statjunk

I was at Bass Pro this weekend looking at all of the rifles. I really liked the Ruger Mark II Sporter. It has a synthetic barrel and a wood stock. I like the three position safety like a Winchester and the machining is real nice.

Are there any issues that I should be aware of? Trigger? Is it a shooter?

I noticed that the barrel and the stock ride very tight. Is this something to be considered? Am I going to have to have the barrel floated?

Any info would be appreciated because this is the last rifle that I will be buying for a while and I don't want to make a mistake.

I would like to get it in a 300wsm.

I looked at the Tikka T3 and I didn't like it. I also looked at the savage and I liked the price but I didn't like the finish. I liked the Winchester but I already have one and would like to give someone else a shot.

Opinions would be great.

Thanks
Tom

statjunk

Also are the rings that come with Ruger any good? How do you feel about the integraded base on the reciever?

Thanks

Tom

oldelkhunter

WIth Ruger 77's the only thing that has to be adjusted is the trigger. The gun should be a pretty good shooter. I will say that it would not be my first choice for a 300 wsm in that price range especially with a 22" barrel. I would rather go with a Weatherby Vanguard since it has a 24" barrel. The price on a stainless Vanguard should be pretty close to that of a Ruger STd blued/walnut or SS synthetic rifle. The Ruger integrated rings are pretty darn strong if not the strongest out there..they will have to be lapped though since they tend to be rough and will leave a mark on the scope tube.

Virginia7

Tom,

Need to clarify a couple things. First off, the Ruger MkII Sporter comes with stainless steel barrel/action, and a laminated wood stock. Unless they've made something not in their current catalog, nor on their website, they don't chamber it in 300WSM, but do make it in 300Win.Mag., and the barrel length is 24". Following are specs from the Ruger website:

Caliber: .300 Win Mag
Capacity: 3 Rounds
Finish: Stainless
Stock / Grip: Brown Laminate
Barrel Length: 24"
Groove: 6
Twist: 1:10" RH
Overall Length: 44 3/4"
Weight: 8 1/4 lbs
California Approved: N/A
Massachusetts Approved: N/A
Front Sight(s): None
Rear Sight(s): None
Other Features: Three-Position Manual Safety
Suggested Retail Price: $ 773.00
Miscellaneous: N/A

The stock Ruger trigger will generally require some work by a gunsmith to lighten it up some, or can be replaced with a Timney trigger, etc. However, I have found a few on the shelves at my local dealer who's triggers were useable out of the box - not good, but useable. The integrated system for attaching scope rings on the Ruger is one of the best, and of course, saves you money as you don't have to go out and buy rings and bases. I don't know about "lapping" the rings, I never have, and I've had no problem with mounting scopes on the Ruger rifles I've had.
Is it a shooter? Will you have to have the barrel floated? No way to answer these for sure. Every rifle is different. Most Rugers I've had have been good shooters.
I like some Remingtons, Winchesters, Sako, etc., but for my money, if I had to limit myself to only one rifle [] I'd take a Ruger first.

oldelkhunter

But they do make it in SS and Walnut/Blue but with a 22" barrel.

statjunk

Whoops sorry on the typo. Nope I want the Win Mag not the short. Does that change anything?

I am going to go look up the Weatherby Vangard right now. They didn't have any at Bass Pro.

Keep the info coming.

Thanks

Tom

Virginia7

Yes, but the orig. post cited the Ruger MkII Sporter;
Now, assuming he doesn't know what model he was looking at, but just wants a 300WSM, then yes, Ruger does make that chambering in several models:
Ruger MkII All-Weather - stainless steel with synthetic stock, 22" barrel.
Ruger MkII Frontier - blued with back laminate stock, 16-1/2" barrel.
Ruger MkII Standard - blued with walnut stock, 22" barrel.

oldelkhunter

It would be available in all three models discussed. Walmart handles Vanguards as do a lot of gunshops.

statjunk

I just checked the Weatherby website and it seems to be a real nice rifle. The price is very good too.

Oldelk, I noticed that they did a rifle comparison on thier website but they didn't choose the Ruger M77 Mark II. Would you be able to provide me with a breakdown where the Weatherby outdoes the Ruger primary parts only. Start with the extractor because I know the mauser that Ruger uses is considered one of the best and the Weatherby uses what they call an M16 style extractor. Is that similar to an AR-15 extractor or are they different?

Thanks
Tom

BTW - I am considering the Ruger Mark II Sporter and the Weatherby Vanguard Sporter SS in 300 Win Mag.

oldelkhunter

Main design difference is one is a CRF and the other is a PF.

Lets compare SS rifles:

Vanguard/Howa 1500 action is patterned off earlier Sako rifles. It has a very robust extractor similar well to a M16 extractor. The reciever and bolt are forged steel. Bolt is one piece as well. Bolt is field strippable with no tools needed. Trigger is similiar to that of a Remington 700 except it doesn't have an overtravel feature. the SS version is made of 410 steel which is a better grade of SS then 416 which the ruger is made of. Krieger barrels charge more for machining barrels out of this alloy compared to 416..that tells me it is more difficult to machine ie harder. One piece floorplate assembly is combination of aluminumn housing and a steel floorplate. This is a very rugged rifle and I think better designed then most Push feed rifles out there.


Ruger is completely investment cast out of 416 SS . Bolt is one piece as well not field strippable unless you carry around a nail with you. The triggerguard and floorplate are 2 piece design. The trigger is nonadjustable from factory you will have to polish sear and trigger surfaces for it to have any semblance of a decent pull. The safety is too small and requires to much movement from safe to fire. Compare it with a Model 70 and then tell me. I think they could finish the action a little better since the only polished part seems to be the top of the reciever and the bolt body..everywhere else they are a bit rough IMHO. Still they are very dependable guns and have a good scope mounting system built in.

In a nutshell if you want a quality CRF rifle look at a Commercial Mauser or Model 70 action. If you want a really good PF action you would have to spend double that of a vanguard to get any measurable difference. I have owned both guns in both CM and SS and they both shot very well. If I had to choose it would be the VAnguard easily over the Ruger.