GUNBLAST.COM Review of new Ruger American Bolt Rifle

[Fishman777]

Very few bolt action rifles are equiped with iron sights these days. A lot of potiental buyers have never seen or owned a rifle with sights, wouldn't know how to use them it they were installed. I bought 3 Ruger 308's last year, all had sights, a GSR, a #1A, and the Compact Magnum. I like sights, walnut, blue steel, but I'm not the normal buyer. Bob!

Give the rifle iron sights with all stainless parts and I'm 100% in. I'd get mine in .308 win and be a very happy camper. A few years ago, I was a little critical of Ruger. The last year or so has been incredible, in my mind. They've released about 5 guns that I was excited about.

I'll probably eventually get this gun. I'll get either the Single Ten or the SP101 in .22 lr. I might get the 4.2" SP101 in .357. I'd also like an SR1911. Shoot. I also like the SR-22.

 

[this_is_nascar]

Very few bolt action rifles are equiped with iron sights these days. A lot of potiental buyers have never seen or owned a rifle with sights, wouldn't know how to use them it they were installed. I bought 3 Ruger 308's last year, all had sights, a GSR, a #1A, and the Compact Magnum. I like sights, walnut, blue steel, but I'm not the normal buyer. Bob!

Give the rifle iron sights with all stainless parts and I'm 100% in. I'd get mine in .308 win and be a very happy camper. A few years ago, I was a little critical of Ruger. The last year or so has been incredible, in my mind. They've released about 5 guns that I was excited about.

I'll probably eventually get this gun. I'll get either the Single Ten or the SP101 in .22 lr. I might get the 4.2" SP101 in .357. I'd also like an SR1911. Shoot. I also like the SR-22.

Like I said, I'd be all over this, but forcing me to use a scope is not ideal for me. I always wanted the 77/357, but the price is like night and day compared to the American. Maybe I'll continue to pursue the 77/357.

 

[Warthog]

Am I the only one that is left feeling a bit cold when a company introduces something nearly identical to another company's offerings and acts like it really is new and innovative? Should I be excited or should I feel like they are ripping off something and re-branding it(think Kel-Tec or Savage/Tikka in this case).

With that said, I would like a Tikka T3 and will probably buy one when I see one on the shelf. I'd pass on this rifle just because I feel like it is a rip-off. Same reason I'd buy a Kel-Tec over an LCP.

I agree, as I did buy the Kel-Tec. However I also bought the K77-357 which is a bolt action I can't get anywhere else. Having said that, I wish Ruger had copied the Savage trigger, as it is much better than the creepy trigger on the 77. I wish they had copied the free floating barrel, for better accuracy. I wish they copied anyone's magazine instead of this rotary magazine, which broke the second time I went to the range. I wish the bolt lift was 70 degrees so it didn't interfere with the scope.

I noticed some referring to the double trigger. I don't know the way the Ruger trigger works, but in the Savage the little floppy thing isn't connected to anything outer than a light return spring. If it isn't depressed when the trigger breaks, it is in the way of the sear, which makes a click instead of a bang. The choice of gun manufacturers is a) use a heavy trigger, or use a good trigger with the extra lever, or 3) Use a good trigger and get sued like Remington. A light, crisp trigger can discharge if dropped or catches on something. I don't mind the extra lever, as it gives me a warning that I am approaching the trigger. It is very light. The only downside I found is one person which didn't use the pad of his finger on the trigger, but allowed the lever to sit in the slot of the first joint, so he got a click.

I believe there is a difference in using those techniques which produce better accuracy and copying a entire gun like the Kel-Tec.

 

[JasonH]

Warthog, contact Ruger customer service. Im sure they can help you....they always do. As far as "copying" other manufacturers features......I couldnt care less. if Ruger can incorporate the best best parts of other manufacturers products into their firearms, I will buy Ruger every time. In fact, I have been holding off on the Taurus Judge and S&W Governor in hopes that Ruger will make one. Maybe Im just a Ruger whore?

 

[TnTnTn]

Warthog, Sounds like you need to be on the Keltec or Tikka forum not the Ruger one. Your post is confusing-did your Ruger American magazine break on the first use? I own a LCP and a Tikka and will own an American too. I really don't get the reasoning about importance of originality of features. Heck all firearms use different combination of similar features and that applies to everything from hamburgers to automobiles. Just saying. TTT

 

[kaferhaus]

If the production guns shoot as well or near as well as the gun reviewed then they'll sell. If they don't or reports start coming in within a few months of magazine issues, QC issues etc. then it'll just be another dud.

