Ruger M77 Hawkeye - QQ Major issues

[JPSauer]

Last year I bought 2 m77’s in 338 win mag. One was an old tang safety blue and walnut, and the other was a newer MKII stainless in a synthetic stock. Both were perfectly serviceable but I couldn’t help but notice how much nicer finished the older tang safety was. I didn’t warm up to either of them so I sold them both to buy a tikka.

The 2 SP101’s had serious mechanical issues I had to fix myself in order to function but are fantastic once you finish the manufacturing process for them. I’ve never had any issues with a 10/22 or any of their auto loading pistols.

Yea at close to 2k, i should have just gone with winchester m70. I cant justify spending 2k and "finishing off".

All the comments about cast strength, guys your missing my point. It was simply that if ruger used cast and benefited from the savings they should have spent a little time finishing better. That is all. (Pleaae read this before another post about cast v forged).

With all these posts it seems i bought a lemon. Perhaps they thought Australia would be okay with this. I dono. I hope i do get a resoluton. At this point i want a refund.¹

Also, do they fire the rifle at factory as mine had a black ringmark on the boltface. And there was yellow grains of powder in barrel and all through the muzzle brake, unburnt or something. Is that normal?

None of my rifles have ever had that but i know mu czs came with a target and were fired by must have been cleaned because barrel just had oil.

 

[Varminterror]

All Ruger firearms are test fired before leaving the factory.

 

[Remington1911]

Yea at close to 2k, i should have just gone with winchester m70. I cant justify spending 2k and "finishing off".

All the comments about cast strength, guys your missing my point. It was simply that if ruger used cast and benefited from the savings they should have spent a little time finishing better. That is all. (Pleaae read this before another post about cast v forged).

With all these posts it seems i bought a lemon. Perhaps they thought Australia would be okay with this. I dono. I hope i do get a resoluton. At this point i want a refund.¹

Also, do they fire the rifle at factory as mine had a black ringmark on the boltface. And there was yellow grains of powder in barrel and all through the muzzle brake, unburnt or something. Is that normal?

None of my rifles have ever had that but i know mu czs came with a target and were fired by must have been cleaned because barrel just had oil.

The thing is with Ruger they tend to sell lemons, with the odd cherry here and there. If with an objective eye you cruise a fist full of "gun sites" you will find an unusually high number of "ruger issues", it sure does seem to be a new one every month. I got burned twice on Ruger, first was the most rattley, ratty, clunky hunk of junk in the form of a P85,89....to tell the truth I have tried to block that bad decision out of my mind......then was the Christmas nightmare, after that I am quite leery about their products. And in reading forums it seems justified, and even the fan bois are firm in the camp of call Ruger they will fix it, well if they built it right the first time they would not have to. Comments on the CS person was the other side of the same coin as mine.

Not saying I will never buy a Ruger, like I said I REALLY want that 357......but, with what I know and have learned about that company.......the list of things I want are a long longer then the list of things I need, or already have.

 

[Rubone]

I own 19 firearms made by Ruger and can honestly say I have never had an issue with any of them. Rifles, pistols, revolvers. Bolt action, Semi-Auto, Single action, Double action. No issues ever with any of them. They all do what they are supposed to, when they are supposed to, and no fuss. They range in age from a 1955 "Standard" to a new PC charger. In fact I have carried one all this week on a late season Elk hunt, one day to go. It is an M77 MKII in 300WM and has put lots of game on my table. So to me Ruger bashing falls on deaf ears.

12/30/2022 Update!! Dropped a really nice Elk cow this morning with my junk Ruger......

 

[Varminterror]

I just re-read the thread title, and literally laughed out loud.

What a blessing it would be to live such a fortunate life to consider these minor cosmetic flaws to be “major issues.” Not even concerning himself with function of the rifle, just the cosmetics… “major issues…”

 

[red rick]

IMO , if you are paying premium money for something and it doesn’t meet your standards , you have a right to complain , especially on the fit and finish . This was not a American .

 

[adcoch1]

I just re-read the thread title, and literally laughed out loud.

