Does anyone here own one and can give me there review of it. Or if anyone has any feedback on this rifle it would be appreciate. I'm on the fence about getting one and I just didn't know if the standard Ruger American would be just as good or if the muzzle break makes a difference etc. I do like the fact that the barrel is Cerokote. How the accuracy is just using factory loads etc. I'm looking at a 308win. Thanks in advance.

buddy has one, he says it is great

I have one in 6.5 CM. I did two things to mine 1-got rid of the muzzle brake (Ruger sent me a thread protector no charge) 2- order 2 five round magazines. The rifle is accurate more so than I am. Don't think you can go wrong.

My personal opinion (and that is what this is, opinion) is that the Ruger American rifles are the best budget rifles on the market today. Is everything about them going to be great? No. The trigger needs some work, and I am not fond of the magazine set up (either the detachable rotary mags or the AICS set up). The stocks are not great either. But all of those items are functional, the overall gun is solid, and it is accurate right out of the box. The fact that they were one of the first makers to offer threaded barrels on budget guns is great too. All-in-all, it is hard to find that kind of performance in a sub-$500 rifle.

I have a RAPredator and am pleased with the accuracy. I couldn't take the stock and put a boyd stock in it. Athlon scope. Under $1000 as it is now. I would but another in 223 if I could lay my hands on one.

My son and grandson both have one in 6.5CM. I have been loading for each rifle. Both rifles are good for sub MOA.with my reloads and factory ammo.

i have a 6.5prc, put a new trigger spring in it, shoots 156 , 130 or 140 bergers .6moa out to 700 yards, easy to load for functions great, have extra magazine, also have a 223 with the 10 shot magazine very accurate feeds excellent

I have the American Hunter. It comes with the Ruger factory brake in it. I does reduce recoil, but there are better brakes out there.
The gun itself is boringly accurate. I have three different bullets weights it easily shoots into less than .75", which is all I need out of this gun.
A lot of praise out there about the RAR. Reminds me of the Remington 788 back in the 70s and 80s. It shoots way above its price point.

That’s what I was thinking.
Minor edit: it was the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, the 788 having come on the scene in the spring of ‘67.

Cheap and ugly.

All the ones I have handled felt cheap, the bolt slopped around while working it, the trigger has that little lawyer flipper on it and in spite of that, all shot very good.

I have one in 17HMR. It's a hideous goddam gun, and the cerakote isn't very tough, but it shoots pretty good with its favorite fodder. It can, as many American rimfires can, be prone to failure to extract. Most Federal ammo cases split with it.

I have the .223 compact. It may not be the most accurate rifle but it sure is handy especially when wearing a heavy coat. I almost bought a compact in 7-08 but I couldn't justify it considering I have a .243 that doesn't get used near enough.

kwg

I have 2 Ruger American predators 1 a 6mm Remington (Grice Ltd run) and the other a 6 mm Creedmoor like them both for what they are. The comparison between them and a 788 is on the money. Working rifles that don't have to be babied. Other than a scope and sling they are ready to go would not put dime one in upgrades to stock or trigger if you want something nicer start with it....mb

I have 3 Predators. A 223 that takes AR magazines, a 308 that uses the AI style magazines and a 6.5CM that uses standard 4 round magazines. All are way more accurate than they should be. The 223 and 308 have been reliable. I've had some issues with the standard magazines and the 6.5 CM.

I paid $350 each for mine and I feel that as long as you leave them alone, they were worth THAT price. Some guys go out and spend $300 on aftermarket stocks and other supposed "upgrades" and end up with $700-$800 in the rifles. If I'm throwing $700-$800 at a rifle there are better choices. The stock is flimsey, but it works, none of those upgrades make the rifle any more accurate than they are out of the box.

They were worth $350, but are selling for closer to $500 now, I've seen them priced at $550 and the Go Wild versions are even higher. At that price I'll pay a little more for a Tikka and buy a couple of spare 5 round mags. My Tikka's are the same weight, more accurate, and I've never had a magazine issue.

