will a long action mk2 stock fit the new hawkeye? i would like to have the 20" barrel of the alaskan but hate the houge stock. just wondering if they were close enough to the mk2 to share a stock. thanks

jake

any suggestions on a stock?

I've heard that the old Ruger boat paddle stock works well.

that would be great. i always liked the looks of those stocks. nothing says function like a stock desrcibed as a boat paddle! any idea where you could buy these at? will the barrel contour of the .375 ruger work with this stock?

jake

Any stock that fits the factory mkII 338wm will fit the Hawkeye 375Ruger.

GVA

I told the Ruger reps at SCI when they rolled the thing out that the auctions would be filled with Hogue stocks in a few months, because no one who actually bought the Ruger Alaskan .375 to use in the bush would keep that heavy, ill-designed club. They were baffled. I was happy to read the other day that Phil Shoemaker said the same thing.

Great rifle; lousy stock. Personally, I'm buying a .375 African -- I'll deal with the wood stock issues.

Buy a Mickey .

DN

I guess I'm on the other side with the Hogue stock; I find it suited well to hunting in Alaska. I like the soft feel that doesn't seem to get very cold in low temperatures. I like the tackiness of the texture when it's raining outside. About the only thing I would like to see is the one piece aluminum block as opposed to the aluminum pillar model Ruger used.

i picked up one of the alaskan's and shouldered it. in trying to do so the sticky stock hung up on my t-shirt and brought it to my shoulder as well. i think this would be quite a hinderence, espicially with winter hunting clothes on. i dont think i could justify the tackiness because of this. plus, i did not like the wide forend. it seemed more like a target gun than a hunting rifle.

what do you think the recoil would be like with one of the boat paddle stocks? it doesn't seem to be designed to dispate recoil that well. any thoughts?

jake

In my opinion the Hogue stock is probably tough and is certainly comfortable to fire from the bench but is an absolute abomination on a dangerous game rifle.
Besides the tacky finish hanging up on coats and shirts it is heavier than even the wooden stock and so wide it almost touches the bolt handle so leaves very little to grasp if you are in a hurry. they are also heavy and cause the little 20 inch barrreled carbine to be butt heavy.
I installed a new Ruger synthetic stock on mine. They are avaliable from Brownells for about $64. I even took a rasp to mine and slimmed the forend just ahead of the magazine - which makes it feel better when carrying. It now balances on the front guard screw and the weight on mine dropped from an even eight pounds to 7 pounds 4 ounces. The weight of a sheep hunting rifle with the power to stop big bears.
Besides that they all seem to feed and operate slicker than most custom rifles. All three 375 Rugers in my camp give under MOA accuracy with factory ammo as well as with my 270 gr TSX and 350 gr Woodleigh reloads.
How can you go wrong?

Phil,
What's your load for the 350 Woodleigh?

SOS

Phil,

All of which begs the question: Why did Ruger apparently spend a LOT of time and money field-testing and otherwise putting together the African model (which they got absolutely right) and apparently none of the same field time and consulting money on the Alaskan model?

JB

JB and Mr. Shoemaker,

As a fan of your published works (JB I just shelled out $4.99 to disregard an entire magazine to only read your article, and Mr. Shoemaker I go after your articles like a junkie goes after heroin) and as a member in the brotherhood of 375Ruger fans, I request assistance from you two in rectifying this Hogue stock fiasco. My needs are simple and are for the betterment of mankind:

I would like the two of you to convince Ruger to revamp the current mkII "All Weather" stock so that it exactly matches the shape and contour of the current "African" stock. This single move would vault the "Alaskan" into the heavens to a plain never reached before by mortal man with a production rifle. In addition, this same stock would be a marvelous option for the "African".

I fully expect you two shakers and movers to get this done ASAP and I fully expect to see some results shortly. If not, I then must assume that neither of you have any juice and are but mortal men and are in fact not the gods we pretend you are.

One last thing, I'd like you to have LEU come out with a new 3X scope by the end of 2008 so that I may add this to my 375Ruger in addition to this new stock.

Thanks, from the man who bankrolls your lavish lifestyles $4.99 at a time,

GVA

I totally agree AND I spend OVER SIX DOLLARS CDN per issue and only read Johnny, Phil and Brian, SOOOO.....get with it!!!!

The REAL combo I want is a Hawkeye with the Alaskan irons in stainless with Micky Edge and 23"tube in .338 Ruger AND a larger safety button!

i looked at the stocks in brownells and will probably end up going that route with this rifle (if i can get one). thanks everyone.

i was lookign at the 350 woodleighs and was wondering if they would feed. no problems, huh? what are you putting behind it?

thanks again,
jake

NOTHING ever hurt me more than my Ruger 77 MKII SS 338 Win in the boat-paddle stock!! I was fortunate enough to find a laminated stock in good condition before I needed rotator cuff surgery.

