Ruger American, is it that bad?

Frank77

Frank77

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Hi!

I am shopping for a new .223 rifle, reading about some guns, watching videos. I had 3 .223 rifles in the past, Savage 12 LRPV, Savage Axis and Stag arms Ar15. The Ruger American predator caught my attention, I know it's a budget rifle, some are praising it but I see a lot of negative comments too about michining marks and bolt sounding like a zipper.. They sell for about the amount i am ready to spend, they have medium contour barrel, detacheble mag, lightweight and scope rail included. These are the thingsI was looking for. Been looking at the savage hog hunter, not fond of blind magazines, savage has a few models but many are over my budget (house kid and car...you know...), and their new line with customizable buttstocks come with price increase. I don't want to start buying a stock and a rifle and get a 1000$ bill. And btw, it will be used mostly at the range, 200 yards, and some fun shooting in the woods, not for hunting.

What is your experience with the Ruger American serie?

What would you suggest?

Thanks!
 
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I had a .243. I sold it this past winter during a mini purge and instantly regretted it. It was laser accurate and carried like a dream. Had absolutely no complaints about it.I bought mine when pricing was reasonable. Today's pricing on them seem too high to me but, that's true of most things now.
 
I have a standard American LH in .308 and a LH Predator in 6.5CM. I have not hunted with either, but from load development at the range I have found both to be entirely functional and reliable. They may not win praise from some for their looks or the fact that some corners have been cut in purely aesthetic areas, but, both rifles shoot laser beam straight and put bullets into small sub MOA clusters at 100 yards. I decided to ignore the naysayers when I purchased them, and I'm quite happy with the rifles.
 
I bought a new Ruger American 22-250 a couple of years back. This was my experience and observations:
1. Trigger was sub-standard and I would rate it 3 out of 10.
2. Stock was extremely flimsey & much too flexible.
3. Action was rough & gritty (yes it did sound & feel like a zipper).
4. Finish & bluing was very poor and cheap looking, it would rust every time I used it, terrible.
5. Accuracy was poor. We are talking 1.5 inch 5 shot groups X 100 yds. Total crap.
6. It would never feed properly, would hang up & jam every clip, never the same round - sometimes the 2nd round, next time the 3rd or fourth round, etc. Tried 3 different clips ( all on warranty) and none of them functioned properly.

This all made for a useless coyote hunting gun, so I sold it at a loss obviously and will never own another Ruger. Of the 100 +/- rifles I have owned and shot over my life time this one was by far the worst ever. To answer your question, No it is not that bad, IT IS WORSE.
 
I've been happy with my lh in 7mm 08. I took the accutrigger blade out of the trigger and polished the bolt. Its smooth and reliable now. It shoots very well. I still plan on free floating it as the fore stock is a bit flimsy. I shoot it the most of all my rifles right now but that's partially due to the caliber.
 
I would just buy a Tikka T3 or T3x and be done - great quality, no feeding issues, smooth bolt, great trigger. By the time you buy the Ruger and make it "right" you sunk too much money into it. I love my Tikka had budget rifles that cost less which I sold. In hindsight should have bought the Tikka in the first place. This has cleared out most of my safe already.
 
The zipper bolt is a true story. If you have to have one you should sand and polish it. And cerakote the action and barrel if you live/hunt in at all a damp environment. Which is probably all of us. I'm a gun-loving cheapskate but I have never been able to bring myself to buy a Ruger American or Savage Axis. The Winchester XPR seems good, as far as budget rifles go. But as recently as 2011 I bought a Savage 116 300WM stainless with a real steel detachable magazine, stiff accustock with aluminum bedding block, and a nice finish for only $700. Regular price at Cabela's. Makes me sad to see the current prices. Now I mostly buy used Mausers from Tradeex. They shoot well and have real workmanship.
 
My wife has one in .270

The zipper bolt sounds cheap, the stock is flimsy plastic, the trigger sucks and the overall machining finish is poor.

The magazine is actually fairly good and the rifle shoots accurately and functions perfectly.

Overall i think that if you are not going to modify the rifle and just want a cheap shooter this is a good buy. If you want a rifle to build on, the parts availability for Rems and Savages is much better.
 
I have one in .223 and have yet to fire it and yes the finishing touches are pretty bad. Mine has that zipper sound from hasty machining but the thing that really miffs me is the chatter on the barrel. When I first unboxed it I felt the old "lunchbag letdown" when I saw the chatter marks down the barrel then I took an oiled paper towel to wipe it down. WOW. Along with the dark rust residue left on the paper towel the bigger horror was the load of little bits of paper towel that were stuck on the burs from the rough machining!! It probably took me longer to remove all the paper fragments than it took to turn the barrel!
 
