Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Comments on Ruger American

Biggest problem with the Ruger American center fires they so often out shoot things costing so much more....

It did ok, about 1.5" @100 Yds. It was just on a wooden block and my shoulders for the back. Not exactly how I would test real accuracy but 1.5" was good enough for deer .

This has been my experience with my Ruger American in 7mm-08. It shoots way above its price points.

How is your trigger? Mine is quite stiff and I don't like it much . It works, and it's ok , but that is all I can say about it.

Mine sucked too. I clipped a couple of coils off the trigger spring and super glued the trigger blade in the back position and now it shoots 1/4 - 1/2" groups

EDIT: 16" barreled 5.56/.223

Mine is a 300 BO and I’ve had it several months. The trigger kinda sucked so I swapped it out for a Timney. The bolt was pretty rough at first; it’s improved over time but it’s still a little balky. Everything has fed properly. I’ve only shot handloads and it’s been pretty easy to work up loads with 125 B/Tips, 110 Amax and 110 TacTx bullets. It was easy to work up loads and all three bullets put four shots in less than an inch at 100 yds at 2100-2300fps.

About 5 minutes and I can have it at 2 lb

I have the RAR .223 compact. It's an early model so it won't take the new magazines. I'm stuck with the rotary magazines. None the less, they have worked 9 out of 10 times. It's light, compact and easy to carry. It would be nice if the bolt locked but it is what it is. Mine has never seen a factory round, all reloads. If my life depended on a rifle, I would make another choice. But, for what I do this one works great.

kwg

I have found that if you only put two rounds in the magazine, even the older ones work pretty well. It is not a very good design, though. I do like my RA. I have about a thousand rounds through it and it has killed quite a few deer.

I agree on the older rotary magazines, for sure... I have an older model that can't be converted, so I'm stuck with that! However - it's hard to dis such an inexpensive rig when it'll do this every day, all day with pretty much anything I've ever put through it...! That's five, BTW @ 100...



I replaced the trigger spring and tossed the blade - still didn't like it and went Timney on it. Now it has a real trigger! With the SWFA 3x9 MQ on it, it's a great knock about truck gun, steel plates, ground squirrels and so on. I even got a compact stock to toss on it when the grandkids are big enough..... Ugly, heavy and clunky - but a darned good shooter for little money.

Got a 6.5 Grendel and a 223 AR type magazines
22 250 fast twist in a Magpul stock with Asics type magazine
243 with the standard rotary magazine one works most of the time and two others that are piece of junk

I’ll not disagree with that.
If most polymer pistols went with Glock mags (if design allows), rimfire rifles went with 10/22 mags (lookin’ at you CZ), and non-classic bolt guns went with AICS mags, we could stop a lot of the screwing around, and gun stores wouldn’t have to carry 100 different mag variations.

The constant need for gun and car makers to “re-invent the wheel”, when we already have perfectly simple/elegant solutions that WORK, never ceases to amaze...

I have had good luck loading all 5 rounds in the rotary magazines. It's usually the 3rd round that fails to load in one of the magazines. The other 3 magazines seem to be working 100% of the time. I got it for the grand kids to start out with center fire rifles. I really want a Predator in .223 but I just can't justify it.

kwg

It takes 5 minutes to pitch the floating trigger in the trash and get the trigger at 2 lbs

The new staggered mag cures the "problems" of the rotaries in .308 and Creedmoor based cartridges.

I might like a Howa if they acknowledged I existed, but since they don't, I'll patronize Ruger, Tikka and others who make left-hand rifles. I might even slum another Savage, but that would be a hard pill to swallow.

was looking on youtube and they had some videos on how to easily repair those or rework them to take care of those problems with the Rotary mag on your 243 style.

its evidently not so much a bad design vs, just poor quality control on manufacturing the mag...

Tried all kinds of that repair stuff one in the spring more and everything and nothing seemed to work on them reliably for me.

I’m thinking about picking up a predator model with the AICS-type magazine. Seems like it could be a great an all around big game hunting rig - even with a heavier barrel it’s still lighter than a Howa for instance. I’ve been wanting to try a rifle with AI mags anyway and this is a cheap way to try.

With you on this.
I'd pick up that Howa Alpine (the lightweight with HS stock) in a NY minute if they'd throw the "mirror image" switch.

Oh, have a RAR 308. Shoots great, no mag drama for me. Wish the safety locked the bolt.

I avoided the cheap plastic wonders for years. They dont have the features of a serious alaskan hunting rifle.

In hypocritical fashion, I caved at $100 for a like-new RAR scoped with a 2-7 redfield revolution.

I thought about them RARs for a few years after a young kid took his first caribou with one. They were so broke, i loaned them my truck, boat motor, even the hunting jacket off my back.

They had maybe at most, a half box of 180 grain partition ammo. Gun survived the nasty muddy-water environment like a boss. The kid was so starry-eyed and proud, i didnt have it in me to sht on his rifle or talk-down on it:



Here are my thoughts on a RAR 308 after overcoming my uppity ignorance:

The box trigger has an opening to blast some cleaner on the critical sear to trigger engament. So kind of a "hybrid open/box trigger". It took 60 seconds, to get that trigger to 2.5lbs with no parts required.

I purposely loaded a dummy round with a bullet too far out. I crimped the fk out of the case with a lee crimp die. Bullet almost got stuck in the rifling. I reamed on the bolt handle. Neither the bolt handle, nor the ectractor broke. It extracted like a boss.

The stock is sleek at the pistol grip, with some slight swelling towards the grip cap end. The swelling fills the palm and your grip doesnt slip down stock.

Though cheap, the ergonomics are far nicer than the dog-sht hogue that came on my old 375 ruger alaskan. Its also nicer than the clubby, dog-sht bell an carlson that came on my cz-550. It was an uncomfortable, short grip-angle, clubby and slippery on the b&c.
For cheap plastic, the american has good ergonomics.

The fast 1:10 twist of the mirror-finish barrel will stack 200 grain hot-cors into a single hole. It outshoots ANY rifle ive ever owned.

The weight was exactly as advertised at 6.1 lbs. That, is fkn light! A real short-action, unlike the tikkas.

I left the gun outside all winter, never had a SINGLE malfunction.

The two position safety means nothing, as all Alaskans hunt with an empty chamber. The bolt will be closed when its time to run a round into the chamber and take aim at moose, caribou or bear.

In spite of the do-nothing gibberish heard on 24houcampfire against the RAR's, would i hunt with one in Alaska?

Absofknlutely.