Mauser12: I simply have a VERY hard time believing your "experience"!
Again YOUR "experience" is the EXACT opposite of MY experience (and I have NO "loyalty" or connection with Sturm Ruger & Co. what so ever!) with my batch of Ruger American Rifles and those of several of my friends that also own them!
I am chomping at the bit to get back afield this spring with my three Ruger American Rimfires - among the reasons I am so eager to do so are their accuracy, reliability, smooth function, and good handling (short stubby barrels!), flush mounted magazines and great looks.
IF.... there is ANY malfunction or "loss of accuracy" amongst any of them in the future I will immediately relay that to you, and the other CampFirers here on this forum.
And this, NONE of my Ruger American Rifles have/came from the factory with "front sights" so that "bizarre" affliction will certainly not befall me.
I shake my head - only thing I can think of is maybe YOU got a lemon (a rare one at that!) but that lame attempt at rationalizing the difference you have had with your lone Rifle and my and my friends experiences with our Rifles does nothing to alleviate your concerns.
None of my Rifles, nor those of my friends, "required" a trigger replacement like you say yours did - again I must invoke WTH?
IF... that Ruger American Rifle had poor machining and the bolt travel was as you describe it "I" would not have bought it to begin with.
That is also no solution for you but maybe a lesson learn't?
I once bought a Smith & Wesson revolving pistol, NEW, from a gunshop and that Smith & Wesson pistol had NO rifling in its 8 3/8" barrel!
The resulting difficulty of the bullet travelling down that "under-sized" barrel caused me some minor injuries and MUCH consternation.
I did not write off the Smith & Wesson Company over that instance - I owned many dozens of Smith & Wesson pistols prior to that and I have bought a couple dozen more Smith & Wesson pistols since!
By the way the "replacement" pistol the head of Smith & Wessons repair service sent me shoots as accurately as some Rifles in that caliber (17 HMR)!
I am tempted to suggest that you go try another Ruger American Rifle - look it over carefully before you buy it and go forth with a moderately priced and probably very accurate and reliable Rifle - try again.
But it sounds like that suggestion would fall on deaf ears?
Better luck in the future.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
Another for the record, I encountered a shooter with a new rifle. The rifle was shipped a target showing a group under a MOA at 100 yards. His results were all over the target. After much examination, it was discovered that the rifle had no rifling. I would love to know how the sample target group, shipped with the rifle, made its way into box with the rifle. The target even had the rifle's serial number on it.
Humans can be humans. The people doing things at the factory may have been earning an A- grade. When I was in high school, it would have made my parents very excited and happy if I had brought home report cards with an A- average grade.