I got the RAR in 5.56. It’s the flush mag rifle. I got about $450 in it.
I screwed a M-16A2 flash suppressor on the end of the barrel and mounted a Leupold 4-12 Leupold on it and use it for a truck / 4-wheeler gun.
I have a 55 grain V-Max load that’s charged with Benchmark that will group just under an inch if I do my part. I feel it will do much better.
I would like to do some more load work-up with it. I have a lot of different bullets, lots of powder and a five gallon bucket of 5.56 brass but only have about 600 small rifle primers left so I’ve been making do with the V-Max load.
The bolt is rough, stocks cheap and it’s a little front heavy but it’s a neat, handy rifle for the price.
While I appreciate the comparison to the 788 from an economic or marketing standpoint, I do have a 788 in 222 and IMO there’s little comparison between the two.
The 788 will shoot circles around the RAR but I would never subject my 788 to the conditions and abuse that I subject my RAR to.
For the money, they are good rifles and I probably ought to buy another in a larger caliber for a back-up deer rifle.

I have a "regular" Ruger American (flush mag with black stock) in 7mm-08 with a basic Leupold 3 x 9 scope. I bought it for my son to get his start in deer hunting about 4 years ago. He has taken a couple of whitetails with it. I have also taken 6 whitetails with it. I have found that I end up taking it to the field when my son is not using it in lieu of my walnut and blue Remington 700 in .30-06. The RAR we have is a tack driver. We get sub-MOA with Hornady Full Boar factory ammo in 139 gr. GMX. I would definitely purchase another. In fact, I am eyeing a Go Wild version in .25-06.

I don't know if you're looking to buy a new or used one but I had one of the early ones in 308 and the magazines were junk. I think they've improved the design since then but that's something to keep in mind.

IMHO, rotary magazines are not "junk" . ,My . 308 Sporter , made in 2015 has been a very accurate and reliable little rifle so far. The original rotary mag and spare has run through about 500 rounds without a hitch. If you load a magazine improperly or use too long handloaded ammo you can make about any magazine missfeed. Many of the Ruger American mag problems are nothing more than user error- not the mag itself.

The new design is a staggered box that fits the same outside dimensions as the original rotary mag. The new mags are still flush fit but have indentations on the sides so they can be told from the originals.

I have a 223 that takes the AR mags, shoots 62 Bear Claws and 62 Barnes TTSX into 3/4 groups. Fun little bastard to use for a hunting buggy rifle.

I bought one in 300 BO and the bolt is a bit rough and the trigger left a lot to be desired. I replaced the trigger and after the second day at the range I had a load with L/gun and the 110 Barnes T/shock at 2350 fps that puts four into an inch +/- 1/8”. It’s a fun little rifle.

Most rotary magazines aren't junk but a quick internet search will show many forum discussions about the Ruger mags and also Youtube videos about how to fix them.
Ruger has earned a reputation for releasing products into the market that aren't fine tuned enough to be their best. The customers have been their testing lab for a long time.
I called Ruger to complain about multiple American mags and they sent me replacements, no questions asked. They knew there was a problem.
I didn't know they have switched to a staggered magazine but it makes sense considering the all-too many problems with the rotary one.

Picked up a 308 ruger american scoped with a 2-7x33 redfield revolution for $100 Its a loaner rifle for guests.

My last loaner was an open sighted sporterized mauser in 30-06 i picked up for $175. Had a pile of 220 grain federal blue box with it.

With scrap brass i picked up off a range, and 200 grain hot cors at 2500 fps, this fkn plastic wonder prints half inch groups. Weighs 7lbs with scope. The 1:10 twists likes them bison-legal 200 grainers.

But it works great, just like me.

A few comments:

Have been shooting various RARs since they appeared:

"Cheap and ugly" is exactly what many, if not most, gun reviewers said about the 721/722 Remingtons when they appeared. Now they're considered "classics," apparently because they had walnut stocks.

The triggers are among the easiest to fix among the "cheap and ugly" but accurate rifles being made today.

The bedding system is very good, and even if the barrels aren't free-floated correctly from the factory (they sometimes aren't with many injection-molded stocks), they can be fixed just about as quickly as the triggers, using a round wood-rasp. The later stocks have been stiffer and don't have this problem very often.

