Author Topic: Ruger Hawkeye Dumps Ammo....You too? (Read 2046 times)

melloman · « **on:** June 29, 2009, 10:46:36 AM »

I took a new Ruger Hawkeye Compact .308 to the range this morning. Two things went wrong. During the first eight shots the rifle floor plate opened and dumped the remaining cartridges three times. Has this happened to you? The number two is I had a large group at 100 yards on my first try. I shot it 7 times in 10 minutes. This was my second try and even though I had floated the barrel after the first try and I poured water down the barrel after every two shots the rifle still wanted to spray the shots around. Wish I would have been warned somehow because it's so bad I want to sell it already.

Dixie Dude · « **Reply #1 on:** June 29, 2009, 11:02:04 AM »

Never had a bad Ruger. Why pour water down the barrel? Wouldn't that cool it too fast and warp the barrel?

billy_56081 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 29, 2009, 11:08:06 AM »

Did you pour the water down the inside of the barrel?

How about you break in and clean the barrel every 10 shots for the first 100 shots.

mcwoodduck · « **Reply #3 on:** June 29, 2009, 11:09:57 AM »

Had problem #1 with my Ruger M77R in 308. It is an easy fix.
Open the mag plate take a large screw driver and losen the bolt that holds it in.
Pull the floor plate to the butt of the gun a little and retighten.
The problem is the little tip that pokes out of the floor plate is not locking into the grove on the trigger guard.
A couple minutes with a screw driver and it will be fixed. I had mine come back from the factory with a new stock and had the same problem.
as to group size. I can not say. i know mine does not like FMJ ammo but will do good things with any hunting bullet.
Mine also wears Open sights so when I stick rounds into a 4" group off hand at 100 yards I'm happy.

SDS-GEN · « **Reply #4 on:** June 30, 2009, 06:33:34 AM »

No problems with my Hawkeye.

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #5 on:** June 30, 2009, 07:07:14 AM »

Quote from: mcwoodduck on June 29, 2009, 11:09:57 AM

...
The problem is the little tip that pokes out of the floor plate is not locking into the grove on the trigger guard.
A couple minutes with a screw driver and it will be fixed.
...

Yup, I've put mine back together and had a problem, nothing a little adjustment won't take care of in a few seconds.

As to pouring water down the barrel, did you carefully dry the barrel after doing so? Residual moisture, like oil, will cause accuracy problems.

Also, if you didn't get the action snugged properly it can cause problems.

BBF · « **Reply #6 on:** June 30, 2009, 08:41:53 AM »

LOL !! a water cooled Ruger, sorry I just couldn't resist.

Tallwalker · « **Reply #7 on:** June 30, 2009, 09:52:42 AM »

Actually, your two problems could be related. If the front action screw was tightened down after the middle, or rear one the action might not be pulled tightly back against the recoil shoulder in the stock. That would also leave the floorplate slightly forward causing it to not latch up tightly. To check this make sure the gun is unloaded, and secure since the facory sometimes tightens the heck out of the middle action screw, why, I don't know?

Anyway, assemble the gun, and run the three screws in until they seat, but are not torqued. Snug the front screw down, tighten the rear one, and just snug the middle one. Now torque the front one really snug, and give that a try. The idea is to make sure the action is seated rearward, but not to bend the action by overtightening the front screw first. The 60 degree screw in the Rugers works really well but can tip the action forward if it is tightened too much first.

melloman · « **Reply #8 on:** June 30, 2009, 10:12:37 AM »

I poured water only on the outside of the barrel. After 2 shots the barrel was warm and the water took that warm away. I dried the barrel afterward each time. I will loosen up the screws and tighten the slanted screw in front first. Thanks for that. I was using FMJ ammo and this rifle may not like it, too. Thanks. I have a ton of FMJ and will depend on it to see me through if I run out of hunting ammo at some point so it is important to me that the rifle be more accurate with it. I was using a 5.5x scope and getting a 6 inch group.

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #9 on:** June 30, 2009, 10:42:55 AM »

Quote from: melloman on June 30, 2009, 10:12:37 AM

...I was using a 5.5x scope and getting a 6 inch group.

melloman -

I own a bunch of Rugers and have shot many more and have never seen one that would only group 6".

Are your scope mounting screws tight? Normally I would consider loose screws to be a likely cause but that's hard to mess up on a Ruger. Worth checking, though, top and bottom.

Dave in WV · « **Reply #10 on:** June 30, 2009, 03:04:57 PM »

Make sure the magazine well is seated properly. When it's not seated properly your accuracy and floorplate problem is common.

billy_56081 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 30, 2009, 03:15:18 PM »

Quote from: melloman on June 30, 2009, 10:12:37 AM

I poured water only on the outside of the barrel. After 2 shots the barrel was warm and the water took that warm away. I dried the barrel afterward each time. I will loosen up the screws and tighten the slanted screw in front first. Thanks for that. I was using FMJ ammo and this rifle may not like it, too. Thanks. I have a ton of FMJ and will depend on it to see me through if I run out of hunting ammo at some point so it is important to me that the rifle be more accurate with it. I was using a 5.5x scope and getting a 6 inch group.

Is this FMJ ammo you are using military surplus? If so, some is made for machine guns and dispersion is built in tby loading them to slightly different velocities.

