Rug American Gen 2 worth upgrades?

[huntsman22]

a spring change and a little Polish work.

Which Polock did the work?....

 

[madscientist]

Which Polock did the work?....

I did. Im a tooling engineer and previously a tooling machinist. Tight tolerances and alignment tickle my fun button.

 

[kickemall]

No, don't put any money into it if it doesn't shoot the way you like. Its an inexpensive gun so sell it and buy a Tikka or whatever gun you want. By time you change stocks and trigger you're going to be pretty deep with cash. I would recommend having someone else shoot it to confirm its the gun and not you.

 

[Cordell Walker]

I’ve spent some time with a savage and two weatherby 300 win mags. None of them shot well once the barrel got warm in my experience. The most reliable shots were 1-4 and groups opened up after that.

 

[dukeball33]

I would not spend money to rebarrel a Ruger American. Wouldn’t the barrel and labor be more than a new Ruger American?
Did you look at the MDT field stock or magpul equivalent? The extra weight and features may help the shoot ability of your current rifle at a “Ruger American” price point

 

[dreadi]

I don't know if we're discussing Predator or Ranch rifle or...either way I suppose it don't matter too much for what I have to say.

I have a Gen 1 Ranch in 300BO that I put in a Magpul stock. It weighs more than my Savage 10 in .308. The Gen 1 shoots well and I do enjoy it more with the Magpul stock.

I also have a Gen 2 Ranch in 7.62x39 and plan to keep it in the factory stock because the Magpul stock adds weight. These guns shoot well with factory Hornady Black.

If/when the Gen 2 croaks due to the barrel, I would likely get a new barrel with the same profile because there aren't any other production bolt guns that can use standard AK mag with aftermarket parts that I'm aware of. The Gen 1 though...nah. Likely going to be someone offering a production 300BO bolt gun the uses standard AR mags for longer than I expect.

 

[Deere_Man]

I appreciate the input but I'm not going big game hunting with that cartridge. Im not sure it's the optic. As I stated the group changes as I shoot pretty significantly. If I dial in 0 in 3 and move to the 600 I'll nail it everytime. If I shoot 8 or 10 shots working up the range from 100 to 600 I'll just about always miss. On difference is the barrel is hot. As far as being off a couple inches out of the box... Idk... Maybe temp related just from the barrel at 75 on 0 day and below freezing hunting...? Idk. I'm still trying to prove this. But I don't get enough range time. Im pretty gentle with my gear. And it lives in a foam case. ... Idk... I think it's worth putting a barrel on at least. It'll kill just Like it is... Its just not up to my standards

You wouldn’t hunt big game with a 6mm Creedmoor? Why not?

 

[thinhorn_AK]

just buy a new gun. Why put a thousand bucks into a ruger American?

 

[kcm2]

Shoot 3 shot groups. You typically only get one shot at an animal. Then tell us how it shoots. My Gen 1 Ruger American 6mm Creedmoor consistently delivers tight 3 shot groups at 100.

 

[Rich M]

I like my G2. Less than 25 rounds thru it.

Have a Model 70 and when it goes putside an inch at 250 yds it is time to get the lead & copper out. Never seems like a lot but very visible changes in groups.

 

[Pilsner]

Lost me at "I wouldn't hunt big game with a 6 creed"...
I've got/had 2 RAs, 1x Gen 1 in 6 creed that got upgraded to a MagPul stock and a Timney trigger that I regret selling, and my current one which is a 5.56 Gen 2 in its factory form.
As others have said I wouldn't put much money into a new rifle that won't shoot to my expectations.
I'd swap a KNOWN reliable optic/rings combo (i.e. not what you have on there now) on to it and try it again with something like ELD-M's or TMK's in factory form and if that didn't fix it, I'd sell it and buy something else.
No sense throwing good money after bad ya know...

 

[solostalker]

IMO it makes sense you can consistently hit MOA steel at 600 with a 6.5 and you're now shooting groups slightly larger than MOA with a 300WM.

To me that just says your a good shot but your accuracy declines slightly with a Magnum cartridge. Checks out to me. Sell and buy a Tikka in .223 for your moose gun

 

[flyfisher117]

Comparing your heavy barrel 6.5 to a light weight 300 win at 600 is silly. You will usually always shoot a heavy, light recoiling rifle better.

I personally would not invest money into a magnum action Ruger, unless you are particularly attached to it. The options are limited and the resale market even more limited.
If it were a short action I’d have zero issues spending a little money on it to try and make it better.

 

[madscientist]

I like my G2. But for all your wanting to do, maybe sell this one and put the money towards something else.

I would not spend money to rebarrel a Ruger American. Wouldn’t the barrel and labor be more than a new Ruger American?
Did you look at the MDT field stock or magpul equivalent? The extra weight and features may help the shoot ability of your current rifle at a “Ruger American” price point

just buy a new gun. Why put a thousand bucks into a ruger American?

