Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires R.A.R. Rimfire Target 17 HMR - Field Report

About 45 days ago I purchased a factory new Ruger American Rimfire Target Rifle in caliber 17 HMR.
I mounted a Weaver V-16 (4 to 16 power variable) in expensive Leupold rings on it and waited for a calm day to test fire it.
Finally 10 days ago I got a calm day and headed for my friends private range.
Alas the Rifle (scope!) ran out of windage adjustment before I could get the bullets impact centered on my point of aim!
Started "replacing" parts starting with the picatinny style base that came with the Ruger Rifle.
Next replaced the rings then finally found that the scope was deficient.
Gun shot great there at 50 yards just that the bullet impacts were 2" to far left when I ran out of windage adjustment (tube bent?).
Only two shot "groups" were shot while trying to sight-in.
Finally got around to getting a new scope on it four days ago when out of town Varmint Hunting guests showed up for a visit and a Safari.
The new scope I mounted and bore sighted onto the Ruger American is a Leupold 6-18 power variable Target model with fine Du-Plex reticle.
Did not get to the range with it but took it along on Safari "hoping" the new scope would correct the "windage" problem!
It did.
I sighted the Rifle in while afield Hunting with my friends and that did not take long or much effort.
Soon I was killing Ground Squirrels out to 150 yards using Hornady 17 grain V-Max 17 HMR ammo.
The trigger there afield was "pretty good" I may try to adjust it here soon, now that my friend have left (this morning).
Three minor problems with the Rifle need to be/needed to be "addressed.
#1: Rifle came from the factory missing one of its two "action screws"! This was corrected at time of purchase by the LGS owner "borrowing" one of these Allen head action screws from another Rifle.
#2: Magazine release will NOT release magazine properly - release lever, when activated (pushed), will not drop the magazine. Two hands must be used to remove magazine - it will not "drop" like other Ruger rotary magazines do.
One hand must be used to repeatedly push the release lever and the other hand is used to jockey (with much effort/difficulty) the magazine fore and aft to wriggle the magazine out of its well!
#3: The tang mounted safety is incredibly difficult to move fore and aft to activate and de-activate the safety! In fact it takes me two hands (two thumbs stacked atop each other!) a death grip on the stock with other fingers and MUCH effort to move the tang safety either fore or aft!
I would guesstimate the effort needed to move this tang safety as the same as moving 25 pounds (at least!) with my thumbs!
This is a problem I am greatly puzzled as to how it could have left the factory as is!
For that matter how that Rifle left the factory without both its action screws installed also greatly puzzles me.
Oh well.
Over-all I am VERY happy with the new Ruger American Rimfire Target Rifle, its trigger and its accuracy afield. The stock is very conducive to easy field shooting for Ground Squirrels (from pivoting benches, stand-up bi-pods, and from window mounted sandbags as well as big X" type sandbags over the hood). The short stubby heavy barrel (18") is handy and easy to manage when getting in and out of vehicles.
The 6 pounds and 8 ounce weight of the Rifle (not including scope or rings) also aided in sighting and stability afield.
I will get the Rifle to the range for exact grouping measurements ASAP but again my ability to hit standing Ground Squirrels out to 150 yards has convinced me "its a shooter"!

Link to Rifle: https://ruger.com/products/americanRimfireTarget/models.html

My friend and Gopher Hunting partner bought one of these same Rifles late last year and he has been amazed at the accuracy he gets with it. He is due here next month for its first Ground Squirrel Hunt.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Good report VG. Do you think the safety on yours is messed up, or are they all that heavy?

Aspencreek: Hopefully its just my safety that is "messed up" - my local gunshop is now sold out of this model (again!), they have sold at least ten of these that I have seen pass through the shop in the last 8 - 10 months.
These Ruger American rimfire Target Models also come in 22 L.R. and 22 Magnum.
To tell the truth I have not tried the tang safeties of any of the others that I have handled to date - so can't say for sure if the others are heavy (extremely heavy!) like mine - again, I assume not.
My friend with the identical Ruger American is due here in about 10 days and I will plead for him to let me remove his action from his stock so I can visually compare the two guns (safeties) side by side.
Just mortified a black and white flying nest robbing Varmint this afternoon with the Ruger American - only a fourty yard shot but one less nest robber for the game birds and song birds to contend with!
Thanks for the kudos.
More later.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

what's the going price for this model

I thought a bit about one of those, but went with the devil I knew, a CZ 455 SS.

Hope you get yours ironed out. Seems almost every maker is having issues with QC of late. Penny-pinching, I suspect.

VG, your safety might be installed wrong. Mine was.... Pop your action outta the stock, undo the linkage wire, flip the tang button around, put it back together and see if it helps.....

The safety on your rifle is a bit of an annomoly..Of the half dozen or so RAR rifles I have shot and handled the safeties all worked about like a Mark 1 M77 or Number 1 or 3 safety, that is to say ,just fine..

As to your magazine not falling free, that is common these days on new Rugers as it usually takes a bit if time for the mag and mag latch mechanism to break in . After a bit more use it should snap in easily (locking up and then forward) and drop free. Mine took about 200 rounds to get broken in.

I don't feel its a QC issue but rather tight tolerances .I think Ruger wants to make sure that once broken in the mags lock tightly and don't flop around when the action is operated.

Sounds like your rifle is accurate ,though..

I would guess that the safety bar linkage is dragging on the inside of the stock.

Take it out of the stock and see if there is a bad rub mark.

