What is wrong with ruger rifles

[92xj]

What is wrong with a ruger American gen 2 20” suppressed 6.5prc low end scope for the kids to grow up on? Lop gets pretty short which is nice for my 7 year old. Also its pretty low in weight. Only deer, antelope and bears will fall to this gun. 500 yards or less. Most likely run hammer hunters as I have really enjoyed them in my 300wm the last 7 years and everything has died very well for me. I know the tikkas are well talked about but I’m trying to keep this cost way down for what it is. I don’t have a desire to buy a factory rifle and then pay to have it cut down and then buy a new stock as well. The ruger seems to fit the bill the best, numbers wise. I’ve been out of the buying rifles game for a long time and am trying to figure out my research now, to purchase in two months or so.

 

[z987k]

Other than a 6.5prc for kids being, imo a bad idea, nothing. I also bought a ruger gen 2 as a trainer because it was ready to go out of the box instead of having to modify a tikka.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Nothing is wrong with those. They are good for the money. Lots of features for the price, fluted barrels, threaded barrels, rail for the scope. I have a friend who got one with some cheap vortex scope for 550.00 or something cheap like that. He’s taken lots of animals with it and dosent baby the gun.

Edit to add: the one my friend has is a 6.5 creedmoor which would be better for your kid. That said, they make some even better ones like 6cm etc…

 

[CMF]

Nothing.
We have the Ranch(16") and the Predator(22"). I'd recommend the Ranch if you're going suppressed.
I don't think there's anything wrong with prc. My kids shoot everything from 270, 50cal muzzy to 300wm. Get ready for lots of pushback though, for smaller calibers due to recoil.
I ended up going 6.5CM because of the wide range of ammo availability and the fact that we can practice with 95gn rounds and hunt with 143gn ELDX. I was skeptical of smaller calibers, especially going for Oryx, but my son wanted to shoot the 6.5. His Oryx shot from 120yds with the Predator made it 100-120yds and piled up. So we took the ranch on my daughter's hunt and she shot an oryx at 60yds with Ranch and it was DRT. The 6.5cm has practicaly zero recoil practicing with the 95gn. And, throwing in heavier bullets to hunt with, the kids don't notice recoil on game shots.

 

[92xj]

My thought process on the 6.5 prc over 6mm is I’m old school and always think heavier is better. Also, we are constantly in wind and hoping to lessen the effect of the wind, even if a tiny little bit. I also will be new to the suppressor world and was thinking that would help with the prc recoil enough, but maybe not? The kids are pretty tough. The gun will not be used for plinking too much, but it will happen some.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

To me, nothing is really wrong with Rugers except the brand name. That is just straight bias based on a small sample size and bad experiences with two Mini-14s, a Ruger No. 1, and a handful of M77s. The Mini-14s shot patterns, not groups (both rifles made in the 1980s). The 2014 Ruger No. 1 had to have the trigger and safety totally rebuilt, but it shoots well. The M77s just didn't shoot as well as other factory rifles (last handled them ca. 1996).

But I recognize that the RAR is a decent rifle and I think that for a kid, getting a short one in 6mm ARC makes a ton of sense. You might compare it with the Howa Mini as well.

I personally didn't like shooting my .270 until I was about 18 and that's about the same recoil as a 6.5 PRC. Even suppressed, I wouldn't give a kid a 6.5 PRC. That's a cartridge for 600 yards or beyond. A 6mm ARC or 6.5mm Grendel seems like the perfect deer cartridge for a kid (or a grown-up).

If I had an accurate option with lighter recoil, I would have shot it a lot more as a kid. That may or may not be a good thing for a father. My dad certainly appreciated that we shot a lot of .22 LR on the farm (he always gave us .22 LR, we had to buy our own center fire cartridges).

 

[Remington92]

Asides from the prc ( why not a creed? and this comes from someone who hunts with and loves the prc) the gen 2 rugers are legit. I have a 20" 6.5 creedmoor and a buddy of mine has a 20" 243 he bought for his son both are the most accurate out of the box rifles I've seen. Another one of our buddies was impressed enough to replace his 22-250 m77 with a gen 2 in 22 creed for a truck coyote gun.

Mine shoots everything I've fed it from 95gr to 147gr under an inch and to the same POI which is the first rifle I've had to do that. I'm so impressed with mine I dropped it in a mdt acc gen2 chassis and added a timney trigger and its my truck coyote gun/ hopefully I can hot rod the speed on it to make power factor for my first NRL hunter match in a few month.

Dont get me wrong I love tikkas and they have more aftermarket support (my prc I mentioned is a tikka and until recently competed with a ctr) but out of the box cheap accuracy and adjustability its hard to argue against the Ruger.

