Ruger American Rifle Gen II

Here's the two different Gen bolts for comparison. The Gen 1 has the ADACR cocking piece.
Worthy of note is both bolts are interchangeable between rifles. Either bolt in either rifle will cycle,#### and fire but obviously the Gen 1 bolt will not lock in the Gen II action as it is lacking the milled portion.




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Thanks for the detailed comparison and all the pictures.

Those are gonna be some expensive posts hahaha
 
Sun_and_Steel_77 said:
My 5.56 Gen II showed up yesterday.
I usually take a new firearm home first and inspect it,clean it etc. but in this case I made an exception and drove straight from the post office to the range.
Fired around 60 rounds of a variety different loads and she looks to be a shooter.
So smooth right of the box, feeds slick as snot on a doorknob.

I then brought it home and spent the whole evening into the wee hours doing a complete teardown, trigger job etc. as well as parts swapping from my original RAR's.
I plan on doing a complete pictorial in the near future detailing the changes and compatability with earlier Gen etc but no time at the moment.
In the meantime I had this rifle completely apart and can answer any questions anyone might have.

I can say with all honesty I don't know how Ruger managed so many upgrades both mechanically and aesthetically for 200$. Ugly as she is I am smitten so far. Everything a rifleman could ever ask for in a sub 1000$ general-purpose rifle.
The fact that it uses a stone reliable magazine system with quality mags readily available anywhere for 35$ is merely icing on the cake.

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How did the stock get cracked in the 2 places I see along the comb?
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Sun_and_Steel_77 said:
My 5.56 Gen II showed up yesterday.
I usually take a new firearm home first and inspect it,clean it etc. but in this case I made an exception and drove straight from the post office to the range.
Fired around 60 rounds of a variety different loads and she looks to be a shooter.
So smooth right of the box, feeds slick as snot on a doorknob.

I then brought it home and spent the whole evening into the wee hours doing a complete teardown, trigger job etc. as well as parts swapping from my original RAR's.
I plan on doing a complete pictorial in the near future detailing the changes and compatability with earlier Gen etc but no time at the moment.
In the meantime I had this rifle completely apart and can answer any questions anyone might have.

I can say with all honesty I don't know how Ruger managed so many upgrades both mechanically and aesthetically for 200$. Ugly as she is I am smitten so far. Everything a rifleman could ever ask for in a sub 1000$ general-purpose rifle.
The fact that it uses a stone reliable magazine system with quality mags readily available anywhere for 35$ is merely icing on the cake.


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Does it come with the iron sights or is that aftermarket ?

B
 
Joel said:
Thanks for the detailed comparison and all the pictures.

Those are gonna be some expensive posts hahaha
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I can't see anyone who loves the original RAR's not warming-up to one of these.

Weather resistance is increased to the tenth power with the Stainless bolt and Cerakote (even the complete inside of the action is coated)
The new safety is positive in it's travel and has slightly less noise in operation than the Gen 1 as it uses three small detents instead of the spring.

I wanted to hate the stock right out of the gate but it is really growing on me. Grippy texture and slightly stiffer in the forend. Love the tool-less takedown of the buttstock via the rear swivel stud for my application with the Nodak sights....run the cheek riser for your optic then detach the optic and pop off the riser and have low comb for irons. Takes 45 seconds.
Grip angle and proportions are the same between the two Gens.
 
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SHELL SHUCKER said:
How did the stock get cracked in the 2 places I see along the comb?
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It was so ugly it offended my sensibilities so I took the forend in a baseball grip and smashed the buttstock into my workbench.

Just funnin' with ya SS ...that's where the cheek riser piece snaps onto.
 
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More than a few reports out there of Gen II's with the barrel jammed hard to the side of the channel...not so with mine it was centered nicely as pictured out of the box. Note the difference in thickness over the Gen 1.5 fore-end, I believe that is what makes it slightly stiffer and finally on par with the Tikka factory tupperware.

Bolt handle is factory threaded with a nice aluminum oversized knob that was easily removed with the proper allen wrench. Spun on one of my Carbon fiber knobs I like with some blue loctite.



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Sun_and_Steel_77 said:
It was so ugly it offended my sensibilities so I took the forend in a baseball grip and smashed the buttstock into my workbench.

