Ruger Air Hawk Break Barrel

I ordered the .177 cal break barrel and it arrived on time and was neatly packed in the box and inside another box as well. The scope is packed in its own box with the mounting hardware. After I mounted the scope on it and shot it for the first time, the projectile hit about five inches high at 50 yards. The windage was right on. I adjusted the elevation to make the projectile hit lower and sighted it in at 50 yards. It seems like an ideal range for that rifle. The very first shot surprised me. It sounded just a little shy of a .22 cal rimfire and I could hear the pellet hit the target almost immediately after I pulled the trigger. I could tell it has power although the pellet only made a small indentation in the piece of compressed engineered wood I shot at (I think it used to be an old skateboard at one time). It's loud for a pellet rifle but I like that cause it gives a pretty good indication of how powerful it shoots just by the sound. It boasts 1000 fps using lead pellets and 1200 fps with alloy pellets (that's what I was using). And although I did not attempt to measure the accuracy of the speed, I believe it was over 1000 fps just by how fast the sound of the pellet hitting the board echoed back. It was almost immediate. It's not a wimpy rifle and it takes some strength to break the barrel. The only negative thing I could think of saying about the experience is how much time it takes to break the barrel and put the next projectile in the little hole and then but the barrel back in position to shoot again and take it off safety. For target practice, I could live with it, but if I was hunting small varmints, the time between shots could be an issue and could result in your prey getting away if you had to take more than one shot at it. But other than that, this rifle is perfect for having fun while shooting at cans or bottles and challenging your friends to a marksmanship competition and having fun doing it. I put a small amount of WD-40 into my can of pellets and it made a difference on how fast it shoots. I can literally hear the difference when I pull the trigger. I wish there was a quicker easier way to put a new pellet in the chamber cause I have fat clumsy fingers and poor eyesight. I still haven't found a quick sure fire method of loading a new round and I'm sure I am not using the most proficient or efficient method. The rifle is a little heavy but it looks gorgeous with the wood stock and it comes with a fairly decent scope. The iron sights have illumination and the trigger pull is not bad. This rifle looks like it will last a long time as long as it's maintained and kept clean. It would also have been nice to have sling mounts, but I can live without them. That's my honest opinion. Mike V., Albuquerque, NM

7/7/18: After struggling to get a decent group with a beat up old Gamo Hunter that I borrowed from my brother, I read lots of reviews of different air rifles and liked what I read about this one. My main criteria were that I wanted decent open sights, but also a scope for shooting at small targets at a reasonable hunting range of 25 yards. I like the weight and balance of this gun - but if you are expecting a BB-gun then you will be surprised. It feels much more like a full-sized rifle. I mounted a sling on mine, and with the scope it is weighing in at 8.25 lbs. The break action is stiff, but with a little practice it is not hard even for my 5'5" wife to cock it. I do really like the automatic safety feature, and the placement of the safety - it is a little tab at the back of the "receiver" that you push forward when you are ready to fire. It is quite intuitive and easy to use. Another note - the power seems to be quite good. Some of the first rounds were punching through 5/8 plywood at 25 yards, although not all have managed to do so. The first couple shots were also very loud, but it seems to be settling down a bit as I shoot it more. The fiber optic open sights on this rifle seem pretty good, although I only shot maybe 20 rounds through them before sighting in the scope. They came from the factory set up for 6-o-clock hold, so I adjusted them to shoot center-hold, and they were quite easy to get lined up with how I shoot. Windage seemed to be spot on out of the box I had read some critiques of the scope, and particularly the scope rings, and at this price point, I was not expecting world-class optics. The rings are garbage, and one side of the dovetail mount has really rounded edges that I could see not getting a good purchase on the groove. I took a file and sharpened the aluminum down to a finer point, and then installed them nice and snug. I have only shot maybe 30 rounds with the scope on, but so far It is looking promising. I had a 4" group at 25 yards shooting from a chair and resting the gun on my barbecue (and a boot as my sandbag). I was shooting just your basic 7.4gr crosman pointed lead pellets. I will repost once I have put a good 200-300 rounds through to break the rifle in a bit, and will try some different ammo to see if I get better performance with any specific brand. Also, I will be curious to see if the scope stays zeroed. I did clean the barrel right away after taking it out of the box, and the swabs did come out with quite a bit of black residue. I found that if you break the action without cocking it you can clean your barrel without having to shoot off a round when you are done (or messing with those cleaning pellets). At this point, I am very pleased with the rifle, and would definitely recommend it.

