Harry, in the above post I did not have a typo.......RAR stands for Ruger American Rifle, and I DO have one, purchased two weeks ago. My experience with it this past weekend is my initial summary. And I did forget one thing, as another poster has said, it ain't as ugly as the picture would lead you to believe.
As far as comparison to the Hawkeye, I can't personally say, as my other Ruger bolt rifle is an early make M77 tang safety version in 30-06. The RAR is lighter and balances better than the M77. The trigger is better on the RAR as is the recoil pad. I commented on the bolt not being as smooth but I do expect that to smooth up with time.