A Hawkeye can be made as smooth as a Tikka with a little polishing of the action. Wrap a popsickle stick with 400 grt sand paper. Remove the bolt and go to work. Finish off with fine grit. I used 2000 grit and some and some Mothers mag polish. Do the bolt with the mag. polish also. Polish the mag. follower also. No need to over do it just remove the burrs and casting inperfections. Will be as smooth as a Tikka only with controled feed and Made in the U.S.A. Ruger M77s are accurate and will go bang when it is cold outside.
@@davidhayes7596 just has the factory radial muzzle brake. Doesn't hurt that i never had anything nice to shoot growing up and the "pads" on them were always hard as rocks. I bet if i was used to lighter recoiling rifles i wouldn't like shooting it but for me it isn't bad at all.
@@davidhayes7596 that may be the case. Growing up i never shot a short action even. Smallest centerfire we had was a 30-06 😂 but yes definitely a well built rifle. For the things i like it is perfect!
Man. Gorgeous rifle. We appreciate the review. I have an M77 MkII in 7mag. I wish it was a bit more accurate but its taken quite a few deer. Your accuracy looks great. Ive been loading 130gr Barnes TTSX with near max Varget for .308. Very happy w the accuracy results and getting 2850fps from an 18” barrel. .308 and 7-08 are hard to beat for deer. Thank you for taking time to produce this vid. Well done. Lovely rifle!
Beautiful setup brother ❤️ The 2x7 looks great on that 308! I also have been looking at some short lightweight 308/243! Not that I need one.. but there's always room for another handy rifle!
@@MisterBrewer I enjoy your videos.. it seems like we have the same taste in firearms. My favorite cartridge is the 7mm-08 Remington.. but my favorite caliber is the 35's! The whole idea of short lightweight accurate is pleasant.. especially if the rifle shoots sub MOA! So you going with the Ruger 77 chambered in the 308 Winchester was a win no matter how you look at it! I definitely enjoy shooting as much as hunting.. however.. I wouldn't want a heavy rifle! It has to pull double duty! Right now my 350 Legend is my lightweight carbine! I'll carry my Tikka T3x Hunter chambered in 7mm-08 Remington first and foremost! Then I want to harvest a doe with my Henry Big Boy Carbine 357 magnum. At least that's my plan for the upcoming season ❤️ Good luck to you and stay safe
I like Ruger rings. To me you are just adding another possibility of a scope coming lose when you add an adapter. Instead of having 2 points to come loose with the adapter you now have 3.
I just picked up a Hawkeye Classic in .257 Roberts and my barrel is not floated. It’s so un-floated that I assumed the end of the forearm was an intentional pressure pad. Kind of scratching my head now as I was going to bed that pad to the barrel since it didn’t look like a great fit.
Ooh I'm jealous of the 257 Roberts. Congrats! Yeah I have a couple of older classic models and they are not free-floated. That was intentional. They still shoot .75 inch groups consistently with the right load.
Congrats! What caliber did you get? I ordered it off Amazon. Look for Down Range Products Brand: 5/8" x 24 Barrel Thread Protector 5/8 Long .730 Dia. Stainless (make sure this is the correct thread for your caliber). Thanks for watching and commenting and again congrats on getting a beautiful rifle that will last a lifetime and more!
Solid review. Love the rifle. That satin stainless seems like it would be perfect for engraving. I'm curios what types of groups I can get with handloads.
awesome video, love this rifle in 308, almost got one, may have to one day, I did get a sako 90 peak also 20" and love it, I group tested a bunch of ammo with mine, 8 different kinds, it hated the 150/165 fusion but LOVED the 180 fusion (.6" ctc for 3) and it also loved the hornady white box 168 eld-m match for .6" ctc 3 shot also, it did not like the 178 eld-x, none of the cx copper options, it was okay with federal blue box 150, and I think I'm forgetting....point is, try the 180 fusion if you want it to like fusion, I was hoping mine would like the eld-m and at least one of the fusions and it got what I wanted, my sako was 5 lb 10 oz out of the box though, it's light, went 1-6 trijicon accupoint which is heavy and arc m-10 low rings...also heavy and still ended up 7 lb 3.5 oz all up for my light general purpose 308
Late comment here but i’ll try anyway….do you notice that bolt lift becomes much heavier after firing a shot? I have the same rifle, but it was manufactured probably 8-9 years ago. My bolt lift is somewhat heavy but its quite noticeable after firing.
