Huge Thumbs Up for the Ruger American Rifle

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rfd

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opin·ion
noun \ə-ˈpin-yən\

: a belief, judgment, or way of thinking about something : what someone thinks about a particular thing

opinions of others are just that, and some go beyond opinion and into the world of hype and shilling. so with that caveat out of the way ...

i've been shooting firearms since the late 50's and have had my share of long guns in just about all the most popular brands out there in gunland. i'm not a firearm "expert", but i do know some good stuff about guns, and know some things to avoid. like opinions of others.

so now i have an RAR in .243 win, and i think it's a good long gun. is it "stellar" and "best" and "better than your xxxx rifle"? nah, probably not. is it "perfect" in every way and will it satisfy Everyone? h3ll no. besides, who really cares, this is the internet and opinions have all the weight of a feather.

i've had this RAR for about 3 months. on day one i field stripped it, cleaned/lubed it, modded the wimpy plastic stock for added stiffness and butt weight, loaded all the rounds shot through it (exactly 420 to date today), went through a "break in" regimen for the first 50 rounds, and can offer the following comments on THIS rifle, not your RAR, but mine.

it's not perfect. woohoo, big breaking news.

let's get the first bone of contention outta the way - the plastic rotary magazine ... well, it does work, for the most part. is it a deal breaker? depends on you and your needs. some of these mags don't work so well and need either a bit of tweaking or a replacement that ruger will gladly (so far) send ya. i've had some troubles with mine, but never bothered tweaking or replacing since i only single load this rifle (actually, all my bolts are loaded single). i did load and cycle the mag at least 20 times and i don't see any long term issues, but who knows or really should care 'cause it's a 300 buck rifle. i don't see this as a negative thing at all. it is what it is. you want some modicum of "perfection", look elsewhere and maybe open up yer wallet and dig deeper for more greenbacks.

the bolt was kinda "sticky" at first, but after cleaning it out well and lubing it sparingly, it began to work real smooooth after the first 50 rounds or so down the tube. i like this bolt a lot.

the pencil barrel heats up pretty quick, and that's about the only detriment to consistent multi-fire accuracy (besides the trigger operator and the cartridges it's fed). i use heat strips for all my rifles, and at around 105f forward of the chamber, the consistency @ 100yds held well, but above that it all started going to h3ll. i really like the action and i'm thinking that down the road a replacement barrel will be a done deal. is it a "tack driver"? hah! this isn't a bench rifle by anyone's stretch of imagination, but with careful loading and shooting it's probably a consistent 100yd moa rifle, which is what i'm getting. haven't gotten to the 200 and 300 yard ranges yet ...

the stock fore end is a noodle. really. and the barrel wasn't fully free floated. i fixed both with some elbow grease, production paper on a large dowel, and rockite. makes a Huge difference in shooting consistency, particularly if a bipod is used.

the rifle's balance got lots better with some weight added to the butt. 'nuff said.

the adjustable trigger isn't really all that adjustable. lots depends on what the rifle will be used for, and if hunting, that'd probably not be an issue. i got mine screw-adjusted down to just a hair under 3lbs. i'll be changing out the spring and i think it'll go down to 2lbs or under. no after-market trigger for the RAR that i know about.

the "V" block action bedding seems to actually work well! wow.

when, and IF, boyds comes out with the RAR lam stock, i'll get me one for sure.

so overall, for an "entry" or "truck" rifle, 2 thumbs up for the very affordable RAR - it's not perfect, nor is it a rifle for everyone, but i think it is for most folks who have specific rifle needs and want reasonable quality and performance for the least dollar$ spent. AND, plenty of other brands of bottom-feeder long guns to choose, besides ruger's offering. i like that marlin xs7vh.

those are my opinions, and as always, ymmv, and do whatever makes ya feel good, thanx for yer perusing time on this post.

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Good mod on the forend. I've done the same kind of thing to other injection-molded stocks and it made them much stiffer.

I remain impressed with the overall Ruger American. It's the right price for someone just getting into hunting, etc. and quite accurate.

Last year, a friend's .308 impressed me, using Federal Fusion, 150 grain ammo. We couldn't find his favorite Remington Core-Locts anywhere. I re-mounted his scope (that Cabela's didn't do very well) and sighted it in. He reported that he got a nice buck with it.

I'd recommend, or even buy one for a relative who needs a decent deer rifle.
 
