Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Ruger American in 243 or 7mm-08

Anyone shooting one? 1 in 9 twist in 243 is nice. looks like a future truck gun.

I have one in 243....very accurate.Good trigger.Great price.

I know I'll get flamed for this, but, $700 less than my Montana and almost the same weight and more accurate.

Hmmm

A few Ruger Americans have popped up at my range, and the owners have all seemed quite pleased with them so far.

I already have .308 and .22 Long Rifle Americans, and they shoot so well I could not resist the stainless model .243, so one is on the way.

David,

The American is ~1 lb heavier than your Montana, no? What sort of groups are you getting from the Kimber?

Jason

I've got a .223 compact on the way, should make a nice deer rifle for the boy, and a nice multi-purpose rifle for me as well.

Haven't fired the Montana yet. Been killer busy.

The 7mm-08 compact is 6 lbs

The Montana is 5-1/4 lbs.

SAUM,

Where did you get your compact Ruger American? I been thinking about getting a 243 for my 11 y/o son but they are not found around here...only the long actions. Figure I'd have to order it...

Yep, BudsGunShop online, good prices, free shipping, you can even do layaway if you want, my local store pissed me off recently. Just copy and paste this:

Ruger AMER-C 243 18 MTBLK

Comparing an American to a Montana is apples to oranges....and I'm a fan of both.

Bench accuracy out of the box goes to the American. Refinement goes to the Montana. Hunting accuracy is a toss-up. For those inclined, twist goes to the American.

Although I'm an American fan, no way I ever see it being my primary hunting rifle. I guess it's pride of ownership?

There are lots of good rifles currently on the market.

Yeah I just looked at Budsgunshop. They had it and price includes shipping which they have offered for a while. My local Dicks did not have it and I would have bought from them and paid taxes but they were like $379 and did not have the Youth or compact model so they had to order it.

I been thinking on this. I shot my M700 CRF 243 rifle and recoil was very mild and think this would be good for my son's first rifle (he has the CZ Scout). But my rifle has the 24" barrel and this Ruger American Compact has a 18" barrel. (I have a 788 243 with a 18" barrel and when shooting the rifle has a vicious blast and this got me thinking if the Ruger Compact is the same?)

Have you shot your compact yet?

And its surprising that Buds has the 7-08 for the same price as the 243 but I am reminded this is for my boy and the 7-08 would likely be too much for my boy's first CF rifle...

And not only that Bud has this Ruger rifle but they also have the Howa youth for like $500 which is $160 more than the American. But they everyone is saying the American shoots lights out while I do not hear anyone praising Howa rifles...

Let's not hijack this thread, I'll pm you.

That's the kind of endorsement I'm looking for.

I understand the pride of ownership argument, but I'm a sl*t for accurate rifles.

My compact 223 weighs 7 lbs 1 oz scoped. My Kimber 308 5 lbs 15 oz scoped. I'm picking up a Ruger 308 tomorrow, going full size on it.

Not as light as the Kimber, and 3/4-1 lb is significant, but 7 lbs scoped for around $350 is pretty good. Especially as well as they shoot. If the 308 even matches the 223 I'll be thrilled.

David,

Yeah, I know what you're talking about--and have an article coming out soon that addresses the issue of "affordable" rifles.

However, one thing I've noticed is that a lot of people who prefer "nice" rifles become very interested when they discover Americans shoot as well as many of their "customs"--for the price of a custom barrel, before fitting and chambering.

JB, do you think Ruger should have raised the comb a bit?

I will be getting the compact in 708 for my wife before fall

Tally lightweights and a good piece if glass should make her one hell of a deer rifle

Not JB...but I think it should be a little higher. The free cheek piece you get when completing the warranty registration makes it perfect with Talley LW lows for me.

The comb height on the compact needs to be addressed for shooters of small stature. My two older kids (10 & 7) struggle with the height. Their cheeks are off the comb when they have the scope in clear view. They did it with the rimfire, so it should be an easy modification for the centerfire line.

I'm still a fan of the rifle. Lots of bang for the buck...

I'd like to see a higher comb on the American as well. Seems better suited to low-pro irons than a scope, at least to me.

I bought a Ruger American about a month ago in 7mm-08. I've been very happy with this rifle. Took it to the range and with handloads was staying in the 1/2 to 3/4 inch range at 100yds. It shoots close to my Coopers at about $1500 price diference.

David,

I went with a 7-08 about a year ago. A 7-08 can do all that a 243 can do, but that doesn't work the other way around IMO.

I did closely look at the RAR, but in the end decided to get a X7 in 7-08. I think the RAR is a great gun...but for the stock. I couldn't warm up to it and the forearm is very flexible...and I don't believe there's any aftermarkets for it yet. The X7 is close in weight and will have a 22" barrel. I can see the value the shorter RAR compact (i.e. swinging it in tight quarters).

