View Full Version : Talk me out of a Ruger American Ranch...
Executive Summary: I'm hankering for a .223/5.56 bolt gun. I'm looking hard at this:
https://ruger.com/products/americanRifleRanch/specSheets/26965.html
... but I'm not 100% sure it the best choice or whether I should even bother with another rifle.
TL;DR: I have a couple Ruger American Rimfires (.22lr and .17HMR), and I think they're super. I have a Savage FCP-SR in .308, and I think it's super, too. Except for dispatching the occasional varmint with the .22, these are all strictly paper-punchers.
It would be nice to have something between the .17HMR (wind sensitive) and the .308 (expensive and obnoxious). I have a 13-year-old who's already moved from the .22 to the .17 and it would be nice to put her behind a .223 rather than jumping to the .308. I already have a load of .223 for my ARs already, and I'll be reloading it, so no other calibers need apply.
I'm sick of having proprietary magazines, so one big appeal of the Ruger is that it would take the same mags as my ARs. (Downside, I'll be single-shooting anything longer than mag length.)
Other pluses: A short barrel; threaded; 1:8" rifling. Did I mention that it costs <$500?
Downsides... None that I can see, given that I know and can live with (and even like) the Ruger American line.
Thoughts?
No experience with the Ruger but just to confuse the issue, Mossberg makes their MVP line that accepts AR mags. Here’s one with similar specs, (but 1:9) under $500:
https://www.gunbuyer.com/catalog/product/view/id/155887/s/mossberg-mvp-patrol-223-remington-5-56nato-16-25-threaded-barrel-10-1-synthetic-tan-27709/
Yeah, I like the idea of the Mossberg, especially the MVP-LR "tactical": https://www.mossberg.com/product/mvp-lr-t-tactical-rifle-27698/
It's stupid of me, I know, but the Mossberg Patrol/LR just looks unattractive to me — something to do with the pot-bellied forend. I just don't like them.
Objective demerits:
1:9" rifling. The Ruger's 1:8" shouldn't be a problem with whatever I ever want to shoot, but 1:9" could be an issue.
I hear mixed reviews of the Mossberg MVP's accuracy...
A friend has an MVP "light chassis," and it's wonky. There's something wrong with the trigger, and it often fails to fire. (Sample of one, I know... )
The Mossberg MVP-LR costs $200-$250 more. At $650+, I'd be cross-shopping Savage 110 Scout (that at least takes AICS mags, if not AR mags).
https://www.savagearms.com/firearms/centerfire/model-110/110-scout
Also, I just found this thread:
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?205999-223-bolt-action-rifle-with-irons-and-detachable-magazines-does-this-exist
Magpul makes their stock for the American
I'm getting one in 7.62X39 because it's $425 @ LGS and reviews say it eats and shoots Wolf well. I need to spend more time at the range and 300BLK/7.62X51 $ are killing me (not detail oriented to reload, I'd hurt myself) in my other rifles. Will be my first bolt gun, will grab a vortex 7.62X39 scope and practice/learn over the winter.
Magpul makes their stock for the American
Non-starter for me... It doesn't fit the American rifles that accept AR mags, and if I bought a regular American and the Magpul stock (I think $300 is too much to spend on a stock for a $400 rifle, BTW), then I'd need to use AICS-pattern mags at $30-40 each.
If I were going .308, then maybe... but even then, I think Ruger making versions of the American that accept AICS mags makes the MagPul stock instantly obsolete.
I'm getting one in 7.62X39...
Cool. I hear good things about those, too, but I need an 11th caliber (I already shoot/reload 10) like I need a hole in the head.
The action of the Ruger American is rough, rough enough that working the action is a bit awkward and slowed. Polishing the action should help.
The action of the Ruger American is rough, rough enough that working the action is a bit awkward and slowed. Polishing the action should help.
Yeah, my Ruger American Rimfire .17HMR was really bad at first. It didn't help that it was bone dry as shipped. After oiling it and running the bolt several hundred times, it's quite smooth now...
I don't expect a budget rifle to be as nice as a premium rifle...
The action of the Ruger American is rough, rough enough that working the action is a bit awkward and slowed. Polishing the action should help.
Your right, it was gritty to say the least. Cleaned and lubed the bolt and ran it for a few minutes and night and day better. I'm going to put a few hundred rounds through it and maybe send it off to Birdsong for some Black or Green T.
Pacific5th
01-05-19, 22:07
I have the 762x39 version. Pretty happy with it. My action was decent out of the box. I put a 2-7 Leupold on it and it’s a great little combo.
Have you looked at any of the CZ 527 rifles?
The negatives... 1/9 twist. But I think that’s over blown out of a bolt gun. Are you really going to be shooting a lot of 77 gr ammo? And suppressed? And I’d guess that gun will shoot 77 gr just fine anyway. Also, proprietary mags... again. How many will you need? It’s a bolt gun for your daughter? It’s also a little more coin. But not much.
What you will get is a beautifully made gun. With a smooth action. And sweet trigger... that will more than likely be more accurate, and hold up long enough for her grandkids to shoot it.
RiverRat1953
01-11-19, 10:22
Last week I picked up a CZ527 carbine with the distressed beechwood stock in 7.62x39. I mounted a Vortex Viper 2x7 scope and it is a REAL sweet shooter. I can shoot all day for 20 bucks and not worry about picking up my empties.
Interested in this, I want a bolt gun just to play with it and am trying to maintain mag and ammo compatibility as much as possible.
Have you looked at any of the CZ 527 rifles?
I'm looking at them right now... I really do like the idea of a "micro" action. (I looked at Howa's "micro" and Sauer's "mini," too.)
Cons:
1:9" twist, like you said... I'd like to be able to play with heavier bullets, maybe even 80-90gr (single loading). The Ruger's 1:8" isn't ideal, either, but it's closer.
No threads... If the nat'l hearing protection act passes (not holding breath), then I'm definitely buying a bunch of suppressors. Meanwhile, I really like the idea of a linear comp. (Why doesn't CZ make the "suppressor-ready" in .223?!)
Mags... It's nice to have 4-5 to play with. CZ lists them for $40 each, so that's another $100+, and then I need to keep track of them...
It's $200 more. I hate to sound cheap, but going from $425ish to $625ish is a big jump.
Basically, if I'm going to pay $600+ and need to use proprietary mags and settle for less than a 1:8" twist, then there's a whole world of rifles out there, including CZ (Savage, Remington, etc.)
I'll keep mulling this over...
I have the 762x39 version. Pretty happy with it. My action was decent out of the box. I put a 2-7 Leupold on it and it’s a great little combo.
I have to agree with this. I have one in the same caliber, picked it up after I sold my last AK. I had all this ammo left, so I needed something, so I went with the Ruger. I put a Weaver K4 scope on it, and up to about 150 yards, it makes a perfect deer gun here in Indiana.
I was very surprised to see the accuracy I was getting out of the old Soviet M43 round. I was able to get, off the bench, 1.75 MOA with steel cased Wolf ammo! The best 4 shot group I had was with the Federal soft point ammo, and that group measured a solid 1.55 MOA. For the 7.62x39mm, that is way better than I ever got with any of the AK's I had owned.
I was very surprised to see the accuracy I was getting out of the old Soviet M43 round. I was able to get, off the bench, 1.75 MOA with steel cased Wolf ammo! The best 4 shot group I had was with the Federal soft point ammo, and that group measured a solid 1.55 MOA. For the 7.62x39mm, that is way better than I ever got with any of the AK's I had owned.
Hijacking my own thread...
Idle curiosity: Is the Ruger barrel .308 or .311? It sounds like you're shooting both...
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