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Ruger American Hunter

Nelius88

Private
Minuteman
Feb 28, 2020
36
6
Hello members,
I saw a few other threads on the new Ruger American Hunter rifle but not much information has been provided as far as accuracy and function. I have been debating on purchasing one in 6.5 Creedmoor with a 22in. barrel as an introductory rifle for the PRS world. Any input would be awesome, thanks.
 
Just curious why that particular model? $$$
The RPR might be more flexible in the prs world, but its twice the price ish.
Add a few more bucks and your options (brands/features) expand.
You still have to factor in all the other
Items like scopes, bipods, ammunition etc.
If you like and spend more on upgrading, why not get something a little closer to the end use.
Have fun! Don't forget to inform your wallet how much fun you are going to have?
 
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Well i'm familiar with all the competitors such as Tikka, Bergara, Howa ect. in that price range. I guess just personal preference. I kind of like the Magpul stock and Ruger is a good budget brand for the $. Plus I already have a chassy for a more serious rifle to build slowly (even though I know it's more common to buy the barreled action first), so I wanted to stay away from spending too much and not have to buy a whole lot of aftermarket parts for. I just want it to practice on and have fun with, and to have a spare rifle for the G.F. But I also don't know when ill be able to finish my build and i'm eager to shoot haha.
I don't see the RPR being that much more of an upgrade besides the adjustibility, plus that buttstock is pretty ugly. Ive already got a Viper PST gen 2 to throw on it.
 
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I have an American predator 6cm. In the factory stock it was a 1 inch gun at best. That was with a 4-16 vortex hst on it. I swapped into a Bell and Carlson stock and now it’s 5/8 all day long. I would bet with the upgraded stock you could expect similar accuracy. I have also installed a Timney trigger in mine. My vote is go for it. I really like the American rifle just think the factory stock is holding it back. Be sure to check all fasteners for correct torque. I found loose scope base screws on mine.
 
That's good to hear. That's all I can find when I try to research the American Hunter is the Predator in the Magpul chassis. I think the biggest difference besides the obvious chassis is the Hunter offers a heavy contour barrel and adjustable trigger. Thanks for the input!
 
I believe it’s a heavy but shorter barrel. Looks like a slick rifle
 
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I actually started prs with a ruger American predator, 6.5 creedmoor. Very accurate rifle, with hornady 147 eld match the rifle shoots 1/2 moa. Replaced the stock with magpul hunter American and timney trigger. The rifle will hold 1 moa with 12 rounds down the factory barrel. The back end of the bolt is a little sharp, so I smooth it out to prevent the bolt from catching on the next round. I also modified the magpul magazine so there is no issues with loading one round. Was having problems with light strike first round, simple fix with polishing the firing pin. Pretty amazing rifle for the money. Just recently replaced the barrel with preferred barrel blanks. Very effective rifle for the money and it's a little easier to be a little rough on it during competition. Have another rifle that cost 3 times more and shoots just as good. Image is with the factory barrel, hornady 147 eld m five round group, bipod and rear bag. Hope this helps
 

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When I started with hand load for it with the factory barrel, it likes a massive jump to the lance .016 of the lance. It's a crazy jump, but works for 1/2 moa, hornady 147 eld also have a really large jump. I've had really good experience with the rifle with a little work and I still compete with it primarily just cause I don't want to beat on my other rifle. It's also nice to be competitive with a price people can actually afford.
 
Sorry that's at 100 yards factory barrel, this is with the new barrel and hand load. I think I pulled one, 5 round group. Lol, almost seems like it shot better with the factory barrel and bullet. The rifle feels more balanced with a heavier barrel on baracade, but still very effective with factory barrel.
 

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Sorry that's at 100 yards factory barrel, this is with the new barrel and hand load. I think I pulled one, 5 round group. Lol, almost seems like it shot better with the factory barrel and bullet. The rifle feels more balanced with a heavier barrel on baracade, but still very effective with factory barrel.
wow yeah those are some impressive results. Thanks for all the information, making my choice a lot easier haha. When the factory barrel gets shot out or i want to upgrade it like you, did you keep the factory bolt in it? And if you did, did you have it machined to match it up better?
 
Yes, had over 1500 rounds on factory barrel, still shoots 1 moa with 12 rnd, 1/2 to 3/4 pass 8 rounds. Choose muzzle break that has no port at top, rounds will start to walk down wards after the 7 shot, but still touching. I used prs65 prior to gamma vg6 and fixed the walk. Have fun and glad was able to help.
 
