I bought a Ruger American in .270 from Epps a few weeks ago. Ive handled alot of cheap entry priced rifles, and this new Ruger is'nt one of them. Its on par with guns costing $200-$300 more money. Even Epps told me that the ruger is better quality and better features than a more expensive remington model 700 sps, which after comparing them side by side, I agreed the quality was better.
My Ruger American shoots around MOA with factory ammunition, and if I try other brands, I'm sure sub MOA will be possible, and when I reload, I'm sure it will be a tack driver.
Overall, I compare the quality of my new ruger, to be about as good as my Tikka T3 lite, and some things are better.
IMHO, if someone has something bad to say about these new Rugers, then its just a opinion about it because of its low price, and probably have no facts or experience with it, to back it up.
If your interested in buying one, then go see it in person, and don't take the advice from someone who has'nt scene it in person. I really like my Tikka, but now that I own a American, and compare them, I wonder why the Tikka costs more
The Ruger does'nt look pretty, like my Remington model 700 BDL, but it shoots better, and is alot nicer to carry, and it seems like it will last forever.... The beefy bolt in the Ruger sure is alot more heavy duty than both my tikka & remington, and the trigger is nice, and now adjusted down to about 3lbs. The plastic magazine hold 4 rounds, and is just as good as my $100 tikka magazine, but half the price.
My only complaints are the ugly plastic stock, but its understandable since its so light, and I prefer a 3-position safety over the 2-position safety it has.
As far as being pleased, I am very. IMHO, the Ruger American is the best gun money can buy, in any gun under $600, and on par with others costing more. Its definetely a step up from other entry level rifles.