Ruger Hawkeye 256 Win Mag

[nekvermont]

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]

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.

 

[Chief 101]

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...

 

[rugerguy]

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:

 

[Danjet500]

I remember back in the 70s a LGS had seven of them for sale. Could not move them. In hindsight I should have bought them all!

 

[contender]

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;

 

[nekvermont]

Thanks for the info and pictures. I never knew such a critter existed.

 

[JPGLSG1234]

Contender did you have your shoes on when you had that monster spitting fire rings.

 

[Chief 101]

It looks like that pic was taken out West...

 

[contender]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

[Uncle Howie]

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]

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

 

[sjs]

Thanks Gunzo, sure is pretty.

 

[NikA]

Looks like that picture might be from the series in this thread: https://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=222712

 

[contender]

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]

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.

 

[contender]

Walter,, you are correct. Handloading is the only way to get shootable ammo nowadays for a Hawkeye. Actual factory ammo is quite expensive,, (collectable,) so many of us who do shoot our Hawks,, make our own.
Some folks have been able to use normal dies to form cases from 357 Mag brass,, but more often,, you destroy about as much as you get good brass. A set of case forming dies are the best route. I was able to score a set of Corbin forming dies several years ago,, for a measly $50. Works like a charm!
Another thing,, is it's best to anneal the case necks for handloading,, to assure good case life. I studied several methods of annealing,, as well as the various machines sold for annealing. Since my primary reason was for my .256 ammo,, I chose the route of building my own annealer machine,, for under $100. There is/was a video on you-boob on how to do it for under $100. I was able to scrounge some stuff for free,, and my annealer cost me about $68 & my time. Mine isn't an "autofeed" type,, as I put in one round at a time. But it's an automated type,, that rotates the case around the flame of a torch, and has been quite good. I also annealed a bunch of 223 brass for a friend. He gave me some 2400 powder for my efforts.
For me, the biggest issue has been to assure a good supply of the bullets. Hornady makes the 60 grn bullets,, but in general,, (read; before the shortages,) only makes a run of them once a year. I keep a standing order with a supplier to buy some. I did luck up once,, at a gun show,, a guy had 7 boxes of them,, all showing the age of being carried to many shows & not sold. I made him an offer,, on all of them,, and scored them for $50.

The Hawkeye is a very fun & unique handgun. Being a single-shot,, well, many find it to be a niche group of folks who appreciate that. The T/C Contender is more popular,, but it has a lot more versatility. And it still only enjoys a modest popularity. But it sure is fun to get one out & let others se AND try one. That Hawkeye has let several folks enjoy shooting it.

 

[Walter Rego]

Contender, I bought fully formed .256 Win Mag brass from a company called Jamison. Midway shows it as discontinued but other suppliers list it as backordered. You may be able to find some if you look around. I load it with standard Redding dies, 2400 powder and Hornady 60 gr. flatpoint bullets.
I understand that it can be formed by necking up and fireforming .22 Jet brass as well and that may be easier than necking down .357.

I thought about buying a set of forming dies to make brass from .357 Magnum cases but the full set of forming and trimming dies was pretty expensive and then there is the annealing step. I think the Redding dies were less than $75 and you load the Jamison brass just like any bottleneck cartridge.

I have a new in the box Bushnell Phantom 2.5X scope and Hawkeye mounting base that I have toyed with mounting to my Hawkeye just to have a vintage combination but the scope with the 7/8" tube and critical eye relief is nowhere near as good as a modern pistol scope so I just shoot it with the iron sights.

 

[Hondo44]

It's true that Ruger only offered the Hawkeye in .256. However, gun shops had so much trouble selling them, several were custom rechamered and rebarrelled to other cartridges when still brand new guns. Those show up occasionally. Only a little over 300 were ever made for about a year and a half in the 1961-62 period.

 

[HAWKEYE#28]

That is a re-barreled Hawkeye..........see the hawkbill front sight on a non taper barrel. I have a Griffin and Howe modified 22 Hornet Hawkeye.........Heard from one of our regulars that he was contemplating a 357 Max on a donor Hawkeye.......over the years, some 53 of these girls have passed thru my gates.........The remainders guard my RSSE dance team, and are fast movers with the 10" rascals.