Thoughts on the Ruger American Rifle?

Had a .30-06 version here, quite accurate.
Smooth, light for carrying all day, reliable.
Denis

In the course of fitting a scope on my neighbors new 308 American a few months ago, I decided to take it apart and have a look at the "features". The action and bedding system... solid design, the adjustable trigger... not as good as the Savage but OK at the price point, surprisingly smooth bolt... quite a lot of gun for a typical store price of around $350 and less.
No... it ain't no Sako, it isn't even a Tikka... but even at $450 it would still be a pretty good deal. By the way... when I took the action out of the stock, the front screw was way too tight and there was a bit of loose plasticy stuff in the stock recesses. Take your gun apart, clean it, lube it and torque the screws properly.

Anyway... With a IOR Valdada 4-14X56 (yes... the scope is worth 3x more than the gun ) it shot four 5 shot groups with Federal P308C (165 gr Sierra BTSP Gameking) averaging 1.120". Pretty damn good for a hunting bullet... shot from a rifle rested in a wadded up backpack, in the rain. With match ammo, proper rests and good benchrest technique... who knows?

I can be a real rifle snob... but I gotta tell ya', the "cheap" guns being made today by Savage, Ruger, Thompson/Center, Kowa & even Marlin can be pretty dog gone accurate with the right scope and ammo. 10, even 5 years ago... that wasn't true.

C

I have only seen and handled one, a whole lot like a Tikka T3.

Like it!

I have the .308 and am very happy with it. It is superior to the Savage Axis in many ways and handles very well. The trigger pull is superb. The bolt cycles well. The muzzle has very nice crowning for a rifle of this price category.

My only complaints are:
- the barrel is very whippy and heats up easily, which may lead to looser groupings unless you allow it to cool down;
- the magazine doesn't like to feed some varieties of hollow point hand loads even though they are correct COAL.

I bought this rifle because I wanted an all-weather rifle I could beat up. Instead I find myself babying it like I do my wood stocked rifles jus because I like it so much. I mounted a Burris Fullfield II on it and believe it to be a great combination.

+1 for the .308, love it, and the price just makes it that much sexier. I run a buckmaster 3-9x40 on mine and it does quite well, would easily recommend.

Range reports have been less then stellar, good just not outstanding in my book. I guess it is a decent quality for the price, but I already have a few cheap "knock around" guns. If I did need another truck gun the Ruger would be in contention, I do think it is better then the 770 for sure.
Maybe I am just getting picky, but moa accuracy does not thrill me anymore, now a facotry rifle that will print 1/10th moa (or better) groups that gets my attention, thus far I have only been able to do that with Savage and Tikka. Not that you would ever need that level of accuracy in the woods, but I like my range bragging rights Best group out of my stock T3 was 1/12th MOA using hunting bullets.

Have the 30-06 and had mine at the range today for the first time. It has a buckmaster 3-9-40 scope mounted and it is a great match up. Only had time for a few rounds but after zeroing scope I shot three 3 shots groups. I am a deer hunter and not a target shooter but I all three groups within a 1.5 inch grouping. Super rifle for the money, very good rifle for 2x the money. Only problem I see with it so far is that it is not in 257 Roberts yet.

Last week I picked up an American in .308 and look forward to taking it out to play.

For $400, it's hard to beat.

Double Vision said:

Last week I picked up an American in .308 and look forward to taking it out to play.

For $400, it's hard to beat.

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My only hangup is that for $386 I can get a scoped Savage 110 w/Accutrigger combo, (I own two of them) and yes like all Savages they shoot.

Unlike the Savage, the stock on and recoil pad on the American is acceptable enough for field use.

^ Heck my package Savage 110 has the best recoil pad of ANY of my rifles! (or at leased as good as my new Model 70) The stock on the Ruger felt just as flexy to me, in fact the one I held was touching the barrel the whole way down, poor salesman did not know what to say.
Here is a little secret though, even flexo-matic stocks can still shoot cloverleafs And Yes I can touch holes with my groups all day on a $384 Savage, just use RL-19 and 150gr Accutips the results are amazing. Not saying the Ruger is not capable of the same thing with well developed handloads, but it is not the only game in town for radical value. I do however think the Ruger weights in about half a pound lighter in the real world.
Edit: Not all Savage 110s come with a good recoil pad, I have seen a 243 and 308 that had a hard chunk of rubber, but both my 270 and 30-06 have a fantastic one.

