It was over four years ago that I first
reviewed Ruger’s Hawkeye African rifle. Chambered for the
then-new 375 Ruger cartridge, the African was built like a
classic African rifle should be. The steel was blued, the stock
made of walnut, and the lines and dimensions were sleek. The
rifle had enough heft, but was not so heavy that it would be a
burden to carry all day. At that time, it was my favorite Ruger
bolt gun. Everything that the good folks at Sturm, Ruger had
learned from years of building bolt action rifles came together
in the Hawkeye design, resulting in a rifle that had several
desirable features, but combined into the Hawkeye package,
yielded a rifle that was greater than the sum of its parts. For
more details on that first Ruger African rifle, I
refer the reader to that review from February of 2007.
That brings us to the rifle at hand. Ruger is
building Gunblast.com limited production series rifles, based
upon their African Hawkeye. The African wears a matte finished
blued steel action and barrel, and a good-looking walnut stock.
However, many shooters prefer the classic look of polished blued
steel, and this new Gunblast African has that treatment,
combined with upgraded wood, resulting in a great-looking,
classically elegant rifle. This Hawkeye African wears a
Circassian walnut stock, which compliments the high gloss finish
of the steel. This rifle looks like the classic rifles that were
built for hunting large dangerous game many decades ago. In my
youth, I spent many hours reading of the African adventures of
Peter Capstick, John Taylor, and my favorite, Finn Aagard. This
Ruger African rifle would have looked well at home in a
photograph with any of those hunters. The African has a stock
that is strong, yet slender and easy to hold. The Circassian
stock has ample cut checkering on the forearm and pistol grip.
The butt pad is made of a hard red rubber, which looks very
good; like the pads used on Ruger rifles of forty years ago.
The African has the Hawkeye controlled-round
feeding for excellent reliability, along with a blade ejector
and massive claw extractor. These are features upon which many
hunters of dangerous game insist. The Ruger is built to function
under adverse conditions, and as such, the action is strong and
reliable. The safety is a three-position type, which locks both
the bolt and trigger in its rearmost position, locks the trigger
but allows the bolt to be operated in its mid position, and
releases the LC6 trigger to fire in its forward position. The
LC6 allows a very good, crisp, reliable trigger pull, with the
pull weight on the sample rifle measuring three and
three-quarters pounds.
The blued steel barrel is of medium-heavy
weight, and measures twenty-three inches in length. Perfect
choice of barrel length for the 9.3x62 cartridge. The Hawkeye
African wears steel bottom metal, thankfully, and it is also
polished to match the finish on the barrel and receiver. The
Ruger uses a ninety-degree stainless bolt, with the bolt and
handle being of one-piece design. Like all Hawkeye rifles, the
receiver has a massive integral recoil lug, and the action is
solidly bolted to the stock. There is a rear sling stud on the
stock, but unlike the 375 African from 2007, the African rifles
now have the forward stud on a barrel band, to get it away from
the hand, where it could potentially get cut under heavy recoil.
I like the barrel band sling stud position much better, and it
just looks better on a dangerous game rifle. Like all centerfire
Ruger rifles, the African Hawkeye comes with scope bases
integral with the receiver, and is supplied with sturdy blued
steel scope rings. Magazine capacity is four rounds.
The Hawkeye is built in many configurations,
but this is the first 9.3x62 African Hawkeye, and the first bolt
action rifle to which Gunblast.com has lent its name. On that
subject, I want to make it clear that neither I nor Gunblast.com
are making money on this rifle. I can’t objectively review
firearms, while making money from the sale of those firearms.
For the same reason, I do not own any Sturm, Ruger stock, though
I would love to, as Ruger stock outperforms the S&P 500
every month, and every year. It is better than owning gold, but
I cannot own Ruger stock nor any other stock in a gun company
and retain my credibility as an objective gun reviewer. However,
any gun reviewer who claims to be totally unbiased is either a
liar or has no soul. I have my likes and dislikes, just like any
other person, and I really like everything about this Ruger
rifle, enough to put our brand on it. As for the brand, there is
nothing gaudy nor anything stamped upon the rifle with a
reference to Gunblast.com, with the exception of the special
serial number. Numbers start at GB-00001, and progress upward
from there. I am unsure how many will be built, but they tell me
that it will be no more than 1000, and maybe fewer, depending
upon demand. It is not every gun owner who needs or even wants a
9.3x62 rifle. Just as I don’t really “need” a couple of
500 magnums, two 480s, a 50 Beowulf, or most of the other
large-caliber weapons that I have. I also do not need a Harley
that will top 125 miles per hour, or that new Boss Mustang that
will do 155. Sometimes just wanting something is reason enough,
and the 9.3x62 is one of those few cartridges, like the 375
H&H and 275 Rigby, that does more for its owner than can be
shown on paper. It makes no sense for a semi-grown man to let an
inanimate object stir his soul, but some firearms just do that,
like a vintage Colt SAA, an old Flattop Blackhawk, a 375 Number
One single shot, or a nineteenth century Winchester lever gun.
