Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Ruger American is impressive......

I went ESS for one of mine. Love the setup.

Haven’t had my mag apart yet. I reckon it’s got the same sorta spring deal as 10/22’s? Doesn’t take much for them to mess up.

No one? Few rifles get bitched about more around here.

Don't know about the one on the RAR, but the Hunter's looks pretty beefy and sturdy. The magazine seems to be good too, as they all should be, regardless of price.

For a plastic the Hunter has a good one. I like the mag, works fine. But, I'd be a fan if more than 3 could fit in there.

Can you get a lifetime wife for $500?

I put Boyds laminated Heritage style stocks on some RAR-Ps. They weigh a full pound more than the factory synthetic stock. I would prefer that they weighed less than 16 ounces more, but the improvement in handling and balance more than offsets the added weight. Its not like you're going to pick an RAR-P for hunting in the mountains or in rough terrain if you have better options.

That said, the cost of each of the Boyd stocks and upgrading the trigger guards from plastic to steel was around $250, so if you add that cost to a $350 rifle, you're at $600, no longer in the economy niche that you started in.

I wasn’t referring to the mag. I had no issues with the mag on my hunter. I was referring to the one piece trigger guard. My point was, I’f kimber can do it on a rifle costing 700$. I ain’t gonna roast Ruger for doing it on a rifle costing 350$

Might as well just buy a spare RAR...

Yes, but it would just be another RAR, not an "improved" RAR.

For their price and what they are..... They're hard to beat. Every one that I've shot has shot well.

A cousin bought a .30-06 and has taken four bucks with it so far. For their intended purpose, they do the job.

-Jake

I like 'em, but my issues with the rotary magazine RAR are as follows:

1) The magazine. Couple issues: The bolt must be open to insert the magazine (i.e. cant insert the magazine on an empty chamber, bolt closed). Proprietary magazine: expensive for what it is, non interchangeable with other platforms. It was a good move for ruger to now offer the ACS configuration, but too late for me.
2) The built in plastic trigger guard. If it breaks, there goes the whole stock.

Ideally the stock would have a AICS pattern magazine well and a detachable metal trigger guard.

I'd have trouble justifying the purchase of a new stock just to address these issues, given the off the shelf price for the entire rifle.

Yep. I just poured some epoxy in the cross hatch in the front end of the stock, to stiffen it up a bit. It is great for what I use it for.

I think the OP's title is correct. For what it is, and what it does, for what you pay, it is impressive. Too often we judge it on what it is not or what it is not meant to be.

If Ruger gave it a metal trigger guard, made it a BDL and put it in an upgraded stock, we wouldn't be buying them at prices for which they are sold, both used and new.

I see they have a 20” 6.5 CM Compact now. I’d like to see a Ranch model in 6.8 SPC

I'm surprised to hear that; my RAP Creedmoor doesn't have that problem. Loaded mag inserts just fine with the bolt closed, no issues.

Does anyone else have that issue with theirs?

.308 RAR on sale for $280 shipped at SOS right now.

.308 RAR - $280

This is the RAR conundrum.....you see a deal like that and suddenly you need one. And 308 doesn’t seem like such a bad chambering after all.

I guess I just got a lemon. I bought a 30-06 a few years ago when Wal-mart had them on clearance for $199. After many bullet/powder combinations in 150/165/180gr, factory and Boyd's laminate stocks, and two scopes, the best it would consistently shoot was 1.5 MOA. Plenty good enough for the typical hunter that probably never going to shoot past 200yds, but not accurate enough to earn a permanent spot in my safe. It went down the road and I don't miss it.

I really wish they made one in LH for the RAR.