Maybe I am just getting picky, but moa accuracy does not thrill me anymore, now a facotry rifle that will print 1/10th moa (or better) groups that gets my attention, thus far I have only been able to do that with Savage and Tikka. Not that you would ever need that level of accuracy in the woods, but I like my range bragging rights Best group out of my stock T3 was 1/12th MOA using hunting bullets.

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1/12 of MOA eh?

Gotta love the internet. I think the operative work in your post is "bragging," and I don't mean that in a good way.....

goalie said:

1/12 of MOA eh?

Gotta love the internet. I think the operative work in your post is "bragging," and I don't mean that in a good way.....

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I'm sorry but I can't see any rifle shooting 1/12 MOA. Thats .083" center to center a .17 caliber bullet is over twice that size at .172" in diameter. How do you shoot a group smaller than the bullet your using? They would literally have to go into the exact same hole.

My lgs has sold several of them at least one .30-06 and one .308, I have heard that they are quite accurate and perfectly acceptable for what there intended for. Not sure what your finding them for but they go for $319.99 at my lgs.

Kyle M. said:

I'm sorry but I can't see any rifle shooting 1/12 MOA. Thats .083" center to center a .17 caliber bullet is over twice that size at .172" in diameter. How do you shoot a group smaller than the bullet your using? They would literally have to go into the exact same hole.

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Try a Tikka sometime
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=663791&highlight=awsome+6.5x55
.082" center to center, and I have four witnesses to that, shot on a windy day too.
Not the fastest load in my range bag, but you could not ask for a better grouping

Without comparing it to the other decent value offerings. I will say that you will get no complaints from me about my choice to buy the Ruger American.

Actually, reports I've seen have almost entirely been positive on its accuracy.
The one I had here shot into an inch or less at 100 yards with a Redfield scope and more than one load.
I've seen others getting down to half-inch groups.

The gun is cheap, no question, but it does perform.
Denis

Kachok said:

Just got home and put my calipers on it, .346" outside diameter at the widest point, subtract the .264 caliber and the bullets all hit within .082" of each other making that just slightly better then a 1/12th MOA load

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Does a .264" diameter bullet make a .264" diameter hole?

1858 said:

Does a .264" diameter bullet make a .264" diameter hole?

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Yes, well ever so slightly larger anyway, and you subtract the diamiter of the bullet to get the center to center impact points with one hole groups. Love that Tikka, wish they made them with a nicer hardwood stock, that is across the board the most accurate rifle I have ever shot, and I have shot ALOT. Wish I could find another Stainless Steel model for $408 but thier prices have gone way up.
Once I see Ruger owners debating over the exact size of their one hole groups I will be in line to get one of those too

I admire people who shoot like that.
Between farts, burps, general breathing and just being old, I'm happy with a three inch group at 150 yds. The animal is generally unhappy.

Just bought a Ruger American in .243 a few weeks ago. I put a cheap old Tasco scope that was sitting in a drawer on it and my 1st group after sighting in was 1 1/4" at 100 yds with cheap Federal 100 gr. factory ammo.

I have no doubt that a better scope and some careful handloads will cut that group size considerably.

I don't care for the magazine, but it sure shoots well enough.

TheCracker said:

Thanks for the input. I think I'm gonna get one. Local Walmart is the only place that has one in stock. It's $352.

I'm confident ill be able to get at least 1" groups with some handholds.

As far as all this 1/12 MOA goes show me a 10 shot group and do it more than once out of 100 tries and you will be doing something. If it did happen it sounds like a fluke. Like the time my mini 14 shot a 5 round 1" group at 100 yards. I was tickled but it has NEVER happened again. It's normally 3" or more! Just because it did it once doesn't meant its a 1" gun.

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Oh every time I brought that load out it shoots remarkably well. If you are ever out this way you are more then welcome to try it yourself, I live right next door to Styx River shooting center, but just remember my baby is not for sale, not at any price. Granted that 1/12th inch group was the best I have shot with it thus far, but I have pulled 4 straight one hole groups which is more then a "fluke" I have the utmost confidence in my Tikka when I am in the woods, as long as I do my part I am eating backstrap.
Granted in no portion of reality do you NEED that much accuracy for real world hunting, but dang is it fun I am sure the Ruger is more then accurate enough to push the limits of even the best hunters under field conditions, lets face it how many of us can shoot sub moa in the freezing cold, turned halfway around in a treestand heart racing staring down a trophy buck? Not me that is for sure, but at leased I keep it in the vitals.

I've got a thousand bucks that says you can't shoot five ten-shot groups under 1/2 MOA in a row at any distance over one hundred yards.

And it doesn't even have to be windy.

BTW, when did you leg out?