Help me pick a Gen 2 American Ranch Rifle!

[Olympus]

I've been deer hunting with my son for the last 4 years. He started at 6 years old and he is currently 9 years old. I really just wanted to get him exposed to hunting and didn't really expect him to have any success, but he has killed three deer so far! I've been letting him shoot a spare AR15 I had with a 1-6x lvpo and used the good Barnes ammo. But I only used the AR because it was the shortest LOP on a rifle I could find. We hunt from an elevated blind and I keep the gun mounted in a tripod for him to shoot. But this fall, he will be 10 years old and he still loves to hunt so I want to get him a dedicated deer rifle. Part of the process I want to teach him is safe gun handling in the field. The gun range is one thing, but once you go out in the field you encounter all kinds of little scenarios where it's easy to make a mistake. So I've been looking for a short overall length, short LOP, and light rifle that he can start carrying himself in the woods rather than ole Dad carrying the heavy AR15. The LOP was the hardest part until I realized the new Gen 2 Ruger American rifles have a stock spacer than can be removed to get the LOP down to 12"! That plus the fact that you can also get the shortest overall length with their 16" barrel Ranch models really makes this a no-brainer for what I'm trying to do. So I'm pretty convinced that the Gen 2 Ranch is what I'm going to buy for him. I just can't decide on the caliber. With as affordable as these rifles are, I don't expect this to be a purchase that he'll use the rest of his life. I'm actually content with knowing he might grow out of it in a few years and then I can keep the rifle for myself, maybe slap a Magpul stock on it and have a fun little truck gun/range toy for myself.

I'm trying to decide between 3 caliber choices, 300 Blackout, 6mm ARC, and 6.5 Grendel. We hunt from the woods so a 125 yards would be about the longest shot he'd ever be able to take. And light recoil is still a big consideration at 10 years old, especially from a short, lightweight rifle. I'm a reloader, so none of these calibers would be an issue for me in terms of ammo. I'm really leaning toward the 300 Blackout for the versatility. I can reload some "hotter" rounds since it would be coming out of a bolt action rifle and I'd still be able to load some cheaper subsonic plinking reloads. The Blackout is an easy cartridge to reload also. I like the idea of the 6mm ARC, but it's so new that I'm not sure I want to invest in one without knowing how much "staying power" the cartridge will have. The Grendel is also a good option, but both the 6mm ARC and 6.5 Grendel I would rather shoot out of a barrel longer than 16", so those two calibers may what we move up to with the next gun?

Anyway, I'd love to hear thoughts and advice on this subject. Thanks!

 

[freedom 1776]

6.5 Grendel

 

[Csinn]

Suppressing?

 

[Olympus]

Suppressing?

Not from the bolt action platform. But any of the 3 calibers also work in a standard AR platform, so possibly in the future if I added another AR to one of those calibers.

 

[Olympus]

6.5 Grendel

From the Alexander Arms website, 120gr bullets from a 16 inch barrel is between 2000 and 2175 fps at 150 yards. That's losing steam and energy pretty quickly.

 

[freedom 1776]

From the Alexander Arms website, 120gr bullets from a 16 inch barrel is between 2000 and 2175 fps at 150 yards. That's losing steam and energy pretty quickly.

The Grendel will do anything the arc does. Just use same weight bullets.


If you want to keep a short barrel, the 300 bo will be the most efficient.

 

[gotboostvr]

For the range and purpose involved, they'd all work well.

300blk might be the easiest to keep fed, and would make a real fun suppressor host.

The other two would do better pulling double duty as varmint rifles if you ever take him coyote hunting.

No wrong answers here.

 

[horsemen61]

6.5 Grendel easy

 

[Olympus]

6.5 Grendel easy

It's not really that impressive out of a 16 inch barrel.

 

[horsemen61]

It's not really that impressive out of a 16 inch barrel.

My handloads make that a nonissue to each their own but I’ve yet to see a deer walk away after shooting it

 

[Buzznrose]

Based on your distance, all will be fine. I’d go with whatever makes sense to you. If it were me, I’d probably go with the Grendel but again, that’s me.

A couple other kid friendly options are a 20” Ruger in either .243 or 7MM-08

 

[jmr40]

I would choose the 6.5 Grendel. It does everything at 200 yards that a 270 does at 400 yards. Even from the shorter barrel. And the 270 has been recognized as a 400-500 yard cartridge for 100 years now.

 

[Olympus]

I would choose the 6.5 Grendel. It does everything at 200 yards that a 270 does at 400 yards. Even from the shorter barrel. And the 270 has been recognized as a 400-500 yard cartridge for 100 years now.

