Range Report 30-06 Hawkeye

[bullet]

Initial range report on Ruger M77 Hawkeye 30-06. I only used one powder, one type of brass (Nosler), one primer 210 Fed, today and four different 165gr bullets (Sierra HPBT, Ballistic Tip, AccuBond, and GS HV Custom).

My work today was very limited in that I used H4350. The best group and velocity of standard bullets was Sierra HPBT with a .807" group at 2907fps.

GS gave better velocities but was not as accurate.

Also, I only fired one three shot group with the above bullets using 59grs H4350. This is just where I am starting knowing the 06 so well and have owned three Rugers in 30-06.

I believe there is a lot of potential with this Hawkeye because all the different bullets were under 1 3/4". Here are some better pictures of the rifle and also the chrony and Seirra HPBT target.

Velocity and spread

 

[JDMAG]

nice lookin gun Bullet, and looks like your on the right track. I know YOU will get it where you want it.
JDMAG

 

[DrMike]

Things are looking positive, Mike.

 

[bullet]

Yes it is a beautiful rifle and if I can keep it under an inch with a specific load for hunting I could not ask any more of it considering it is just an out of the box rifle. I sure do like this Hawkeye and the 358Win Hawkeye I have. No fuss, no bother just pull it out of the box throw in a few loads and it is already preforming acceptable for a hunting rifle.

 

[GB300wm]

Bullet, my rifles always shot better after 50-60 rounds or so and a couple of cleanings. So from that, I think that the best is yet to come and what I'm seeing now is you have a real shooter. That's a very good group from a brand new rifle, a good looking one at that. :grin:

 

[FOTIS]

Heck of a good start!

 

[bullet]

Going back next Monday a week from today due to rainy weather and thunder storms through Saturday.

I will be trying compressed charges of H4831sc and RL-22 behind a 165gr bullet.

Also IMR4350 and H4350 behind a 165gr bullet.

From the way the rifle is shooting I feel the best is yet to come.

 

[old #7]

Going back next Monday a week from today due to rainy weather and thunder storms through Saturday.

I will be trying compressed charges of H4831sc and RL-22 behind a 165gr bullet.

Also IMR4350 and H4350 behind a 165gr bullet.

From the way the rifle is shooting I feel the best is yet to come.

Looks like you have time for a glass bed job.
It could shrink your very nice group into a wall hanger :grin:

 

[bullet]

Going back next Monday a week from today due to rainy weather and thunder storms through Saturday.

I will be trying compressed charges of H4831sc and RL-22 behind a 165gr bullet.

Also IMR4350 and H4350 behind a 165gr bullet.

From the way the rifle is shooting I feel the best is yet to come.

Looks like you have time for a glass bed job.
It could shrink your very nice group into a wall hanger :grin:

You might be right, but I want to see what it will do stock before I would consider anything. If I can keep a load some where between 3/4" and 1/4" without doing anything I will leave it like it is. I have the feeling that I will be able to develop a load that will meet my above mention requirement.

 

[old #7]

Going back next Monday a week from today due to rainy weather and thunder storms through Saturday.

I will be trying compressed charges of H4831sc and RL-22 behind a 165gr bullet.

Also IMR4350 and H4350 behind a 165gr bullet.

From the way the rifle is shooting I feel the best is yet to come.

Looks like you have time for a glass bed job.
It could shrink your very nice group into a wall hanger :grin:

You might be right, but I want to see what it will do stock before I would consider anything. If I can keep a load some where between 3/4" and 1/4" without doing anything I will leave it like it is. I have the feeling that I will be able to develop a load that will meet my above mention requirement.

Well,
Your groups are showing definate promise. I would go the same route.
My m77 in 7mag tighened up real nice after a bed job.

 

[JD338]

bullet,

You are almost there. Nice rifle.

JD338

 

[bullet]

Thanks, I have got some cool loads for tomorrow if I get up early and I am at the range and set up by 7:00am I will have a few hours of a window before the rain and wind set in.

Barrel is clean, loads ready and so am I ready. We will see how on I am or off I am with the loads and seating depth. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[bullet]

Today was a good day in sorting through my different loads and the rifle is consistent. My groups were and inch or under and velocities were good.

57grs of IMR4350, 62grs of RL-22 and 57grs of H4350 were good loads.

I blew two groups by rushing the third shot and new I did but I will be back at the range to try them again. I also did not let the third round cool down like the first two. My second mistake!!!

The first target was 57grs IMR4350 165gr Sierra and the second target was 62grs of RL-22, these are the two targets I blew the third shot on. Now I have shot long enough and years enough to know it was me and not the rifle. The third target is 57gr H4350.

I am out of H4350 and IMR4350 but have some coming so it will be in April before I can finish my work but it is encouraging considering that this rifle is just an out of the box Ruger. Now I will admit that it takes all my skill at reloading and my complete concentration while shooting to get close to some of the other custom and tuned rifles I have owned. I can't slack any at the bench like I did today.

Three shot group IMR4350 first two same hole and I blew the third one, 2849fps

Three shot group RL-22 first two touching and I blew the third one here also, 2780fps

Three shot group H4350, 2734fps

 

[bullet]

WOW!!! I made a third mistake, you are not going to believe this one. When I mounted my scope I tighten the base screws by hand and then just slightly with my screw driver and was going to really tighten them down once I got the scope on and leveled and bore sighted my rifle. Well I forgot to. I just took off my scope cover that Leupold sends with their scope so I could clean my rifle and I heard the scope move and felt it also. It was barely there. I wondered why my loads with Ballistic tips really opened up. I thought my barrel needed cleaning so I stopped shooting. WOW!!!! I am amazed that the rounds fired today even stayed on paper much less did ok.

Now I can't wait to get back to the range and the weather has moved in now. I have not made a mistake like that in a long time. :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[russ808]

Bullet, good thing it was at the range and not while out hunting.

 

[FOTIS]

No doubt! That might explain the 2 and 1 groups!

 

[bullet]

Well, I am all loaded up again, and will try all loads over and added a few new ones. Will be the first of next week if I can't find a break in this weather that has moved in. I found 8 pounds of IMR4350 and two pounds of H4350 and I got all of them. They were in one pound bottles but I got them for 17.00 a bottle. Good thing, in duplicating my loads that I fired today I was able to load only one IMR4350 load and one H4350 load and it is all gone. Did some RL-22 loads and added a few new ones using RL-22.

 

[bullet]

Only getting the IMR4350, my friend did not give the correct info on the H4350 but I have two of those coming from Alabama this coming Monday.

 

[bullet]

POP, you surely might be right about the 2 and then 1 group problem. Before yesterday I would have agreed that things were looking good. I have made mistakes before but this one is hard for me to take with the years and hours at the bench and considering how much components are in tight supply.

I usually go through my check list in my mind and what makes this so bad is that I told myself just before I was fixing to put my rifle up after mounting my scope that I needed to tighten the base screws and then I forgot. I really did not want to have to shoot all those loads over again.

I will shoot Monday but will have to wait till Tuesday or Wed of next week to finish some of the loads I started because I will not have H4350 until Monday evening. Ask me if I am going to check my rifle out throughly before I shoot again???

 

[FOTIS]

It has happened to me before also.