Looking at a number of pics of the stock and action Ruger is using for its 35 Whelen, it appears it's the same equipment they've used on the Lipsey's edition Ruger Hawkeye African in the 9.3mm Mauser that I own. After a couple of trips across the pond with it, I've gathered my likes and my could-be-better notes.
Likes:
This is the first off-the-rack factory CRF action that passed my set of feeding and extracting tests using a full magazine without hiccup. I simply could not get a failure using my mix of softs and solids at slow-and-extra-quiet speed, at regular speed, and at holy-crap!-fast-as-I-can-work-the-action speed. Quite impressive.
I love the forend on that stock. The shape and checkering fits my hand perfectly.
Could be better department:
- stock grip:
I would prefer a more open grip. In fact, the grip causes my trigger hand to move forward such that the trigger finger is past the trigger guard, rather than placed right at the trigger. I was having to arch my trigger finger just a bit to get a consistent straight-back trigger pull. I worked around this by keeping the stock recoil spacer, but swapping out the factory recoil pad, for a 1/2 inch recoil pad. That lengthened the pull just enough to keep my trigger finger in just the right default position.
- stock comb height:
The stock has been cut for optics, but it's not cut high enough for me as one who uses a hard cheek weld. Throwing the rifle up and shouldering it, my eye was consistently just a skoosh below the crosshair intersection inside the 20mm tube. I corrected this by adding a thick leather cheek pad from Diamond D Leather. Now when I bring the rifle up fast and with a hard cheek weld, I can open my eye and the crosshair is perfectly aligned with my eye without any tiny head adjustments.
- barrel
The rifle as a whole, and the barrel in particular is a consistent and accurate shooter (I've yet to come across a 9.3mm Mauser that wasn't). But holy smokes, the barrel is a copper fouling machine! Even after more than 500 rounds down the tube (yes, I keep round counts) it continues to foul like crazy. I feed it A-Frames, North Fork Spitzers, and Woodleigh Hydros. As I've said, it's a shooter, so I'm not going to do anything about that.
As I read back what I've just written it may sound to some like it's a problem rifle. It isn't. In fact, it's a great rifle! I'm quite impressed what Ruger has put together for us hunters.
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