Yes and I believe that is common for all of the bolt action rifles I've used. I believe it's because you are re-cocking the firing pin so it takes a little more effort but is completely normal.
Okay that makes a lot of sense now, thank you. I bought mine coming from a small remington 243 model 7 which i think was a youth model. Working the bolt before and after firing always felt light and easy, so moving up to my 308 ruger was a noticeable difference with that bolt.
These Rugers are light rugged accurate rifles. How is the Picatinny rail mounted? Is the action drilled and tapped on the top of the receiver bridge? I ask because as far as I’m aware Rugers don’t have screw holes on top of their actions. They are designed to use with Ruger proprietary ring mounts. Cheers 🍻 🍻
Great question! I can tell you that there are four screws on top of the pic rail attaching it to the top of the action, so it was drilled and tapped for that at the factory. And it also has some type of round wedge type things for the round recesses where the ruger rings normally go.
I didn't particularly care for the look of the pic rail either (which came on the rifle), but I opted to use it because the rifle didn't ship with the Ruger rings, and I didn't want to buy them. I had recently bought a Ruger Mini 30 that came with the Ruger integrated rings and they were rough (not the quality I am used to seeing with Ruger rings) so I didnt want to get another set like them. The look and definitely the accuracy is growing on me. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I want one in 204 Ruger. They want 1399 for the only one I can find ! Buds has them in 223 for 1k. I dunno why they want so much more for a 204? I’ve always wanted a 204 Ruger in a Ruger rifle but dang !
A Hawkeye can be made as smooth as a Tikka with a little polishing of the action. Wrap a popsickle stick with 400 grt sand paper. Remove the bolt and go to work. Finish off with fine grit. I used 2000 grit and some and some Mothers mag polish. Do the bolt with the mag. polish also. Polish the mag. follower also. No need to over do it just remove the burrs and casting inperfections. Will be as smooth as a Tikka only with controled feed and Made in the U.S.A. Ruger M77s are accurate and will go bang when it is cold outside.
Mine wouldn’t feed, had a bearcat that transfer bar broke so I’m 0 for 2 with ruger
Love these Hawkeyes! I have an African in 300 win mag. I really dig the iron sights they are using on them. Shoots lights out too.
Awesome!
You must have a recoil suppression system. Great round ! Nice rifle
@@davidhayes7596 just has the factory radial muzzle brake. Doesn't hurt that i never had anything nice to shoot growing up and the "pads" on them were always hard as rocks. I bet if i was used to lighter recoiling rifles i wouldn't like shooting it but for me it isn't bad at all.
@@kbowen2251 If you are happy , that's all that matters. You may be one of those people who are not recoil sensitive. The Hawkeyes are really nice.
@@davidhayes7596 that may be the case. Growing up i never shot a short action even. Smallest centerfire we had was a 30-06 😂 but yes definitely a well built rifle. For the things i like it is perfect!
Excellent rifle, its all a person needs. I prefer these type of contolled feed bolt action and the Ruger Hawkeye and mauser 98 are my favorites
Just picked up a Hawkeye compact in 308. Man is it small and handy. It will be used in the whitetail woods.
Perfection!!! Ruger can make an awesome rifle.. my floor plate didn't rattle around
Man. Gorgeous rifle. We appreciate the review. I have an M77 MkII in 7mag. I wish it was a bit more accurate but its taken quite a few deer.
Your accuracy looks great.