This is a strong gun that packs quite the punch. It has a very nice stock comparable to my "real" Ruger 10/22, high quality bluing on the barrel and receiver, and even a metal trigger (not many air rifles have this feature anymore). Looking on the inside, there is not a lot of plastic in the mechanism; even the pins that hold it together are blued steel. Also note that the spring came well-lubricated and the rifle was ready to shoot out of the box. Cons and/or solutions: Note that the wood INSIDE of the stock (where the mechanism/receiver sits) is NOT protected by any varnish or stain. If you live in a wet place, it might be a good idea to stain or poly the wood yourself. If you have some stain, it's an easy job. The safety is a little flimsy, as is the trigger housing (both are made of plastic). The scope and open sights are adequate, but only just. I completely removed the open sights and replaced the stock scope with an old one made by Weaver (Weaver makes a fine scope). The rifle is now deadly accurate even at long ranges. Make sure you find the right pellet for your gun. Even though they might be the same model, air rifles may like different pellets. My rifle, for example, was highly accurate with the lead Daisy flat-nosed pellets, which many reviewers complain to be awfully inaccurate with this rifle. They shot straight for me. Also note that the gun might work better with different pellets over time as the barrel wears down/breaks in. Keep your barrel clean. It's hard to shoot any rifle accurately if it's fouled up with too much lead. It might be worth it to purchase a .177 caliber cleaning kit specifically for air rifles of this type, though there is always the old fashioned way: bending craft wire around a bore-cleaning patch dipped in solvent (but NOT dripping!) and running the wire through the bore with the patch until it comes out clean. Done correctly, this works just as well as any commercial rifle care-kit. Use wire made of a soft metal that won't scratch the bore (such as copper). Make sure your screws are tight. High-powered air rifles produce a lot of vibration, which cause the screws to loosen-up. If the screws are loose, it will make a difference in your accuracy, and not one that you want. All in all, a great gun excellent for small game, target shooting, or plinking. As with the rifle being made in China, I do believe that all or most American air rifles are now made in China anyways. If it were made in the USA or just somewhere else, people might be more lenient in their reviews, even if it was the same quality.

I like the gun so far. First pellet gun for me. Ive had BB guns and all kinds of real rifles. The gun is oversized -big and heavy and I'm not sure why. I have had high power rifles and there was only one I can think of that was about this size and weight. It looks like it is well made. The stock is very nice but could be slimmer. The barrel looks good to me. Cocking it is tough but it seems to snap closed very tightly. The saftey is good and easy to use. The rear sights are plastic but they do work well. I used the sights for a while with no problems at all. When I first starting shooting this gun it was loud but has quieted down. I have not experienced loosening screws at all. I have tried two types of pellets and have ordered two more heavier pellets. The RWS lead dome pellets work very well. I have the scope on now and find to be a pretty good one. The rings that come with it are good quality and hold perfectly. It holds groups and is fully adjustable. One thing to realize is that the eye piece is turned full in and must be adjusted to your eye before you can shoot. You need to loosen the lock ring and turn the eyepiece out until your focus is clear. Mine is crystal clear and though its only a 4X it serves its purpose. I'm not shooting long range and will not hunt or kill anything with it but for a fun target gun in the backyard it's pretty good. I have shot into wood and the pellets sink in nicely so I know this gun has a punch. I debated on returning it and just using my 22 rifles with CCI quiet ammo but I kind of like it now. If the gun stayed as loud as it was when I first shot I would send it back. I guess I'm still testing but I can definately recommend it to anyone who wants a pellet gun. It comes at a great price for what you get. All the rest that I considered are more expensive.

I decided to get one for my son to have because of the bombproof simplicity and slow, methodical action for range plinking. Out of the box, its a nicely finished gun, but I was really disappointed with how incredibly heavy it is, as well as how stiff the break action is - my son was under 10 and wasn't strong enough to work it and it was even a little difficult for me. Things only got worse at the range. Its not that much quieter than a .22 and the accuracy was abysmal with the included scope. We traced the problem to the fact that the barrel didn't even line up with the scope mount/receiver! Ours was visibly crooked to one side to the point we couldn't even work through it using all the scope's adjustment range. Using only irons, we had reasonable accuracy at about 20 yards until the barrel got warmer, at which point the groupings opened up terribly....whatever material they used or barrel treatment was not up to the job. And because I bought this gun months ahead of the holidays, by the time I asked to return it, they wouldn't take it back. I did think the fiber optic irons were bright, the trigger is good, safety is easy to use, and the wood finish was decent. Otherwise this is a complete failure in my opinion. Knowing what I know now, just get a 10/22 compact that's 4.5lbs, dead accurate, and a million times better made.

