The Firearm Blog

The new line of Ruger M77 Hawkeye Compact Rifles are very very cool. They are 16.5″ carbines chambered in the intermediate .223 Rem, 7.62×39mm and 6.8mm SPC cartridges as well as the .300 Ruger Compact Magnum, .243 Win. 7mm-08, .308 Win. and .260 Rem.

Ruger M77 Hawkeye Compact 6.8mm SPC.

They feature a shorter stock and proportionately shortened forends and buttstocks. This shortened forend makes the rifle look longer than it is in the above photo. The intermediate caliber rifles weight 5 3/4 lbs.

I think these will be big sellers, especially the models chambered in intermediate cartridge where the short barrel will not have a significant impact on performance.

From the press release:

These 16-1/2 inch barreled rifles have an overall length of 35-1/2 inches, making them ideal hunting rifles for rugged terrain and heavy brush. The Hawkeye Compact rifles are available in a Hawkeye Matte Blued with an American walnut stock or the Hawkeye Matte Stainless model with a black laminate stock. The slim American walnut stock offers wrap-around cut checkering on the forearm and more rounded contours on the bottom of the stock and top of the pistol grips.

The Ruger M77 Hawkeye Compact rifles are offered in eight short action calibers, including .300 RCM, 7.62X39 and 6.8SPC. The walnut and blued models weigh approximately 5.75 pounds, while their laminate and stainless counterparts average 6.25 pounds each. Magazine capacity is 4 rounds.

The M77 Hawkeye Compact rifles feature the smooth and crisp Ruger LC6™ trigger, Mauser-type controlled feeding and a powerful claw extractor. A 3-position safety, hammer forged steel barrels and Ruger patented scope rings (provided at no charge) that install on the integral mounts and never shoot loose are also standard fare on all Ruger M77 Hawkeye rifles. The steel floorplate, bearing the distinctive Ruger logo, provides easy unloading and eliminates accidental “dumping” of ammunition.

Ruger really is going tactical this year. The Ruger M77 Hawkeye Tactical is a new line of M77 bolt action rifles.

They feature
* 20″ heavy barrel
* Hogue OverMolded stock
* Harris bipod! Yes, they actually come standard with a harris bipod.
* A newly designed two stage target trigger.
* Built-in magazine, an odd choice for a tactical styled rifle.

Three calibers are on offer: .223 Rem., .243 Win. and .308 Win.

Specs for the .308 model:

Capacity: 4 Rounds
Finish: Hawkeye Matte Blued
Stock: Black Hogue® OverMolded®
Barrel Length: 20″
Groove: 6
Twist: 1:10″ RH
Overall Length: 40″
Weight: 8 3/4 lbs
Front Sight(s): None
Rear Sight(s): None
Other Features: Two-Stage Trigger; Three-Position Manual Safety
Miscellaneous: Harris Bipod included.

MSRP is $1138.

Ruger and Hornady have teamed up to produce the new .416 Ruger cartridge which will be available next year (2009).

The round is basically a necked up .375 Ruger and offers performance comparable to the classic .416 Rigby in a standard length cartridge. The Ruger M77 Hawkeye bolt action will be available chambered in this cartridge.

Hornady claim on their website that the 416 Ruger offers the same performance in the compact 20″ barreled Ruger M77 Hawkeye Alaskan as the .416 Rugby in a full length rifle.

416 Ruger cartridge delivers the same performance as the fabled 416 Rigby, but does it in a shorter 20″ barreled Ruger Hawkeye rifle that is extremely compact and easy to carry.

I am skeptical about this claim. It will be interesting to see what results firearm magazine writers get when they test the ammunition.

Ruger M77 Hawkeye Alaskan (20″ Barrel)

Ballistic infomation:

Click to expand.

Product Video (there are a couple of video snippets at the start of charging elephants being shot. Really crazy stuff!):

The .375 Ruger has proved to be popular and I think so could the .416 Ruger. The standard length action is a compelling reason to choose this cartridge over the .416 Rigby and .416 Rem. Mag.