I don't think the Grendel from a 16 inch barrel performs like you're thinking here.

 

[Olympus]

Based on your distance, all will be fine. I’d go with whatever makes sense to you. If it were me, I’d probably go with the Grendel but again, that’s me.

A couple other kid friendly options are a 20” Ruger in either .243 or 7MM-08

I think those will be the next step up from where I'm currently looking. Maybe in 2 or 3 more years.

 

[Show Me]

For a little fella less kick and blast is a good thing. Dad's little hunter. Awesome!
Happy project.
I had to bully boss , who's place is this treatment of a few son in laws. I made the rules and layed down the law and started all grandkids with .223 and was quite successful.
The options your bringing up weren't invented yet or weren't main stream.
With our girls we only had a 30 30 , SKS for deer hunting but I had made farm tom boys out of them and that wears off in a few years.
A rifle he can hold up by himself and practice with is the vibes I'm getting. Best wishes.

 

[Show Me]

A couple other kid friendly options are a 20” Ruger in either .243 or 7MM-08

For a ten year old ? Crazy baby.

 

[horsemen61]

I don't think the Grendel from a 16 inch barrel performs like you're thinking here.

If you don’t want to pick the Grendel Why put it in the poll? We aren’t here to justify and validate your choice!

 

[adcoch1]

All three will work, but I'd pick the Grendel. Little more bullet weight than the Arc for a little more oomph up close, and better bullets for cheaper than the Blackout. I have the Grendel and the Blackout, and the flatter trajectory of the Lil 6.5 is great for a deer gun. But like I said, all three will work.

 

[horsey300]

From the Alexander Arms website, 120gr bullets from a 16 inch barrel is between 2000 and 2175 fps at 150 yards. That's losing steam and energy pretty quickly.

You should be able to hit 2400-2600 with a 100gr using the right powders (out of a 16") the 123 sst is quite the darling of a pill for the Grendel and should still be able to get into the 2300 ballpark, but not really necessary. The blackout is going to be WELL behind those velocities with similar b.c.s, not enough edge to the blackout in the b.c. to lose another 200(ish) fps. The ONLY perk to the blackout is subs. For a practice round, that's fun enough, but if you're questioning the Grendel at 150 yds, the blackout DEFINITELY doesn't qualify.

 

[horsemen61]

That new 90 grain CX load from Hornday will easily make that short 16 inch 6.5 Grendel a capble deer rifle as far as the boy can shoot accurately so let’s stop blaming the cartridge it’ll do the job plain and simple

 

[Show Me]

DANCE FIGHT !!!! Money for nothing and the chicks for free

 

[mongoslow]

the 6.5 grendel or get it in 350L, I have the Gen 1 in 6.5 Grendel and I've taken 4 deer with it, I've killed 2 with a 16" Ruger MPR in 350L, if shot my buddies Ranch in 350L, all the Gen II Ranch rifles have Ruger's radial brake which eats what little recoil the 6.5 grendel and 350L have, either would be a great choice.
the 300BLK leaves something to be desired as a deer rifle for me it just doesn't have the omph needed.

 

[Csinn]

Not from the bolt action platform. But any of the 3 calibers also work in a standard AR platform, so possibly in the future if I added another AR to one of those calibers.

6.5 Grendel then, 300blk to me shines suppressed

 

[zdc1775]

Of the three you listed I would say 6 ARC, but why not get one in 5.56? Plenty for any deer out to 200-250 yards, even less recoil than the other options, best and cheapest ammo selection so he can shoot it a lot and become comfortable with it.

I have one of the 20" versions and it averages around 1-1.5" ten shot at 100 yards with decent 69-77gr ammo. So far my go to practice ammo is the 77 gr OTM for AAC, shoots 1.25 ish groups to the same poa as the ammo I use for hunting and only costs about 60-65 cents a round.

 

[LoonWulf]

Dont like the 300Blk....so ill leave others to champion that round.

Handloaded difference between 6arc and 6.5Grendel in a bolt gun isnt that significant.
I currently run 106gr Tac bullets out of my Arc at 2800ish from my 25" tube
My loads for 100gr ballistic tips from the grendel ran about the same from a 24" barrel, 123s would hit 2750.
I would still expect to see 2500from a 16" tube.

Factory ammo ive so far found Arc to be loaded hotter than grendel....ill Chrono the 108 ELdms i just bought, but the first box clocked 2750 from my gun.....for reference my .243 loads only push 100s at 2900.