shoot it. Have heard of similar issues with the FTW in 6.5 CM.

Take a fired case and rotate it and rechamber and check for resistance on closing. See if your chamber is right. A felt pen is also great way to check.

A FTW should shoot most loads well and good loads great, would look at chamber and barrel before you spend a lot of time and chasing loads. Mine in original barrrel was
fussy, and when it came back from Ruger with the new barrel it shot all loads well and the best great.

Stop cleaning it. Putting oil in the bore after every few rounds isn’t helping anything.

I have one in 300 win Mag. Accuracy is now problem with it. Shoots everything I feed it very well. Currently 165 gr TTSX

A friend shoots one in 6.5 Creedmoor and 140gr Fusions. His shoots pretty good.


I bet your mag box is bound up, most Rugers are. Free it up and I bet it shoots better.

Sounds like you scrubbed all the rifling out of it. Just kidding 😳

Most of my Rugers hate Remington ammo.
I have one 30-06 that shoots Rem 180 rd nose very well.
So I don`t buy Remington ammo any longer.
I`ve had great luck with Federal ammo in Rugers.
Federal blue box, Fusion or Premium.

In addition to the mag box, check the action screws. That front angled screw wants to be as tight as you can get it, (Ruger says 95 inch lbs.) the back one just normal tight, and the middle just tight enough to keep it in place.

Nobody thinks scrubbing the bore with penetrating oil every 5 shots has anything to do with it?

Don’t get me wrong Kroil is great stuff, usually in conjunction with bore paste. Throw your cleaning rod away and run 30 rounds through it, then see where you’re at with it.

I own two of the FTW's in 6.5 CM and 7mm Rem Mag.

I can't say enough good about both of them. Both will shoot fives and sixes every day.

The 7 loves Berger 175 Elite Hunters in front of IMR 7977 and the 6.5 loves Hornady 147's in front of RL26.

If you feel comfortable the trigger spring is easily snipped to take make the trigger pull lighter. I take a few coils off
or you can purchase a different, lighter spring. They are easily changed out with needle nose pliers.

Dump the factory ammo, quit cleaning it so much, and handload. No reason why your rifle won't shoot.




I SURE DO!

Maybe. There's a lot of "discussion" on the merits of the various break-in schemes. My Hawkeye AW .223 has started shooting better of late, no break-in involved, except a couple hundred rounds down the tube. Howa seems to think it's important to keep a barrel from overheating until it finds its happy place and the steel somehow aligns itself with the Universe or some such. Who knows for certain? As one piece I read said, it probably won't hurt anything.

Agree about just shooting it for a while to see what happens. Pretty sure both my Hawkeyes like being dirty.

Davelefty,

Of the several 6.5 Creedmoors I've owned, two were Rugers, one a Hawkeye and one a RAR Predator. Both shot around .6 at 100 yards for FIVE-shot groups with Hornady factory ammo, right out of the box. The only thing I ever did to either was adjust the trigger (which is indeed really easy on Hawkeyes.)

Did not "break in" either barrel, because played with it a bunch years ago and found it to be pretty much a farce. It was invented byt benchrest shooters so their rifles would shooting a little better before their first match, but just cleaning after the first few range sessions does the same thing. Dunno where you came up with that routine, but have never heard of anything like it before.

The problem might be the rifle, ammo, scope or even your break-in routine. Hard to tell at this point, but my first suspect (after checking all the easy stuff like screw tightness) is generally the scope--a several people have already mentioned.

Sounds Like you over thunk the barrell brake in to me. Among a bunch of other stuff. The Scope was not the issue.

Remove or only have fingernail tight the center screw. Mag box needs to "float" between the action and floor plate.

Cleaning the rifle every 25-30 rounds is a good idea when doing load development, shoot three shot groups, don't over heat the barrel.

Some years ago, I bought a Hawkeye in 223. Immediately started looking for the right load. The rifle would shoot a great group or two and then a bad one - real bad. I fiddled with the screws and the stock and shot it with a clean bore and a dirty bore, and got random results. It was the scope.

As for when to clean the bore, I clean when groups open up (now that I have a good scope on it). That varies with each rifle. Shoot them enough and you’ll know when it’s time.

This thread takes me back...

Way back in the mid '70's I learned that "to tighten Tanger 77's groups " mantra our public range RO recited/chanted all day every day for every new 77 tanger that the owner whined about...and figured how to offer a $5 Service Fee in the parking lot to "tune that new rifle mo bettah or your $5's back". I even had to get a buddy to weld me up handle on a tire tool and grind me a correctly fitted flat edge screwdriver to break free more than a few of the really bad waaay over tightened 45* front screw out of the NIB factory setting... and sometimes getting a loud "crack" when the screw finally broke free. IMO the factory was assembling the rifles with stock's that were not completely cured , then stacked in a warehouse and left to dry tighten.

As I recall....If your 45* angle front screw is toooo tight you will never get the barrel to seat correctly & you can "tune" your groups with the amount of tension to change your lack of accuracy by putting only just enough tension on the front & middle actions screws, But if your middle screw is too tight you will either or both bow the receiver or bind the magazine box yadda yadda. Since I was repping spt goods for a major Dallas distributor in those days and sold couple 5-6+ hundred 77's a season in the 1st couple years just in the DFW 6 county market, I made sure my dealers checked those 3 screws when they delivered those rifles. ...and for some reason my dealers sold lots more 77's than our reps did in other markets around the state.

FWIW I'd bought my 1st 77 tanger one Christmas at home in Dallas for my own Present to myself of the several dozen 77's I eventually owned since '73, when I was living in Jax Florida and had a range buddy who was on the FHP shooting team go over my rifle and find these kind of issues with my NIB 25-06's over tightened front screw when it would not shoot anywhere close to his custom 25-06 built on a JC Higgins Model 50.. he tuned my trigger too. Couple years later after I moved home from playing a Corporate Gypsy and gone to work at the Dallas based Spt Goods distributor in '77 ...and after I had soaked the DFW & surrounding NTex Counties market with 77's for a couple years and wore off the NEW of the rifle, I got onto S&W 1500's - aka Howa 1500's- as the best new thing since sliced bread , when the factory guys promised us lot's bigger allocations of pistols ...just the usual back door games in allocations of hard to get merchandise...that game never changes either...
Ron

Ruger and accurate don't go hand in hand...There are a few exceptions but not many...

I am guessing sgt217 - previous post - might be correct. I was unable to speak with a "technician" at Ruger but received a reply to my customer service email. They told me they build their FTWs with expected 3.0", 5-shot group accuracy at 100 yrds! That's absolutely horrible and I guess I should have done some research in advance about that issue. Most of my pre-purchase FTW reviews were relatively positive other than "your mileage may vary".

I can achieve 3MOA with a $300 Savage rifle. I hope I didn't waste $900.

Thanks. Dave