Ruger American – Stick to the Basics

Over the last decade the Ruger American has taken the budget hunting rifle market by storm. An affordable hunting rifle that shoots minute of angle out of the box may sound to good to be true. Let’s find out if the Ruger American lives up to it’s reputation.

History

Ruger released the American rifle in 2012 to compete in the rapidly growing budget rifle market. Following the lead of the Savage Axis, the hunting rifle market shifted towards accurate, no frills rifles that could get the job done without being heirloom quality pieces. The popularity of the Ruger American led to many different variations on the design. Today, there are models available for everything from hog hunting to long range shooting.

Specifications

At it’s core the American is a three-lug, turn-bolt action that feeds from a rotary magazine reminiscent of the system in the Savage 99. The bolt uses a push feed system and a plunger style ejector. The gun features an adjustable blade-style trigger that goes down to 3lbs, and the stock is a plastic affair. Thankfully, the safety is right where it ought to be, on the tang of the rifle. Finally, the standard rifle weighs right around 6.25lbs without and optic.

Unfortunately, the rifle does not ship with iron sights, so even with a lightweight scope the gun will weigh 7lbs at a minimum. The stock comes with a respectable recoil pad that does help to soak up the recoil. The importance of the recoil pad depends on what caliber the rifle is chambered in; Ruger makes the American in cartridges ranging from the diminutive 223 Remington up to the potent 300 Winchester Magnum. Importantly, the rifle comes with an MSRP of only $559 USD.

Strengths

The Ruger American brings a lot to the table for the price. First of all, despite not coming with a MOA guarantee, the American rifle is quite accurate. My particular copy, a 30-06, shot right around 1 MOA with premium factory ammo which improved to around 0.8 MOA with a handload tailored to the rifle. To be clear, this is less than I expect from a mid-tier bolt-action hunting rifle such as a Tikka T3X or a Browning X-bolt. But those rifles are almost twice the price! Compared to many historical designs that have killed deer for years such as the Model 94, the Ruger American provides more than enough accuracy to ethically take game out to 400 yards and beyond.

Another strength of the American is the ergonomics. Firstly, the tang safety is metal and feels solid under the the thumb. It isn’t too loud while still having a tactile click when being switched on and off. Next, the trigger is decent for the price. At 3lbs the trigger is reasonably light with only a little creep. The blade safety creates a pseudo-two stage trigger where there is some built in “take-up” before the rifleman is ready to break the shot. Finally, the weight, while not ultralight, is light enough that the rifle can be comfortably carried all day in the field.

As an aside, the safety of the Ruger American does not lock the bolt while engaged. This is neither a strength or a weakness, but can be a personal preference. The ability to make the rifle safe without having to take the safety off with a loaded chamber is an important feature to some. On the other hand, there’s a sinking feeling when one unslings their rifle only to discover that the bolt handle had snagged on some brush and the chamber is empty. The American opts for the increased safety at the expense of leaving the bolt unlocked during use.

Weaknesses

Despite the strengths listed above, the Ruger American is not perfect. Oddly enough, all of the issues encountered were in places where Ruger had opted to use polymers instead of wood and steel. That’s not to say polymer stocks and magazines cannot be done well, because they certainly can.

First of all, the polymer stock is not as durable as it could be. I was hiking down a riverbed and slipped and fell with my rifle slung. A portion of the stock shattered off. Luckily, Ruger’s fantastic customer service took care of it and shipped me a brand new stock free of charge, but it is still inconvenient to have your equipment break during a hunt.

The other issue that was encountered with the rifle was with the magazine. The spring in the factory magazine was not strong enough when fully loaded, so that sometimes the third round in the magazine would not be lifted high enough to be picked up by the bolt. This sometimes resulted in a failure to feed. The problem was remedied by opening the magazine and coiling the spring one extra coil. However, this was a less than perfect fix and gives the magazine a clunkier feel.

Competition

The Ruger American joins a market segment that is jam packed with competition. The Savage Axis, Mossberg Patriot, and the Remington 783 are just some of the other competitors in the field. In my experience with the field, almost all the rifles are capable of solid hunting grade accuracy.

The fit and finish on the Ruger’s tends to be a little bit better than the competition. Where the Ruger really separates itself from the competition is in it’s extensive aftermarket. Stocks, optic mounting options, and other accessories are available for the American. Apart from the Savage Axis, most of the other budget rifle models do not have the aftermarket availability of the American.

A trend that is common throughout all of the budget rifles is a lack of iron sights. This is unfortunate, as with a slight increase in price these rifles could shoot right out of the box. Instead, the price of the rifles is artificially low because buyers need to budget at least $200-$300 dollars for a quality optic and the associated mounting hardware. The Ruger American is no exception.

Closing Thoughts

The Ruger American is a budget rifle that prioritizes function over form. The ergonomics are good and the accuracy is great for the price. However, the plastic stock feels cheap and the polymer magazines can cause feeding issues. Generally though, the Ruger American is at its heart a tool, and accomplishes its task without fuss or flair. Additionally, the American compares well to its competition throughout the market.

The American is a good general purpose hunting rifle for the budget minded shooter, or a good base rifle for the tinkerer who wants to build the rifle into a long range setup through tweaking and handloading. If you are searching for excellent fit and finish or premium materials you will need to increase your budget. On the other hand, if your aim is to efficiently take game while staying on budget the American is a great choice.