"REACHING OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS THROUGH OUR NETWORK OF OVER 350 WEB SITES"
Industry-Leading Innovation From Ruger
May 24 2007
| Written By - SCI first for hunters - 05/24/2007 | |
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Link to Original Article here |
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Milestones in the company\'s 58-year journey include a renowned line of single action revolvers, classic single shot Ruger No. 1 rifles, traditional over/under Red Label shotguns, the almost ethereal Gold Label® side-by-side shotgun, practical autoloading rifles and pistols in rimfire and centerfire calibers, durable double action revolvers and the workhorse M77® Mark II bolt action rifles. Along the way there have been a couple of cartridges with the company\'s name on them - the big bore .480 Ruger chambered in the Super Redhawk® revolvers and the small caliber, flat-shooting .204 Ruger rifle cartridge.
In 2007, a new cartridge and a new family of rifles bear the Ruger name: the .375 Ruger cartridge and the M77 Hawkeye® rifles. This new powerful cartridge, co-developed with Hornady Manufacturing, is produced in a standard action (.30-‘06 length) rifle and delivers performance from a 20\" barrel that equals the venerable .375 H&H from a magnum-length action with a 24\" barrel. \"We are extremely excited about this new co-development between Ruger and Hornady,\" said Sturm, Ruger President, Stephen L. Sanetti. \"The .375 Ruger cartridge has already been tested in Africa by both Ruger and Hornady staff with excellent results. The shorter-barreled ‘Alaskan\' rifle is the perfect gun where quick handling and hard-hitting cartridges are needed, while the ‘African\' rifle will provide the same performance in a classic hunter\'s rifle.\"
The M77 Hawkeye rifles are refinements of the popular Ruger M77 Mark II rifles, but have improved, new features, including the smooth and crisp Ruger LC6TM trigger for improved out-of-the box trigger pull and a new red rubber recoil pad that provides more effective recoil reduction. Key features of the Ruger M77 Mark II have been retained in the new M77 Hawkeye rifles, including Mauser-type controlled feeding and a powerful claw extractor, three-position safety, hammer forged steel barrels and free Ruger patented scope rings. The design of the patented steel floorplate, now bearing the distinctive Ruger logo, provides easy unloading and eliminates accidental \"dumping\" of ammunition.
Two models of the new Ruger M77 Hawkeye rifles are available. The standard version features a matte blue finish and a newly designed, 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 All-Weather® version features a stainless matte finish and synthetic stock with a new recoil pad.
The Ruger Hawkeye rifles in .375 Ruger contain all the features and benefits of the Hawkeye family in special configurations to meet the needs of hunters requiring big bore performance in unique environments. The M77 Hawkeye \"Alaskan\" is available with a 20-inch barrel in either an ion-bonded DiamondBlack™ or a Hawkeye Matte stainless finish in a Hogue® OverMolded™ synthetic stock. The weather beating finishes of the Alaskan rifle, when teamed with the unique characteristics of the Hogue stock, provide a combination designed to perform in the wet and cold weather conditions often found in the wilds of Alaska\'s outback.
The traditional looking M77 Hawkeye \"African\" features a 23-inch matte blued barrel and a walnut stock with all the features of the newly designed Hawkeye wood stock. A left-handed African model will be available in mid-2007.
The M77 Hawkeye rifles chambered in .375 Ruger feature a windage-adjustable shallow \"V\" notch rear sight, and large white bead front sight for instant sight alignment. All are delivered with Ruger\'s patented scope rings that install on the integral mounts that never shoot loose. The rifles also have new, more effective recoil pads and the great new light and crisp Ruger LC6™ triggers.
