Why no enthusiasm for Ruger MK11 actions

[Nevada Mike]

I like CRF rifles and I am a left side shooter, which limits my choices quite a bit. I have a Ruger Mrk II .30-'06, as well as rifles on Dakota 76, Win Model 70 and Granite Mountain SR M98 actions. I have found the Ruger (in factory form) feeds and operates just as well as the others.

 

[Ryan]

I own a left-handed M77 Hawkeye in 375 Ruger and have had zero issues with it. Flipped that safety off and on in a heartbeat while buffalo and plains game hunting last year without issue. I also used a rental Hawkeye in right-handed 300 WM in 2018. I wisely asked what rifle I'd be using as a rental and practiced with a friends RH Hawkeye to get used to the safety on the wrong side. When it was time for a shot it worked like a charm.

 

[Berettaco]

Putting together a Ruger 77 MKII for my nephew. Stripped and put an oil finish on it. Bedded, floated, rifle basix trigger, silvers pad. Threw a vortex viper and Warne mounts on it and shot it this morning. It was 14 degrees and windy but shot an acceptable group with factory Hornady 150 gr interlock. I’ll work up a 180 gr bullet load for it and he will be set for mule deer and elk. Although I have quite a few more expensive rifles I wouldn’t have any issue hunting with this - and I don’t mind the safety. But I’m all fairness if you do these things to about rifle they should shoot pretty good

 

[rdog]

I guarantee Ruger was made aware of (or already knew about before release) that hiding-in-plain-sight flaw almost immediately after release into the market. But big companies have an unshakeable and predictable aversion to admitting any error of judgement… short of a major lawsuit. They have a type of built in arrogance with some leaders living in a mutual admiration bubble within that culture. Hornady and certain Hornady bullet design failures come to mind. The woes of Remington (rip) likewise. I think Ruger is as arrogant as any of them and they likely view the crappy little unhandy safety lever issue as a mere nuisance to be ignored.

I worked for a company that sometimes displayed that" what would you know "attitude to some change that a just out of University engineer made & after finding it did not work as expected, was forced with an arrogant attitude to change it on the next model. to how it was before.

 

[sestoppelman]

I have had bummer guns from just about every maker, Ruger too. Once bought a used 77 that would not feed from the mag, at all. It was an out of production model so Ruger told me to take a hike, which I didnt appreciate, had to take it to a real Gunsmith for repair. Said the feed ramp was all messed up.
Thats probably my main beef with Ruger, great CS with current products, but bugger off if not. They dont employ gunsmiths anymore, they employ parts assemblers.
I once had a custom No.1 that had been rebarreled that needed a new butt stock as it was cracked. They would NOT touch it because it had a new barrel on it even though I was quite willing to pay for the work. I asked WTF does that have to do with the stock?
Nope, take a hike fella.
I will still buy Ruger stuff as I generally like it and find it to be quality stuff, my preference in rifles is for the early 77 tang safety models, even though they arent CRF, but who cares?

 

[Jeffrey]

The current production M77 is arguably the current standard bearer for a USA made hunting rifle. I’d rate the M77 just slightly below the SAKO 85 and Winchester Model 70 in terms of quality mass produced actions.

Like it used to be with the CZ 550, everyone takes them for granted. If Ruger quit making M77s, they would instantly be coveted.

 

[sestoppelman]

The current production M77 is arguably the current standard bearer for a USA made hunting rifle. I’d rate the M77 just slightly below the SAKO 85 and Winchester Model 70 in terms of quality mass produced actions.

Like it used to be with the CZ 550, everyone takes them for granted. If Ruger quit making M77s, they would instantly be coveted.

Had a recent make Hawkeye African in .300 Win mag. Worked great, slick feeder, crappy shooter, gone.....

 

[CoElkHunter]

The current production M77 is arguably the current standard bearer for a USA made hunting rifle. I’d rate the M77 just slightly below the SAKO 85 and Winchester Model 70 in terms of quality mass produced actions.

Like it used to be with the CZ 550, everyone takes them for granted. If Ruger quit making M77s, they would instantly be coveted.