Almost no one uses iron sights on a hunting rifle. So that's a non issue.

Tang or lever safeties rule. The 3 position safety is awkward and near impossible to get to with a gloved hand.

Ruger sales of M77s floundered for years because of accuracy issues. Those issues were blamed on the fact that they had outsourced the barrels.... where was the QC at Ruger? When a Co. tells you that 3" groups at 100yds "meets our accuracy standards".....

I love the M77, it's a beautiful gun. But I've no use for rifles that are in that price range when it's a crap shoot whether or not you'll get a decent performing gun. their triggers have been crap for decades while the competition has continually produced better and better triggers.

I fear they're late getting on the bandwagon for a good shooting affordable rifle. That market is pretty much already saturated.

 

[FergusonTO35]

I'm wondering, does the bolt lock in to the receiver or barrel? This new Ruger with a laminate or tasteful camo stock in .257 Roberts or 6.5X55 would be an instant buy for me. 8)

 

[Warthog]

Warthog, Sounds like you need to be on the Keltec or Tikka forum not the Ruger one. Your post is confusing-did your Ruger American magazine break on the first use? I own a LCP and a Tikka and will own an American too. I really don't get the reasoning about importance of originality of features. Heck all firearms use different combination of similar features and that applies to everything from hamburgers to automobiles. Just saying. TTT

I didn't mean to be confusing. This is my first Ruger, a K77-357, which I like, except for the having to send it back to fix the jamming, trigger, and now the magazine. I saw this subject where some people commented about copying features and some about copying a product. I don't have any problem with Ruger using this new trigger, free floating the barrel, etc, as better triggers and free floating barrels as these are well proven techniques used by gunsmiths and other manufacturers to improve accuracy.

I must admit, after buying a Kel-Tec 380AT for my wife, which i found to be a very nice gun, I did not understand the excitement later over the Ruger almost identical offering. But then my friend couldn't understand why I wanted the Ruger .375 bolt action rather than a level action.

I wish they had put many of the features of this new American rifle in my K77-357, and I hope they continue to improve the products.

Bill

 

[RJ556]

I got in on this thing late. I just want to comment on the looks of this rifle. I think it looks alright. A comparison was made of the American to the Savage Axis. It doesn't take much in the looks department to beat the looks of that Savage. That Savage looks like straight -up Booty!

 

[mattsbox99]

If the production guns shoot as well or near as well as the gun reviewed then they'll sell. If they don't or reports start coming in within a few months of magazine issues, QC issues etc. then it'll just be another dud.

Almost no one uses iron sights on a hunting rifle. So that's a non issue.

Tang or lever safeties rule. The 3 position safety is awkward and near impossible to get to with a gloved hand.

Ruger sales of M77s floundered for years because of accuracy issues. Those issues were blamed on the fact that they had outsourced the barrels.... where was the QC at Ruger? When a Co. tells you that 3" groups at 100yds "meets our accuracy standards".....

I love the M77, it's a beautiful gun. But I've no use for rifles that are in that price range when it's a crap shoot whether or not you'll get a decent performing gun. their triggers have been crap for decades while the competition has continually produced better and better triggers.

I fear they're late getting on the bandwagon for a good shooting affordable rifle. That market is pretty much already saturated.

I know you've stated you own a lot of Rugers. So do I, and ALL of my Ruger MKII/Hawkeye/No.1 rifles are sub MOA shooters.

Ruger has sold over 100k MKII and Hawkeye rifles every year since the mid 90s, I don't think that is quite 'floundering'.

The LC6 trigger is plenty good for hunting. I don't need an 8 oz. trigger on a hunting rifle. I also have no problem whatsoever with the 3 position safety, and neither did Winchester. Its easier for me to manipulate than the tang safety anyway.

As far as QC, I've never had an issue with Ruger. I had one cracked stock that Ruger replaced NQA.

Yes, other companies do produce good quality and competitive firearms, but Ruger is no slouch.

 

[TnTnTn]

Warthog, Sorry to hear you had and/or are having problems with your 77/357. This being your first Ruger you were probably more kind than I would have been. But at any rate Rugers in general are well made, good quality, functional, reliable, and sufficiently accurate for intended purpose-and at a fair price. I am confident Ruger will take care of your issues although aggravating.