This is a great gun. Some reviews complain about the Chinese manufacturing and proclaim a deep seated hatred for the low build quality. If you have any questions, you can always talk to Ruger about it. These are Ruger designed and inspected parts made in China. Trust me... this is the finest quality varmint gun you can find for the money. The barrel is a real chunk of blued steel as is the spring-piston housing. The wood stock is surprisingly nice, although it's varnish, not poly. It's a heavy gun. Roughly as heavy as my Winchester model 100 .308. It's also a fairly large gun at 3" longer than the previously mentioned rifle. My only complaint is that Amazon had clearly smashed the box nose-first into something and threw the rifle through its packaging and out the front of the box. That said, the gun was fine, the open sights were visibly out of alignment, but easily fixed with the windage knobs and a few rounds of practice. The Gun: The scope rings are useless unless you want to file a sharper point on the dovetails like I did (15minutes). After the filing they work great. I would recommend that you not use the included sight rings unless you plan to modify them as I believe you'll probably damage the sight rails trying to make them stay put. The scope is excellent by low-end air rifle standards, solid and clear. The Airhawk balances much more comfortably with the scope installed and the accuracy increase is well worth the time spent. The trigger is a little sloppy but there is more than enough feel to get the job done. The safety will frighten you at first until you see how it works. It's safe. The open sights are highly visible and comfortable to look through. The windage knobs are an added bonus. The spring effort is about what I expected and the loading is quick and easy compared to my previous Remington 780 pump. Shooting stuff: Once you learn the finer points of shooting this thing the Air Hawk is vicious and accurate. Is this your first spring piston air rifle? You need to spend some time on youtube learning what an artillery hold is and how to use it. I own five "real" firearms, and this gun is a unique experience. However, with an afternoon's practice I was repeatedly shooting 2" groups at 100yds in a light breeze(I have a lot of space in the boonies). The first 2 or 3 rounds are louder than you'd expect but it quiets right down to what I might call a strange noise due to the spring's action. Heavy ballistic point ammo is the most accurate and hits surprisingly hard at range. 10 gram domes hit hardest close up (20-40'), and all around I really like the Gamo red fires (7.8 Gr). This gun with red fires is a squirrel's worst nightmare. A chest impact nearly knocks the eyes right out of their heads literally. The damage is instant and catastrophic. I won't describe a head shot, but it doesn't end well. The Verdict: Finally an air rifle that belongs on the gun rack. Nice job China, nice gun. Fun, low cost, low maintenance shooting. Dead squirrels.

I did a lot of research before picking this gun, and I've waited for over a year before leaving a review. I bought this to specifically kill varmints in our backyard. We have (had) gophers and ground squirrels destroying everything, digging holes, etc. It looked like an episode of the meerkats out back with them all standing on their hind legs. Our house sits on approximately an acre+ of land. It is approximately 170' from my back door to our property line. I sniped a ground squirrel in the head at that distance (with a scope of course). The pellet then went through a wooden lath that the ground squirrel was standing in front of. If that doesn't sell you on the gun I don't know what will. It has the range, power, and accuracy needed to kill that small of a target at over 150'. I was also able to take down a cottontail rabbit with a headshot at 125'. (I'm not a marksman. I consider myself an OK/above average shot) Note that for accuracy you will need to invest in the right pellet. I started off with cheap ones and the casting process left a lip on about half of the pellets which wildly affected their flight patterns. Also, invest in a decent scope. I paired mine with this one, and it's been absolutely fantastic for the price. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007UT3OFC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The rifle itself is heavy. I like the weight a lot. It makes steadying your shot easier (for me anyway). The break barrel has some decent resistance when cocking, so a small person or teen/child might struggle a bit with it. The gun was pretty loud at first but quieted down after a couple shots. It's not quiet by any means, but it did improve quite a bit from out of the box. It jumps a bit in your hand but there's very minimal kickback/forward from the spring. Again, I think this is aided by the weight. I've put a couple hundred shots through this thing now and all but eliminated our varmint problem. Should have kept a tally! Well worth your money. Satisfied customer!

Good air rifle but the scope is awful. It's heavy but well built. I haven't found any places on the gun that a strap would fit on, so that's a minus. Depending on your use it could get cumbersome to carry. I just use it to scare birds from my fig tree, so it works for me. Nice gun but buy a good scope to go with it.