Ruger warranty test procedure

[godofthunder]

My father bought a Ruger Hawkeye FTW in 375 Ruger for an upcoming hunt in Africa. We put a Razor HD LH 2-10 on it for glass. It shot like holy hell straight out of the box, and after about 50 rounds down range and no change in accuracy (shot 6 MOA at best) he sent it back to Ruger to have them check it out. They sent it back about a month later, with notes that said the following:

"REPAIRED BOLT, POLISHED CHAMBER, FEED RAMP, RAILS, REPAIRED WOOD FIT."

They returned it with a target that shows it shot a 3/4" group at 50 yards with Hornady 300gr DGS - same ammo we shot. (Target looks like it was scanned in and then printed off - the actual target was not returned.)

He shot it this evening only to find out it still shot horribly - 6 MOA or so at 100 yards. Double check scope rings, mounts, etc and that all check out. He check to see if the barrel is free floating and it is not.

Does anyone know if Ruger does their accuracy testing with only the barreled action in a vise/jig of some sort, or do that do it with the stock on? The only thing I can come up with is that the barrel not being free floated is making it shoot horrible and they tested it without the stock on.

 

[BurnOut]

Did you send in the optic with it? Is there ANY chance that the scope its self isn't holding zero?

 

[godofthunder]

Did you send in the optic with it? Is there ANY chance that the scope its self isn't holding zero?

We did not send it in with the scope. Before it was sent it in, I pulled the scope off my CTR and we tried that with the same results. We're planning on tossing another scope on before free floating the barrel, just haven't had time yet. I am just trying to figure out why their test would show a 3/4" 3 shot group at 50 yards, while we can't even get a 3" group at that distance. The only variable - aside from the scope - that I see being different is if they shot it with no stock on.

When we have been shooting it has been from a lead sled on a bench.

 

[Hawk in WY]

My experience with heavy recoiling rifles is some like to free recoil straight back and others like to be held down. The now classic left fist under the rear of the stock from the bench allows the forend to rise before the bullet has left the barrel. Try holding onto the fore end to control recoil.

Just a thought.

Good luck.

 

[jbuck88]

Check the mounting system as well bases, rings and scope. I'm not that familiar with Rugers or if all have the integral bases on the receiver or not.

Also so how are you shooting: Lead sled? Bags? Bipod?

 

[MtnCreek]

I'd play with stock torque before free floating. I'd suspect the problem may be recoil, not the rifle. JMHO.

 

[BurnOut]

We did not send it in with the scope. Before it was sent it in, I pulled the scope off my CTR and we tried that with the same results. We're planning on tossing another scope on before free floating the barrel, just haven't had time yet. I am just trying to figure out why their test would show a 3/4" 3 shot group at 50 yards, while we can't even get a 3" group at that distance. The only variable - aside from the scope - that I see being different is if they shot it with no stock on.

When we have been shooting it has been from a lead sled on a bench.

Man, I don't know... I suppose that it's possible that there's something with the ammo, too, but that's a tough call. Free floating the barrel shouldn't be too difficult, though getting the stain to match would be tough... you may want to consider going with a complimentary color (or even just clear coat) there instead of trying to match it.

 

[godofthunder]

Talked to Ruger today, and they said they have someone actually shoot the rifle off of sandbags.

To answer some of your questions:
- The bases are integral.
- The rings were checked.
- We tried a second scope that is in known perfect working condition with the same results.
- All of the shooting has been done using a lead sled.
- Action screws were checked and torqued to Rugers recommend specs.

We can try holding on the front end when shooting to keep the muzzle from rising and see if that is what the issue is.

 

[godofthunder]

This is what we got back from Ruger.

This is shooting it yesterday. The three shots being pointed at are one group, and the other three are a separate group.

 

[spife7980]

Take it out of the lead sled, put it in some solid sand bags and keep the forend held down a tad. Big booming cartridges in a light stock need to be controlled a bit more. Get a good slip on recoil pad for this testing as well.

 

[jbuck88]

Take it out of the lead sled, put it in some solid sand bags and keep the forend held down a tad. Big booming cartridges in a light stock need to be controlled a bit more. Get a good slip on recoil pad for this testing as well.

Try this and see what happens

 

[SubOptimal]

The horizontal dispersion really looks more or less OK, vertical dispersion sucks.

1. I suspect either shooter issues or that stupid lead sled.
2. Go to sandbags and work on shooter, a big boomer will emphasize bad habits.
3. Maybe consider getting a coach.
4. Did I say I hate the Lead Sled? I have never gotten repeatable results with one of those things and further, when I threw it away, I had to sight in my rifle all over again. It is now my cleaning stand.

 

[fdkay]

lead sleds are NOT conducive to accuracy

 

[SubOptimal]

lead sleds are NOT conducive to accuracy

The absolute antithesis of proper shooting technique. I finally found a second use for mine. Add a long string to the thing, double up on hearing protection and use it to test a round you found laying out in the parking lot near the range.

