I had put my name down on a list to get one of these a few months ago. One finally came in, and onto layaway it went. Well, 1.5months later, I picked her up and decided to do a little review. Pictured here with my complimentary SP101 .357.
The rifle came in the usual white Ruger box, packed with two Scope rings, the Muzzle Brake (attached when shipped), thread protector and weighted protector (for keeping POA when the brake is off). There was also a hex key and torx wrench for use with the action screws(?) and scope rings respectively. As a note - the rings that came with it were colored and coated the same as the rifle - and the heads of the screws to ring mounts are knurled - the last set only had space for a flat-head screwdriver. Also included was a sling swivel stud to replace the plug that currently sits in the fore-end of the stock.
The rifle is in decent shape, with only a small ring of coating missing from in front of the front swivel loop band (looks like the band was pushed back slightly after coating), and some small blemishes on the left side of the stock (rub?)The bolt was coated in Ruger grease that had hardened and gone tacky - this was quickly remedied with a good cotton wipe and reapplication of CLP. NOTE: Breakdown of the Bolt is harder than other Mauser-pattern designs, as this needs a pin to keep the bolt held back - however, the hammer-pin kept in the grips of my SP101 seemed to do the trick nicely!
The action, (an actual M77 Hawkeye) once cleaned and lubed, is smooth but a tad "Clicky". Rotating the extractor out of the way, the coating worn off the back of the lugs is pretty even, indicating good alignment. The action itself keeps the cartridges more inline than the CZ action I've worked with, so they feed much straighter than usual. The Feed ramp is flat and wide, and has a much shorter jump before the breech than a more traditional CZ or Mauser would. Also interesting is the Ruger extractor collar sits back farther from the boltface than other actions - and will (per the manual) act more like a push-feed. While the magazine only holds 4 rounds, these can be pushed down and the bolt slid over the top, and a fifth round to be "push-fed" into the breech. The ejector is spring-loaded, and sits far back in the action. This makes it easy to "pick off" spent casing from the boltface without getting "pushed out" prematurely, but bringing the bolt back to the stop smartly still flings a casing off quite well.
The stock is well made, with good mating to the rest of the rifle (buttstock, pad, etc.) The LC6 trigger has a nice wide face to it, and a smooth pull before a "quiet" break. The safety is the usual M77 3-position, with lock-up, safe load/unload, and fire. Personally I prefer this style, as it gives an extra margin of safety with loading/unloading, and keeps the bolt locked down when walking in the woods. The bolt handle also acts as a "third lug" when closed down in the rifle.
The sights, while simple and not "accurate", are great. The rifle is quick to the shoulder, and points like a German Shorthair. I find the balance on it is better than most rifles I've handled, but that's a personal preference (I found the 16.5" GSR to be too rear-heavy with a very light nose that wandered easily.) The rear sight is windage adjustable, and is sighted for 50yds from factory. The front sight is a large white bead in a typical Ruger front sight ramp/band. I assume the sight is replaceable with other front sight blades, but I don't know if the rear sight's dovetail supports the other Ruger rear sights. The rear sight IS robust however - not likely to break off in any condition.
The magazine floorplate drops via a switch pressed-in to the triggerguard. It requires a moderate push to activate, nothing that will come loose too easily. The bottom of the pistol grip has the "Ruger Guide" emblem, similar to the GSR emblem, but using the Ruger Phoenix in lieu of the Gunsite Raven. The grips are checkered plenty, and the checkering on the fore-end wraps ALL the way around, offering a sturdy purchase on the gun. Two crossbolts are placed in the laminate stock to keep the already solidly mounted action in place. I found the buttpad VERY soft, and has a good smooth mating to the spacers and buttstock.
CONTINUED
The rifle came in the usual white Ruger box, packed with two Scope rings, the Muzzle Brake (attached when shipped), thread protector and weighted protector (for keeping POA when the brake is off). There was also a hex key and torx wrench for use with the action screws(?) and scope rings respectively. As a note - the rings that came with it were colored and coated the same as the rifle - and the heads of the screws to ring mounts are knurled - the last set only had space for a flat-head screwdriver. Also included was a sling swivel stud to replace the plug that currently sits in the fore-end of the stock.
The rifle is in decent shape, with only a small ring of coating missing from in front of the front swivel loop band (looks like the band was pushed back slightly after coating), and some small blemishes on the left side of the stock (rub?)The bolt was coated in Ruger grease that had hardened and gone tacky - this was quickly remedied with a good cotton wipe and reapplication of CLP. NOTE: Breakdown of the Bolt is harder than other Mauser-pattern designs, as this needs a pin to keep the bolt held back - however, the hammer-pin kept in the grips of my SP101 seemed to do the trick nicely!
The action, (an actual M77 Hawkeye) once cleaned and lubed, is smooth but a tad "Clicky". Rotating the extractor out of the way, the coating worn off the back of the lugs is pretty even, indicating good alignment. The action itself keeps the cartridges more inline than the CZ action I've worked with, so they feed much straighter than usual. The Feed ramp is flat and wide, and has a much shorter jump before the breech than a more traditional CZ or Mauser would. Also interesting is the Ruger extractor collar sits back farther from the boltface than other actions - and will (per the manual) act more like a push-feed. While the magazine only holds 4 rounds, these can be pushed down and the bolt slid over the top, and a fifth round to be "push-fed" into the breech. The ejector is spring-loaded, and sits far back in the action. This makes it easy to "pick off" spent casing from the boltface without getting "pushed out" prematurely, but bringing the bolt back to the stop smartly still flings a casing off quite well.
The stock is well made, with good mating to the rest of the rifle (buttstock, pad, etc.) The LC6 trigger has a nice wide face to it, and a smooth pull before a "quiet" break. The safety is the usual M77 3-position, with lock-up, safe load/unload, and fire. Personally I prefer this style, as it gives an extra margin of safety with loading/unloading, and keeps the bolt locked down when walking in the woods. The bolt handle also acts as a "third lug" when closed down in the rifle.
The sights, while simple and not "accurate", are great. The rifle is quick to the shoulder, and points like a German Shorthair. I find the balance on it is better than most rifles I've handled, but that's a personal preference (I found the 16.5" GSR to be too rear-heavy with a very light nose that wandered easily.) The rear sight is windage adjustable, and is sighted for 50yds from factory. The front sight is a large white bead in a typical Ruger front sight ramp/band. I assume the sight is replaceable with other front sight blades, but I don't know if the rear sight's dovetail supports the other Ruger rear sights. The rear sight IS robust however - not likely to break off in any condition.
The magazine floorplate drops via a switch pressed-in to the triggerguard. It requires a moderate push to activate, nothing that will come loose too easily. The bottom of the pistol grip has the "Ruger Guide" emblem, similar to the GSR emblem, but using the Ruger Phoenix in lieu of the Gunsite Raven. The grips are checkered plenty, and the checkering on the fore-end wraps ALL the way around, offering a sturdy purchase on the gun. Two crossbolts are placed in the laminate stock to keep the already solidly mounted action in place. I found the buttpad VERY soft, and has a good smooth mating to the spacers and buttstock.
CONTINUED
I'm not exaggerating when I say that my 9.3lb Swedish Mauser launching 120gr loads kicked harder than this sucker pushing 180's downrange. Not to mention, and even more surprising, the noise and blast was definitely less than an AR-15 16" BBL w/o hider...maybe same as with hider. The rounds impacted in the snow (only did 2 to test kick and noise) RIGHT above the little white dot - which was amazingly visible due to to the black base it sits on. The kick is VERY linear, and with the brake equipped, it really doesn't jump at all. I need to do a water bottle and accuracy test next. 
