" I know this rifle is built to a price point, but Ruger could do better. "
They do. It's called the Hawkeye.
The Hawkeye "boasts" a much schittier trigger,an inability to coax rail inclination and is a fhuqk of a LOT heavier. Congratulations?!?
Hint..............
Perhaps I got lucky, but my Hawkeye has a 3.5lb trigger with zero creep (doesn't seem all that schitty to me), rail inclination isn't a factor in the shooting I do (<500yds), and while it could be lighter the weight doesn't bother me.
My lightest Hawkeye (Scout in .308 and synthetic stock) weighs all of 6-1/4 pounds naked, per Ruger. Not as light as my Browning B92 carbine, but a light, handy little rifle. My All Weather .280 Rem has a synthetic stock and is lighter than the ones with wood stock - also a handy rifle with fairly light kick. Sold a wood-stocked .30-06 but never found the weight objectionable - especially since the extra weight reduced recoil somewhat - an acceptable trade-off for me. (Not to say that .30-06 rifles are heavy kickers in the first place.)
All of the Hawkeyes I've worked with had fairly decent triggers - certainly better than some others I've seen - and if one has a mind, they are easy to improve with a little polishing. If that doesn't do it, replacement triggers are available.
