New Ruger American Gen II

[fwafwow]

Now. Now. Don’t go speaking heresy against the tikka. But you are correct. Tikka with threaded barrel is nowhere near the cost of a RA and my RA shoots better than my tikkas and my brownings.

I agree if you buy the Tikka threaded from the factory. But you can buy one and have it cut (to whatever length you want) and threaded for much less than the price for factory threaded.

 

[Castmaster]

I agree I can’t stand mags that aren’t flush but the ranch model would make a great coyote rifle.

 

[Ajsomp]

I agree I can’t stand mags that aren’t flush but the ranch model would make a great coyote rifle.

My ranch models have been handy little guns and the 300 blackout version is stupid quiet. Even the 7.62x39 version with 154 soft points was pretty quiet

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

A magazine that hangs out the bottom and an accutrigger.

Hard pass.

Having shot both side by side multiple times at the range, I 100% agree on the accutrigger. That thing is garbage compared to OEM Tikka. I ordered a McArbo spring for mine and we'll see if that improves it at all.

 

[roosiebull]

Having shot both side by side multiple times at the range, I 100% agree on the accutrigger. That thing is garbage compared to OEM Tikka. I ordered a McArbo spring for mine and we'll see if that improves it at all.

I’m with ya. They are a usable trigger, but I have always hated them, and I like tikka triggers

I had a couple savage 17hmr’s and they shot incredibly well, but ended up giving them both away and getting a CZ (prior to tikka building them) because I didn’t like the trigger, always has felt odd. Have a savage UL in an xlr as well that’s my wife’s, and I shoot it quite a bit, and shooting it next to my tikkas makes sure I’ll never buy another rifle with that kind of trigger

Some people do like the accu trigger, I have just never warmed up to them

My buddy has 2 RA’s, one in 308 and one in 6.5 creed, the creed shoots great but the 308 has never shot very well, I bought one a few years ago in 7-08, I think I bought it because it was cheap but shot it once and gave it to my brother in law, it shot ok, I just don’t care for the package, don’t like the triggers, they are ugly and feel cheap to me… they certainly have had a niche until this point, it’s just not for me

If I lived over east I could see buying one for a dedicated pickup gun, but over here there is no reason to have a rifle in the rig

 

[Ajsomp]

I’m with ya. They are a usable trigger, but I have always hated them, and I like tikka triggers

I had a couple savage 17hmr’s and they shot incredibly well, but ended up giving them both away and getting a CZ (prior to tikka building them)

Some people do like the accu trigger, I have just never warmed up to them

The spring is a cheap way to clean it up - there is a timney option that is a fantastic trigger but it’s basically 1/3 of the price of the gun which defeats the purpose of a cheap no frills gun. but I’ve thrown one in a previous gun and it was a big improvement.

 

[kswaterfowl]

Having shot both side by side multiple times at the range, I 100% agree on the accutrigger. That thing is garbage compared to OEM Tikka. I ordered a McArbo spring for mine and we'll see if that improves it at all.

I put a spring in a ruger american for a guy, and it was definitely an improvement. I actually didn't mind the trigger at all after the new spring was installed.

 

[Castmaster]

I like the tikka trigger a lot but I actually kinda like the accutrigger style triggers… I’m looking forward to seeing the new RA in person.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I like the tikka trigger a lot but I actually kinda like the accutrigger style triggers… I’m looking forward to seeing the new RA in person.

I had an early Savage with the accutrigger, and it felt more consistent than the Ruger I currently own. The "pre-trigger" on my RA just feels sorta sloppy and an afterthought. I'm hoping the mcarbo lightens the pull significantly once I engage the main trigger.

It's funny, because when shooting my Tikka .25-06 and my RA .308 side by side, even though the recoil on the .308 is completely manageable, the difference in trigger weights/smoothness are noticeable, and I find myself developing some target panic/anxiety "waiting" for the RA to fire compared to the Tikka. Sorry if that's confusing, only way I can describe it. These range sessions have also emphasized the impact of cartridge/recoil for me.

- Both of the rifles have Limbsaver air tech recoil pads
- The Tikka is in factory plastic stock with vertical grip
- The RA is in a Boyds laminate aftermarket "prairie hunter" stock

In combined range sessions, I shoot the Tikka significantly better. In separate sessions the difference is less noticeable, but the Tikka still has the edge, and the RA trigger and .308 recoil are key influences.

I had the RA cut to 16.5 and threaded and am waiting for my suppressor to get out of jail. I'm hoping that between the mcarbo and suppressor I can shoot the RA to its potential. If not, it may go on the classifieds to fund another rifle.

