Ruger American. Who has one and what do you think?

C

COpredator

Member
I'm looking for a gun to throw in the SxS, on the four wheeler or the tractor and not worry about scratching it up. Looking at the ruger american rifle in .243. So the question is, who has one and what do you think? Accuracy, trigger, feeding and extraction,etc. Thanks in advance
 
My regular hunting partner got one for his son in case he (son) cared to join us. Dad has adopted this as his regular coyote rifle. It's 22-250 and very accurate.

Tim
 
We have 3. 204,300bo and 6.5. Buddy has 2 a 308 and 6.5 grendel. All excellent for the price point, no issues at all with them. Shoot reloads through all of them and they are scary accurate for what they are. Good luck
 
Have the RAP in 243 and 6.5 CM - both 100% function and very accurate.
Also have the RAR 22 MAG, same - same.
 
I have 2 of them, great accuracy for what it is, nice trigger. Only complaint I have is some of the rotary mags are junk and have feeding problems, if you get a bad one Ruger will send you a free replacement. If you can get the one with the detachable mags your better off. Also make sure to check the free float on the factory stock, a lot of them have plastic from the injection molding that contacts the barrel that needs trimmed off.
 
I bought a 17 hmr for my grandson and he can shoot prairie dogs to 150 yards pretty easy with it, pretty impressive little gun.
 
I have 2. 223 and 6.5, excellent guns. Smooth action, great trigger, accurate,
Replace the scope mounts with EGW to accommodate more configurations. Only gripe is that the buttstock recoil pads cling to clothing and mag internal dimensions do not allow for long ogive bullets like the TC compass (compass shoots well also but the ruger outshines it in every other aspect). And single feed is not possible for benchrest yet I have no interest in using them for benchrest. It serves the purpose of hunting best. Hands down the best value/satisfaction of any gun I own. If you buy one as an entry level rifle you will quickly favor it over much more expensive rifles.
 
I also have 2, a 204 and 6.5cm. Both accurate, the 6.5 might be the most accurate rifle I've ever had. It commonly puts 3 123 gr amax touching at 200 yards. Smooth operating in time, a bit rough to start. I polish the front of the bottom locking lug where it contacts the shell in the magazine and that helps. Both of mine touched the left side of the forearm so needed some work there. Actually they both shoot to the left so it's a barrel misalignment in the action somehow. There must be a bunch that way. I also skim bedded the actions. The 204 mags are short, limit to 2.26" as they come. I took them apart and relieved a little plastic and get 2.28" now. But there was no reason they couldn't have gone to at least 2.3". The TC compass wins the mag competition, but I don't like the feel of the stock as much and the safety and trigger aren't very good on the tc.

I've been really considering another rap in 6mm cm but I just like hunting with AR's more so haven't yet.
 
I have 2 of them plenty accurate only real complaints are the zipper sound when working the bolt and the forarm flex.
 
I have one in 450 bushmaster for deer hunting.
The short 16” barrel makes it very maneuverable and light for what it is.
Overall, I am very happy with it.
Before deciding to use my AR for predator hunting I was looking at .223 Ruger American.
 
I bought the Ranch in .350 Legend. Worked the bolt about a zillion times and it is a lot easier to cock plus the bolt runs nice and smooth (not much "zipper" sound). No problem with the stock/barrel touching. It is pretty accurate and solid for what they cost.

Take care,
Bob
 
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After reading the input from this forum and doing some more research, i pulled the trigger and ordered one from my local gun store. It looks and sounds like the perfect tool for my intended use and the price wasn't what i expected either, at $383 plus tax, i should have bought two.
 
COpredator:

I think you will be happy with it. Action might be a little rough at first, but it will smooth out after a bit. Let us know what you think!
I've only been to the Denver area and a side trip into the mountains, beautiful state you live in!!


Take care,
Bob
 
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If you can find it, use Rockite to stiffen the fore-end. Its simple to use and adds VERY little weight. I did a Savage Model 12 and the weight gain wasn't noticeable to me. Its cheap to buy also.
 
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