Never had much problem with the rotary magazines, except with more tapered cartridges. Have owned two RAR's with the AR-type magazine and they worked fine.

Have owned several rimfire RARs and haven't experienced any extraction problems, though none has been a .17 HMR, and a friend did have problems with one of those. My .22 Magnum is the most ammo-tolerant of any of the several .22 Magnums I've owned, shooting almost anything very well--and into the same POI. Bought it for $179 at a local store, and some of my other .22 Magnums cost several times as much.

Two RAR Predators in 6.5 Creedmoor have been the most accurate 6.5 Creedmoors I've test-fired, and have tested some costing around 10 times as much.

All of which is why, after owning a number of RARs (and taking plenty of varmints and big game with 'em) I own three, the .22 Magnum, and a 1-8 twist .223 and .22-250.

Great info MD. I’ll start looking more closely at what they are offering. Probably some good stuff coming out of the ShotShow.

MD, 5 minutes to a crisp 2.5 lbs. Im late to the game on these plastic wonders. I can never recall a rifle at any price, that was that easy to adjust.

At first, all the plastic parts were absurd. The weak rotary mag spring, the weak mag release spring, the plastic trigger gaurd.

60 rounds of cheap winchester powerpoint free with the rifle, it outshot all other guns in my possesion. The $100 plastic wonder is less absurd.

I have purposely left it out in the cold and have kept slamming it with 200 grain handloads. Nothing has broke, no malfunctions. No drift in groups from 20 below zero, to warm barrel 10-15 rounds later.

Supposedly, the American is one of the top sellling bolt actions in the country?

Thanks very much for the field report!

I bought a RH 6.5 Creedmoor Predator when they first came out shots 15 thru 20 new rifle 5 shots measured .43" at 100 yards. Son was just getting out of basic training. He told me that he had read about the Ruger American 6.5 CM told him I had an accurate one waiting for him at home!

Last year I bought a Ruger American Ranch in .5.56 that takes AR style magazines....junky feel but shoots lights out.

I Put a Leupold VxIII 1.5-5 with a CDS on it. Sighted it in with Black Hills .223 re-manufactured ammo shot it over a chrono and got a velocity reading and ordered a CDS dial for it...hard to imagine bolting 30 rounds through it.

I call it my Democratic AR.....couldn't be happier.

I have a Ruger American Go Wild in 6.5 CM It's new condition. I won this rifle at a Friends of NRA Dinner.
I think this is a great budget friendly rifle. I have not shot this rifle nor am I going to. I have decided to donate it to one of the local High School shooting sports dinners, so they can raise more money for their needs.
Don't think a guy could get hurt by buying one. I think it would treat you right.

Do some of these gunwriters ever correct their gibberish? Phil Massoro advocates for a trigger replacement that costs more than what I paid used, for a RAR rifle/scope combo:

"with all due respect to Sturm, Ruger and Co., the Ruger American Standard has a pretty awful trigger"

https://www.gunsandammo.com/editorial/top-ruger-american-rifle-upgrades-right-now/247829

Quite possibly the wide range of experience with and opinions of the RARs is simply due to the lack of consistency and QC possible at the price point. Buy enough of them and you’ll likely encounter some issues, but after all, it is a budget rifle. Personally, I wouldn’t put a lot of money into lipstick for one, but can sure see their attraction for some purposes. I’d like to see them make some more in SS, or at least with SS barrels like the 8” .22/250s Darrik had.

Ruger's spotty QC extends into their higher end guns as well.

So you’ve mentioned a time or two…hundred😛

Only problem I’ve had with a higher end one was a New Bearcat that was seriously out of time. It had to go back twice, because the first joker actually made it worse by bending the transfer bar so badly it cracked and broke. Came back the second time perfect, and they paid the freight for that trip, and refunded what I paid for the first one. Wish I still had it, but I sold it to defray the cost of its replacement, poor economy.

Also sent back a LCP2 .22, totally on them for a spring replacement, but that’s a $300 toy.

The RAR .223 I bought was a purchase I didn’t need to make. It’s 1:8 twist was compelling for running heavies and banging steel.

I did all the home grown trigger fixes and finally just dropped a Timney in it. It’s a great trigger now.