Ive been loading 130gr Barnes TTSX with near max Varget for .308. Very happy w the accuracy results and getting 2850fps from an 18” barrel.
.308 and 7-08 are hard to beat for deer.
Thank you for taking time to produce this vid. Well done. Lovely rifle!
Thank you! Appreciate you watching and commenting!
Great review and really appreciate how thorough you were - thanks so much!
That Ruger has a really beautiful chunk of wood on it!
That is a beautiful looking rifle, great choice of optic as well!
Thank you! Thanks for watching!
Great review and well made video! Hey, at least that gap at the tang will keep your stock from ever cracking lol
Beautiful rifle. Hope you can get a video of you hunting with it this year.
Fusion is excellent ammo. Usually extremely accurate. Works well on game also.
Nice looking rifle, but I'd take that rail and heavy rings off. Use the factory rings, for a cleaner look, and more solid set up. Less parts.
Man can we chat about this rifle. I have a few questions that ruger could not answer
Beautiful setup brother ❤️
The 2x7 looks great on that 308!
I also have been looking at some short lightweight 308/243!
Not that I need one.. but there's always room for another handy rifle!
Thank you! I love it! I'm sure you will find one that's good for you. Yeah, I didn't NEED it, but here we are, lol... very happy! Thanks for watching!
@@MisterBrewer I enjoy your videos.. it seems like we have the same taste in firearms.
My favorite cartridge is the 7mm-08 Remington.. but my favorite caliber is the 35's!
The whole idea of short lightweight accurate is pleasant.. especially if the rifle shoots sub MOA! So you going with the Ruger 77 chambered in the 308 Winchester was a win no matter how you look at it!
I definitely enjoy shooting as much as hunting.. however.. I wouldn't want a heavy rifle! It has to pull double duty! Right now my 350 Legend is my lightweight carbine!
I'll carry my Tikka T3x Hunter chambered in 7mm-08 Remington first and foremost! Then I want to harvest a doe with my Henry Big Boy Carbine 357 magnum.
At least that's my plan for the upcoming season ❤️
Good luck to you and stay safe
That gap will keep the stock from cracking you want that gap
Very informative, thanks so much for the review
I have a M77 stainless in 243 . It shoots awesome .
I like Ruger rings. To me you are just adding another possibility of a scope coming lose when you add an adapter. Instead of having 2 points to come loose with the adapter you now have 3.
I agree, I wish the rifle would have come with the ruger rings like they normally do.
Thanks for watching!
Definitely prefer direct rings on hunting rifles
The rail did allow him to move that particular scope back farther. However, I don’t like rails on bolt action rifles either.
I just picked up a Hawkeye Classic in .257 Roberts and my barrel is not floated. It’s so un-floated that I assumed the end of the forearm was an intentional pressure pad. Kind of scratching my head now as I was going to bed that pad to the barrel since it didn’t look like a great fit.
Ooh I'm jealous of the 257 Roberts. Congrats!
Yeah I have a couple of older classic models and they are not free-floated. That was intentional. They still shoot .75 inch groups consistently with the right load.
I just received my Ruger Hawkeye in today, curious where you ordered your thread protector from? I’m happy with mine as well!
Congrats! What caliber did you get?
I ordered it off Amazon. Look for Down Range Products Brand: 5/8" x 24 Barrel Thread Protector 5/8 Long .730 Dia. Stainless (make sure this is the correct thread for your caliber).
Thanks for watching and commenting and again congrats on getting a beautiful rifle that will last a lifetime and more!
Thanks man!
Solid review. Love the rifle. That satin stainless seems like it would be perfect for engraving. I'm curios what types of groups I can get with handloads.