I don't know, I certainly like my mid '90s Browning A Bolt, minus the magazine system? I would contemplate an X Bolt but Browning has gotten pretty proud of their price increases on those lately. I do know two Ruger M77 owners who love their rifles (.30-06 and .338WM).

 

[CoElkHunter]

No complaints at all on my old Ruger M 77 with tang safety. It is chambered in 338 Win Mag and is accurate and powerful. Over the years, it has been tuned by Magnaporting, glass bed action, recoil pad, Leupold scope, and trigger pull adjusted. Action is smooth and never a problem feeding factory ammo. Whats not to like?

"What's not to like?". The weight? Two of my hunting buddies use the Ruger M77. They both feel noticeably heavier than my Browning A Bolt. But, they really like their rifles.

 

[sestoppelman]

I don't know, I certainly like my mid '90s Browning A Bolt, minus the magazine system? I would contemplate an X Bolt but Browning has gotten pretty proud of their price increases on those lately. I do know two Ruger M77 owners who love their rifles (.30-06 and .338WM).

Aren't A Bolts made in Japan?

 

[CoElkHunter]

Aren't A Bolts made in Japan?

Yes they are, or at least mine is. I just checked. Probably the X Bolt too, but not sure?

 

[Doug3006]

My buddy Jeff and I bought Hawkeye Safaris in 416 Ruger for our first Buffalo hunt. We both had failures to feed the second round. The fired cartridge ejected fine but the bolt didn’t pick up the next round and closed on an empty chamber. Not a good thing for a a DG rifle to do. Two trips back to the factory and both rifles still failed to feed. Jeff and I met Ken Jorgensen at the DSC convention. He asked us to send them back addressed to him. A few days later he offered to swap them for Hawkeye Africans. They worked great and Jeff and I took our first Buffalos with them. Ruger stood behind their product, but I have always wondered about the design issues that plagued our Hawkeye Alaskans. I dont think the make them in 416 Ruger anymore.

 

[Nkawu]

I have always been grateful that Ruger caters to us lefties. My first and only new LH rifle was a Hawkeye 308 and without any modifications I get half MOA with my handloads.
It's lightweight, easy to carry, reliable, and kills Impala and warthogs every time. What's not to like.

 

[IRN-BRU]

Is the ruger mk2 bottom metal steel or a cheap alloy ?

The reason I ask is they are very cheap here and if its steel and could be rust blued it could be cheap to build a custom rifle on one.

 

[WAB]

Does anyone make an aftermarket wing for the safety to improve accessibility?

 

[CBeck]

Having just gone through feed issues with my new African, it’s obvious with just the others in this thread having similar issues, that Ruger sends a bunch of rifles out the door that won’t feed properly.

That’s just poor quality control.

 

[CBeck]

Is the ruger mk2 bottom metal steel or a cheap alloy ?

The reason I ask is they are very cheap here and if its steel and could be rust blued it could be cheap to build a custom rifle on one.

blue steel certainly on my African, on my stainless m77 it appears to be stainless bottom metal as well.

however, it Is 2 piece.

 

[Joker12]

Having just gone through feed issues with my new African, it’s obvious with just the others in this thread having similar issues, that Ruger sends a bunch of rifles out the door that won’t feed properly.

That’s just poor quality control.

That never would have happened while Bill Ruger was alive.

 

[Doug3006]

I wonder if the feeding issues have more to do with the cartridge than the action. I recall reading about the WSM cartridges having feeding problems. I have a 300 WSM that feeds OK but it’s certainly not as smooth as longer cartridges. I agree that it’s a quality issue that should have been sorted out before the Hawkey rifles were introduced. Certainly by now it should be fixed.

 

[Ragman]

I own a left-handed M77 Hawkeye in 375 Ruger and have had zero issues with it. Flipped that safety off and on in a heartbeat while buffalo and plains game hunting last year without issue. I also used a rental Hawkeye in right-handed 300 WM in 2018. I wisely asked what rifle I'd be using as a rental and practiced with a friends RH Hawkeye to get used to the safety on the wrong side. When it was time for a shot it worked like a charm.

I used that same .300 WM just prior to your hunt and really enjoyed it. None of my own rifles have that style of safety however I had no problem whatsoever operating it. Great gun. I must add though that the safety wasn’t on the wrong side, you were just shooting it backwards! Lol.