Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Ruger Hawkeye Ultra Light Stainless.....Accuracy?

I am thinking of one of these Ultra Light Hawkeye Stainless rifles, I still see a few around and they look so tough and rugged it makes Me want one for a beater rifle when I hunt some of the extremely steep rocky terrain I often find Myself in during the firearms deer season, (I have fallen and put some dandy scars on some expensive rifles in years past) with this tank I could fall all day and it wouldn't matter, My only concern is what kind of accuracy could I expect from this Ruger pencil barrel? I have owned several Ultra Light 77 MkII's and one Hawkeye ultra Light SS but they were all .223 caliber and I must admit that every one of those little rifles surprised Me with their accuracy, all would shoot MOA or better, but a .223 and a 30.06 or .270 type cartridge are two different animals especially in these pencil barrels, I'd like to hear from some Ultra Light owners to maybe get an idea of what I could expect..........Thanks guys.........Hillbilly.

If you are a judicious handloader....I'd still be expecting moa...

Ingwe

How about with premium factory ammo? I got out of reloading several years back but I am thinking of starting up again.................Hillbilly.

You know, the thickness of a barrel has little effect on the accuracy. The quality of the steel, the quality of the rifling, how the rifle is assembled, have more effect on accuracy than the mass of the barrel (assuming it is adequate engineering wise, in the first place). I get a kick out of the guys who insist that they need a heavy barrel for a coyote calling rifle or a 400 yd deer rifle because someone told them "heavy barrels are more accurate".

As long as you figure out how to hold it so that you allow it to shoot as well as it can (lighter rifles are more sensitive to how they recoil), and shoot slowly, allowing the barrel to cool adequately, you should expect 1.5" 3 shot groups at least, maybe even less than MOA with loads it really likes.

Where a heavy barrel really shines is in high volume shooting like prairie dogs/ground squirrels where the heavy barrel heats up slower, allowing the barrel to maintain it's accuracy longer, whereas a lightweight barrel may loose it's accuracy after 2-3 if fired fast and not allowed to cool.

So IMO, go ahead and buy your Hawkeye Ultralight, you'll probably really like it.

I always had MOA groups with my ultralight 223, but only for 3 shots. They do heat up very quickly and I think that is the only downside to thin barrels.

Yes, to really see what a light barreled rifle is capable of it takes a lot of cool down time between shots (it's very time consuming).............Hillbilly.

I have a UL in 30.06 with the boat paddle stock with a stainless barrel. It is somewhat picky about what it likes to shoot. It tends to like 165gr over 150s. As stated above to acheive MOA or close to it you need to give it a while between shots. Mine actually shoots better with a fouled barrel. With a clean barrel the second shot will be about 1.5" to the right of the cold bore shot. I love the gun and would recommend it to anyone.

I also like the ruggedness of the Ruger design but I also like very accurate rifles, if it don't shoot MOA with premium factory ammo I probably wont be happy. I'll even let that little pencil barrel cool for a looong time between shots.............Hillbilly.

I bet you can find a factory round that will suit you very well.

Myself, i have a Ruger Compact .243 and it's my favorite deer rifle. I also have a tack driving Savage 116 Bolt Action 30.06 but prefer to hunt with the .243 because it's such a joy to shoot. Besides, with the quality of bullets they make these days you don't need the larger caliber rifles to bring down a buck even out to 300 yds or so.

If anyone is interested in a cheap but effective way to solve the hard trigger pull on their Ruger MKII just let me know. I'll tell how i took mine down from the factory 6-7 lb pull to 2 1/2 to 3lbs without spending $100 for a custom trigger.

Good deer hunters don't suffer from ED (early departure!!)

If Ruger is like mine was and has the pinch point where the forearm meets the barrel, you'll find that it will much better if you float the barrel.

Good hunting!

Or full-length bed it.

Or add more tip pressure

I guess I'll find out how accurate they are, I ordered a Hawkeye Ultra Light SS 30.06 today. I have also noticed some most attractive Ultra Lights with wood stocks on gunbroker one .308 in particular is sorely tempting Me............Hillbilly.

I have an older tang safety ultra light in 257 Roberts.
She'll shoot 3/4" groups with 110 grain Accubonds.
It actually shoots better than my standard M77 in 257 Roberts.

Full length neutral bedding is never a bad idea on a pencil barrel

Wow, I recently purchased a Hawkeye Ultra Light SS 30.06 and a Hawkeye Ultra Light with walnut stock in .308. The 30-06 now wears a Leupold 2-7 and the .308 a Leupold 1-4. Unfortunately, I have yet to shoot either.

Please let Me know how yours shoot and I'll do the same for you Dave............Good luck...........Hillbilly.