I am looking at purchasing a new rifle in the next couple of months and have narrowed the search down to either the Ruger Hawkeye or the "new" M 70 most likely in the .30-06.

Question is pricing. I see some Hawkeyes advertised on the net around $500-$550 and the M70's are selling for $750-$800. Even tough I would like an M70 but the price difference is enough for a decent quality scope. The free scope rings make the Ruger look even more attractive.

I am leaning towards the Ruger purely based on the economy. Am I making the right decision? Am I giving up anything going with the Ruger like accuracy or functionality?

Appreciate your feedback.

The ruger will be a workhorse. That said, I would buy the winchester. The wood will most likely be better and the resale value will be too as long as you keep it nice.

With the Ruger you get a one piece bolt. Were I shopping that would tip it for me. $0.02

Ruger all the way ... I doudt the wood on the M70 is much better if at all .. The Hawkeye stocks are very comfortable .... The Ruger is tougher . and I haven,t seen any Winchesters that are more accurate than the Rugers ... New off the shelf rifles that is .... Id,e get a 264 Win Mag. tho .. You,de have a better rifle ....

both the win and ruger are well made and will serve you well, so get what you want. as you stated, one can get a hawkeye and a decent scope for the same money as one can buy just the win. rifle. for a man who is just a hunter, wants a rifle that is sufficiently accurate and can easily take anything hunting throws at it, the ruger is hard to beat.

the new FNH/ USA Model 70 would be my choice if not looking at price.

Not that a new Hawkeye wouldn't be nice to have,
but if you want accuracy per dollar consistently look at Savage or Howa or Vangard, particularly in a 30-06.

M70 for me, but I am a bonafide M70 junkie. I think the Ruger's are great rifles, but I am just an M70 fan and I would squeeze the extra $200 to buy the Winchester.

Hawkeye or the old New Haven, CT M70 Classic.

Winchester without a doubt. The new ones are really nice. Never let money get in the way when hunting or fishing!!

My 2 cents says Mod. 70 all the way. In the dim,dark past, I had accuracy problems with my Rugers and have since sworn off on them. Couldn't for the life of me get the Ruger .270 Win. to consistantly group as good as I wanted regardless of what I did. True, it was good enough for most hunting but just not good enough for me. Maybe Ruger has improved over the years - I dunno about that. I do know that my pre-64 .270 Win. will consistantly put 3 into an inch or less with 150 gr. Partitions.
Personally, even tho the Mod. 70 is a much newer version than mine, I'd have every bit of confidence in its level of performance. Just my opinion tho but I've been using a .270 Win. here in Alaska for 40+ years with great success but what do I know? Bear in Fairbanks

For me, Mod. 70. Just personal preference. My buddy bought a new Stainless Hawkeye in 338. We took it to the range, put a new scope on it and sighted it in with Fed. 210 Partition loads. Ended up with 2 sub. inch groups 2" high. !/2 box of ammo, no bedding nothing. Hard to beat. If no personal pref. go Ruger.

Hello,
I am biased toward Rugers, have several of them, and Ruger is one of if not the most financially stable of all sporting arms mfg.'s
in America. The Hawkeye in whatever caliber is trimmed down and smooth to handle and is what a hunting rifle should feel like. The guns are super tough, well fitted and include scope rings to boot. Excellent value for the dollar spent.

You should be able to get a new M-70 featherweight in .30-06 for about $600

see here

Retail is about $800 and if you shop a tad it'll be yours for about $600 or maybe a bit more.

The M-70 IMO is a far better option than wrooooogger

Tough call but the M70 would be my choice if money wasn't an issue. A few months after you buy it what you paid won't matter. Keep that in mind.

Terry

After seeing and experience the failures that Winchester has made, I would never go back to one. If a company cannot even drill the scope mount holes on the top of an action straight, how can they do any better on the working parts of a gun? I had a classic 70 and the holes were so crooked, I could not use Talley bases, and had to use Leupold type bases with windage adjustment to get the bullet to hit plywood at 100 yards. That is pathetic.

There is not a single firearm in the Ruger lineup that I wouldn't own, and there isn't one at all in the Win. lineup that I would own.

As much as I love Model 70 Winchesters, I would buy the Ruger. It will not let you down.

the ruger hawkeye is their model77 updated.
it's more like a pre 64 win then the win is.
i had the money and the two in hand.
bought the ruger.
don't even regret it for a second.
i have a pre 64 win.it don't even sit in the gunsafe.

I absolutely HATE the new matte finishes Ruger is putting on the new Hawkeyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved the older gloss bluing and the smooth stainless Ruger used to put on their MK/IIs, but I HATE the new Hawkeye finishes with a passion.

Buy the WINCHESTER 70.

Thank you for the insight my friends.

Vapo,

I looked everywhere for a Win M70 for $600 but the best I could find was $725 and the gun was not in stock. Both Ruger and M 70 have the same MSRP but I guess the supply and demand is favoring the Winchester right now.

If there is not much difference in functionality between the two, I guess the Ruger represents great value with rings and money to spare for a scope.

I'll second what lead poison said. The finish on the hawkeye is horrific. They scratch up just taking them out of the box. I much prefer the non bead blasted look. The new finish does reduce glare better but it doesn't hold up.

M70!

"The Hawkeye in whatever caliber is trimmed down and smooth to handle and is what a hunting rifle should feel like."

MFD,

That's what a hunting rifle should feel like to you. To me it should feel like a Sauer, Sako, or M70.

"I looked everywhere for a Win M70 for $600 but the best I could find was $725 and the gun was not in stock. Both Ruger and M 70 have the same MSRP but I guess the supply and demand is favoring the Winchester right now."

If it's a supply and demand thing, than that should answer your question. Looks like more folks buying the M70. Lou