Just one more note on the creed vs prc subject. Only reason I went with the prc is to have enough impact velocity for over 1800fps to 800yds. If I was maxing at 500-600 I'd have picked the creed everyday of the week over the prc. Same bullet with adequate impact velocity why take the recoil, added ammo cost, and shorter barrel life.

 

[skipper907]

A 6CM/243 would be allot better fit for a 7yr old than a 6.5prc

 

[FSB12B]

As said above, they're actually really good rifles. I've enjoyed all of the American's I have owned, other than a Gen 1 in 6mm. Your biggest issue is the caliber. 6.5 PRC is too much for any kid, regardless of how tough they are. FWIW, my son enjoys shooting his 6.5 CM but hated shooting a 308. His groups tightened up, especially with the 120's, and he no longer flinches and or just to squeeze through his pulls.

Drop down in caliber and you'll be all set IMO.

 

[92xj]

I hear you. I grew up on a lever 32 special knocking deer down starting at age 7 and then into a 270 at 14. My one and only gun now is a 300wm that I shoot deer through moose with. I’m stuck with the old man mindset but willing to change for the kids.

It’s also going to take a lot of convincing for me to buy a 6.5cm. Is the 6cm, with either a 88gr stone hammer or 90gr hht a deer/antelope killer out to 500 with a 20” barrel?

 

[Steve300xcw]

Nothing really wrong with them. Bought a ranch model when they first came out. Its accurate, nothing else good to say about it though. The new gen2's are interesting. I'd be worried somebody might see me with a rifle that ugly.

Whats a new gen2 that you're looking at cost? Seems like the disposable rifle price keeps going up and is getting pretty close to what nicer stuff sells for.

 

[FSB12B]

I hear you. I grew up on a lever 32 special knocking deer down starting at age 7 and then into a 270 at 14. My one and only gun now is a 300wm that I shoot deer through moose with. I’m stuck with the old man mindset but willing to change for the kids.

It’s also going to take a lot of convincing for me to buy a 6.5cm. Is the 6cm, with either a 88gr stone hammer or 90gr hht a deer/antelope killer out to 500 with a 20” barrel?

The 6CM will kill anything in North America out to 500. Run the heavier 103 ELD-X -108 ELD-M's and you're all set.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

The Mini-14s shot patterns, not groups (both rifles made in the 1980s).

Yes, the mini-14s from the 80's and 90's were bad shooters. I read where Ruger fixed that in the early 2000's. Mine is circa 1987 or so and it never shot worth $hit.

92xj, nothing wrong with your approach, IMO.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Love the Ruger American at its price point it is really hard to beat. Have a gen 1 in .223 that is fantastic rifle for the 400 bucks I paid for it. Hard to argue with a threaded barrel and accurate rifle out of the box for under 500 bones, gen 2 seem right in there! Love that they are producing 6 arc and 6cm out the factory with appropriate twisting, seems like a no brainer solution for a kid

 

[alexnelon]

Whats a new gen2 that you're looking at cost? Seems like the disposable rifle price keeps going up and is getting pretty close to what nicer stuff sells for.

They're running $600+

Why anyone would pick one over a Howa/Tikka/Sauer at that price is beyond me.

 

[Basin&Range]

With budget in mind, I have two gen 2 ruger americans and a savage 110 that was priced similar when I bought them. The rugers feel way better to me for right around the same cost. IMO the bolt lift and cycling feels much better on the ruger than the savage.

 

[92xj]

Nothing really wrong with them. Bought a ranch model when they first came out. Its accurate, nothing else good to say about it though. The new gen2's are interesting. I'd be worried somebody might see me with a rifle that ugly.

Whats a new gen2 that you're looking at cost? Seems like the disposable rifle price keeps going up and is getting pretty close to what nicer stuff sells for.

Quick searches around here, I should be able to pick one up at around $620.

 

[FSB12B]

They're running $600+

Why anyone would pick one over a Howa/Tikka/Sauer at that price is beyond me.

They can still be found for under $600, but you're right. Appears the price is creeping up.
Only reason to pick Ruger over Tikka/Sauer is caliber choice (ARC/6CM). and an already threaded barrel/adjustable LOP.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Thats more than a tikka! Granted you'd have to get the thing threaded but still...

 

[Shortschaf]

I like the RAR gen 2 at $500 a lot
For $600+ though, I agree with others that it is harder to justify vs a Tikka

Even though the blued tikkas like to rust, the factory stock on the RAR gen 2 is atrocious without modification IMO, and the trigger is pretty creepy. Both are big wins for Tikka to me