My first centerfire rifle was a Ruger 44 carbine that I used to take my first whitetail. I have many other Rugers in various models and they have served me well. I also own Remingtons, Winchesters, Savages and most all the other common firearms and some not so common ones.

Good luck and good hunting.

TnTnTn

 

[slimatsea]

I've bought seven 77/hawkeye rifles over the past 3 or 4 years.
blue walnut 7mm mag
ss 358 Win
ss .30-06 (two of them)
RSI 308
MkII blue walnut 350 Rem
223 laminate compact

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM WOULD SHOOT 1.5 MOA OR BETTER WITHOUT LOAD DEVELOPMENT OR PREMIUM AMMO. All but the laminate compact would shoot under an inch with good ammo or loads that I developed for them. All of the triggers were quite serviceable out of the box and a couple were exceptional. I'm so tired of reading about Ruger's "reputation" for bad triggers and inaccuracy. I've bought enough of them to know it's all hogwash. I'm glad people love their Tikkas. I think they're junk with their multiple piece bolts and long actions with a bolt stop installed so they can chamber it in a short action chamberings. Manufacturers aren't free floating barrels today for accuracy. They're doing it because it's cheaper to schwack a big ol' channel out of a piece of wood then to precisely fit it to the barreled action. What comes out of these factories is not the floating/bedding that a gunsmith will do in an attempt to accurize a rifle. Rugers are designed to have upward pressure on the bottom of the barrel and you'll probably reduce accuracy by floating them. I actually hunt with my rifles and I know enough about the mechanicals of them to know that the design of the 77 is leaps and bounds better than tikka, savage, marlin xl's, and even Ruger's new American. I'm glad that Ruger made this cheap, plastic, push fed, detachable magazined, free floated, floppy levered triggered, "SUPER ACCURATE" rifle. I was afraid they were going ruin the hawkeye to please the uninformed. It seems these days everyone expects a rifle that will shoot every ammo under the sun under an inch. Of course, they're only willing to pay $199 for that rifle. Then they can mount the finest glass their local walmart carries and brag on the internet about how accurate their fine hunting rifle is. Well, not me. I hunt deer, bear, and small game in Pennsylvania with a Hawkeye .30-06 and a 77/17. I travel out west on an antelope/deer hunt every other year and I bring a Ruger 7mm. Someday I'll hunt caribou, moose and whatever else I can find a way to pay for and guess what I'll be carrying. A Ruger rifle with a real recoil lug, a hinged floorplate magazine, CRF and a three position safety that locks the bolt closed when I'm crawling through some nasty crap in search of game. Because THAT is a real hunting rifle.

 

[Fishman777]

It would be great if Ruger developed a stainless steel Rimfire version of this rifle, as well. Again, I'd like to see iron sights on the rifle.

If they can put together a .22 lr/.22 magnum convertible, I'd love it even more...

 

[FergusonTO35]

One thing I'm wondering: why does the new American rifle have a rotary mag? I understand why it works so well for rimmed, straightwall cartridges but seems superfluous for rimless bottleneck cartridges. It wouldn't keep me from buying one by any means but seems like an odd choice.

 

[mike7mm08]

One thing I'm wondering: why does the new American rifle have a rotary mag? I understand why it works so well for rimmed, straightwall cartridges but seems superfluous for rimless bottleneck cartridges. It wouldn't keep me from buying one by any means but seems like an odd choice.

Feeding should be much smoother. The rotary magazine will align the cartridges nearly perfectly with the chamber and should feed flawlessly. Only other way to achieve this is with a single stack magazine. A single stack magazine would limit capacity unless the magazine protruded beneath the stock. A flush fit magazine is much more desirable on a hunting rifle. Finally I think it is a marketing point as well. Ruger is the last to the inexpensive entry level hunting gun party need to have something to set themselves apart from everyone else.

 

[south_ridge]

Slimatsea - well said. I deer hunted with a tang safety M77 for the better part of two decades, starting about age 16 (mainly because my dad had a few). Once I turned 20 or so and finally learned to be patient, I never missed a deer. All were one shot, right to the vitals, dead deer, ranging from 50-275 yards. Over the course of time I've also shot a number of coyotes, bobcats, crows, and the like with the M77s...not to mention a ton of paper targets. Every one I've shot is plenty good enough for me, and for the job for which it was intended.