So to answer all the 'why spend money on a G2' questions. My reasoning is this.... The heart of the any gun is the action. That's why in my original post I asked is the action solid? If it's something that's cheap and wears our fast or is it a robust design that'll be around a while? If you assume the action is solid then why not throw a barrel on it? Sure you can put the money into a better rifle. .. The ok.. So even going to something like a Browning x bolt is gonna be 1500 bucks. I can do a barrel for 650-2000. Now throw in a stock and let's say I've got 2500 in a rifle. Is there a $2500 rifle that's significantly better? Or one thatll come with exactly the stock I want and an upgraded barrel? Or do I need to spend money on that one also? So I get it..totally.. Don't throw good money after bad, but is that really what we'd be doing here? If you all say yeah that gun will still be crap after you spend the money. Then ok.. I won't. That's where I was going with the original action Question. If my logics flawed or you don't agree with it I'd like to hear why!

Lost me at "I wouldn't hunt big game with a 6 creed"...
I've got/had 2 RAs, 1x Gen 1 in 6 creed that got upgraded to a MagPul stock and a Timney trigger that I regret selling, and my current one which is a 5.56 Gen 2 in its factory form.
As others have said I wouldn't put much money into a new rifle that won't shoot to my expectations.
I'd swap a KNOWN reliable optic/rings combo (i.e. not what you have on there now) on to it and try it again with something like ELD-M's or TMK's in factory form and if that didn't fix it, I'd sell it and buy something else.
No sense throwing good money after bad ya know...

I don't personally know of a 6.5 creed that posseses 1500ft lbs at 600 yards. (Maybe a 156 grain berger?) But more importantly... If I bump into an angry brown bear at 20 yards I want the 300.

6.5 is a fine round but I don't personally think it's the right round for moose or bear. 6.5's claim to fame is its efficiency but with Modern 30 caliber hunting bullets getting up to .7 or even .8 g1 bc, some even having less drop than the 6.5 at 600, to me the magnum cartridge is a no brainer for MY specific use case.


As far as the optics go, I get the sentiment. I've read quite a bit on here since the original lost but based on the way this rifle acts I don't think the optics and mounts are the issue. It shoots great cold bore. Which lets be honest that's how youre going to shoot an animal in me. I would just feel better about it If I could shoot to MY standard.

If it were a short action I’d have zero issues spending a little money on it to try and make it better.

That's interesting as most reviews I've heard on the short action is that it's the problematic one. Is your opinion just based the benefits of sa vs la?

 

[madscientist]

No, don't put any money into it if it doesn't shoot the way you like. Its an inexpensive gun so sell it and buy a Tikka or whatever gun you want. By time you change stocks and trigger you're going to be pretty deep with cash. I would recommend having someone else shoot it to confirm its the gun and not you.

The Tikka seems like an inexpensive gun also. And yeah I have a buddy shooting it soon. See my post above on the upgrades.

I’ve spent some time with a savage and two weatherby 300 win mags. None of them shot well once the barrel got warm in my experience. The most reliable shots were 1-4 and groups opened up after that.

Yeah that's what I'm seeing. If I go slow and keep it cool the groups stay tight. That's why I'm. So convinced a barrel upgrade will fix it.

Shoot 3 shot groups. You typically only get one shot at an animal. Then tell us how it shoots. My Gen 1 Ruger American 6mm Creedmoor consistently delivers tight 3 shot groups at 100.

I've done this. Groups loosen up as I go. Unless I keep it cool the whole time and go slow.

I like my G2. Less than 25 rounds thru it.

Have a Model 70 and when it goes putside an inch at 250 yds it is time to get the lead & copper out. Never seems like a lot but very visible changes in groups.

Yeah I usually run the brush every 20 rounds. I've not noticed this yet but I haven't put hundreds of rounds through it yet.

 

[flyfisher117]

That's interesting as most reviews I've heard on the short action is that it's the problematic one. Is your opinion just based the benefits of sa vs la?

It’s just not an action I would spend money on to build out. The aftermarket support is already lacking for the short actions. The long actions is a bit worse. If you end up sinking a ton of money and decide it’s a waste you will struggle to recoup much.

 

[Lowedown]

My personal experience is a ruger Gen 2 in 204 ruger. It also wouldn't quite group as hoped initially with lots of different loads. The Timney trigger was a good upgrade. Then the Suppressor completely changed the rifle to a tack driver.
To me the action and system are not something I would put money into rebarrelling. I would try again with another factory option, or pick something else to build with.
Good luck with your project whatever you decide and have fun!

 

[RutandDie]

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I would do that and run with it. I have a custom 22 creed that I shoved in the closet and am running with a ruger American gen 2. I have not been around a ruger American that doesn’t shoot good. The qualities I look for in a rifle is functional and accurate. It does both.