 

[Clearlight]

Find a badass shooter at your local that runs big game cals and
shoots them well . Get them to shoot a group for you , if they get the
same result as you , maybe talk to Ruger again . Get someone to
borescope the barrel too .
EDIT and get a Limbsaver or similar too . Boat paddle stocks shit me .

 

[godofthunder]

When I am back I'll shoot it off of sand bags. Not a fan of lead sleds either, that's just what my dad likes to use for some reason. I'm fully capable of shooting large caliber guns accurately - shot great groups with a 45-70 - and this actually has a great recoil pad on it already. If I can get it to shoot off of sand bags and keeping the front end under control I'll see if I can find someone to borescope the barrel.

 

[Bakwa]

I had a Ruger No.1 300WM (lightweight) years ago that I couldn't shoot worth a darn as well. Like you, I was good with my 45-70 so I thought that it couldn't be me. I ended up selling the 300WM.
After a significant amount of shooting/training/learning, I found that there are definitely nuances to shooting sharper recoiling rifles. I can now shoot my fathers (also very lightweight) boat paddle Ruger 300WM into 3/4"-1" at 100yds using 3-shots pretty consistently, and now I wish that I never sold that No. 1.

I'm not saying it's you. Just giving my experiences.

 

[godofthunder]

To update anyone interested - we took it along when we were out deer hunting and shot it when we had some free time. We were prone and used a bipod, holding the front end down. The results were definitely better but still not acceptable - about 2 MOA. We're going to keep shooting and see if we can get better.

 

[FishDr]

Take it out of the lead sled, put it in some solid sand bags and keep the forend held down a tad. Big booming cartridges in a light stock need to be controlled a bit more. Get a good slip on recoil pad for this testing as well.

This is good advice. Keep working on form, esp holding that front end solid. I learned that for big boomers when I lived in a state that required shotgun and slugs only for deer hunting. Shooting a few accurate groups with a 3" magnum slug pointed out errors in form, and emphasized need for a great amount of (consistent) forend pressure.
Good luck with the journey!

 

[ruebarb]

To update anyone interested - we took it along when we were out deer hunting and shot it when we had some free time. We were prone and used a bipod, holding the front end down. The results were definitely better but still not acceptable - about 2 MOA. We're going to keep shooting and see if we can get better.

Old thread, but I have the same rifle, with accruacy nodes around H4350 80.5 & 82.5 (Hornady SP 270gr) , factory COL, the best groups I can get are 2 MOA. I'm going to try playing with the COl next, bench rest shooting this rifle is Brutal!!! I feel like i'm in taekwondo again. I've shot over 800rds of 338 Lapua, I could shoot that all day compared to this rifle.

 

[ruebarb]

So I've tried a bunch of COLs, i only had one group that possibly could be a lead that was less than 2 MOA. The factory col with 82.5 gr H4350 with the hornady 270gr SP has produced 1.25- just under 2 MOA. This appears to be the best this rifle can shoot with that powder and bullet. There are some better bullet choices for accuracy, but I don't see them worth the cost for this rifle.

 

[mmv74]

It's a late response, but it may be of help. I have a Ruger Hawkeye in 375 Ruger (see www.375ruger.com, that's exactly the rifle). I initially used Bushnell Banner 1.75-4 shotgun scope that went bad... if it didn't work fine initially I would have thought it was the rifle. I then installed Bushnell 6500 Elite (1.25 - 8x) and never had the problem again. 375 Ruger recoil will destroy all but the best of scopes.

I used Caldwell lead-sled and this did not change POI for me compared to shooting from sand bags, but it sure did spare my shoulder from being punished.

Now I considered buying FTW in either 300 WinMag or 7mm RemMag, and that's how I found this thread... looking for reviews of FTW.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

To get the benefit of added mass without having to use the quirky lead Sled, take a good hefty sandbag and place it between the rifle butt and your shoulder. That way, the recoil has to work against the added sandbag's mass before it gets to you.

Watch the shooter's aiming eye from the side while they're shooting. All shooters will blink, but there's a world of difference between having the blink happen before or after the boom.

If the blink happens after the boom, all is OK.

If it happens before the boom, the shooter is flinching, and all bets are off about accuracy.

Big boomers are notorious creators of the flinch. I can't handle big boomers, and I just about always come away from shooting them with a flinch. Once one has a flinch, they're Hell to get rid of. Holding the butt firmly into the shoulder is a must with that kind of recoil. Ride 'em, Cowboy! Letting it free recoil is akin to letting the train get up to full speed before the wreck.

Also, be sure to use good hearing protection, the noise alone can cause the flinch. When I fired the M82 in Quantico, I was cautioned to use both plugs and muffs. BTW, the M82 has such excellent recoil attenuation, I would compare it to a 12ga. But the noise can result in permanent hearing loss.

The biggest boomer I own is a .30-06, no sense in inviting the flinch to dinner.

Greg