I have no self discipline... Ruger 77 in 260 Remington

[Stump Buster]

   I just picked up a Ruger 77 MkII Hawkeye FTW Hunter in 260 Remington today on gunbroker for less than half of MSRP. I told myself I needed a low recoiling something or other that fits between my 22WMR, 223Rem and my 358Win, 416Ruger for calling in Montana and future Antelope hunts in Wyoming. Apparently I'm pretty convincing because I'll be sending payment tomorrow and I've already ordered bullets, brass and dies. Hopefully the trigger is good to go out of the box.

  Thinking a 100gr Barnes TTSX's stuffed over some 2000-MR ought to do the trick for anything between 1-300yds without having to think too much (which is a good thing for my simple mind).

   We'll see if I can get some loads developed before I leave for the predator hunt in November. If I can get the loads dialed in, I may get a chance to warm it up on some Song Dogs in October. (But first, I have to make up for a miss I made at less than 25yds with my 625 Classic last January. I swear there's a coyote out there that has a clean 45cal hole in one of it's ears.)


Oh... aaaaaand, speaking of no self discipline... I have a holster on the way for a pistol I haven't even purchased yet (Sig P365). 



I'm guessing I'm in good company around these parts though.

[coldtriggerfinger]

I think the FTWs are sweet looking rifles ! . I want one in 6.5 Creedmoor And 375 Ruger.
Just to augment the M77 Hawkeye SS I have in 6.5 Creed and Guide Gun in 375. ;-)
Ya, maybe I got it too !
I had ammo , dies and bullets for the Creed . 2 years before I ever got the rifle.

[coldtriggerfinger]

The LC6 trigger is usually OK and is very easy to improve. I used a cut off wheel on my Dremil tool and snipped about 1 coil off the spring. On my 6.5 Creedmoor. It now has about a 28 oz trigger which works great. What optic are u going to put on the 260 ?

[dougader]

I don't get the clamor for all things 6.5 CM, like it's magic or something.

Congrats on a nice rifle in a great caliber.

[squigz]

I'm an M77 junkie, but I really only like the older tang safety models. The FTW Hunter, I would pick up without a second guess if it was in a caliber I wanted.

The 260 is a great caliber, I have one currently in a Remington 700 Mountain Rifle that I shoot 120gr Nosler BT's out of and it's lights out for whitetails.

[coldtriggerfinger]

The 6.5 Creedmoor is an amazing cart. It just has everything balanced out just right. One of my most favorite carts.

[Stump Buster]

Aug 29, 2018 1:46:36 GMT -5 coldtriggerfinger said:

The LC6 trigger is usually OK and is very easy to improve. I used a cut off wheel on my Dremil tool and snipped about 1 coil off the spring. On my 6.5 Creedmoor. It now has about a 28 oz trigger which works great. What optic are u going to put on the 260 ?

Thanks for the trigger tuning tip!

I loathe scope hunting as all I want is a simple wide reticle, closed low turrets, quality glass and good eye relief. That combo of features are nigh impossible to find these days. Most everything seems to be aimed at the tactical market with multiple range/wind reference marks that make it look like a paragraph of operating instructions have been written in fine print on the glass itself. I miss Leupold's early CPC reticle (the latest one I received from the custom shop has crosshairs almost as fine as tradition wire hairs which make them hard to pick up quickly).

With that said, since I can't seem to find the above scope, I have narrowed the initial 20 or so I bookmarked to the following two...

Leupold VX-R Patrol 3-9x40 (The reticle is currently the closest thing to Leupold's Wide Duplex and the hash marks aren't too overwhelming)

and the

Burris XTR II Scope 1.5-8x28mm w/ Gen 3 Reticle (Saw the first version at SHOT a couple years ago and really liked the dual focal plane feature... still do)

As I mentioned, I plan to use the scope as a 0-300yd point and shoot predator/antelope size critter gitter. Most of my coyotes are taken within 25-50yds, so the red horseshoe and low power of the Burris is attractive for close in and quick acquisition work. The ability to dial it up to 8x should give me PLENTY of magnification for the dogs and goats that hold up out there at 250-300ish yds.. I don't necessarily like my scopes to have batteries, but these two have the features I like the most and I can use them both battery free if I want. The Burris is also heavier and would require me to buy Leupold 34mm Rings because Ruger doesn't make rings that large.

I'd be sold on the Leupold right now if it had low profile/closed turrets. Set 'em and forget 'em.


Still looking for more options before I commit, so if any of you have any suggestions for me to look at, I'll be happy to take a peek.

Thanks Again,

Mike

[coldtriggerfinger]

My favorite reticle is the SWFA1-4×24 SS Classic.
It is mil based and sided , and has an intelligent rangeing system above the center DOT and diamond.
I really like center DOT reticles.
Some might think a flat shooting 6.5 cal rifle needs a humongous scope. Like you I prefer lower powered ones.
I got my Creed because at the time Ruger didn't make a 260 with a 1 in 8" twist. Now they do.
Mine is my winter rifle. Solids for predators, expanding bullets for caribou.
Can poke a 6.5 mm hole thru a Fox's ribs without blowing off the far side. And with expanding bullets , it just dumps caribou.
If you ever do come up to go caribou hunting , your 260 is just the perfect rifle!

[jfs]

The 260 is a good cartridge. Have a Remington model 7 MS that shoots 140gr Core-locks perfectly and what a easy shooting rifle....

[coldtriggerfinger]

That is the thing that people miss with the medium velocity 6.5s . 6.5 Swede, 260 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5×47 Lapua . They are SOOOO easy to shoot well. And they kill as well as they are easy to shoot.
I prefer the 6.5 Creedmoor, because that is what I have.
Mine is a hunting rifle that is Very accurate. But, it's nice and compact, very easy to have with me . The next one I plan on getting is a Gunsight Scout rifle in 6.5 Cm. Then the M77 Mk2 Varmint/Target model.
Since I'm already set up for the cart I'll always have

[Stump Buster]

Found the scope that has 90% of the features I was looking for. Going to go with the Burris 2-10x42 Veracity with the E1 FFP Reticle.

Closed turrets, low power range for majority of my hunting, heavier CPC type crosshairs with a wide opening, no batteries, first focal plane, good eye relief and MOA adjustments. Only took my 3 days to find it, but I think this will fit the bill perfectly.

[Stump Buster]

Aaaaargh, The scope arrived about 10 minutes ago and I was excited to open it. Unfortunately, I get to try out Burris' No Questions Asked Forever Warranty already. The power ring adjustment has about 1/'8" of sluggish play before it catches and adjusts power setting. Of course it arrived Friday afternoon, so I have to wait until Monday to call them and work out the return/replacement details. Oh well, I've been playing this game with Ruger for years and hopefully Burris' customer service is as awesome as Ruger's CS department (although I wish I didn't have any experience with either). I swear I'm not picky, I've just been lucky I guess with the lemon lotto's and Monday guns.

On a positive note, the glass is FANTASTIC and the reticle is going to work out perfect for what I'll be using it for. Hopefully the replacement gets back here before the gun gets paroled out of CA Gun Jail.

[coldtriggerfinger]

Ohh boy 😱😣.
I hate it when that happens !!