Hey, just purchased a ruger 77 hawkeye compact in a 260 rem for my 9 year old son. I bought a box of remington 120 accutips, and couldn't get much better than 3 inch groups with it at 100yds. (I can throw rocks more accurate then that). Did a little research and best I can tell it has a 1-8 twist, so i figured it might shoot the 140 grain better, bought a box of federal trophy bonded bearclaws 140gr, it dropped the groups down, but I dont know much about the bearclaws, I bought them due to lack of options at my local gun shop, but I wanted to see if the 140s shot better. So I guess my question is, is the 140gr trophy bonded bearclaws good for whitetails? (not the new tipped version, but the older moly coated ones)
Ruger 77 hawkeye
- Thread starter ggshooter
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Poprivit
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I've got a Hawkeye in .416 Ruger. It will put all the bullets touching at 75 yards (as far as I'd shoot the type of game it's built for). It's stainless, 20-inch bbl, Hogue rubber stock. But, let me tell you about how a 7.5 lb .416 rifle kicks ...
As far as your Bearclaws? I'd probably not use the 140-gr. load on anything larger than moose. I've used the larger Bearclaws on African Plains game with excellent results. Teach your son how to put the bullet in the right place, and one shot will do just fine.
As far as your Bearclaws? I'd probably not use the 140-gr. load on anything larger than moose. I've used the larger Bearclaws on African Plains game with excellent results. Teach your son how to put the bullet in the right place, and one shot will do just fine.
375shooter
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Bear Claws are excellent bullets and will work great on whitetails.
cal74
Member
Have the trigger worked on, easy to do yourself if you feel confident doing such things.
My Hawkeye is one of the most accurate box/stock rifles I own.
My Hawkeye is one of the most accurate box/stock rifles I own.
funny story about the hawkeye...
i shoot sanctioned 'sporting rifle' matches at the local range, and have a great time at it. i usually comply with the spirit of the rules and use a 'deer rifle' - typically a rem 700 in 7-08. i never really thought of rugers as much for accuracy... so i showed up at the range for a practice match and took my new ruger in 375 ruger to compete against the custom bolt guns and ar-15's, chambered in 223. of course, the rules do not allow anything larger than 35 cal, but since it was just practice they let me shoot it anyway. before i tired of the recoil and swapped the gun out in favor of a 223, i was the only shooter who had shot clean targets. so, yeah, i'm ok with the new rugers!
i shoot sanctioned 'sporting rifle' matches at the local range, and have a great time at it. i usually comply with the spirit of the rules and use a 'deer rifle' - typically a rem 700 in 7-08. i never really thought of rugers as much for accuracy... so i showed up at the range for a practice match and took my new ruger in 375 ruger to compete against the custom bolt guns and ar-15's, chambered in 223. of course, the rules do not allow anything larger than 35 cal, but since it was just practice they let me shoot it anyway. before i tired of the recoil and swapped the gun out in favor of a 223, i was the only shooter who had shot clean targets. so, yeah, i'm ok with the new rugers!
Abel
Member
I would think that you should try some cheaper bullets. All Rugers that I've been around have done really well with cheap Remington & Federal. Rem core-lokt & Fed. Fusion might shoot 1.5" groups or better.
longdayjake
Member
I am sorry to say this but remington makes a good model 700 but it is not known for any kind of accuracy from its factory loads. There may be a few that get good results from remington factory ammo, but I know of nobody that prefers remington for any other reason than they are cheaper than some others.
The .260 is a handloaders cartridge. There is most likely nothing wrong with your ruger. Factory loaders just never seem to get the .260 right. I have noticed that the same is true with the .25-06. I also noticed that my hawkeye took about 50 shots before it settled in. Also, depending on which hawkeye you bought you may have the stock touching the barrel in several places. I did some stock work on mine and now it does very well.
Also, since it is a compact, you may be better off sticking with the lighter bullets. It won't have enough barrel to take advantage of all that powder if you use heavier bullets.
The .260 is a handloaders cartridge. There is most likely nothing wrong with your ruger. Factory loaders just never seem to get the .260 right. I have noticed that the same is true with the .25-06. I also noticed that my hawkeye took about 50 shots before it settled in. Also, depending on which hawkeye you bought you may have the stock touching the barrel in several places. I did some stock work on mine and now it does very well.
