I'm thinking about getting a Ruger American in .223. I want a 22" barrel but really need a 13" LOP. Has anyone shortened a stock on one? Any issues? Are the stocks on the Predator version made of green material or painted?

I'm interested in finding this out myself!

I'd see if Ruger would swap your stock for a Compact.

I'd love to be able to buy a compact stock!

The compact is 12.5 LOP, 13.5 for the standard rifle. I'd bet you'd be able to find someone with a compact rifle who only wants a shorter barrel and standard length stock to do an even swap.

dae, since it's a .223 and recoil isn't a factor, might be easier to swap the 1" pad on the regular Am. for a 1/2" pad. to give you 13" lop.

13.75 for the standard.

Correct. Gettting to the point where I can't trust my memory and need to check references before posting.

Thanks for the replies.

Ruger sells both compact and full length replacement stocks.

These come up on ebay and there should be a lot more over time.

I expect most adults will want full size stocks on a compact. That is a lot of take-off compact stocks. Anyone needing a compact LOP stock, should have no problem.

I prefer the clean look of the American CF stock over the module approach of the rimfire. The rimfire is more practical. I think one Rf butt insert is $20 and a complete CF stock was $80, from Ruger. But dont hold me to those numbers.

Just got a Predator a couple of days ago - it's green plastic, not painted. Looks much better than plain old black.

Then safe to assume, that stock is also available as replacement part from Ruger. Probably not short enough for the OP, but another option for compact owners.

As plastic goes, I like the all black look: Lock, stock and scope.