Considering a Ruger 77 Hawkeye

[armed85]

I've recently handled a Ruger 77 Hawkeye at my local fun store and, to be honest, I liked it. I've never been interested in Ruger rifles before this day.

As for appearance, the matte blued finish and matte stainless steel bolt were eye appealing. The stainless steel bolt and bolt handle contrasted well with the blued receiver and barrel. The bottom metal was, in fact, metal (tested with a magnet). The lazer engraving on the floor plate is a nice touch. The stock was black walnut and is just as nice as what Remington is putting on their CDL. With a scope mounted, the intregal scope base milled into the receiver looks better than a 1 piece scope base.

I compared it to the Savage American Classic. The Savage is nice, but I don't care for the way the "Glock trigger" looks nor the plastic "bottom metal." For a $600 rifle to have plastic bottom metal is pretty lame.

As for the feel, the "LC6" trigger on the Ruger felt crisp with no creep. A little on the heavy side at what felt like 5 lbs. Though it could be lighter as I'm not used to the trigger nor is it broken in. I was actually surprised to feel a good trigger on this rifle given the reputation Ruger has for poor triggers (perhaps undeserved). The walnut stock was comfortable and fit me well.

I was surprised to see that the barrel was free floated. It would seem that Ruger would advertise that they free float the barrel seeing how Savage makes a big deal of it. Is free floating standard on the Hawkeye or was this a fluke?

How does the Hawkeye shoot? If I broke in the barrel using David Tubbs Final Finish bore lapping system can I expect it to be an accurate rifle?

Ruger seems to be trying to position itself as a maker of a more accurate rifle given the name "Hawkeye" and the new LC6 trigger among other changes.

 

[jmr40]

All things considered I like the Hawkeye better than the Savage. Are you sure about the plastic on the Savage. The new ones I have seen lately have been using steel. At least with the detachable mag. versions.

I had a Hawkeye for about 8 months and let it go. Nothing wrong with it and I will probaply get another in a different caliber. I do like the new trigger better. Mine was not a "tack driver" so to speak but was perfectly adequate for hunting at any range I can shoot at. Around 1" or slightly more at 100 and 2" or so at 200. Mine was in .308 and I have a couple of other .308's that would shoot better but like I said earlier I will probably ger another in a different caliber.

The Hawkeyes have a good feel to them and while I have never had a problem with a push feed rifle I admit it is comforting to have the controled round feeding.

 

[armed85]

Well now I'm not sure on the plastic components on the Savage. I may have had a Hunter model in my hands and mistaken it for a Classic model. As soon as I saw the plastic I gave it back. The price was $600 which is about the street price for the Classic models.

One thing I noticed while researching online is that Savage uses hex head screws rather than standard or slotted screws. This is a welcome and often overlooked refinement. I can't count the number of times I've had to replace buggered up screws when my screwdriver slips out of the slot on standard screws. I can apply torque using a wrench rather than a screwdriver. As I said, it's often overlooked, but I much prefer seeing hex or even torx screws over standard screws. This is especially true for adjustable sights.

I don't recall whether or not Ruger uses hex head or standard screws.

I still prefer the looks of the Ruger Hawkeye over the Savage Classic. If Savage does not use plastic, then I'll consider it over the Ruger.

 

[skinewmexico]

Sometimes plastic is better. Look at cars made in the last few years. Whatever you get, I wouldn't use final finish unless it absolutely won't shoot. It will move your throat, and it's probably pretty long already.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Looked over a couple stainless Hawkeye's that were not free floated----didn't even pay attention to the blued ones---so I couldn't tell you for sure if that's a feature or not.

 

[armed85]

I just got back from my local fun store to take a closer look at these two rifles. The Savage does have a plastic trigger guard and plastic safety. The safety on the Savage is very cheap looking in particular as it has mold lines down the center of it. The Ruger is all metal.

I know the Savage shoots. The Ruger doesn't have the best reputation for being a target rifle. What I want is a walking around target rifle that looks nice.

The Savage is nice, but I can't believe they would put plastic on their rifle after going through the trouble of putting a nice walnut stock on it and polishing the bluing.