 

[Drenalin]

I had an American given to me at the end of last year, that I've been hunting with this year. Standard model 223 with a 17-inch barrel. It shoots fine, and is worth what I gave for it. I despise the trigger and the ergonomics of the stock. This model isn't an improvement on either. I priced out replacing the stock and the trigger, and at that point I may as well spend another $100 or so and buy a new Tikka versus upgrading the Ruger to something I would actually enjoy using. But it has been a good way for me to try out the 223 on game without making a big commitment to it cost wise.

 

[Bama67]

I have never built a true custom rifle of anything, but I did buy a Howa Bull barrel action, put it in a $500 stock, and fiddled with it to make it a .308 laser beam. I was pretty stoked on it...
When it was all said and done, it was pretty accurate, sub moa, but I could consistently outshoot it with my American .308 that I paid $289 for, shooting factory box ammo into less than half an inch.

It's really impressive and enough to make me a Ruger American Apologist and Fanboi.
I now own 4 of em:
.308 (loves cheap Hornady American Whitetail)
.243 (shoots federal fusion well under MOA)
5.56 Ranch Compact (Handier than a shirt pocket and even shoots Tula steel well)
300 BLK Ranch Compact (just good fun, shoots fast stuff and Subs great)

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I had an American given to me at the end of last year, that I've been hunting with this year. Standard model 223 with a 17-inch barrel. It shoots fine, and is worth what I gave for it. I despise the trigger and the ergonomics of the stock. This model isn't an improvement on either. I priced out replacing the stock and the trigger, and at that point I may as well spend another $100 or so and buy a new Tikka versus upgrading the Ruger to something I would actually enjoy using. But it has been a good way for me to try out the 223 on game without making a big commitment to it cost wise.

You can get into a Boyd's stock for around $300 and a mcarbo will cost you $15 or so shipped. If you're a righty you can get a base KRG bravo as well for $399 or a Magpul for $299. In any case, you won't get any return on those investments if you want to sell it later. However, if it shoots good for you, upgrades are available.

 

[Bama67]

Another review with some good info, and actually some shooting.

Ruger American Rifle Generation II Review

The Ruger American Rifle Generation II is a meaningful upgrade over the original, packing a lot of value into a mid-priced hunting rifle.

www.outdoorlife.com

 

[z987k]

Aren't Tikka's with a threaded barrel $1300 these days?

Ya and some lipstick on a pig of a painted stock. I can't figure out why someone would pay that when in either case you throw the stock away and threading a barrel is cheaper then getting the factory model.
Maybe with tikka seeing the light on twist rates, they'll just factory thread the lite rifles. But then one of the biggest issues with factory threaded barrels is most of the time the barrel is too long and you have to cut and thread it anyways.
I'm a tikka fan, but it'd be real nice if I could buy what I want from them instead of a gun and throw everything away but the action.

 

[z987k]

Does anyone know the internal dimensions of the short action mags or how long of a cartridge the bolt will feed? Wondering if this is a good option for medium length cartridges.

It looks like places do fixed shouldered prefits?

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Does anyone know the internal dimensions of the short action mags or how long of a cartridge the bolt will feed? Wondering if this is a good option for medium length cartridges.

It looks like places do shouldered prefits?

I don't know those dimensions, but yes, PBB offers variable shoulder RA prefits with barrel nuts.

 

[z987k]

I don't know those dimensions, but yes, PBB offers variable shoulder RA prefits with barrel nuts.

Ah, just variable shoulders huh?

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Ah, just variable shoulders huh?

They do variable and fixed, but RA already comes with a barrel nut, so I assumed that's the route you'd go.

 

[Snailz]

I'm pretty excited about this release. I don't like the drop in the comb, but other than that this is seems like a really solid budget option. I'm hoping they put longer barrels on the magnum chamberings. But for a street price of probably $600-650 you get a light, accurate rifle with cerakote, a threaded barrel, a 70 degree bolt throw, an adjustable stock, a little baby bedding system (which on paper is better than just metal pillars in tupperware), a muzzle break, and nice aesthetics. I think this is really pushing the feature set of what people would like in a budget + tier rifle. The only obvious thing to replace for a great budget rifle is the trigger spring (hoping original mcarbo spring works or they're quick to make a new one). If the baby bedding system isn't enough to keep the flexing down, rockite/epoxy the forend and then add weights to balance it back out. Overall I think this is the sort of improvement you want to see in the lower end of the market. It should push the other manufacturers to get with the times and improve their lineups by adding more features on the low end and/or not charging a large markup for their next-tier models that have the features everyone wants standard (looking at you Tikka).

 

[Go West Old Man]

All the speculation about like & don’t like, and yet nobody has said they’ve actually put hands on one.