Just funnin' with ya SS ...that's where the cheek riser piece snaps onto.
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Ok, no worries. Looks bad in photo though. Neat little rifles these Gen II RAR seem to be & I reckon Ruger will do well with them. :cool:
 
SHELL SHUCKER said:
Ok, no worries. Looks bad in photo though. Neat little rifles these Gen II RAR seem to be & I reckon Ruger will do well with them. :cool:
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I know you to be a fan of the RAR for some time now and let me be clear that these new versions do nothing to improve the already simple,reliable and most excellent little rifle that is the American. My original Ranch Rotary is coming up on close to 6000rds on it's second barrel and I know Gatehouse has high-round count RAR's and he speaks highly of there reliability.
Any and all Gen II upgrades are either aesthetic or comfort features aside from the added weather resistance.

Imagine how these will sell when we start seeing the kewl calibers like 22 ARC hit the shelves!
 
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Sun_and_Steel_77 said:
I know you to be a fan of the RAR for some time now and let me be clear that these new versions do nothing to improve the already simple,reliable and most excellent little rifle that is the American. My original Ranch Rotary is coming up on close to 6000rds on it's second barrel and I know Gatehouse has high-round count RAR's and he speaks highly of there reliability.
Any and all Gen II upgrades are either aesthetic or comfort features aside from the added weather resistance.

Imagine how these will sell when we start seeing the kewl calibers like 22 ARC hit the shelves!
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Agreed. I'd be tickled bigtime to have a RAR in 375 Raptor but it'll take SAAMI standards to get it legit for rifle & ammo makers. Wish they'd get on with 'er. ;)
 
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Can the spacer between the butt pad and stock be removed and butt pad installed right to the stock? That spacer and cheek riser are the only things bugging me ascetically.
 
DeadShot519 said:
Can the spacer between the butt pad and stock be removed and butt pad installed right to the stock? That spacer and cheek riser are the only things bugging me ascetically.
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Cheek riser can be removed easily. The Butt-pad,however, is integral to the rear module and cannot be attached to the forward portion of the buttstock on its own.

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The trigger is an excellent design and unlike the Browning X-Bolt the circlips allow you to easily access the internals for cleaning and polishing. It safely goes down to 2lbs without changing any angles, only surface polishing and clipping 1.5 coils from the spring.
It is also one of the safest triggers that I've drop tested at this pull weight.


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The Gen II stock is heavier by about 4ozs or so. The new style pic rail also adds a couple ounces it is very thick. The barrel fluting may subtract a couple ounces.
I don't have an Gen 1 ranch with a .223 barrel as mine is a .30cal HAM'R so not a true comparison but my estimate would be the Gen II is heavier than the Gen 1 by about 4-6ozs.

Barreled actions should be nearly a wash... either equal or the Gen II a skosh lighter due to the fluting.
The included Pic rail on the Gen II is beefy and heavier than the Gen I
 
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Have to say I see what you mean about it being an upgrade over the Gen 1. If someone just hates the Americans it probably won't make them fall in love, but as a fan of the Gen 1, definitely not been steered wrong in picking up a Gen 2.

The bolt IS smoother, looks like its been bead blasted to deburr, eh? I like the new stock. The forend reminds me of a Tikka Roughtech, and the comb with the clip on cheekpiece removed works well for me.

On this 300 blackout version the extractor, ejector and headspace seem to be tight. It was a little sticky until I sized new brass in a sizing die, now feeds pointed bullets very slick. Baubles with round noses because its an AR setup. The rotary mag original Gen 1 was slicker with them. You need to work the bolt swiftly for the extractor/ejector to get a grip or be depressed seamlessly but its wearing in nicely.

Didn't seem to like Hornady 110gr V-max much at all, then shot a well under 1" 4 shot group with Speer 130gr HP and said huh, this has potential. Loaded up some 110gr Hornady CX as they are one of my go-to monos for this cartridge, and shot an 8 shot group at 100 yards. 7 of the 8 shots went into 1.5". The last one was a called flyer, and I knew it was a pull to the left when I broke the stupid shot haha.

For me, shooting off a bipod and not a sled or some crap, I will gladly take it.

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