Ruger's new Guide Gun (VIDEO)

Ruger’s still working hard at designing and producing new guns, and the Guide Gun is a prime example of it. This big-bore bolt gun is geared for outdoor enthusiasts and is chambered for some seriously hard-hitting cartridges.

The Guide Gun is compact, with every model sporting a 20-inch stainless steel barrel and a short Green Mountain laminate stock.  The stock accepts inserts to adjust the length of pull for shooters of all sizes as well as to accommodate heavy cold-weather clothing. It’s made to be dragged through the field, regardless of where that field happens to be.

Based on the M77 Hawkeye, the Guide Gun comes with Ruger’s creep-free (if a little heavy) LC6 trigger. It comes with a removable radial muzzle brake to help with the recoil. If you don’t want to or can’t use the muzzle brake, it comes with a muzzle weight that maintains the rifles point of impact as if the brake were attached. And it has a three-position safety so you can load and unload the rifle without taking the safety off.

Like the Hawkeye, it has a stout hammer-forged barrel that’s equipped with a band for slings. The forend also has a sling stud for different sling preferences or for use with a bipod.

Although the Guide Gun has integral scope mounts and comes with rings, it’s also got Express-type iron sights popular with big game rifles. The front sight is beaded and the rear sight is adjustable. It weighs about 8 pounds, a little more depending on the cartridge, and has an overall length of 41.5 inches before adding stock inserts.

The Guide Gun will be available in seven models and six calibers, including .300 and .338 Ruger Compact Magnum, .375 Ruger, .300 and .338 Winchester Magnum and .30-06 Springfield. The .375 Ruger model comes in right- and left-handed versions. Ruger’s cartridges, particularly the Compact Magnums, are designed to work well from shorter rifles, and are a natural fit for the Guide Gun.

All models of Guide Gun have a three-round capacity save the .30-06, which can hold four.

The Guide Gun is also competitively-priced with an MSRP of $1,200, and we expect real-world prices to be $1,000 or less.

For more details, check out the Guide Gun product page, and for all things Ruger head over to their Facebook page.