Also, since it is a compact, you may be better off sticking with the lighter bullets. It won't have enough barrel to take advantage of all that powder if you use heavier bullets.
Maverick223
Member
I think you have it backwards. A heavier bullet should perform better and have a more efficient burn because the bullet is in the bore for a longer period of time and there is slightly less powder.
Maverick223
Member
A fantastic cartridge that never really took off. It is an offspring of the .308Win. case, necked down to 6.5mm. It approximates the performance of the venerable 6.5x55mmSwede in a short action rifle.
longdayjake
Member
Ah but heavier bullets usually need a slower burning powder. Maybe someone with more experience can clarify this for both of us.
Maverick223
Member
True, perhaps you are right, don't know for certain.
Maverick223
Member
Not always, look at pistol cartridges in both handguns and carbines; the optimal powder will often change due to a drastic change in length.
longdayjake
Member
Yeah, I am not sure that any of this is true. I don't have a .260 but I do have a 6.5 grendel and I can guarantee you that a shorter barrel gives up a lot of velocity to a longer barrel in that cartridge. My guess is that using a casing that has even more powder will exaggerate the loss of velocity.
If you don't think that they give up that much velocity you should read all of the .308 in 16" barrel threads. The compact has a 16.5" barrel so he is going to be running into the same issues since the .260 is basically the same casing necked down to 6.5. My guess is he is going to be losing anything from 200-400 fps as compared to a 22-24" barrel. The upside is that he is going to be using the awesome 6.5 bullets that are great for making up for that loss in initial velocity.
We need Krochus in here to straighten us all out.
Maverick223
Member
Absolutely. I wouldn't want a 6.5G with a bbl shorter than 20in., or a .260Rem. shorter than 24in. Anything less gives up too much velocity for my taste. That is not to say that it won't work, just that I prefer a more efficient burn, and that requires more bbl.
When comparing modern rifle cartridges, not pistol cartridges the fastest powders in a long barrel will still be the fastest in shorter barrels. At least down to the legal limit. Going any shorter, I won't say for sure.
I own 308's and 30-06's with both 20" and 22" barrels. My chronograph says around 30fps slower in the shorter barrel with both cartridges.
Read this http://www.tacticaloperations.com/SWATbarrel/
I own 308's and 30-06's with both 20" and 22" barrels. My chronograph says around 30fps slower in the shorter barrel with both cartridges.
Read this http://www.tacticaloperations.com/SWATbarrel/
Maverick223
Member
Shorter barrels may be stiffer, but that doesn't mean that they are necessarily more accurate. A barrel only needs to have a consistent "whip" to be accurate, and the extra length can come in mighty handy for a long range shot. So don't turn to SWAT (the periodical or police force) for advice, they shoot short range (not to discount their abilities, they tend to place bullets in smaller targets), but instead pay attention to the scout snipers with the long barrels that make the long shots when they really count, or the benchrest (and other competition) shooters that blend both aspects and also tend to use a long barrel to complete their task.
Uncle Mike
Member
It is designed for a healthier animal than the Whitetail, the TBB bullet is a thick jacketed, as compared to, say a Core-Lokt(Standard, NOT the 'Ultra Core-Lokt bullet) or SST.
I shouldn't think the TBB would be making 'big' mushrooms launched from the 260, but the bullet will kill a Whitetail, maybe not as well as some of the other bullets out there, but if it were all you had at the time, I bet you'd be eating venison!
longdayjake
Member
Well, I may have to burst your bubble a little. I hope this makes sense. The reason you think that you don't lose much velocity from your 20" barrel is because the .308 is optimized right around there. Meaning you won't get much advantage with a longer barrel. However, going shorter than 20"" will definately slow things down a lot more because the cartridge hasn't yet reached its full potential.
I am assuming that when you say fastest powders are still fastest in short barrels you are talking about muzzle velocities. Let me see if I can explain this so that it makes sense. Yes, faster powders are often used to get the most velocity possible. However, when dealing with heavier bullets it is often unwise to use the faster powder because you will reach your pressure limit before you can take advantage of the entire case capacity. This means you may have to use so little powder that you cannot reach the cartridge's potential velocities with that particular bullet. In order to do so you may need to go to a slower powder that takes longer to build the pressures.
What you said makes it sound like pistol powders would be best in rifles.
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