The rotary magazines suck imo. Another 24 friend showed me how to modify one to take longer coal and that worked out well.

I strapped a SWFA 3x9 on it and I’m having a ball shooting steel, along with ground squirrels and it’s my walking varminter for coyotes.

The platform concept is good. Trigger is OK and fixable, safety in the right place, low bolt lift that allows very low mounting of scopes and the newer stocks are plenty rigid and work fine - easy to paint or dip.....

The muzzle brake is a personal thing, to be determined by the shooter. I’ve only had one, on a .338 - it worked as advertised but was very loud! Buy it, shoot it, make up your own mind.... it’s an easy fix.

I think the RAR’s are an excellent starter rifle or budget gun for playing with different cartridges. The friends that have shot it have all been impressed.

That said, I’m moving on to a Tikka T3X for what I consider a more refined platform.

The RAR will get dropped into a compact stock that I have. A smaller, lighter 1” scope added and I’ll load light weight bullets at mild velocity to teach the grandkids with. It’s a winner in my book.

Going on 2 years ago I stumbled onto a big box store clearance sale and brought home a RAR in .270 for $227. Mounted a Burris FF II 3-9x40 in Leupold DD’s and added a Blackhawk Mtn sling, have about $450 into the rig total. A Campfire influenced set up. So far have only shot a bit over half a box of Hornady American Whitetail ammo though it but I’ll work up hand loads this spring.

My main intention for the rifle was for something to send off to college with my son that I won’t be overly concerned about. He takes care of stuff but not knowing how it would fare in a college armory had me second guessing him taking his usual rifle. I ended up carrying the Ruger for the first time one afternoon this past season because the weather was crappy and I shot what’s probably my 2’nd best buck ever. It may be cheap but apparently the thing has good mojo.

I have one 6 CM predator and one 6.5 in American Go Wild. Both are very accurate with my handloads. The stocks are cheap and sometimes the mag will not catch. They're great for the money as I bought mine on sale at Sportsmans.

You can count on me to continue to do so. I owe it to them!

Mcarbo trigger spring for 14 bucks. 3 minute job and now beaks at 3 lbs. I have this as a camp gun. Moa or less with cheaper Hornady white tail or federal non typical.

I've had around 25 RugerAmerican Rifles andI think that the only centerfire option that I haven't had is the 6mm REM. The ones that I've shot in 204, 223, 22-250 (1-8" ROT), 243, 260, 6.5CM, and 308 are all capable of MOA accuracy or better. The only RAR-P that has yet to go MOA or better is a 22-250 that sneeks up to the edge of MOA, but has yet to cross that line.

I think that they are accurate, but I don't care for the stock's comb height,. The addition of an after-market comb height kit has been an inexpensive resolution to my problem.

If the price is right, you get a lot of accuracy potential per dollar spent on an RAR.

In all honesty, I prefer the Marlin X guns in the under $400 centerfire rifle market niche and was disappointed when Freedom Group droped them in favor of the Remington 783, but nobody asked my opinion.

Just acquired a RAR Go Wild in 6.5 PRC. It's on the same action as their magnum chamberings (300 Win Mag), even using the same magazines, so there's no problem with long OALs. I made up some dummy rounds and cycled the rounds about 100 times and that smoothed out the action a good bit. It's still not as smooth as old Mauser, but it's much better than it was out of the box.

I also had to clearance the forearm to fully free-float the barrel as MD has mentioned, but that didn't take long.

I've done the trigger spring mods, trigger is better, but it's not a Timney...

Not be able to get to the range yet, but if it's like the other RARs I have (Predator 223 & Ranch 7.62x39), it should shoot very well.

Overall, for today's inflation, it's a lot of gun for the $580 I paid for it.

I have a left-hand RA in .308. I got a couple new mags for it, but the old ones worked well, if you did not put more than three rounds in them. I happened to have a different spring that fit the trigger and it is about 3-3.5 pounds with some slight creep. I have shot about a thousand rounds through the rifle. It is a 1/2-moa shooter with 150 Interlocks, over CFE 223, at 2940 fps. I would buy another in a heart beat.