Over time I started buying and using a few different brands of rifles, namely Brownings and Winchesters. I like them, but I still say a M77 (in its various incarnations) is one of the best rifles in the world.

Just a couple of weeks ago I was fighting with the scope bases on my new model 70, and I thought "Bill Ruger was a genius for putting the scope bases right on the receiver." This fall I had one of my Brownings bind up on me...never happens with any of the M77s I use.

My dad carries around a M77 .22-250 in his truck from January-September. He runs a sawmill, so the action is continually full of sawdust. But if you pull that rifle out and shoot it (don't bother cleaning it), it will shoot 1" groups all day long. Now THAT is a rifle.

I like my Brownings, and I like my model 70s. But if you told me you were sending me into the wilderness with only one rifle with which to hunt and protect myself from now until the end of time, it would be a M77.

SR

 

[toysoldier]

There's no mention of a left-hand version. With CNC machining, there should be no problem with producing one. Lefties are at least 10% of the population. And some of us would like a rifle in something other than .22-250, .243, .308, .270, or .30-06.

 

[JasonH]

Go to the Ruger website and download the instruction manual for the American Rifle. In the section that talks about disassembly, they mention both right and left handed versions. It looks like they plan on offering a left handed version at some point.

 

[smoke-eater]

I've bought seven 77/hawkeye rifles over the past 3 or 4 years.
blue walnut 7mm mag
ss 358 Win
ss .30-06 (two of them)
RSI 308
MkII blue walnut 350 Rem
223 laminate compact

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM WOULD SHOOT 1.5 MOA OR BETTER WITHOUT LOAD DEVELOPMENT OR PREMIUM AMMO. All but the laminate compact would shoot under an inch with good ammo or loads that I developed for them. All of the triggers were quite serviceable out of the box and a couple were exceptional. I'm so tired of reading about Ruger's "reputation" for bad triggers and inaccuracy. I've bought enough of them to know it's all hogwash. I'm glad people love their Tikkas. I think they're junk with their multiple piece bolts and long actions with a bolt stop installed so they can chamber it in a short action chamberings. Manufacturers aren't free floating barrels today for accuracy. They're doing it because it's cheaper to schwack a big ol' channel out of a piece of wood then to precisely fit it to the barreled action. What comes out of these factories is not the floating/bedding that a gunsmith will do in an attempt to accurize a rifle. Rugers are designed to have upward pressure on the bottom of the barrel and you'll probably reduce accuracy by floating them. I actually hunt with my rifles and I know enough about the mechanicals of them to know that the design of the 77 is leaps and bounds better than tikka, savage, marlin xl's, and even Ruger's new American. I'm glad that Ruger made this cheap, plastic, push fed, detachable magazined, free floated, floppy levered triggered, "SUPER ACCURATE" rifle. I was afraid they were going ruin the hawkeye to please the uninformed. It seems these days everyone expects a rifle that will shoot every ammo under the sun under an inch. Of course, they're only willing to pay $199 for that rifle. Then they can mount the finest glass their local walmart carries and brag on the internet about how accurate their fine hunting rifle is. Well, not me. I hunt deer, bear, and small game in Pennsylvania with a Hawkeye .30-06 and a 77/17. I travel out west on an antelope/deer hunt every other year and I bring a Ruger 7mm. Someday I'll hunt caribou, moose and whatever else I can find a way to pay for and guess what I'll be carrying. A Ruger rifle with a real recoil lug, a hinged floorplate magazine, CRF and a three position safety that locks the bolt closed when I'm crawling through some nasty crap in search of game. Because THAT is a real hunting rifle.

+1, Slim', thanks for tellin' it like it is :wink: . Another feature the Hawkeye has going for it - steel bottom metal. I've hunted in 0 deg. temps., and I would be worried about the durability of a plastic trigger guard under such extremes.

Jeff

 

[chet15]

Re-watched the video and realized I missed before that this takes standard mounts and not the Ruger style. Interesting they're more or less pushing folks away from their own products in doing so.

Have you seen the price of Ruger rings though? Even Ruger knows they are high, 'course you get what you pay for too as the Ruger ring system is absolutely the best out there.
Then of course, if you have Ruger's intergral type mounting system you either have to have another part assembled to the top of the receiver/barrel (more $) or you have to make the barrels with an integral top rib (a lot more $).
I think Ruger is correct here in offering the type of mounting setup that they are. After all, the 10/22 takes a weaver type mounting system.
Chet15