I have a boat paddle stock from the 338 for sale...excellent condition...almost unused.

i thought so. like i said, i love the looks of the stocks but if it would be punishing to shoot then i will go another way. that sucks. i really like those stocks. oh well, iguess you can't have it all.

jake

Here's mine in the "canoe paddle" stock:

http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/4711043/m/770107936?r=659108696#659108696

GVA

GaryVA,

That looks good!

GaryVA

that is a very nice looking rifle. i love the utilitarian look. the hawkeye i am looking at is the alaskan. with the 20" barrel would the contour vary from the 24"? i dont think it would but am not sure.

i noticed your recooil numbers. pretty stout. i do understand that recoil is relivent to each individual, but is it manageable in the canoe-paddle stock/.375 combo? i have shot .375 H&H's with no problems before but these were in 10# rifles. thanks for the link.

p.s. would it very hard to shorten the LOP on one of these stocks?

thanks
jake

The canoe paddle stock is an excellent stock for recoil because it can be altered very easily with a bandsaw.

i'm not sure i understand. could you explain what you mean?

jake

I stand by my posts in the link. If a person would have difficulty handling a lightweight 375Ruger, they'd have a problem handling a light weight 375H&H. You should re-read Shoemaker's post above. His anlogy "The weight of a sheep hunting rifle with the power to stop big bears" should be the campaign slogan and bumper sticker for this rifle.

An option would be to find a used mkII laminate take-off from a magnum rifle(7mm-300-338WM) and put a decelerator on it. The stock is much heavier and would dampen the recoil a bit over the mkII or canoe, but the rifle would loose its sheep gun lightness. I think 458's $64 option is closer to ideal and if they ever reshape that stock to match the "African", it would be perfect. That is why I chose the "canoe paddle". It is closer to the shape and trimness of the "African" than the blockier mkII which is why Shoemaker's rasp advice is a pearl of wisdom.

GVA

I think the canoe paddle stock with a 1" decelerator pad would be just the ticket for the 375 Ruger.

Phil,

You got any pictures you can post of your rifle's setup?

Shooting the 375 Alaskan form the bench, I don't mind the stock so much. However, I think it is a wee bit too long for me, and I also think it's too wide to grab the bolt handle easily.

The pistol grip is..Not a field grip.:)

I'll be swapping it for some good synthetic when I get around to

Just doing a search on 375 Ruger and found this post. I'm seriously considering an Alaskan and don't care for the looks of the Hogue stock either. A couple of questions....

Does the Ruger Canoe Paddle stock have aluminum pillars? In general, I'm wondering what the tradeoff is on accuracy with these stocks.

I've read very little negative feedback on either the Alaskan or African. I'm going back to Alaska for brown bear next year and am almost 100% sure that I'm going to pick up an Alaskan for that trip. Are there any other suggested modifications beside the stock replacement recommended for it?

Thanks.

I guess it depends on how the out of the box trigger feels. I must have the only African that came thru without a good trigger. But a few minutes work took it from mushy 4.25 lbs to fairly crisp just under 3.

I'm also going to glass bed this when I get around to it.
The boat paddle is a very basic (read low cost) molded stock. I believe my contact at the Newport plant quoted their cost as under $15. Bottom line, no pillars.

SOS

My comment regarding the boat paddle and the bandsaw is that those stocks can be cut down pretty easily; they are very tough, much tougher than the newer Ruger synthetic stocks which aren't all that stiff.

I was at my local SW in Grand Junction Co.
I asked the gun counter manager how the 375 Ruger Alaskan
was selling. He told me that he had 6 and they were all
in the back room awaiting new stocks from ruger!
He said that he got a call from Ruger who said remove them
from the racks and they would send new stocks as soon as
they are made. They didn't specify who was going to make
the stocks but he was guessing Hogue.
I went to Ruger website and could not find anything on this.
This gun manager is a absolute straight shooter.
Charlie

Hogue made the current abomination for the Alaskan. I sincerely hope Ruger doesn't repeat their error.

I'll be intrigued to hear if MOBD ever gets an answer to his question .

Ruger has had all retailers pull the Alaskan off the shelf until they can send out replacement stocks. They have also instructed us to contact anyone who has purchased one to make arrangements for stock replacement. Haven't yet heard what the replacement will be.

I just flew in from bear camp tonight and after carrying the new Rugers all year I can say they are just as good as they first appeared. I replaced the Hogue stock on the Alaskan moded and my daughter liked it so much she traded me her stainless 338 M-70 so I cut it down to fit her. She used it on one bear hunt and let me carry it on the last hunt. From a sample size of one I can say the 350 Woodleighs will put a big ( 28 2/16") honest 10 fot bear down right now. I'll have a feature in Rifle or Successful Hunter out this winter on all the details but for right now all I will say is that I I LOVED IT. the rifle is now my daughters and it weighs 7 1/4#
Anyone want a Hogue stock?

