Author Topic: ruger American rifles  (Read 1350 times)

zahc

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ruger American rifles
« on: October 26, 2015, 11:52:25 PM »
It's supposed to be a value brand, but if you ask me, the American Rifles look better engineered than the higher -end Ruger rifles, which are all limited by the Ruger hammer forged barrel anyway, and don't have the smart bedding system, 3-lug bolt, tang safety, and standard sight attachments. If you were not aware, read up about the American Rifles. Ruger might as well make versions with better fit and finish and just discontinue the M77. I say this as an owner of a classic M77, from back when they used outsourced barrels.

Ruger is just getting better and better fast.
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Perd Hapley

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Re: ruger American rifles
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2015, 07:27:20 AM »
They discontinued the M77 some years ago, in favor of the M77 MkII.  :P
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wmenorr67

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Re: ruger American rifles
« Reply #2 on: October 27, 2015, 08:40:02 AM »
They just need to move into the more easily concealable semi-auto pistol market.
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Brad Johnson

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Re: ruger American rifles
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2015, 08:42:50 AM »
They just need to move into the more easily concealable semi-auto pistol market.

 =D  =D

Saw an American compact over the weekend. Duly impressed. I have a MKII compact in .223 and love it. The ONLY drawback is the laminated stock's signifcant weight penalty. Something with the same dimensions but almost two lbs lighter reminds me I have a spare kidney.

Brad
« Last Edit: October 27, 2015, 10:07:08 AM by Brad Johnson »
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brimic

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Re: ruger American rifles
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2015, 08:53:53 AM »
It's supposed to be a value brand, but if you ask me, the American Rifles look better engineered than the higher -end Ruger rifles, which are all limited by the Ruger hammer forged barrel anyway, and don't have the smart bedding system, 3-lug bolt, tang safety, and standard sight attachments. If you were not aware, read up about the American Rifles. Ruger might as well make versions with better fit and finish and just discontinue the M77. I say this as an owner of a classic M77, from back when they used outsourced barrels.

Ruger is just getting better and better fast.

The value line rifles of Ruger, Savage, and possibly a few others seem to have borrowed a lot from the Tikka T3 design, making very high quality rifles for a very reasonable price.
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Re: ruger American rifles
« Reply #5 on: October 27, 2015, 09:55:26 AM »
I'm still floored by the Ruger Precision Rifle that's rolling out.  LGS had one that was ordered for a customer, so I didn't get to fondle/drool on it, but it looks like a really decent piece of kit for a really good price.
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mtnbkr

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Re: ruger American rifles
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2015, 09:58:38 AM »
I've been very tempted to get the new Ruger Ranch Rifle in 300BO.  If it had irons, I'd be all over it.  Street price is less than $400.

What's nice to like about a short carbine in a light recoiling round that has removable box magazines (low capacity though).  Had it come out before I bought my Savage Hog Hunter 308, I would have bought it instead.

Chris

brimic

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Re: ruger American rifles
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2015, 10:52:11 AM »
I'm still floored by the Ruger Precision Rifle that's rolling out.  LGS had one that was ordered for a customer, so I didn't get to fondle/drool on it, but it looks like a really decent piece of kit for a really good price.

If its half as good as its spec'd to be by Ruger, I will have one. In 6.5mm.
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roo_ster

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Re: ruger American rifles
« Reply #8 on: October 27, 2015, 03:15:51 PM »
Bought my wife a Ruger American Compact in .243Win (she took a feral hog with it) and my son will use it to hunt feral hog over Thanksgiving.  I have had a few observations.

1. Best of the budget "drilled out steel tube receiver + spring-loaded ejector and extractor" rifles on the market, after all is said and done.  I compared them all value, fit, finish-wise, but only shot the Ruger. 

2. Can be "balls-on dead accurate" if everything is done just right.  Or, at least sub-MOA with the right ammo.

3. Synthetic stock will cause flyers if you touch the forend beyond magazine while shooting.  The forend of the synth stock is so flimsy, even the weight of the rifle on a sand bag will turn it from a "free float" bbl to a "random upward pressure location from forearm" bbll, thoroughly harshing your mellow.

4. Synthetic stock makes the use of a sling as a shooting aid worthless/counterproductive.  And makes the corpse of Jeff Cooper cry.

5. Many, MANY youtube videos showing ways to stiffen up the forearm.  Do please avoid the one where they guy pours 2lbs of rockite in the forearm.  I will use JB Weld or some such plus carbon fiber arrow shafts after the Thanksgiving hunt to modify the stock, as aftermarket wood stocks cost over 50% of what I paid for the rifle new.

6. Stock pre-installed weaver scope rail mounts work great.

7. The non-98mauser hollow steel tube action makes rifle administration a PITA, relative to a 98mauser action.  The removable magazine is OK, but the teeny-tiny viewing/ejection port plus spring loaded extractor & ejector make for a cranky wife and lots of dropped ammo.  Especially when she sees me doing no-drama administrative loading/unloading with my CZ550.  Much harder to administer than a Rem700 action.  If you don't drop the formerly chambered round, you end up doing the "rotate the rifle and shake to get the MF-ing round out of the receiver."  So choose: dropped live rounds into dirt or play "rifle twister."

8. Very easy to short-stroke the action (given action feel), so make sure you slap the bolt back and forth like James Brown would his woman: good and hard, cause the b***h already done short-stroked twice at the range.

9. Can jam it up if you don't give it the James Brown treatment.  Slow & gentle bolt travel will get you jammed up backtalk.