Wow. In my opinion , thats absurd. It's like they didn't even look at it. Unacceptable number of flaws.

Well,that review certainly doesn't make me want to rush right out and purchase one. It sounds like that one should have never left the factory, only one action screw, magazine release that doesn't work properly and an unusable safety - WOW!

My shooting partner bought the same exact model a week ago. We took it out a couple of days later, and it shot very well but it failed to extract about one out of every third fired case, he was more than a little frustrated at having to pry them out with his knife.

Seems as though Ruger may need to up their QC.


drover

As best as I can remember, I've bought five new Ruger rifles in the last three or four years, but no Americans. All have functioned perfectly, with only minor tweaks like floating the barrel and mag boxes, and trigger work for better accuracy. Maybe the margin on the Americans doesn't allow for the same amount of care. I'm not making excuses, any product should work as designed, but maybe they should raise the price a couple bucks and check them out better. Personally, I prefer to spend a bit more for nicer goods, but I realize not everyone feels the same.

Without commenting on my personal experiences with modern day Rugers (that always seems to coincide with an unnamed members time of the month and then things get nasty) I will say that reading over at Rimfire Central will tell the OP that he is not alone with his QC issues.

Huntsman22: Thank you very much for that tip! And for the remedy to try.
I greatly appreciate it.

Dakota Deer: Thank you very much as well - I will disassemble my Rifle tonight and look things over with you's guys recommendations in my mind.
Thanks again.

Drover: I am NOT trying to sell YOU (or anyone else!) a Ruger American Rimfire Target Rifle in caliber 17 HMR!
I am trying to honestly portray my impressions/experiences so far with said Rifle - you make up your own mind.
I will say this, even with the previously mentioned "flaws/shortcomings" I am happy enough with the handy, handsome and accurate little small game and Varmint Rifle that its not going anywhere but Hunting with me.

Pappy348: I own plenty of "high end" 22 L.R. Rifles including those made by Winchester (Model 75 Targets etc), Kimbers of Oregon, Kimbers of New York (Super Americas, Model 22's, Model 82-G's Hunter/Silhouettes etc), Remington (40X's and 541-T's) and others but for one fifth the cost of some of MY "high end" 22's this Ruger American Target is gonna get lots of use travelling along on Varmint Safaris and small game Hunts.

More later.
Thanks all
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I am still waiting on my Tikka T1X to ship the end of this month...Good Luck VG on your RAR Target. I am sure you"ll get the "kinks" worked outta it soon...

VarmintGuy, thank you for your write up. You are always thorough and I, for one, appreciate the time you invest in telling us what you are seeing. Regarding the trigger, I replaced the trigger on my RAR Predator 6.5 CM with a Timney from Brownells. It made a significant difference in the rifle and If one is available for the rimfire, I would recommend it be investigated.

Pappy348: I own plenty of "high end" 22 L.R. Rifles including those made by Winchester (Model 75 Targets etc), Kimbers of Oregon, Kimbers of New York (Super Americas, Model 22's, Model 82-G's Hunter/Silhouettes etc), Remington (40X's and 541-T's) and others but for one fifth the cost of some of MY "high end" 22's this Ruger American Target is gonna get lots of use travelling along on Varmint Safaris and small game Hunts.

Our opportunities for that kind of shooting are very limited here, actually non-existent, as public land is almost all wooded or brushy, and guns not allowed in the wooded areas except during regular game seasons. Getting permission on private land is very difficult as well. That situation makes the concept of "burner" rifles less compelling. I'm still considering one of the stainless models for my grandson's first rifle, as most reports on them are positive, and the availability of youth stocks is a big plus. His would be a .22, and IIRC, most problems seem to be with .17s.

I'm envious of how you guys out West get to ride out to public land and just go shoot, but it's too late to change. Squirrel season is about the only chance to use our rimfires afield, but you don't get all that many shots doing that.

Again, good luck getting yours sorted out.

Pappy348: I count my blessings very often when it comes to "public lands" uses here in the Rocky Mountain west.
I Hunt Elk on public lands almost exclusively and often Hunt Antelope on public lands as well.
Many Varmints I Hunt though are on large privately owned/controlled farms and ranches.
Tomorrow I will be Hunting Jack Rabbits, Badgers and Ground Squirrels on a private ranch.
Load up that grandson and bring him out SW Montana way and we will get him a 500 round count Varminting day or my name ain't VarmintGuy!
Helped host a wonderful dinner last night that had 3 great guys from down south (Florida) who flew to Montana and rented a vehicle - all of them had a 500 round+ day yesterday - and the weather wasn't that good.
Just yesterday my local gun shop put out a new version of the Ruger American Rimfire Target Rifle - it was similar to my Target heavy barrel blued Rifle except it had an ambidextrous thumbhole laminated stock!
It might be adjustable in length - I will double check that today.
Its priced at $428.00 - as compared to $399.00 for the standard laminated stock like mine.
This new version of the Target has a flatter forearm than the rounded one on my Rifle - that would be an improvement as most all my shooting with the Target has been and will be from sand bags or rests of some kind.
Hope to see you soon.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Rings should be here in a day or 2. My $199 seems pretty sound trigger etc. hopefully shoots as good as it functions

I want to wrap my Ruger 22 around a tree, I have never had a rimfire shoot like this ever. 5" groups at 50 yards. Granted I paid 225 for it new but WTF. Maybe they shipped me the smoothbore version

I am buying one as well