Why the Ruger M77 Hawkeye Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor?

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Ed Hale

This was a cartridge that could have been a kin to the .308 Winchester parent cartridge but wasn’t. Hornady produced this original cartridge in 2007 and has grown steadily ever since in both the target world and the hunting world. Just between the .243 and .270 there was room to create a cartridge who’s mild recoil is similar to the .243 Winchester but shoots bullets 100 grains to 140 grains from Prairie Dogs to Elk. The .243 is not an Elk cartridge and the .270 has not been a favorite of Bench Rest Target shooters for pure accuracy. In order to make this 6.5 special required making its own Cartridge which is a bit smaller and shorter than the .308 Winchester but unwittingly a great big game cartridge.

The Ruger M77 Hawkeye Predator does justice to this Cartridge in many ways. The laminate stock is as strong and precision cut as if made from a pure synthetic material. The stainless steel barrel that is hammer forged is the finest barrel for the price. And the Ruger controlled feed action ensures a very high degree of reliable feed. The trigger is a fully adjustable 2 stage target trigger and comes in the 2 pound class making it a fine long range target or predator rifle. It is recommended that adjustments are made by a qualified gunsmith.

The 6.5 Creedmoor round is said to be great on barrel life so for those who shoot large quantities of ammo are in for a treat. Go to my first article far below to begin reading this in the correct sequence.

Reloading 6.5 Creedmoor Cartridge – Initial Observations

Posted on May 23, 2015 by Ed Hale

The first thing I discovered is that new Brass for the Creedmoor does not appear to be abundant. In fact I found Hornady brass to be the one of the only available new brass in stock. Nosler Brass was out of stock. If you have read my previous articles on the 6.5 Creedmoor you will see that the Hornady brass is soft, thus making it difficult to reload. Lots of case prep to bevel the inside of the case neck without creating a sharp flair edge is difficult indeed. Pressing on with the only new brass in town, I have succeeded in reloading it more than twice. The brass is stiffer as it becomes harder with use and better for pressing the bullet into the neck.

Of great interest should be Cartridge Overall Length (COL) ; The Max SAAMI Over All Cartridge Length is specified as 2.825.

I am shooting 120 grain Sierra Pro-Hunter heads as I am a hunter first and a target shooter second. I originally set the COL for this head with case at 2.53 inches and later discovered that I could push the head out as far as a COL of 2.70 and still have enough of the bullet seated. Groups of the 2.53 COL show excellent results as groups are 1 inch or less. Yesterday I shot several rounds set at a COL of 2.70 and the result deteriorated with fliers in the 2 inch group area. One would think that groups would improve as the bullet is closer to the rifling. Not so in this case, perhaps because the case had very little of the bullet in it. I perceive that the 120 grain is still a small bullet for the 6.5 and that heavier and larger bullets will make better use of the max COL.

Bullets are readily available from most all manufacturers, key bullets like the Nosler AccuBond are available as are several Berger Hunting Bullets, et al. The reloader must experiment with COL to see what works best and provides best groups.

On powders, my only experience is with Hodgdon Hornady Superformance at this time and I like it very much because it is a smaller kernel and meters well with less variation than larger kernels. Nosler folks suggest powders such as Varget, W760, IMR 4007 SSC, Big Game, H4350, RL17 and Hunter.among others.

Since the Creedmoor Cartridge is new, older reloading manuals do not have it. Nosler does provide load data at http://www.nosler.com/nosler-load-data/65-creedmoor/ and SAAMI specifications. Hornady has the 6.5 listed at http://www.hornady.com/store/6.5-Creedmoor but no data for reloading. Check out the scrapbook of game animals taken. It includes a record Gemsbok. © 2015

Ruger M77 Hawkeye Predator 6.5 Creedmoor & Product Tests – Day One

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Ed Hale

Ruger® M77® Hawkeye® Predator 6.5 Creedmoor & Product Tests – Day One

Day One – I did not waste a moment when I picked up this rifle from my FFL friends at State Line Guns Ammo and Archery in Plaistow today. Yes, I am like a big kid in a candy store when it comes to new rifles and scopes and I am sure most all of your rifleman out there are just the same. Upon receiving the rifle, I inspected it and all was as it should be visually a beautiful rifle with the laminate stock. I mounted the brand new Leupold VX-6 3 -18 x 44mm CDS Scope to test too.(Above Photo by Author). The combination looks stunning! Future Testing includes the use of Hornady Brass, CCI Primers, Hodgdon Hornady Superformance Powder and Sierra bullets a combination that I believe will work supremely well.