Hey Phil, good hearing from you again. Guess the hunting season went well for you, huh? Got any pics?

I'm only partially back as there is still lots of details to finish up but yes the season went well. Half the bears hunters took home B&C bears. I hope to find time to sit down and do a full report with good photos sometime this winter for Successful Hunter so will dave the photos till then.

What stock did you put on yours to replace the Hogue?

Huh, what's Successful Hunter, a magazine for up north? Who puts it out?

Idaho Jim,
I think Phil may have answered your stock question earlier (up the thread) with this:

"I installed a new Ruger synthetic stock on mine. They are avaliable from Brownells for about $64. I even took a rasp to mine and slimmed the forend just ahead of the magazine - which makes it feel better when carrying. It now balances on the front guard screw and the weight on mine dropped from an even eight pounds to 7 pounds 4 ounces. The weight of a sheep hunting rifle with the power to stop big bears."

Thanks, he did indeed answer it. Sometimes you miss stuff right in front of you, which is one reason I no longer hunt rattlesnakes by feel.

The factory Ruger stocks hold up very well. I have one on a standard M-77 that was re-barreled to 375 H&H and the one on my daughters new 375 Ruger.
She did discover a problem this year with hers though. I don't know how many rounds we have fired through it - but well over a hundred full power loads. Finally the little flat on the receiver that sits behind the recoil lug and holds the front of the magazine box in place began hammering the magazine box and dented it enough to hinder feeding. It was a simple fix to pound it back straight but I'm going to bed the thing to see if I can fix it. The 375 H&H is bedded and has never done that so I don't expect it will be a big problem to fix. It is something to keep an eye on though.

Uh...Phil?

I think we need a little preview story on the 375 Ruger, the 350 Woodleigh, and a big bear.

Pretty please?

A preview huh? Lets say that if the 375 Ruger Alaskan and todays bullets were avaliable twenty- six years ago I would probably be happily using it rather than my 458. On honest ten foot, 1200# plus, 28 2/16" skull bears -- the 350 Woodleigh bullets @ 2260fps give complete penetration and massive damage.

Phil,
I'm probably the last guy to brown nose, but your posts in this thread is why I bought a 375 Ruger. I opted for the African for the longer barrel. Thinking about a synthetic stock for it for a trip up your way. Maybe the OEM Ruger stock you bought is the way to go. Also thinking about a McMillan.

What kind of glass are you wearing on your 375? What's type of terrain are you hunting?

Thanks.

Complete penetration of the ear? the tail? the bum?

Come on, quit teasing!!!

(I will still purchase the magazine)

I have not ask my daughter about where she hit the bear her client ask her to shoot after he hit it but she said it didn't move far as it was hit correctly on the first shot. my last client hit his big bear solidly through the chest also but it was in very thick cover and ran so as it crossed a small opening I hit it in front of the hind leg and the bullet exited the off-side chest. Both bullets gave complete penetration.
I won't say the 350 Woodleighs are particularily any better than say 270 TSX or 300 Partitions on the basis of one big bear but they certainly did a great job. The bear didn't travel 30 yards.

Another of my hunters was using a 375 H&H and 300 Sierra BT bullets and placed four of them into the chest of another large ( 27 1/2" B&C) boar and it just staggerd around and really never moved. Two bullets were found just under the hide on the off side of the chest - perfectly mushroomed.
Those basically were the highlights of this year's season.

Sounds exciting, thanks Phil!

I can never wait for bear hunting stories!

Well,
The UPS guy just stopped by. And gave me a box with a new....
Hogue stock and a letter From Ruger and one from hogue.
Now I have 2 hogue stocks for sale !
The only difference I see is the rear pillar is sticking up
about a 1/2", on the new one.
Charlie

What is the deal? Did they just send youa new stock out of the blue?

You gotta call Hogue directly and give them the serial # off your rifle since there is a recall on some of the 375 Ruger Alaskan rifles due to some Hogue stocks breaking.

Oh dear...I better call

Thanks

Just call Brownells and order a factory Ruger synthetic stock for $63. they are slimmer, lighter and obviously tougher.

Infection molded stocks make me feel ooky, although I know you like them...

I have a B&C stock on my Ruger 7MMRM, it works well...:)

Injection molded stocks are certainly not my first - or even second - choice but they do work well as a handle for a hard working rifle.

Im just going to buy an african model and chop it to 20". That way I get the best of both worlds...Chromemoly...bluing...nicely shaped wood stock and a handy dandy 20 inch bbl.

Gatehouse,
Yep, Never talked to Ruger, and this is the first Ruger I've
ever owned. I sent in my registration card a couple months ago.
I got an e-mail with a tracking number that I thought was for
some dies from sinclair.
Boy was I surprised !!
Charlie