What a blessing it would be to live such a fortunate life to consider these minor cosmetic flaws to be “major issues.” Not even concerning himself with function of the rifle, just the cosmetics… “major issues…”

On a new rifle, that he had to purchase sight unseen, it would seem appropriate to be frustrated to have happen after paying literally double what we would here in the states. I'd just go shoot it, but I also wouldn't spend more than $750..

 

[Varminterror]

A working man’s rifle with a few cosmetic issues but reliable function and accuracy does not equate “major issues” except by the most pampered folks with improper expectations for what they bought.

The guy simply didn’t know what he was buying, and assumed a high price tag meant a high finish.

“Major issues” in rifle function aren’t finish dings and mill flashing.

 

[Varminterror]

IMO , if you are paying premium money for something and it doesn’t meet your standards , you have a right to complain ,

It’s pretty obvious there’s more built into the Ruger’s pricing in his home country which drove this “premium price” compared to the relative pricing in a better representation of the US market, in comparison. Buy a liter of gasoline in Oz, or a can of Copenhagen, the pricing has absolutely nothing to do with exchange rate. The OP mentioned a Howa at under half the cost of the Ruger - now maybe he was being disingenuous and comparing a base model poly stocked Howa to the Hawkeye Hunter, but most of the players in that price list were out of whack. So again, right out of the gate, we can take 1/3 off of that purchase price and see that the relative price to US market and relative price to these competing products is highly skewed. Are Ruger’s marked up higher in Oz for some reason? Dunno, but that certainly would degrade their value in market, and a savvy buyer who actually researched their purchase - especially after claiming to do so, due to all of the red tape to make it happen - would have realized they weren’t making an intelligent purchase to buy a workaday rifle at a premium rifle price…

If the user can fix 100% of the issues with an hour of elbow grease and no particular understanding of rifle function, 100% modification ONLY to aesthetics, we’re not talking about “major issues.” We’re largely talking about someone who didn’t know what they were buying and are now upset that they overpaid for a mid level product because they were wowed by a premium price tag.

 

[red rick]

I bought $600 dollar Weatherby shotgun from bud’s . When I opened it , it had a 1 inch scratch on the receiver . The wood was beautiful . I did not except transfer and sent it back . They sent me another one without a scratch . The wood was no where as nice looking though as the first , not that there were any flaws in it , it just wasn’t the same color and as nice looking wood as the first one . I don’t regret sending it back though . IMO , consumers should hold manufacturers accountable for poor workmanship . Then maybe they would tighten up quality control .

 

[rayatphonix]

Red Rick, I had a very similar situation with my CZ 457. Gorgeous wood, but a few scuffs from being a display model. The seller had a NIB version with average wood behind the counter so I had my choice. I choose the beautiful wood. Had I chosen the NIB rifle I would now have a 457 with average wood with a few scuffs and scratches from use in the field.

 

[red rick]

Yeah , I knew that I was going to scratch mine , because I bought it to rabbit hunt , but I wanted to put the 1st scratch in it myself and I did in the wood , not hunting though , from closing the gun safe . The door gouged the stock . I would probably be more upset if it were that pretty wood like the first gun had .

 

[JPSauer]

It’s pretty obvious there’s more built into the Ruger’s pricing in his home country which drove this “premium price” compared to the relative pricing in a better representation of the US market, in comparison. Buy a liter of gasoline in Oz, or a can of Copenhagen, the pricing has absolutely nothing to do with exchange rate. The OP mentioned a Howa at under half the cost of the Ruger - now maybe he was being disingenuous and comparing a base model poly stocked Howa to the Hawkeye Hunter, but most of the players in that price list were out of whack. So again, right out of the gate, we can take 1/3 off of that purchase price and see that the relative price to US market and relative price to these competing products is highly skewed. Are Ruger’s marked up higher in Oz for some reason? Dunno, but that certainly would degrade their value in market, and a savvy buyer who actually researched their purchase - especially after claiming to do so, due to all of the red tape to make it happen - would have realized they weren’t making an intelligent purchase to buy a workaday rifle at a premium rifle price…

If the user can fix 100% of the issues with an hour of elbow grease and no particular understanding of rifle function, 100% modification ONLY to aesthetics, we’re not talking about “major issues.” We’re largely talking about someone who didn’t know what they were buying and are now upset that they overpaid for a mid level product because they were wowed by a premium price tag.

