Ruger Hawkeye 256 Win Mag

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nekvermont

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Hi, I was making my daily visit to Vt. Armslist and saw this listed. Seems to be a new vender. I'm not a revolver guy and don't know anything about Hawkeyes but found it interesting and thought I would share it in case someone else would like to see it. 256 Win Mag. Maybe someone could explain to me how this firearm works, is it a revolver? Looks different. $3000 seems like a lot, is it?

https://www.armslist.com/posts/13660149/vermont-handguns-for-sale--ruger-hawkeye
 

hittman

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I recently sold a low 4 digit 99% example for $3,000.00. Easy sale too. Now, mine came with 200 rounds of ammo which in todays world is 1) near impossible to find and 2) VERY expensive.

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Chief 101

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I passed on this model when they were new, but today I would really have a good use for one, if not prices as they are...
 
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Had them in our shop back in the old days , they were selling for like $86.50 and were a hard sell, in our area the T/C was the king of the single shots.........I still kept one, got from our 'passed' friend Don W., the old goat...yes he was one of Wil Terrys shooting buddies too..........Don knew my wife and I had some number #31 guns and he got the #31 Hawkeye for me, bless his little heart....may he and Wil T. rest in Peace...
yes, they are fun to shoot, gotta be careful you do not punch holes in and through, the stuff your shooting at...... 8) :roll: :wink:
 

contender

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When I saw my first Hawkeye in about 1974,, I was impressed. I shot it,,and it was the first scoped handgun I'd ever seen AND getting to shoot it was FUN! I was hooked. I said; "I want to get one of these guns someday."
If I had only known,,,!
It became my albatross,, taking me 35 years to get one, (Thanks Mike for the first one!) and now,, I own 5 of them,, AND did a display of them at the OGCA ROCS show this past July.
I'll see if I can't get my favorite picture up again. Here it is;

 

contender

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That picture was taken out west,, in sixshot's neighborhood! Several of us went out there to visit & burn powder,, kill some ground squirrels, & enjoy some mighty fine eating!

And I think I may have been wearing sandals,, as there were a lot of cow pies around,,,,!
 

sjs

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Not that I need one to own a gun, but is there a practical use for such a revolver: big power and single shot?
 

Johnnu2

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Contender, that's gotta be the coolest picture I've ever seen.....

Did Sixshot take that one (he's always got his camera with him :) ?
 

gunzo

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SJS,
Varmint hunting with a handgun was the purpose. The top of the barrel came drilled & tapped for a scope mount from the factory.
Remington came out with the XP100 the same year.
Both chasing S&W it appears. They had come out with the model 53, a revolver chambered in 22 Jet, a 357 necked down to .224 in 1961.

A flat shooting handgun cartridge was the idea of the 256. A 357 mag case necked down to 25 cal. And, likely the same principle as S&W but bigger just to outdo them.
 

gunzo

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Johnnu2 & Contender,

The first time I fired my new to me Hawkeye I saw the fire ring. Not as complete or distinct as shown in the photo, but I saw it. I did look over the fired case to be sure all was well before firing again.

I tried to explain the experience here, thinking in the Ruger Collecting section. I received multiple warnings about checking my ammo, something might be wrong, etc. I appreciated the concern but felt all was OK.
So, you can imagine how relieved I was that all was normal with the gun & I wasn't seeing things when the photo was posted. :D
 
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hittman said:

Hittman (or anybody else)-

What cartridge is this, in the photo?

It doesn't appear to have the botttleneck of the .256 Win Mag, to me(?).

Could it be the .30 Carbine round, or the .357 Max?

Looks like a Hawkeye pistol, but it has the Dragoon-style grip frame…

Could it be a custom creation, or maybe a prototype?
(Maybe I need to read these books I keep accumulating!)

Always curious to learn more! :mrgreen:
 

hittman

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I stole the picture years ago from Flatgate. Always wondered myself what cartridge that is cause it sure don't look like a 256.
 

contender

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sjs,,, the Hawkeye handgun was built around the idea of serious varmint hunting. It's a mild shooting,, accurate handgun.

The picture was an accidental capture by another member of our group,, not sixshot. It's a favorite pic of mine as well.

Ruger built some experimental Hawkeyes.. and a few folks built customs. But the factory offering was the .256 Win. This picture is not a production caliber.
 

Walter Rego

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I have a Ruger Hawkeye in .256 Magnum and also a Smith & Wesson Model 53 in .22 Remington Centerfire Magnum, the official name for the .22 Jet cartridge. Privi Partisan (PPI) makes ammo for the .22 Jet but ammo for the .256 Winchester Magnum is pretty much a handloading proposition these days. Both rounds are flamethrowers.
 
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