I inspected the bore but it was a dull shine so I swabbed the bore with Butches bore bright. It is a good idea to clean the bore of a new rifle so you have a pristine starting point. Test shots are taken at the factory as was very likely in this case.

(Photo by Author)

The swab on the right was a first pass. Finding this, I ran a brush just once and then swabbed again with the patch to the left. I ran more till the bore was clean. Having owned several Ruger’s, I placed the bolt in the rifle and it worked smoothly. I did read the manual to see if there was anything new and found there were video’s which could be viewed on line for use and dis-assembly plus the lock they provide for safety and a pair of 20mm Ruger scope rings. Luckily I had a pair of 30mm rings for the Leupold VX-6 to attach to the Ruger scope platform.

I used a Wheeler Fat Wrench to torque the mounting and scope ring screws. (Photo by Author)

Next is to load the new Hornady cartridge cases, I could not get any Nosler cases as they were out of stock but the Hornady Cases look terrific. (Photo below by Author)

The brass necks and shoulder have been annealed (softened) for reloading. Now off to the reloading bench. I have found that the necks of this new brass need to be really hand chamfered quite a bit on the inside edge so that the flat base bullet does not distress the case neck angle. I ruined a few cases and bullet heads in the learning process but all is well. It took some time and trial and error to determine the cartridge length to the rifling inside the barrel (approx.2.53 to 2.6 inches by my reckoning seems a good COL for the 120 grain bullet based on later tests). Once known you should seat the bullet a bit deeper, so as not to contact the rifling. Good reloading manuals will help with this distance away from the lands and it varies from bullet to bullet and brand to brand. I used CCI 200 large rifle primers.

My research indicates that Hodgdon Hornady Superformance Powder is one of the best powders for my Sierra 120 grain Pro Hunter bullet for the 6.5 Creedmoor. Also Alliant’s Reloader 17 has been cited for excellence with the Creedmoor too.

Inspection of several fired rounds indicate that I am good to load up some ammo for another day. The recoil was pleasingly mild and the trigger seemed perfect. I will measure the trigger pull next with an electronic trigger pull gage along with other attributes.

I loaded less than a recommended load by a grain and a half, shot the round and examined the primer and cartridge. All looked normal so I shot the recommended load and it looked normal as well. Great! Now to load up some rounds for bullet speed by chronograph and accuracy with the new scope for this load and bullet. End of Day One. Much more to come… © 2015

A Box of Gold – The Leupold VX-6

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Ed Hale

This is a rifleman’s “Box of Gold.” Inside this box is a device known to rifle hunters World Wide. It contains a Leupold Gold Ring Scope arguably one of the finest rifle scopes on planet earth with its Quantum Optical System. NH Rifleman will test it!

Leupold VX-6 3-18x50

This scope is in 3 -18x44mm CDS riflescope with an Illuminated Boone and Crockett Reticle. (Photo from Leupold.) CDS stands for Custom Dial System and a dial can be created free that will be for your best bullet and with a twist dial your yardage. More later.

Above is the Boone and Crockett reticle (image from Leupold) and power selector values for cartridges (more on that later). Also visible is the 10 mph shift posts we will use in testing

The Box of Gold also contains an instruction guide, Scope caps and a neoprene cover are the other gems included. When I was a kid, most hunters that had a scope shot 3 power or 4 power fixed. Then the industry produced a 3-9 power that was affordable, and filled the tube with nitrogen, an inert gas to prevent internal fogging. Today, Leupold uses second generation waterproofing exclusively using a blend of Argon/Krypton gas. Now with supreme engineering and optical know-how Leupold offers hunter the power of close hunting at say 30 yards with the 3x all the way to 600 yards up to 18x. A new way to sing “You Got The Power”, a scope that is best of both short and long-range hunting and target shooting. In the coming months we will talk again and again of our experience with this world-class scope on the Ruger and Savage rifles. In my testing will include the internal twin bias erector system that can handle most any caliber in the field or in the African bush. Look for more on this scope soon!