======================================

I will likely cure the forearm problem after Thanksgiving.  My son already  zeroed it and we will be shooting from a blind, so no sling aid needed for the upcoming hog hunt.  The PITA (administrative-wise) action will never be fixable.  I think that the action makes it less suitable for rifle newbies, given the extra care that must be taken to keep ammo out of the dirt and the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.  And the tendency for newbies to be tentative with actions.  Add in poor light due to twilight or pre-dawn conditions for added drama.

In the end, this will end up my son's or daughter's rifle and I will get my wife a rifle of a better quality/design.  The two options (given her size) are the Browning Micro Midas X-bolt lefty in either .243Win or .308Win and a lefty Ruger Scout Rifle in .308Win.  I can see where the decision will lie for her: lighter weight and handiness of the Browning vs the easier admin of the Ruger Scout.

The Ruger American Rifle is in no way an equivalent replacement for their Hawkeye/M77MkII line of rifles.  Don't kid yourself.  The action alone precludes it from being such.  It is a lot of rifle for the money.  "For the money," being a very significant modifier to "lot of rifle."
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Perd Hapley

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Re: ruger American rifles
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2015, 03:27:20 PM »
I would not like to see the M77 MkII discontinued, nor any other Mauser-ish rifle. I like them.

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MechAg94

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Re: ruger American rifles
« Reply #10 on: October 27, 2015, 03:45:57 PM »
I would not like to see the M77 MkII discontinued, nor any other Mauser-ish rifle. I like them.

This thread is un-liked, and I am going to give it some really nasty Yelp reviews.
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brimic

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Re: ruger American rifles
« Reply #11 on: October 27, 2015, 03:58:01 PM »
Quote
5. Many, MANY youtube videos showing ways to stiffen up the forearm.  Do please avoid the one where they guy pours 2lbs of rockite in the forearm.  I will use JB Weld or some such plus carbon fiber arrow shafts after the Thanksgiving hunt to modify the stock, as aftermarket wood stocks cost over 50% of what I paid for the rifle new.
Will carbon arrow be stiff enough?
$2 chevy pushrod + Devcon STeel epoxy will be cheaper and stiffer overall.
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seeker_two

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Re: Re: ruger American rifles
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2015, 01:14:58 PM »
Bought my wife a Ruger American Compact in .243Win (she took a feral hog with it) and my son will use it to hunt feral hog over Thanksgiving.  I have had a few observations.

1. Best of the budget "drilled out steel tube receiver + spring-loaded ejector and extractor" rifles on the market, after all is said and done.  I compared them all value, fit, finish-wise, but only shot the Ruger. 

2. Can be "balls-on dead accurate" if everything is done just right.  Or, at least sub-MOA with the right ammo.

3. Synthetic stock will cause flyers if you touch the forend beyond magazine while shooting.  The forend of the synth stock is so flimsy, even the weight of the rifle on a sand bag will turn it from a "free float" bbl to a "random upward pressure location from forearm" bbll, thoroughly harshing your mellow.

4. Synthetic stock makes the use of a sling as a shooting aid worthless/counterproductive.  And makes the corpse of Jeff Cooper cry.

5. Many, MANY youtube videos showing ways to stiffen up the forearm.  Do please avoid the one where they guy pours 2lbs of rockite in the forearm.  I will use JB Weld or some such plus carbon fiber arrow shafts after the Thanksgiving hunt to modify the stock, as aftermarket wood stocks cost over 50% of what I paid for the rifle new.

6. Stock pre-installed weaver scope rail mounts work great.

7. The non-98mauser hollow steel tube action makes rifle administration a PITA, relative to a 98mauser action.  The removable magazine is OK, but the teeny-tiny viewing/ejection port plus spring loaded extractor & ejector make for a cranky wife and lots of dropped ammo.  Especially when she sees me doing no-drama administrative loading/unloading with my CZ550.  Much harder to administer than a Rem700 action.  If you don't drop the formerly chambered round, you end up doing the "rotate the rifle and shake to get the MF-ing round out of the receiver."  So choose: dropped live rounds into dirt or play "rifle twister."

8. Very easy to short-stroke the action (given action feel), so make sure you slap the bolt back and forth like James Brown would his woman: good and hard, cause the b***h already done short-stroked twice at the range.

9. Can jam it up if you don't give it the James Brown treatment.  Slow & gentle bolt travel will get you jammed up backtalk.

======================================

I will likely cure the forearm problem after Thanksgiving.  My son already  zeroed it and we will be shooting from a blind, so no sling aid needed for the upcoming hog hunt.  The PITA (administrative-wise) action will never be fixable.  I think that the action makes it less suitable for rifle newbies, given the extra care that must be taken to keep ammo out of the dirt and the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.  And the tendency for newbies to be tentative with actions.  Add in poor light due to twilight or pre-dawn conditions for added drama.

In the end, this will end up my son's or daughter's rifle and I will get my wife a rifle of a better quality/design.  The two options (given her size) are the Browning Micro Midas X-bolt lefty in either .243Win or .308Win and a lefty Ruger Scout Rifle in .308Win.  I can see where the decision will lie for her: lighter weight and handiness of the Browning vs the easier admin of the Ruger Scout.

The Ruger American Rifle is in no way an equivalent replacement for their Hawkeye/M77MkII line of rifles.  Don't kid yourself.  The action alone precludes it from being such.  It is a lot of rifle for the money.  "For the money," being a very significant modifier to "lot of rifle."
I think the term "The James Brown Treatment" should be added to every Ruger firearm manual.....
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