I thought this was a good read on the subject: Ammoguide Article
Let us know what you decide.

I bought a RAR last year in 7-08 and put a Redfield 2x7 on it.

Turns out it weights the same as my Rem 700 Mtn Rifle in .30-06 with a Leupold VXlll 2.5x8

I am shooting 140 gr Nosler Partitions in it and not missing the recoil of the .30-06 in the light Mtn Rifle.
Took two deer and four hogs with it so far, am very pleased with it.
For the upcoming fall hunting season, I plan to hunt antelope and cow elk with it in addition to more deer.

I bought it for my grandson but he won't be able to hunt big game for 6 more years so it should be well broken in for him by then.

'Bought one in .243 last week (Compact). Shot two hogs in the eye with it this weekend. I'm very pleased.

The compact (18" barrel) also has a short LOP, how does that fit a grown man?


P

Surprisingly well. I didn't weigh it, but it feels heavy for it's size and balances WAY better than Model Sevens do. Shoots .75" with cheapo Winchester Power Points too.

Ruger American: 4 shots, 100 yards, 223 Rem loaded with 50gr Nosler BT over Ramshot TAC. Scoped with a Leupold 6x.

The only thing I don't like is the bolt lift on my rifle is pretty hard; coupled with the light-ish weight ofte rifle, rapid-fire off-hand shooting isn't as easy as with my other rifles with lighter bolt lifts.

Now that's an endorsement!

That IS an endorsement. I don't need another truck gun, but this thread has me wanting to try a RAR.

I picked up a used compact in 223 from a buddy. Intend to wring it out this weekend.

If in doubt, if you have a choice, take the 7-08. A little more is a lot better once you quit punching paper off the bench. jm2cts

I bought a RAR in 22-250 for my son right before deer season last year.
I put on a scope ,and this is the first group it turned in using factory ammo to get it sighted in.




I threw together a couple boxes of a load using 53 gr tsx and 4320,and we both used it to take our deer for the year.



I was so impressed with it and the price of a new one,was so low,I sold my cz 527 that my son had been using,and bought another one in 7-08 for myself after season.
I was unable to get it sighted in last winter on the one time I tried,but to be fair,it was below zero,and blowing 25-30 out of the north,and I was laying on the ground in the snow and ended up turning the scope adjustments the wrong way and just gave up and went inside.

There seems to be an abundance of them in 7-08 on Davidson's site.

Noting that you're from Washington state, with the 7mm-08 you have a rifle imminently suitable for such emergencies as running into a big bull elk that needs shooting. Not to mention our deer up in this part of N.A. tend to be bigger, too, then many regions of the continent with which the less fortunate are stuck.

John - just saw your post. Have you done a work-up on your RAR yet? Another poster stated his fore end seemed whimpy, possibly contacting his barrel, affecting its harmonics. Homesteader

I have the 7-08 and it's every bit as accurate as any of my customs, or semi customs. Shooting 140 Nosler BT's right now, but tried the 120's and they shot just as well. Great gun for the money, even with a flimsy stock!

..........Easy! By using a slip on recoil pad. I do on my Ruger Frontier compact and I'm 6'3". LOP goes from 12.5" to 13 5/8" in 2-3 seconds. And when wearing thicker clothing it can be removed if desired for better handling.

Always a way to work around the trivial stuff.

Big.., I don't know how well that would work on the RAR, it comes with a fairly large butt pad on it. Putting another one over it might give it a weird feel, youre talking about 2" of rubber on the butt!

...........If u can get a slip on recoil that fits the stock butt well then I don't see a problem. Imo, all that would be felt is the rubber from the slip on recoil pad. It shouldn`t matter if the factory pad was 1/2" thick or 2" thick. Your feel would be the same.

I paid $18 for my Limbsaver slip on pad to use on my Ruger Frontier compact and it works great. 12.5" factory LOP to 13 5/8" LOP in 2-3 seconds and the reverse can be done a little quicker.

longshot3 - had my eye on the "All Weather" version also in 7mm-08. Matter of fact directly compared an RAR to a Tikka T3 recently and first noted the RAR could be single loaded easier than the T3 due the RAR's larger loading port. Otherwise, the two are pretty much alike. Not a bad thing. Homesteader

People talk about single loading Tikkas and what a pain it is. The way I see it, if you miss 4 times maybe you should practice more.


P

Last I knew they held 3 rounds. You've obviously never been in a right proper goat roping event, or been able to kill more than 1 critter at an outing.

Sorry

What's three plus one?

There you go.


P

Pharmseller - Couldn't agree more in a hunting situation BUT I was shooting off the bench and found the T3's smallish port a real PIA. Found loading thru the magazine w/3 rounds made life easier. No such problems w/RAR. Homesteader