.270 Winchester vs 7mm Remington Magnum – December 2017 update

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Ed Hale

I wrote this article 5 years ago. since then a 7mm Rem with 168 g Nosler ABLR’s exit my Browning X Bolt 26 inch barrel of mine at 3005 fps. The .270 can’t do that. That’s why the 7mm shines for Moose at long range. Bigger bullets!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.270_Winchester

The .270 Winchester Cartridge is based on the 30-06 as its parent cartridge case.

Wikipedia image :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7mm_Remington_Magnum

The 7mm Remington Magnum is based on the .375 H&H magnum case.

First things first, on closer inspection we find that the 7mm bullet is really a 7.2 mm bullet making it .284 inches in diameter. The .270 isn’t really .270 inches in diameter either, it is .277 inches in diameter. The difference in diameter is a mere .007 inches. So given that minor difference what is the real difference? First and foremost the 7mm was designed to shoot not only heavier bullets but at the .270 150 grain weights which shoot at 2800 fps, the 7mm shoots them at 2900 fps gaining 100 fps on average. A gain yes but really not significant, at least to me. If you are trying to maximize the range and wring out all possible down range energy and distance at say 400 to 500 yards, the 7mm has a slight edge. If you are going to stay in the 300 yard range, the 7 mm only gains 25 yards over the .270 in a calculation of max point blank range. Are you going to quibble over 25 yards? Where the 7mm earnes its paycheck is at 160 to 175 grains exiting the barrel at 2900 fps and 2800 fps respectively and for game that are elk size at 450 yards with 1500 ft-lbs or 155 yards for Moose with the 175 grain bullet delivering 2500 ft-lbs. The .270 is at its best at 130 to 150 grain bullets killing Elk with 130 grain bullets out to 360 yards, deer at 505 yards say some sources. The 140 grain 7mm bullet kills deer out to 575 yards a gain of delivered energy and only picked up 70 yards.

All that said, powder being increasingly expensive, if you want it all, every lick of distance, and have money to burn, the 7mm wins but by very little except for 160 and 175 grains where the 7mm has an edge for bigger game like Moose and better sectional density. But if you were going to hunt larger game regularly, the 7mm is not the caliber of choice. A .300 Winchester Magnum is better with a bullet selection that goes from 140 grains to 200 grains and more versatile or the .338 Winchester magnum where the 200 grain .338 delivers 3800 ft-lbs at the muzzle at 2955 fps. Now we are talking about how to handle recoil in a serious way too. In my case I skipped the lesser 30 caliber and went for the .338 Win Mag in Africa and later to the .375 Ruger. Currently my 2 gun battery is the ~~.243 Winchester~~ 6.5 Creedmoor or .270 Win (not in my gun cabinet today) and the .375 Ruger and both wear Pachmayr Decelerator pads that cut felt recoil in half. Making both guns easy to shoot.

If you have the “money to play” then own them all. If you are strictly a deer hunter then the .270 is the most widely used, and most effective besides its parent the 30-06 cartridge. Reloading brass from the 30-06 to .270 is easy and very cost effective and cases are everywhere. For Moose its max range is 150 yards and deer with 130 grain spitzers at 500 yards with 3000 ft/sec at the muzzle. From a practical cost effective application deer hunting standpoint the .270 is the winner between them. From a versatility standpoint and wider application the 7mm wins too. It is all about what you hunt and the max ranges you encounter. When I hunted Africa (see my book in the magazine header) I took the .270 and a .338 Win. Mag and hand-loaded them with Nosler Partitions® resulting in one shot kills and shooting no farther than 250 yards.

I have fallen for the 6.5 Creedmoor in 2017 to partner with the 375 Ruger which took a bison at 100 or so yards. The .270 and 6.5 Creedmoor are nearly identical and either will work superbly for their intended quarry as Winchester game classification as CXP3 rifles. Below is a bison I took with the .375 Ruger and 260 grain Nosler AccuBonds traveling over 2600 fps. The AccuBond entered at the last rib on the right and angled forward through heart and lungs and exited the far left shoulder breaking bone.