Thank you! Absolutely love it! Hunted elk with it but didn't get any shots. Sounds like you have one, too? If so, enjoy!
awesome video, love this rifle in 308, almost got one, may have to one day, I did get a sako 90 peak also 20" and love it, I group tested a bunch of ammo with mine, 8 different kinds, it hated the 150/165 fusion but LOVED the 180 fusion (.6" ctc for 3) and it also loved the hornady white box 168 eld-m match for .6" ctc 3 shot also, it did not like the 178 eld-x, none of the cx copper options, it was okay with federal blue box 150, and I think I'm forgetting....point is, try the 180 fusion if you want it to like fusion, I was hoping mine would like the eld-m and at least one of the fusions and it got what I wanted, my sako was 5 lb 10 oz out of the box though, it's light, went 1-6 trijicon accupoint which is heavy and arc m-10 low rings...also heavy and still ended up 7 lb 3.5 oz all up for my light general purpose 308
Nice rifle brother 👍
Late comment here but i’ll try anyway….do you notice that bolt lift becomes much heavier after firing a shot? I have the same rifle, but it was manufactured probably 8-9 years ago. My bolt lift is somewhat heavy but its quite noticeable after firing.
Yes and I believe that is common for all of the bolt action rifles I've used. I believe it's because you are re-cocking the firing pin so it takes a little more effort but is completely normal.
Okay that makes a lot of sense now, thank you. I bought mine coming from a small remington 243 model 7 which i think was a youth model. Working the bolt before and after firing always felt light and easy, so moving up to my 308 ruger was a noticeable difference with that bolt.
@drewlog that may be a virtue of Remington rifles that I've overlooked. I have only used a couple of them briefly. Happy shooting and hunting!
That’s a good looking rifle.
Sure is! I love it. And it shoots great! Thanks for watching and commenting.
That’s a beautiful rifle! Have you taken it hunting?
I did tale it elk hunting but didn't get a chance to shoot it.
These Rugers are light rugged accurate rifles. How is the Picatinny rail mounted? Is the action drilled and tapped on the top of the receiver bridge? I ask because as far as I’m aware Rugers don’t have screw holes on top of their actions. They are designed to use with Ruger proprietary ring mounts. Cheers 🍻 🍻
Great question! I can tell you that there are four screws on top of the pic rail attaching it to the top of the action, so it was drilled and tapped for that at the factory. And it also has some type of round wedge type things for the round recesses where the ruger rings normally go.
@@MisterBrewer Wow that’s great to hear. Thanks for your reply to my question. Cheers 🍻 🍻
Cheers!
Great rifle!
Yup, love it! Thanks for watching!
@@MisterBrewer Sad they don't chamber it anymore for the .270 win
Oh no! Just saw that, too. That is a disappointment, for sure.
Lover everything about this except the ugly rail that blocks the action. Iguess the scope was too short to use the Ruger built in mounts?
I didn't particularly care for the look of the pic rail either (which came on the rifle), but I opted to use it because the rifle didn't ship with the Ruger rings, and I didn't want to buy them. I had recently bought a Ruger Mini 30 that came with the Ruger integrated rings and they were rough (not the quality I am used to seeing with Ruger rings) so I didnt want to get another set like them. The look and definitely the accuracy is growing on me. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@MisterBrewer Thanks for the video!
Have u shot anything with a can? I bet that adding 4 to 6 inches of suppresor would boost it a little bit
Haven't yet, but would love to try. Hoping to apply for the tax stamp in the next year or so. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I want one in 204 Ruger. They want 1399 for the only one I can find ! Buds has them in 223 for 1k. I dunno why they want so much more for a 204? I’ve always wanted a 204 Ruger in a Ruger rifle but dang !
Oh man, that's so much! Hard to pay that for sure.
My 308 was 1k
You want that gap behind the tang.
Please tell me more!
If there is a tight fit directly behind the tang there is a high risk of splitting that stock. @@MisterBrewer
@Strutingeagle Ok, that makes sense. Thanks for the reply, and thanks for watching!
Hate that flair!
Haha, Im not a big fan of the look either, but Im okay with it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@MisterBrewer what is ruger thinking realy I've owned almost 4oty rugers so far
They always manage to ruin a master piece great vedio