Mate if you think that stock fitment is a non-issue, id hate to see your work. Even at the uninflated usa price of USD $1360 - given other rifles, proper stock fitment is expected, no?

The stock isnt a "finish" issue, it needs to be restocked! Its an error. Then again this is why i started the thread with a clear mention of people who praise a brand for the sake of it, like others follow a football team.

You would prefer to overlook errors and suggest i work for ruger for free by fixing their error AND void warranty in the process - rather than admit ruger stuffed this one up? You can still wear youe Ruger underwear and dont have to remove the Ruger tattoo, but lets be a little logical.

Just wanted to know if people had same issues, and to share what issues i have so everyone can know possibilities their buying if they have to buy unseen like i did. Either way, this helps consumers buy making companies lift their quality control. Not hurting anyone.

 

[Mike J]

Mate if you think that stock fitment is a non-issue, id hate to see your work. Even at the uninflated usa price of USD $1360 - given other rifles, proper stock fitment is expected, no?

The stock isnt a "finish" issue, it needs to be restocked! Its an error. Then again this is why i started the thread with a clear mention of people who praise a brand for the sake of it, like others follow a football team.

You would prefer to overlook errors and suggest i work for ruger for free by fixing their error AND void warranty in the process - rather than admit ruger stuffed this one up? You can still wear youe Ruger underwear and dont have to remove the Ruger tattoo, but lets be a little logical.

Just wanted to know if people had same issues, and to share what issues i have so everyone can know possibilities their buying if they have to buy unseen like i did. Either way, this helps consumers buy making companies lift their quality control. Not hurting anyone.

So, we have established that you are unhappy with your rifle. What are you going to do now. Have you contacted Ruger? Are you going to get in touch with who you purchased it from? Are you going to just sell it & move on. I don't want to argue about whether or not the rifle should be acceptable to you because in your mind it is not. My question is where do you go from here?

 

[Remington1911]

So, we have established that you are unhappy with your rifle. What are you going to do now. Have you contacted Ruger? Are you going to get in touch with who you purchased it from? Are you going to just sell it & move on. I don't want to argue about whether or not the rifle should be acceptable to you because in your mind it is not. My question is where do you go from here?

And more important then where do you go from here is what did you learn from the experience? Past that Ruger has great customer service for a reason.

 

[JPSauer]

So, we have established that you are unhappy with your rifle. What are you going to do now. Have you contacted Ruger? Are you going to get in touch with who you purchased it from? Are you going to just sell it & move on. I don't want to argue about whether or not the rifle should be acceptable to you because in your mind it is not. My question is where do you go from here?

I have contacted ruger who told me to see supplier in Australia, its with supplier now, they told me they will speak to ruger and find a solution. Just waiting on that. Il post results.

 

[Varminterror]

Mate if you think that stock fitment is a non-issue, id hate to see your work. Even at the uninflated usa price of USD $1360 - given other rifles, proper stock fitment is expected, no?

The stock isnt a "finish" issue, it needs to be restocked! Its an error. Then again this is why i started the thread with a clear mention of people who praise a brand for the sake of it, like others follow a football team.

You would prefer to overlook errors and suggest i work for ruger for free by fixing their error AND void warranty in the process - rather than admit ruger stuffed this one up? You can still wear youe Ruger underwear and dont have to remove the Ruger tattoo, but lets be a little logical.

Just wanted to know if people had same issues, and to share what issues i have so everyone can know possibilities their buying if they have to buy unseen like i did. Either way, this helps consumers buy making companies lift their quality control. Not hurting anyone.

You made a series of bad choices.

You didn’t research what you were buying, so you incorrectly assumed a high price tag meant a premium quality product.

You failed to inspect - and correspondingly reject - before purchasing a rifle which you claim has “major issues,” despite not having fired it at all.

You bought a rifle at risk with circumstances which make OEM repairs or service exceptionally difficult.

You consider minor fit and finish issues on a workaday rifle to be “major issues.” You’ve typed longer in this thread than it would have taken to fix all of those cosmetic issues. That stock fit issue is common to most wood stocked budget models, just more obvious with the keyed inlet of the Ruger M77 than on round tube actions, and is quickly fixed - hell, most are fixed just by loosening the action bolts and retightening.

