nomad 68
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
My .243 is issue free.Amazing accuracy as well. Like everything else I guess. Your going to get your duds here and there.i will say though, at current pricing, there are likely better options.
Thoughts regarding a Ruger American Ranch in .223 for plinking out to 500metres?
- Thread starter Zeroed-In
- Start date
Thanks for the info., this fall was about when I was hoping to add a new stock to my RARR, although I still may be interested in a MDT LSS or ESS Chassis as well since I have all the bits needed laying around (rear stock, tube and grip...).
I thought I had looked fairly well for all available rifles that compared with the Ruger American Ranch. If you wouldn't mind posting up what rifles you know of that come in. .223 with a compact 16" barrel, with 1 and 8 (or 1 and 7) twist, that's threaded with detachable magazine, weighs around 6lbs. for around $600 and that has the availability for an aftermarket chassis I'd be interested to know what they are.
The adjustable trigger and cold hammer forged barrel offering MOA accuracy can be forgiven in the comparison.
Cheers D
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nomad 68
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Wasn't specifically referring to the ranch. More so to the standard American with 22" barrel. They were a good deal when first introduced but 6 bills plus, is too much when the vanguard is in the running. As for the ranch, not much alternative out there with 16" barrel.
Detachable mags are a nice feature if you do a lot of road hunting and are loading/unloading a lot. But the mags need to be good quality and affordable because you will lose them someday. American mags which are $60 for 4 pieces of molded plastic do not meet that requirement.
A 16" pencil barrel vs an 18" or 20" pencil barrel offers no real advantage other then a minor loss in velocity.
They claim MOA accuracy is possible, others guarantee it. Take Rugers MOA claim as iffy at best.
Threaded barrel on a 16" 223.... I see no benefit at all and I own one.
Rugers trigger is meh. The kind of meh where you hope Timney comes out with one soon.
The stock is bad...only thing as bad is the Axis stock. Worth negative dollars.
This is the Vortex of budget rifles, selling features but no quality.
A 16" pencil barrel vs an 18" or 20" pencil barrel offers no real advantage other then a minor loss in velocity.
They claim MOA accuracy is possible, others guarantee it. Take Rugers MOA claim as iffy at best.
Threaded barrel on a 16" 223.... I see no benefit at all and I own one.
Rugers trigger is meh. The kind of meh where you hope Timney comes out with one soon.
The stock is bad...only thing as bad is the Axis stock. Worth negative dollars.
This is the Vortex of budget rifles, selling features but no quality.
I appreciate your response Hitzy and recognize that the RARR is a basic, low budget rifle; it's just that out of all the other rifles with the features I wanted it seemed to be the one that checked off the most boxes.
I would have preferred a Tikka (even if two to two to three hundred dollars more), but I couldn't find one with a barrel less then 20" (and finding an aftermarket stock could be difficult too). As for a Remington 700 they were heavier and w/o a detachable magazine (yes changing to an aftermarket stock from Magpul or MDT... would/could solve that, but it would be of no help until those parts were added) and again a couple hundred more.
The Mossberg MVP's bolt was unacceptable to me, even though others claim they aren't bad shooters, I just couldn't get past it. And regarding the Mossberg's sloppy bolt, I do recognize how others can't get past some of the issues with the RARR. I on the other hand haven't been spoiled with quality bolt action rifles so starting with a basic low budget RARR isn't as much of an issue.
Sure I recognize how much nicer a Ruger M77 or Tikka action works or the difference from a much finer stock to the cheaper plastic on the RARR, but this rifle is for shooting targets out to 500Metres while laying in the dirt/mud/snow... (plus off-hand and bench...) So as long as it can do that with reasonably good accuracy and reliability I should be satisfied.
This is a starter bolt rifle for a fellow (me) who's never shot past a couple hundred yards (for precision) and just wants to get started in the mid-long range game w/o having to have a smith modify the rifle to get the attributes wanted.
The reason right or wrong for the shorter barrel is to make it more manageable (off-hand/and being threaded allows me to try out a flash suppressor I have.
The Vortex comment is probably accurate as that is the scope I have for it too. Yes it's not the best, but if I damage it rolling around on the ground it's covered.
Finally $639 is a fair chunk of change (for me personally at least), but when considering all other new rifles that were better quality with similar features (none offered every feature the RARR has) it was more affordable as it was two to three hundred less then it's competitors. Regarding those rifles of a similar price it simple had more features that matched up with what I wanted in this rifle. Saying that it's true you get what you pay for as the RARR does not compare quality wise with a Tikka or a Remington 700.
Cheers D
You know, when I was just starting out, had a young family and almost no disposable income I wished for an inexpensive rifle that had a decent trigger(none did back then in any budget range), and could shoot under 1 moa.
Now people have that as an option. Instead I waited until I was 35 to get a 223, and 40 to get my marlin 45-70. I could never justify the expenditure. I reload, and a new rifle requires new rings, scope, dies, components etc and effective double to triple the price of most rifles.
Now these are an option. I own all the rifles I ever wanted, and am in a position to afford pretty much what I want. Maybe I don't want to throw my 98 mauser, or my browning in my truck to get knocked around. Or I want a camp rifle as my camp is in a remote wilderness area(34 km quad ride) and I don't want to worry about something getting stolen or rusting. Enter the Ruger American. Accurate, good trigger, and guess what? I won't cry if it gets destroyed on my quad, or stolen from the camp.
Appreciate things for what they are.
Now people have that as an option. Instead I waited until I was 35 to get a 223, and 40 to get my marlin 45-70. I could never justify the expenditure. I reload, and a new rifle requires new rings, scope, dies, components etc and effective double to triple the price of most rifles.
Now these are an option. I own all the rifles I ever wanted, and am in a position to afford pretty much what I want. Maybe I don't want to throw my 98 mauser, or my browning in my truck to get knocked around. Or I want a camp rifle as my camp is in a remote wilderness area(34 km quad ride) and I don't want to worry about something getting stolen or rusting. Enter the Ruger American. Accurate, good trigger, and guess what? I won't cry if it gets destroyed on my quad, or stolen from the camp.
Appreciate things for what they are.