Bought the 'Murican in .243 for my son's first deer rifle,no complaints wutsoever,shoots tight/sub MOA,carries like a dream,action is smooth as silk contrary to previous posts here??
Actually,I briefly owned the Ruger Precision Rifle in 6.5CM which is essentially the same action and it was in fact quite gritty/rough sounding so I dunno what's up with that.....poor QC at Ruger perhaps?
Irregardless,both myself and the boy love the lil American,in fact,Iwouldnt mind buying another for myself in .204R......but I paid $499 for his Christmas 2016,not really so thrilled about paying the $700 sticker price now?
I have no complaints about the "flimsy stock" according to the most critical rifle snobs that imho just love to pick things apart and criticize ...sure its no McMillan,but nor is this a $7K+ custom build PRS rifle,it's an an entry level hunter and pretty damn good value imho.......and best of all...it's NOT a Savage.

Bottom line is YES I/we own one,YES we are very happy and satisfied with it,YES I would/likely will buy another.
 
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IvoB said:
I would just buy a Tikka T3 or T3x and be done - great quality, no feeding issues, smooth bolt, great trigger. By the time you buy the Ruger and make it "right" you sunk too much money into it. I love my Tikka had budget rifles that cost less which I sold. In hindsight should have bought the Tikka in the first place. This has cleared out most of my safe already.
Click to expand...

Listen to this person.
 
If it wasn't for the name 'American' and people blinded by patriotism this rifle wouldn't have half the following it does.

Much better options out there for the money IMO
 
Thanks for the comments guys, will go back to Howa sometimes this summer, had a 1500 miniaction in a different caliber, sold it yesterday, already missing the trigger.
 
Throw the Rem 783 in 223 into your search. Might cover all that you want and the rifles I have and have helped with, work great, shoot great and the action just gets better with use.

Hate the flat bolt knob but that can get solved easily. Rem is going to address this with a new variant coming out this summer.... shortie barrel.

The factory 223 box mag I played with was one of the best det mags I have used in this chambering.... just typical shorter OAL

Similar dollars as well.

Jerry
 
Mystic Precision said:
Throw the Rem 783 in 223 into your search. Might cover all that you want and the rifles I have and have helped with, work great, shoot great and the action just gets better with use.

Hate the flat bolt knob but that can get solved easily. Rem is going to address this with a new variant coming out this summer.... shortie barrel.

The factory 223 box mag I played with was one of the best det mags I have used in this chambering.... just typical shorter OAL

Similar dollars as well.

Jerry
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Hi Jerry, thanks for the input, alaways appreciated, you helped me in the past with my lrpv☺ If shooting factory 55gr ammo will there be a big difference between a 20 inch Howa heavy barrel a 16.25 inch Remington barrel? Trying to figure how to attach a bipod on this stock...
Thanks
[video]http://cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-08-at-2.52.04-AM-770x200.png[/video]
 
Mystic Precision said:
Throw the Rem 783 in 223 into your search. Might cover all that you want and the rifles I have and have helped with, work great, shoot great and the action just gets better with use.

Hate the flat bolt knob but that can get solved easily. Rem is going to address this with a new variant coming out this summer.... shortie barrel.

The factory 223 box mag I played with was one of the best det mags I have used in this chambering.... just typical shorter OAL

Similar dollars as well.

Jerry
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Ye beat me to 'er Jerry. No worries though.;)

Everyone should try out a 783. These buggers are a nice upgrade from the old 788 series, but the lock time is a bit slower tis all.
 
Frank77 said:
Hi Jerry, thanks for the input, alaways appreciated, you helped me in the past with my lrpv☺ If shooting factory 55gr ammo will there be a big difference between a 20 inch Howa heavy barrel a 16.25 inch Remington barrel? Trying to figure how to attach a bipod on this stock...
Thanks
[video]http://cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-08-at-2.52.04-AM-770x200.png[/video]
Click to expand...

Velocity will be faster in the 20"... only matters if reaching out to 600yds and beyond.

Accuracy will be unknown until you shoot the barrel... some factory barrels work... some dont.

The swivel stud is molded into the stock... just attach a Harris like you would on any stud. simple.

I look forward to the Shorty variants...

Jerry
 
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