A new Remington 783 Rifle with a Leupold Scope for Christmas?

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Ed Hale

I would consider the Remington 783 based on this excellent “American Rifleman” article below the picture. It is cost-effective, works well and is accurate. Similar in mass manufacture to the Ruger American, a rifle for a hunter who want a hunters rifle and not break the bank. Retail is around $400 or so. I would add a Leupold Scope, see below.

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire/model-783/model-783.aspx

Model 783

http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/remington-783-review

Spec’s from Remington.com web site

Caliber	Average Weight (lbs.)	Barrel Length (in.)	Overall Length (in.)	Twist	Status	Note	Order #
243 Win	7.375	22″	41.625″	9.125″	Current		85832
270 Win.	7.2	22″	42 5/8″	10″	Current		85834
30-06 Springfield	7.2	22″	42 5/8″	10″	Current		85836
308 Win	7	22″	42 1/8″	10″	Current		85837
7mm Remington Mag	7.3	24″	44 5/8″	9 1/4″	Current		85838
300 Win Mag	7.375	24″	44.625″	10″	New		85839
243 Win	7.125	20″	38.625″	9.125″	New	COMP	85850
308 Win	7.125	20″	38.625″	10″	New	COMP	85851

(LEFT) Left Hand   (COMP) Compact   (SPEC) Special Run   (TAC) Tactical   (DISC) Discontinued

I would recommend a Leupold Scope for this rifle. A VX-1, VX-2 or VX-3 is the ticket.

http://leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes

From the Leupold Web site:

VX-1 Riflescopes

There’s much to tell about our new VX®-1, but here’s how the story ends: No other scope in its class comes even close the the quality, performance, and value of VX-1. With our revolutionary Quantum Optical System, with lead-free glass and Multicoat 4 lens coatings, the result is up to 92% total light transmission, and a sight picture that is incredibly bright, clear and razor sharp. Better have one atop your favorite rifle.

VX-2 Riflescopes

The VX®-2 is one of our most popular lines of riflescopes, for reasons that become clear to anyone who picks one up. It’s packed full of useful features, including precise ¼-MOA finger click adjustments; the Quantum Optical System with Index Matched™ lens coatings for exceptional image brightness and clarity; externally threaded fast-focus eyepiece; tactile power indicator; and for the first time, the option of our Custom Dial System™ in select models. The VX®-2 is built to meet the demands of today’s serious hunters and shooters.

VX-3 Riflescopes

We pushed everything to the limit to make the VX®-3 at home on your favorite rifle, whether you are hunting whitetail from a treestand, or stalking sheep in rugged terrain. We’ve loaded the VX-3 with optical technology: Xtended Twilight Lens System, DiamondCoat 2 lens coating, blackened lens edges, second generation waterproofing, twin bias spring erector system, and cryogenically treated adjustments. It’s all there to help you make the shots of a lifetime.

The Quigley Tradition Lives Today – Quigley 2014

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Ed Hale

Most all shooters of rifles have heard of Matthew Quigley made famous by Tom Selleck in the Movie “Quigley – Down Under.” An American Hero of Mine. Wanna go to a Quigley Shoot? Better yet shoot in one. You can!

You can purchase a sharps from http://www.shilohrifle.com/rifles.php The Actual Quigley Rifle is an 1874 Sharps Buffalo Rifle made for Quigley. Yes it is a very expensive rifle. Maybe I will buy one when I get the money up someday. Got to love that double set trigger and 34 inch barrel not to mention the aperture sight.

Military Buttstock
Patch Box
No Cheek rest
No Pistol Grip
Standard Grade Wood ONLY
34″ Heavy Octagon Barrel
45/70 or 45-110 Caliber
Pewter Tip
Hartford Collar
Double Set Triggers
Semi Buckhorn Rear Sight
#109A Aperture Card
Midrange Vernier Tang Sight
#111 Globe Aperture Front Sight
Antique or Std Color Finish (specify)
2 or 3 Gold Inlay Initials in Gold Oval

Course you can get Engraving Too. Wait till I wipe the drool from my chin…Can you say magnificent!

Quigley was all American born and raised. Like you and me and Tom Selleck. He is today what John Wayne was to my generation.

