Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Winchester Featherweight/Ruger Hawkeye

I am considering one of these two. Has anyone had any experience with the new Featherweight? How is it's accuracy. I will look through the other recent posts on the Ruger. In terms of price it seems to be about even.
Thanks

Accuracy has been excellent with the new featherweigts.....

Ingwe

I thought the Hawkeye was cheaper by about 200 than the Featherweight, but I haven't really compared aside from Cabelas.

Yup. Currently have two and am working on a third.

southwend,

I like both the Winchester M70 Featherweight and the Ruger 77's as hunting rifles. The newer ones in particular have features that I want such as crf, good safeties etc.

You mentioned price. It matters. Even so at least look at a Kimber 84M. The Kimber action is easier to operate than the new M70's that I have handled. Some new FN M70's had a hard bolt lift when the pin is down. All of them had safeties that were difficult to operate, cut into my thumb and made a click when pushed off. The Kimber safeties are far easier to operate, comfortable and can be quiet.

The Ruger is an outstanding value. However its safety does not control the firing pin on half safe when unloading a hot chamber. The M70 and M84M's do.

If your considering a composite stock the Kimber has a superb one and that makes it worth more in my view.

Handle the rifles and pick what you like. All are excellent rifles.



http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=158079616

Andddddddd...

You could play " Kimber Roulette".....


Ingwe

I just bought my first M70 Fwt this year and love it. I think the Hawkeyes are fine rifles....I just wanted to own a "Rifleman's Rifle."

That would be my choice. And I'd keep playing til I got one I liked.

i have not handled the new featherweight except in a gunshop... there's been a lot of good reports on both rifles, but you owe yourself a model 70 featherweight...

Just how bad are they? Is it just an odd one or is it a 50/50 deal that a lemon comes your way.

I have a M70 classic and a Ruger M 77 MK II. I have handled one Hawkeye and no FN M70's. The M70 will most likely be smoother operating than the Hawkeye. With the M70 you will buy rings and bases and the Hawkeye an aftermarket trigger or get a trigger job. All of that said, going on my experience between the two I'd get the Ruger. YMMV

I've got a pair of Hawkeyes and a new Featherweight. Both are great rifles and accuracy is about equal between them. All 3 of mine shoot sub 3/4 moa. I like feel of the Winchester a little better but it will cost more and you have buy rings and bases.

I almost bought a blued/walnut Hawkeye once just because it felt so darned good in my hands. I've not handled a Winchester 70 in any format that felt as good to me. Your experience may be the opposite. My own M77 Mk II is super smooth (got lucky mabye) and while the M70s I've handled are maybe a bit more smooth, it's irrelevant to me in a hunting rifle. I do like the Hawkeye/Mk II safety better than Winchester's and I do like the integral scope ring system. I have nothing against Winchesters but I like Ruger Mk II or Hawkeyes better especially for the money involved.

I really like my Featherweight 270 Win. ~7.5 lbs with Leup 2X7, Talley lightweights & wood stock. Shoots consistent 3 shot groups of .75 with 150 Partions and 57g H4831sc at 2800fps. It is extremely smooth; almost too smooth as it would be very easy to close the bolt on an empty chamber and not tell the difference.

The Ruger is a nice gun also. It is a little heavier and the finish is not as nice IMO.

I have been kind of scared of the Kimbers and Barnes bullets due to poor reports here but no personal experience to back it up.

Handled a South Carolina Featherweight at the Sportsmans Warehouse in Columbia, SC last week. It was a 30-06 and very smooth. The trigger was very decent as well. Believe it or not they had a $659 tag on it; same price as their Hawk I's

$659 is a good price.

Great info. Kimber Roulette? That sounds like a frustrating game. And I was actually going to consider the Kimber as a high dollar outlyer to consider.
I buy these to fit me and hunt with mind you but also to hand down a class hunting rig to each of my four young sons. So far one will get the (.308) BLR, one the Savage 99F, this will be the third in the line up. The 70 featherweight is at the top of a short list just as a class act.

Of course, who gets what tends to change based on who annoys me least any given day, does the most chores, or who Dad just needs to mess with "Ok boys I changed my mind, you get the Savage, you get the Browning and you two gets a sharp sticks and sneakers!"

I plugged in the " Kimber Roulette" thing because I have had bad luck with them as a dealer...bear in mind we have many members here that have had good luck with them....so as they say on the net YMMV

Hard to find any negative experiences with the new SC Winchester Fwts...


Ingwe

Both are fine rugged rifles for the $$$ IMO.
I just sold a HE & have handled enough FN's to know which I prefer. FN for me.


PS-You may want to look at the Kimbers also

I have seen some of those special edition walnut stocked Hawkeyes in 264 Win. They are really pretty nice guns.

They are very nice and if one was available for me to play with I
might of gone that direction instead of the FN Model 70 in 06.

I think that you should kick the tires of what ever gun you look at this means look at the crown, the fit of the metal(with a dollar) and then pull the trigger for creep.

Somebody can adjust the trigger but you have got to believe that if a modern rifle company can produce a gun with everything right then it is that much easier.

Sincerely,
Thomas