Impressions
I’ve always had a soft spot for the old M77. It feels like many of my best early hunting experiences seemed to have a Ruger in them. They may not have the glass-smooth bolt throw of more expensive rifles, but they function flawlessly and firmly. The fit and finish of this rifle matched everything I expected, so I eagerly prepped the gun to get it on the range.
To the Range
I had mounted a scope to the Hawkeye, not exactly the scope this rifle deserves, but it would do for my testing purposes. Mounting the scope touches on one of the few things I don’t love about the M77. The built-in scope bases and the factory-supplied rings from Ruger are considered by many to be convenient. I thought the same many years ago. I have since come to dislike them somewhat. Personally, not having the ability to swap rings and/or optics around in a pinch is quite irritating.
With my rifle and ammo in hand, I went to the shooting bench and got started. I zeroed the rifle in a few shots, and then I figured I’d shoot a few patterns to see which ammo the rifle preferred. I was shooting what I had available, which was some Hornady 155- and 168-grain match and some Desert Tech 175-grain match. The 155- and 175-grain ammo shot well enough for the purposes of the average deer hunter. It could do even better with a little refinement.
SNAG A HAWKEYE FOR YOUR NEXT HUNT
I took the M77 Hawkeye into the mountains for a hike – after all, it is a deer rifle. The lightweight little Ruger was a pleasant carry when compared to the rifles that are 10 pounds or heavier that I am used to carrying. Its modest size made it very easy to maneuver and quickly get on target.
I stretched the gun out a little bit shooting the Hornady 155-grain match ammunition and was happy to see that there were few things within a reasonable distance that I couldn’t hit. Making hits on 10-inch targets inside 400 yards was easy enough. The claw extractor in the Ruger provides outstanding extraction, which is a must-have in a hunting rifle, and the 4-round magazine allows for plenty of follow-up shots should you need them.
The 155-grain Hornady ammunition seemed like a perfect match for this rifle, and it shot very well. I would happily take this combination on a deer or elk hunt here in the Rockies.