Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Need advice on a couple Ruger American upgrades

Howdy:

I purchased a new Ruger American Compact this winter in 308 Winchester to try out. I'll be still hunting, doing a lotta mountain walking in my search for another NH Whitetail this Fall. I have a couple questions about upgrades.

1. Can you folks recommend a decent company to purchase a good replacement rear bolt shroud? Not liking the plastic one and I'd like to go lightweight aluminum if possible.

2. I'd like to replace the flimsy (although light weight) stock with a decent wood stock. Again, I'd like it simple and lightweight and didn't know if you folks had a recommendation for one for this COMPACT AMERICAN model.

Thank you in advance,

Rich

Sell the Ruger and buy a Kimber Hunter.

I haven’t bought from them but others seem to like them:

https://gladesarmory.com/product-category/ruger/ruger-american-shroud-ruger/

https://www.anarchyoutdoors.com/bolt-shroud-replacement-for-the-ruger-american-rifle/

Boyd's will probably be your huckleberry for a wood stock.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Solid advice

"Dump the Chevy and buy a Rolls Royce " kind of advise...

I hunt with a Ruger American Predator.. it'll do fine on its own... and you won't have to worry about beating it up, especially in snowy New Hampshire.. I find beauty in utility... not in having a rifle I don't want to scratch up...

Try Pacific Tool and Gauge in White City Oregon...they make a lot of aftermarket upgrades for a lot of different brands of rifles.

they offer an aluminum bolt shroud for $35 and a steel one for $40.

They also offer a Savage style barrel nut for $35 if that interests you...

Rich,
Congrats on the Ruger American. That's cool you're hunting with a rifle made in your home state.

I just swapped out the plastic bolt shroud on my 308 for an aluminum one from anarchy outdoors. All went well.

I personally like the original stock and the bedding system is far superior to any other budget rifle out there. The recoil pad is excellent as well. The rifle shoots everything I've tried under 3/4" @ 100 yards. That 1:10" rifling stabilizes 200 and 220 grain bullets very well. Some of my handloads, like the 200 grain hot cor, clover leaf the target. Easily the most accurate rifle I own.

I had issues with both the old rotary mag and the newer replacements. In addition to the plastic bolt shroud, I also don't care for the plastic trigger guard. So that's where I made improvements, and the ugrade was quick and easy.

Now fed from steel AI mags, no other rifle I own would feed more reliable. I purposely set the depth of the AI bottom metal, so that the magazine feed lips almost touch the bottom of the bolt.

The 3 lug design seems meant for steel AI mags, as one lug points straight down when cycling the rifle, and fits right in between the feed lips, getting a good purchase on the cartridge.

During feeding, the tip of cartridges stay slightly above the feed ramp, before the round is released from the feed lips. The rounds have a slight upward cant toward the chamber, controlled by very strong spring pressure of the steel AI mags.

Anyhow, I've no use for a fkn over-priced tikka or kimber hunter. The American is the top selling bolt action in the United States

Here in Alaska, friends are stacking moose n caribou with em no problem.

$100 for the rifle & scope used.

Less than $350 for the aluminum shroud, trigger guard, bottom metal and used AI mags.

Do the math on that.

Terrific info. guys, thank you so much for your posts.

Rich

I’ve bought from Anarchy Outdoors before and everything was smooth, if you have doubts about them.

+1 on Anarchy Outdoors.

Only problem with using a Boyd's stock is they don't really make one for the compact gun. The standard one will fit, but it looks really odd to put a full length stock on it, then have that short barrel sticking out front. That's purely a cosmetic issue, but it might bother some.

I have a sample of one, a ranch in 7.62x39. Easily, my most used and shot rifle. May not be the best stock in the world but outside of that it’s a solid rifle. Looked around and next to nothing for the ranch in a replacement stock. Decided I did t want to change it after all, defeated my purpose in the rifle. The bolt shroud is probably going to go on mine as well… most likelyAnarchy for me so I’m watching the comments also. As said by a previous poster”Something to be said about utility.” It rides in-the Jeep and ATV constantly with nary a bobble.

Not to hijack this thread, but…
I’d love to hear more on the bottom metal, trigger guard, and mags.

Interested in this as well. Thanks.

well I would say if one actually believe Google 100% and also had much knowledge of the history of different firearms. kimber's reputation that hit and miss on accuracy is there the little rugers reputation for accuracy is pretty solid....

I sold mine and bought a Tikka. I don't see any point in throwing money at the Ruger's. They are an accurate budget rifle left as is. But when you start putting money into one you'll quickly end up with more money in it than it would cost to just buy a better rifle in the 1st place.

I've had 3 of the Predators, a 308, 6.5CM and 223. The 308 took AI magazines and was trouble free. As is the 223 that takes AR magazines. I had issues with the standard magazines in the 6.5 CM. I kept the 223 and swapped the others for comparable Tikka's. No mag issues at all and they are more accurate. I use the 5 round Tikka mags and like them better.

The stock is fine as is. Yes, it is flimsy, but the way Ruger's are bedded it doesn't affect accuracy the way it would on other rifle designs.

I only paid $350 each for the Predators I owned. At that price they were a bargain. But they are in the $500-$600 range now. I can still buy a Tikka for $100-$200 more. Much better than throwing the same money at a Ruger.

When the RAR-Ps came out in 2015 I bought several of them and bedded some of those in Boyds Heritage style in laminated stocks. The Boyds stocks improved the handling, fit, and feel, but added a full 16 ounces to the package.

I bought a gently used Kimber Hunter in 308 via GB in 10/22 for $750. It is light, it is stainless, it shoot Winchester 150 grain Dear Season XP factory loads into groups that are a hair over MOA, not a bad mountain rifle. The 257 Roberts and 6.5 CM both do MOA or better with their pet loads. I don't love the ergs of the factory Hunter stock and if B&C inletted a stock like the original 700 TI, I would probably spend the money to replace all 3 stocks.

But, as with all things, what works well for one person might not work as well for another.

From the things that have been discussed the first thing I would do before a bolt shroud is schitt can the trigger and put on a Timney, not really a Timney fan but they nailed it on The Ruger American

takes about 10 minutes they have a nice 2 lb trigger...

Jmr40, I certainly won't be selling my American for a tikka. I like a short action cartridge in an actual short action rifle. Preferring the heavier bullets in the 308, I like that 1:10 twist, and certainly won't down-grade to a 1:11 twist.

Boatanchor,
If I'm cloverleafing groups from a 3 lb stock trigger, why would I waste money on an upgrade? Of all my rugers, I've never felt the need to replace any trigger. Minor tuning was all that was needed.

Last time I checked, this is the Ruger American thread. Scores of tikka and kimber fan-boy threads. Go jump on those. This is about the top selling, most affordable budget rifle in the United States.

Anyhow, the best value in the ruger american world is not the predator model, but new and used standard rifles. And yes they are well worth the upgrades.

OK, enough about overpriced budget guns that have nothing to do with upgrading a Ruger American.

So, $100 for a used American+Scope.
$347 for 2 steel AI mags, aluminum bolt shroud and aluminum bottom metal.

That's $447 all up, all steel and aluminum.

Next upgrade is open sights.

Dmn it! The barrel is gonna have to be chopped to 20". It won't fit in a vertical scabbard under my handle bar like my 338 RCM carbine. Smith charges $40 for a cut/recrown.