I'm planing on p/u one of these in .308 and it fits the bill for me, accurate, entry level hunting rifle. Plus I'm a fan of Ruger in most areas.
 
this rifle is a very well engineered rifle, for its purpose, hunting and long carry sessions.

its light, its affordable , and has crazy accuracy for its budget

now if only they would make a heavy wood stock for 30 06 action RA
 
now if only they would make a heavy wood stock for 30 06 action RA
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i've been in contact with boyds stocks and they say they'll be offering a wood lam stock for the RAR this month ....
 
If the stock were not softer and flemsier than my wife's good Tupperware and if the magazine did not fall out, I would rank The American as a "good" rifle.
For a $325 rifle, it is a decent rifle. It is not on par with the high end rifles. I think my biggest gripe is that the prevailing attitude among the RAR "fans" is they hype the RAR as a better rifle than the true high quality rifles. The attitude is somewhat like "you waste money on expensive rifles, my RAR is better."
 
It is a lot of gun for the money. My compact 223 needed a new magazine, Ruger sent it within a week. It, along with the 2 spares work just fine now. Liked mine enough to buy a standard size in 308. Function is perfect. Both put 3 rounds into just over 1" at 200 yards, which is as far as I've tried them.

Never said they were better than other guns costing more. I've got several $1,000 rifles. But still like these for those times when I want a beater. The expensive rifles don't shoot a bit better though. I certainly wouldn't want one of the RAR rifles in my hand on the hunt of a lifetime or if my life depended on it working. But I'd rather have the RAR than anything else under $400.

For the money I still think they are the best of the budget guns such as the Axis, Marlin X7 series, TC venture, Mossberg or Remington 710/770/783. They are not in the same league as the better Savages, Vanguard, or Tikka. Certainly not the top end guns from anyone including the Ruger Hawkeye. But no one is claiming they are.

The stock just plain works despite the negatives. I spent 5 minutes with a file and sandpaper making sure they don't touch the barrel. Can't see any need for anything else. Part of the appeal is a cheap lightweight gun. Adding weight means it is no longer lightweight. Changing the stock means it is no longer cheap. If the stock bothered me that much I'd just spend the extra for a better rifle in the 1st place. I plan to keep and use mine just as they are.
 
The stock just plain works despite the negatives. I spent 5 minutes with a file and sandpaper making sure they don't touch the barrel. Can't see any need for anything else. Part of the appeal is a cheap lightweight gun. Adding weight means it is no longer lightweight. Changing the stock means it is no longer cheap. If the stock bothered me that much I'd just spend the extra for a better rifle in the 1st place. I plan to keep and use mine just as they are.
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I bought mine early in the first year they came out . I did the dollar bill test and it past no problem . What I found out soon there after was any -ANY pressure on the for end of the stock and it would touch the barrel . It even did it when using a bi pod and me just resting my cheek on the butt stock . This would change my sub moa rifle in to a 1.5 moa rifle . It took me a few range trip to figure this out and why my rifle was not a consistent sub moa rifle . I used a sandpaper wrapped dowel to sand out the barrel channel all the way back to the receiver. This gave the barrel enough room in the stock so when it flexed the barrel does not touch . After that the rifle has been very consistent .

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As for the mag . At first I though it was a little loose or to easy to insert . After giving it a good looking over it seems solid to me and the fact the latch/clip uses a spring tells me it should continue to work fine . The fixed tab at the other end seems a bit small and if it wears even a little I could see the mag having issues . I think that tab could and should be bigger . I tried to pry the mag out with a knife back end tab side first but it did not break free . Granted I did not give it my all . For now I think I like the idea of a stiffer replacement spring to really hold it in there .

LOL after writing all that I realized this is not the mag thread :o
 
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Hi All

As you have probably read, I have ordered one of these in 22WMR to replace my Remington 597 (shame on you Remington for not replying to my emails).

It arrived on Friday, minutes before I was due to drive 3.5 hours South to go hunting.

My dealer did a great job mounting scope etc and I was itching to fire it.

So, after bore sighting it in shop, I got to our "range" and sighted on paper. It was 5" high at 150m. It shot a 1/2" group on my next attempt after adjusting sight.

In live action, I shot over 20 rabbits and hares, in some cases only "missing" them as the Hornady ammo had gone through the rabbit.

It feeds well, never misfed, ammo is nice to load (even in the dark), stock is ok and meets all my needs.

I love this rifle, my shooting is MUCH better with bolt action as no need to depend on next round in mag!

Long distance bunnies (250m) I dispatched with my Savage Axis 223. Briliant weekend...I want to go again.

I paid $599 NZD for Ruger....money well spent.
 
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