Ruger American Rifle
The Ruger American Rifle is a family of budget-level hunting/sporting bolt action centerfire rifle made by Sturm, Ruger & Co., who also produces a line of rimfire rifles with similar designs called the Ruger American Rimfire.
| Ruger American Rifle | |
|---|---|
 Ruger American Rifle | |
| Type | Bolt-action rifle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 2011 |
| Manufacturer | Sturm, Ruger & Co. |
| Unit cost | $449 MSRP[1] |
| Produced | 2012–Present |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 6.25 lb (2.83 kg)[1] |
| Length | 42.5 in (108 cm)[1] |
| Barrel length | 22 in (56 cm)[1] |
| Cartridge | .17 HMR (9 rd. cap.) .22 Long Rifle (10 rd. cap.) .22 WMR/.22 WMRF (9 rd. cap.) .204 Ruger (Predator model only) .223 Remington (5 rd. cap.) 5.56mm NATO (Ranch\Predator models only) .22-250 Remington .243 Winchester .270 Winchester 7mm-08 Remington .30-06 Springfield .308 Winchester[1] .300 Blackout (Ranch model only) 7.62 Soviet (Ranch model only) 6mm Creedmoor (Predator model only) 6.5mm Grendel (Predator model only) 6.5mm Creedmoor .450 Bushmaster (Ranch model only) 7mm Remington Magnum .300 Winchester Magnum .338 Winchester Magnum |
| Feed system | Rotary magazine 4 round capacity (unless otherwise noted above) |
| Sights | None – Drilled and tapped for scope. (Weaver style bases supplied) Redfield Revolution riflescope available for all centerfire models |
Design
The Ruger American has a receiver made from 4140 chrome-moly bar stock and a hammer-forged barrel with a blued black oxide finish, mounted onto a polymer composite stock. Some models are also available in a stainless steel variant. Rather than using a traditional recoil lug, the rifle's barreled action is secured in the stock by a bedding system known as "Power Bedding®", which uses two V-shaped steel action blocks that wedge the receiver firmly in place to prevent lateral shifts and also serve as recoil lugs. Because the front and back action screws are fastened through the centers of the action blocks, the blocks also functionally act as pillar beddings and allows the barrel to be free-floated.
The rifle feeds cartridges into the chamber from a proprietary detachable rotary magazine via a push feed mechanism employing dual cocking cams on the stainless steel bolt, which has three locking lugs allowing for a smaller 70° throw angle of the bolt handle. The trademarked "Ruger Marksman Adjustable™" trigger is a functionally two-stage trigger similar in design to the Savage AccuTrigger, which allows the user to adjust the weight of pull between 3–5 lb (1.4–2.3 kg) by means of a set screw on the trigger housing.[2] The rifle comes with a tang-mounted safety.[3]
Models
- Standard: 22 in (560 mm) alloy steel sporter barrel, with an overall length of 42 in (1,100 mm) for short-action or 42.5 inches (1,080 mm) for long-action cartridges.
- Compact: 18 in (460 mm) alloy steel sporter barrel, shorter length of pull than the standard model, with an overall length of 36.75 in (933 mm), and chambered for short-action cartridges only.
- Magnum: the long-action models for magnum cartridges (currently the .300 WM and .338 WM), with a 24 in (610 mm) threaded stainless steel barrel and an overall length of 44.5 in (1,130 mm), and comes with factory Weaver rail installed.
- Predator: varmint/target model with an 18 in (.308 Win only) or 22 in (560 mm) threaded alloy steel (stainless option available for 6.5 Creedmoor) Medium Palma barrel, with an overall length of 38 in (970 mm) or 42 in (1,100 mm), and comes with factory Weaver rail installed. STANAG magazines are found on the Predator versions with model numbers 26922 (6.5 mm Grendel) and 26944 (.223 Rem). AICS style magazines are found on the Predator versions with model numbers # 26948 (6 mm Creedmoor), # 26971 (.204 Ruger), 26972 (.243 Win), # 26973 (6.5 mm Creedmoor) , # 26974 (.308 Win) and # 36902 (.350 Legend).
- Ranch: short-barrel carbine version of the Predator model with a 16.12 in (409 mm) threaded alloy steel Medium Palma barrel, with an overall length of 36 in (910 mm), chambered for 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem (Model # 6965), .300 Blackout (# 6968), .450 Bushmaster (# 16950 and # 16978), .350 Legend and 7.62 Soviet cartridges (# 16976), and comes with factory Weaver or Picatinny rail installed. In early 2018, Ruger introduced variant models for the 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem (# 26965) and .300 Blackout (# 26968) that accept STANAG magazines.
- Hunter: a heavy barrel version bedded into the Magpul "Hunter American" stock using AICS-pattern PMAG® 7.62 AC box magazines, with a 20 inches (510 mm) threaded alloy steel barrel factory-equipped with a muzzle brake, chambered for 6.5mm Creedmoor and .308 Win.
References
- "Ruger American Rifle". Sturm, Ruger, and Co., Inc. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
- Guthrie, J (May 1, 2012). "All American: Ruger American Rifle". Guns & Ammo. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/ruger-american-rifle-review/