The 9.3x62 in a classic blued steel-and-walnut bolt rifle has
the same effect on me.
Since the 9.3x62 cartridge is not well-known
to many shooters, especially in the United States, a brief
history is in order. The 9.3x62 uses a .366 diameter bullet. The
weights vary, as with any cartridge, but the standard weight
upon which the cartridge’s stellar reputation was built is 286
grains. The cartridge was developed by Otto Bock around 1905,
and quickly became popular in Europe for hunting the large bear
and antlered game on that continent. European hunters began
taking the 9.3 to Africa, where it built a fine reputation for
its effectiveness on large, and even dangerous game.
Ballistically, the 9.3x62 is right on the heels of the revered
375 H&H magnum. The 9.3x62 works through a standard length
action, and does not require the longer magnum action. In
Africa, the 9.3x62 still has a loyal following, and the
cartridge is well-respected by those who understand the power of
that efficient round.
The African has a very sturdy express V-notch
rear sight with a white bead front, which is very quick for
close range work in thick cover, and works well also out to
moderate ranges on big game. However, I prefer a scope on my
hunting rifles, so I mounted a Leupold VX-III 1.5 to 5 power
glass atop the Hawkeye African. Set at the lowest magnification,
I can leave both eyes wide open, and is quicker on target for me
than any mechanical sight system. Cranking the power up to five,
that scope is good at extended ranges on large game. The Leupold
is a quality hunting scope, and made in the USA. It also has
ample eye relief, which is important on rifles that pack a
punch. On the topic of power, we always end up discussing
recoil. The 9.3x62 African is not painful to shoot. Not at all.
From the benchrest, an extended shooting session will induce
shooter fatigue, but shooting offhand or from other field
positions, the recoil is much more of a push than a kick. It is
a lot less painful than shooting a 300 magnum rifle to me, as
the 300’s recoil is much sharper. Weighing in at seven and
three-quarter pounds, the African has plenty of heft for
controlled and accurate shooting, but is easy to carry, and
quick to the shoulder.
Shooting the African 9.3x62 was a delight. I
really enjoyed getting to work with this rifle. Its handling
qualities are superb. The slim, checkered forend is easy to
grasp, as is the slim pistol grip. I gathered up some superb
Hornady 286 grain soft point Dangerous Game Series ammunition,
along with some handloads using the same 366 caliber Hornady
bullet. I found H4350 powder to do a splendid job, giving high
velocities, along with very good accuracy, and easy case
extraction. All accuracy testing was done using a Target
Shooting, Inc. Model 500 rifle rest, which enables me to
hold the rifle perfectly steady for testing. Handloads or
factory ammunition, it made no difference, this rifle loves that
Hornady bullet, and shoots it very accurately. If each of these
rifles are as accurate as this first one, no one will ever have
an excuse for missing a shot in the field. Maybe the old cold
fingers excuse might work, as it is always a good one, but
neither the rifle nor the ammunition can be blamed. This rifle
is an honest one-inch rifle, and the groups shown are even
better than that. While I did not have a variety of different
bullet weights available, I think that with my own 9.3x62
African, which has not yet arrived, I will just stick with this
Hornady 286, unless I need a solid for any purpose. Hopefully,
my rifle will shoot as well as this one, but I would gladly
settle for groups twice as large, and be happy with it. The
trigger released crisply and cleanly at just a bit over three
pounds of resistance. The balance is a bit forward, which I like
for a steady shot. The wood is beautiful. The stock is
beautiful. The design is classic. As stated above, there is
nothing that I do not like about this rifle.
The Gunblast.com African Hawkeye is available
only through Lipsey’s. Lipsey’s is a wholesaler in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, and they will be handling the distribution on
all of these special rifles. The first run sold out in 45
minutes, but more are in production, so get your order in if you
want one. This is the first polished blue and Circassian walnut
African Hawkeye that Ruger has ever produced, and it is a
non-catalogued item, with special serial numbers, so when they
are gone, there will be no more. If your favorite gun dealer is
not a Lipsey’s dealer, have him to call Lipsey’s at
1-800-666-1333, or click on the DEALER LOCATOR at www.lipseys.com
for the location of a Ruger dealer near you.
Lipsey's
Item No: RUHM77RSGB9.3