Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Ruger American 223

Any thoughts on the Ruger American 223? I kind of like the idea of a 1 in 8 Twist bolt gun. Are they generally accurate? How is the reliability? What negatives are there?
Thanks.

Ernie

Acurate, reliable, inexpensive. Mine shoots most everything I put through it very well. Trigger is Ok, can be improved or replaced. My rifle is very slick, bolt is smooth, functions well. Lots of people same the same. Lots of people say their rifles are rough - try the bolt and be happy with it before you buy, some are apparently finished better than others.

Magazine function a little fiddly. Numerous folks have gotten magazines that don't feed properly - Ruger will replace for free if you call them. The magazines won't allow you to properly load out to kiss the lands w/ 75 Amaxes. Can be modified with a little work, epoxy and a Dremel - there's a tutorial somewhere on here in the Hunting Rifles Forum.

Early stocks were cheap willowy flexy garbage. Newer stocks are stiffer, still cheap, comb is too low for most. Boyds has some inexpensive stocks, there's a chassis stock available also that fixes stock and magazine w/ high grade stuff.

Overall, I'm happy with mine - it shoots 53grn vmaxs, cheap 50grn Ammo from Academy, 75grn Horn HPBT and 75grn AMAX's to same point of aim with a 100yd zero. Stacks all of it into 1" or better 5-shot groups at 100, likes the 75grn HPBT best, often getting 5- shots into 0.5" - 5/8" groups. I load it with 75AMAX's and my wife daughter will put 2-300rounds / day banging steel out to 500yds.

Mine likes it dirty - often takes 25-30 fouler shots once cleaned to settle down and for POI to drift back. I quit cleaning it, problem solved. I like mine and would buy again.

HTH

David

Couldn't have said it better. Mine shoots like a devil with pretty much everything I have put through it. Mainly run 77 Sierra Tipped MK's or the Hornady 75 grain HPBT. Wanted to shoot the AMax's, but the mag was too short..

Only gripe that comes to mind, they got the twist right, but the Mag won't allow you to take advantage of it.

Seems there was someone doing a fix, but gave up on it.

Somebody made a magazine extension mold, but eventually the mold got stuck. I got a couple extensions before that happened....

My Compact RAR shoots the 55g SGK, 65g SGK and 75g Hdy BTHP all around 0.5-0.8 moa and within 1" of one another when switching loads, with only a little vertical difference.

Magazines and stock have been more than satisfactory; mine is a recent build.

Trigger is ok when lightened off. Still a fraction of creep.

Great value for money IMO.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth.../10351784/Modifying_the_magazine_--_RAR_

I have not done this personally but it seems like worth a try.

Tagged.

I've been disappointed with mine, a Predator Model. It hasn't fired a group at or under an inch yet. Most loads go into about 2 moa. I finally found a load with the 62 TSX that shoots into about 1 1/4".

I've tried various loads from 40 to 68 grains. It's usable as a coyote rifle, but not accurate enough for prairie dogs.

The barrel does not touch the forend and the muzzle crown looks OK. I seem to have bad luck with Ruger bolt action rifles. More than half of the 77's I've owned have been disappointing in the accuracy department and this American fits right in.

I got the standard model for a truck gun I wouldn't have to baby. I could not be happier with it.

Had feeding issues and Ruger sent a new magazine which works fine. Someone told me to open the mag lips a touch and in a minute or two with a file I had the old magazine working fine.

I don't know, I may have the newer stock but I like the stock. The rifle shoots most factory ammo into an inch, it is compact, light, well balanced and handy, and I haven't worked a smoother bolt since I last handled a Krag. My trigger is a mite heavy but so crisp I haven't bothered to lighten the pull,

I doubt this will be my last RAR.