A Quigley Tradition Lives Today – Quigley 2014

http://www.quigleymatch.com/

The Matthew Quigley Buffalo Rifle Match for 2014 will be held on 14 and 15 June, 2014. The information flyer will be out by the end of January and will be emailed or physically mailed to all shooters in our database.

Tom Selleck attends the Shoot every year and authorizes the shoot and signs your award.

HOW BOUT THEM APPLES!

Three Bolt Action Deer Hunting Rifles so hot and accurate yet cost effective

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Ed Hale

Ruger, Thompson Center and Remington are trusted names in the Rifle Industry.

Wow Padnah! These rifles are so hot they Sizzle. All less than 500 bucks and in most cases guaranteed MOA or less accurate. If you are looking for more bang for your buck (pun intended) then look at these three synthetic stock rifles that I think will serve you well as a deer, black bear and Moose rifles with the right caliber for the game you are after. If you like wood stocks then the price will increase. I have listed the websites so you can check’em out then find your local retailer to handle them.

Ruger American around $350 retail. I tested the 243 Winchester Cartridge and shot 90 grain Nosler’s at 3/4 inch at 100 yards out of the box. http://www.ruger.com/products/americanRifle/models.html

TC Venture http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/ Nice looking fast handling. Shop around for less than $500 (below)

Remington 783 http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire/model-783/model-783.aspx

Shop around for $450 or less. Engineered for accuracy. Add shows a 3/4 inch 100 yd group. Below.

Check them out at your local Retailer!

Ruger American .243 Winchester with 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip Varmint Ammo

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Ed Hale

I recently took a walk scouting deer sign with a friend in very hot New England weather, about 90 degrees in the sun to be sure. I carried my Ruger American .243 in case a coyote stuck its nose out.

Nope nothing happening! However I wanted to see the real drop rate of the bullet I was shooting, a 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip Varmint. http://www.nosler.com/ballistic-tip-varmint I chronographed the bullet speed at 3500 fps so I knew it was cookin’ along for speed. These, I had hand loaded.

I spotted a log end that was 16 inches in diameter at 234 yards according to my laser rangefinder. I pinned a target on it and steadied the shot with a Harris bi-pod. My face was dripping with sweat, and salt in my eyes so all was not perfect for the shooter. With the trigger pull adjusted to three pounds the Ruger American trigger was crisp and fired with a resounding crack but little recoil. I put a second one in and fired. Off we went to see where the bullets hit.

One 55 grain Nosler was 2.75 inches from dead center high at 12 o’clock. The other shot, my first, was 1.2 inches high and right 4 inches at 3 o’clock. On a Coyote? Lights out! The bullets peak in trajectory at 2.75 inches high at 150 yards and 3 inches low at 315 yards. Thus my max point-blank range MPBR for that setup is 315 yards and delivers 750 ft-lbs at that range. Enough to flatten a coyote from zero to 315 yards without changing my point of aim.

A note on the wind: At 10 mph a crosswind will blow that bullet 5 to 6 inches off course at 234 yards. At 300 yard it would have been 8.5 inches off. There was little wind to bother my shot that day.

Those Nosler Ballistic Tips for Varmint are deadly! That was one dead log for sure.

Marlin Bear Medicine 1895 GBL – 45-70

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Ed Hale

Bear Populations in NH have been edging ever higher at an estimated 5100 animals according to the forecast here. http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/bear_forecast.htm

A great bear rifle is not overly long and handles well for a follow up shot. I prefer large wound channels and deep penetrating heavy large diameter bullets. That puts lever actions and standard action bolt rifles in the front seat. The new Marlin Lever actions 1895 GBL in 45-70 is one of those. See the Spec’s below. or go to http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/bigbore/1895GBL.asp and check-em out

A 45-70 with a 300 grain flat nose bullet comes out of the barrel at around 2000 fps in this rifle. Plenty of whump and penetration momentum with 2665 ft-lbs at the muzzle. With a 6 shot magazine you have a storehouse of energy and its overall length is only 37 inches (basically as long as a yardstick plus 1 inch. Wow! Talk about fast handling. This rifle is great for Moose and Deer too. Check this out at your local retailer.

June 2026

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