You whined online to an audience which wasn’t just going to butter your balls about making all of these mistakes. Calling a spade a spade here. You overpaid for a middle of the road product and didn’t inspect before buying, now instead of using proper channels to remedy what you’re mislabeling as “major issues,” you’re bitching online.

 

[red rick]

IMO , his only mistake was excepting it after inspection , but their process might be different than ours .

That’s what forums are for , reviews .

 

[WrongHanded]

The stock isnt a "finish" issue, it needs to be restocked!

Why? Does it shoot terrible groups because of the stock fitment? Can you post some pictures of what it's doing for you at 100 yards (or meters) off a bench?

 

[Seamaster31]

Good luck, and I hope you get your money back. Next time do a bit of research before buying. Product bashing is tiring.

 

[schneiderguy]

The thing is with Ruger they tend to sell lemons, with the odd cherry here and there. If with an objective eye you cruise a fist full of "gun sites" you will find an unusually high number of "ruger issues", it sure does seem to be a new one every month.

Ruger is the largest manufacturer of guns in the US. They are not perfect, and some do have issues, so you will see some people pop up with issues just due to the sheer number of Rugers sold. But to say "they tend to sell lemons" is not correct at all. I've bought six of them myself in the past 10 years, and know of another four that were purchased by friends, and 0/10 were "lemons".

 

[adcoch1]

Ruger is the largest manufacturer of guns in the US. They are not perfect, and some do have issues, so you will see some people pop up with issues just due to the sheer number of Rugers sold. But to say "they tend to sell lemons" is not correct at all. I've bought six of them myself in the past 10 years, and know of another four that were purchased by friends, and 0/10 were "lemons".

My Ruger "lemon" took 19 years and at least 7000 rounds to prove it's "flavor", and Ruger had it fixed in two weeks and back in my hands. I've had I think 13 Ruger rifles, and at least 10 handguns, only that one having an actual problem from lots of use. They may send out a lemon occasionally, but I don't mind the odds for the money...

 

[JCooperfan1911]

Ruger makes an absolutely outstanding product for the price an everysman can actually afford.

They stand by their product 100%. EVERY major gun maker can have the rare slip in quality control. But what we hear about is the less than 1%. The other 99%+ get a perfect product. And Ruger sells a LOT of guns, this skews things and makes them look far worse than they really are.

 

[JPSauer]

You made a series of bad choices.

Btw if i touch rifle by repairing issues i void warranty, not sure about you, but im not stupid enough to buy a new rifle and void the warranty...

You didn’t research what you were buying, so you incorrectly assumed a high price tag meant a premium quality product.

You failed to inspect - and correspondingly reject - before purchasing a rifle which you claim has “major issues,” despite not having fired it at all.

You bought a rifle at risk with circumstances which make OEM repairs or service exceptionally difficult.

You consider minor fit and finish issues on a workaday rifle to be “major issues.” You’ve typed longer in this thread than it would have taken to fix all of those cosmetic issues. That stock fit issue is common to most wood stocked budget models, just more obvious with the keyed inlet of the Ruger M77 than on round tube actions, and is quickly fixed - hell, most are fixed just by loosening the action bolts and retightening.

You whined online to an audience which wasn’t just going to butter your balls about making all of these mistakes. Calling a spade a spade here. You overpaid for a middle of the road product and didn’t inspect before buying, now instead of using proper channels to remedy what you’re mislabeling as “major issues,” you’re bitching online.

U havent read too many comments and i am not going to supplement your laziness by repeating myself.

Yes our system here us different, I had to accept it. There was no choice of viewing it. And here Ruger is highly regarded among the list of rifles i put up earlier.

Most comments agreed the stock fitment is horrible.

I will post the solution once i hrar back. I did research and didnt see these issues with the research.

I guess some people have too many issues in their life and use a forum to vent. I hope this has helped your mental health somewhat.

Either way, I wanted to know if yhis was normal and what better way than askin on a forum. If i am disappointed with a stock not fittng and finish, that is my choice its my opinion, i voiced my opinion. Also warning people who do the same said research by providing them with my experience so they can make a more informed decision

 

[wombat13]

I guess some people have too many issues in their life and use a forum to vent. I hope this has helped your mental health somewhat.

That’s rich! Pot, meet kettle!