More info at Hornady.

Ruger have announced some new products.

Black Slide Ruger SR9 Pistol

I like the look but prefer the stainless.

The recently launched Ruger SR9â„¢ pistol, the first striker-fired pistol from Ruger, is now available with a blackened stainless slide. The multi-step blackening process improves both the durability and corrosion resistance of the stainless steel slide by creating a surface hardness of 68Rc. The extra hard finish also reduces scratching and holster wear.

Super Redhawk in .480 Ruger

Ruger has finally sorted out the problems they were having with the Redhawk .480

The Ruger Super Redhawk revolver chambered in .480 Ruger, specifically designed with the big game sportsman in mind, is back. Production had been suspended early in 2007 to address a fired case extraction issue. After a complete analysis, it was determined that to provide easy and sure extraction, all .480 Ruger Super Redhawk Revolvers, including the easy-to carry Alaskan, will now feature 5-shot cylinders. Beginning in 2008, they will also feature a Hogue® Monogrip® for added comfort. The Target Grey® All-Weather® version adds a low glare matte finish preferred by hunters.

The .480 Ruger cartridge offers handgun hunting performance without the heavy recoil experienced by other big game calibers. This cartridge offers power without excessively heavy recoil using Hornady’s .475″ diameter, 325 grain XTP Magnum bullet. The .480 Ruger cartridge can produce a muzzle velocity of 1350 fps – nearly one-third more muzzle energy than the standard .44 Magnum cartridge, with substantially less recoil than the other big bore hunting handgun cartridges. This exciting cartridge developed by Hornady can be said to effectively “split the difference” between the powerful .44 Magnum and other super-powerful, heavier recoiling hunting cartridges.

M77 chambered in Ruger Compact Magnums

I could be wrong but I think this is the first rifle to be chambered in the new RCM cartridges.

The Ruger Compact Magnum cartridges, developed in conjunction with Hornady Manufacturing Co., are extreme cartridges for extreme hunting. Based on the beltless .375 Ruger, the .300 and .338 RCMs are engineered to offer .300 and .338 Win. Magnum performance in a more compact package. With their short actions and 20″ barrels, the M77 Ruger Compact Magnums are today’s “mountain rifles and brush guns.”

The new cartridges are chambered in the compact action Ruger M77 Hawkeye rifles with features that include the smooth and crisp Ruger LC6â„¢ trigger for improved out-of-the-box trigger pull, and a red rubber recoil pad that provides more effective recoil reduction. Other features of the Ruger M77 Hawkeye rifles appreciated by knowledgeable shooters are the Mauser-type controlled feeding and powerful claw extractor, 3-position safety, hammer forged steel barrels and free Ruger patented scope rings. The design of the patented steel floorplate, which bears the distinctive Ruger logo, provides easy unloading and eliminates accidental “dumping” of ammunition.

Two compact-action models of the Ruger M77 Hawkeye rifles chambered in the new Ruger Compact Magnums are available. The matte blued version features the M77 Hawkeye’s slimmer walnut stock with wrap-around cut checkering on the forearm and more rounded contours on the bottom of the stock and top of the pistol grips. The matte stainless version features a synthetic stock with a new recoil pad.

The new cartridges designed by Hornady Manufacturing provide unmatched ballistic performance in compact rifles, less felt recoil, longer barrel life, and superior performance at all temperatures. The .300 RCM is available in 150, 165 and 180-grain SST offerings. Each .300 RCM load exceeds comparative .300 Win. Magnum loads from a 20″ barrel. Muzzle velocities for the .300 RCM are 3,170 fps, 3,030 fps, and 2,900 fps, respectively – from a 20″ factory barrel. The .338 RCM is available in the newly developed 200 gr SST, and 225 gr SST offerings. Velocities for the .338 RCMs are 2,850 fps and 2,710 fps respectively, easily out performing the .338 Win. Magnum at equal barrel length.