Swampman · « **Reply #12 on:** June 30, 2009, 03:23:04 PM »

I've owned one factory new Ruger M77 in .30-06, and it grouped about 6" @ 100 yards. Don't bother with breaking in the barrel, it's a waste of time & money. I'm betting too much forend tip pressure.

billy_56081 · « **Reply #13 on:** June 30, 2009, 03:59:52 PM »

Quote from: Swampman on June 30, 2009, 03:23:04 PM

I've owned one factory new Ruger M77 in .30-06, and it grouped about 6" @ 100 yards. Don't bother with breaking in the barrel, it's a waste of time & money. I'm betting too much forend tip pressure.

Obviously someone can't read. "This was my second try and even though I had floated the barrel after the first try"

No reason to look at Swampman for any honest advice, if you read some of his posts you will agree with most here that he is full of wind.

Swampman · « **Reply #14 on:** June 30, 2009, 04:06:43 PM »

nomosendero · « **Reply #15 on:** June 30, 2009, 04:45:46 PM »

melloman · « **Reply #16 on:** June 30, 2009, 06:55:37 PM »

The ammo is South African military ball. With an FAL, I was shooting 1" groups with it. But every rifle has it's own likes and dislikes. This little Ruger hates it.
About breaking in a barrel. I don't do it. I shoot and then clean as I go along. If a given rifle/ammo combination shoots straight and true it will do so straight away. No break in needed. Some nitpicker back when invented barrel break in because he had too much free time on his hands.

Swampman · « **Reply #17 on:** June 30, 2009, 11:39:07 PM »

Yep! You might try some Remington Core-Lokts.

melloman · « **Reply #18 on:** July 01, 2009, 01:08:03 AM »

Looking closely I could see the floorplate latch wasn't closing over the end of the floor plate. So ammo dumped. I put a .022" shim behind the middle screw to fix it. This lifted the front of the trigger guard piece enough to allow the latch to close over the floor plate.

Daniel · « **Reply #19 on:** July 01, 2009, 05:12:30 AM »

I own a All Weather Hawkeye 7mm-08. It's been a real pleasure to shoot and is one of my favorite rifles. The bolt was a little stiff at first, but with use it has smoothed up considerably and I've had no issues with the floorplate. Nothing at all has been done to it so far and yet it averages sub 3/4 MOA groups with handloaded 120 BT's.

The trigger's a little heavy so I'd like to get that lightened up a bit, but I'm not sure I'll do anything else to it. With my luck it'd probably shoot worse.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #20 on:** July 01, 2009, 05:22:08 AM »

My HE shoots good , as for water on a bbl. i when shooting IMHSA we put a rag in ice water in a cooler and would drape it over the bbl between stages . never had a problem .

Daniel · « **Reply #21 on:** July 01, 2009, 05:43:32 AM »

I drape a wet rag (not ice water cold, just ambient temperature) over my barrels at the range. Never a problem and it really cools a barrel down fast.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #22 on:** July 01, 2009, 06:55:53 AM »

Putting water in a bbl. not sure as it won't compress . it would take a chain of events to be a problem but i would run a patch in behind the water .

melloman · « **Reply #23 on:** July 01, 2009, 09:20:23 AM »

I have read about folks shooting Glocks underwater. How would that be for water in the barrel? For me no water in the barrel. Just pointed barrel at the ground and poured water from a gallon jug down the barrel starting just forward of the receiver. Then dried it with a rag and swung the rifle in an arc to throw the last bit of water between the barrel and stock away. Very skinny barrels are great to carry but it's hard to wait 2 hours between small groups of shots.

Dixie Dude · « **Reply #24 on:** July 01, 2009, 10:22:32 AM »

I carry several rifles to the range at one time. Shoot a group from one, then another, then another. By that time, the range is cold and we change targets, then shoot another grouping of each. That way my barrels can cool natrually.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #25 on:** July 02, 2009, 01:17:43 AM »

With regard to glock under water , yhe bbl would be full to start . in the cace of only a small amount of water there would be a chance of water build up creating a space between the bullet and the water ( admited slim chance ) causing a blocked bore situation which is much different than the Glock with a bull bore . In the Golck case the water would be pushed out as it would be constant . In the blocked bore situation ther would be presure build up between the bullet and block causing anything from nothing ( slim chance ) to a ruptured bbl.

Zachary · « **Reply #26 on:** July 02, 2009, 08:44:54 AM »

I'm going to step in here once again as a Moderator. All I am going to say is I am reviewing this posts very carefully on a daily basis. I do not like seeing personal attacks, regardless of who started it. If any of you have issues with each other, then send a PM!

Zachary

Zachary · « **Reply #27 on:** July 02, 2009, 03:54:37 PM »

I too have heard tons of positive reviews about the Glock, especially from police officer friends of mine. They just swear by them, and that's an endorsement that I'm impressed with.

Zachary

Zachary · « **Reply #28 on:** July 03, 2009, 04:25:40 AM »

The subject of this topic in this forum is "Ruger Hawkeye Dumps Ammo....You too?" Please stick to the subject and not bad mouth police officers.

Zachary

EWY · « **Reply #29 on:** August 09, 2009, 01:24:54 PM »

Dave in WV
Can you explain seating the mag well properly? My Hawkeye has not shot as well as it did since I had it out of the stock. The "mag well" just doesn't seem quite right.
Thanks