Yes the bolt is factory, just replaced the knob and light polish with a dremel on the firing pin. Was having issues with light strikes first round and the issue was the drag when the bolt is hold open for too long and might be a little dry on lube
 
There is 3 prongs on the bolt to lock. The bottom prong will catch the next round and prevent you from opening the bolt some times. Very simple fix, just round off the sharp edge on the bottom, don't need to touch anything else on it, just the sharp edge and it will glide over smoothly. I think it's to keep the cost down, so polishing the bolt was another way to save production costs. Very very minor issues and very simple fixes and the rifle is very competitive
 
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The scope is a crimson trace, very good scope for the price. 5x24x56 ffp, you can buy them now for $550, no zero stop but a simple fix. I used a Burris signature rings and a 20 moa base. You can cant the scope down with the burris inserts and move the distance to change how much moa to angle. I have 2 moa pass zero and a total of 80 moa of elevation. I have strap my game changer on top of the scope and never lost zero. The main theme of this rifle was to be affordable and very competitive with an actual affordable build. Paint is just a sponge paint and just do pattern that you like.
 
Glass is extremely clear, clearer than than the other scope I used for about 3 times price. Tracks extremely well and return to zero with no issues. Turret is tactile, I'm not sure if there is a better scope for the price point, but could be wrong cause I've only compared it to vortex diamondback.
 
Mdt metal magazine works with no modifications, pmag have to be modified a little to be flawless.
 
Here is another thought for a truck gun instead of the Ruger American Hunter....Mossberg MVP Patrol 308. I shot one last week with a bunch of tarnished mixed ammo pulled out of a jacket pocket. It shot well under 1 MOA at 100 yards off of a creaky old bench with poor support. Lightweight, short, 10-20+ round mags and fun to shoot. Thinking about getting one myself.
 
I handled an American hunter today at sportsmans warehouse. You will give up a little velocity due to the barrel length but it looks like a really solid rifle. I like the heavier barrel.
 
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There are other options and other rifle that is fun to shoot. Was just giving input on ruger American and my experience with it.
 
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The 22" inch barrel is faster than my tikka 24" inch barrel. Hornady 147 eld m was at 2630 fps. My hand loads with the same charge weight for the tikka and ruger, the ruger is at 2820 fps, while the tikka is at 2790 fps. I have tought the same about the factory barrel, would like it to be thicker, but I noticed it can hold pretty good group for it size on a 12 rnd string and the thickness allows the barrel to cool down faster. I solely replaced the barrel for weight, factory barrel is plenty accurate and was very surprised
 
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Was able to get my ruger for $400, there are better rifles out there. It's just a pretty good rifle for the price range and pretty fun to compete with it.
 
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There is 3 prongs on the bolt to lock. The bottom prong will catch the next round and prevent you from opening the bolt some times. Very simple fix, just round off the sharp edge on the bottom, don't need to touch anything else on it, just the sharp edge and it will glide over smoothly. I think it's to keep the cost down, so polishing the bolt was another way to save production costs. Very very minor issues and very simple fixes and the rifle is very competitive

Hi, I happen to have this rifle in the 6.5creedmore and just got my rifle back from Ruger under warranty, they said if it has there name on it, they will repair it. What was happening was, when the trigger was squeezed, the rifle would not eject the spent shell until the shell had time to cool, like maybe 90 seconds, then it would eject but it was a slow ejection. our response sounds more like what the issue truly is. They replaced the barrel at no charge and sent it back to me. With no explanation on what the problem is or was. I’m going to take out my rifle right now and check the prong. Thank you.
 
Speed is not everything, accuracy is more important, speed can be compensated with elevation. Speed does increase ballistic coefficient, but too much speed on some bullets and it will not stabilize. So if you opted for for the shorter thicker barrel, don't let it discourage you. There are pro and cons, shorter thicker barrel will have less vibration and will be easier to maneuver at the cost of velocity. Pick what makes suits you and do a lot of practice. Barrels can be replaced specially when you compete and practice, it will burn out
 
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The sharp edge was causing to catch the rounds below, around the shoulder of the bullet. Just round off the sharp edge and it will glide over smoothly
 

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I'm not sure what the issue is with your ejection, might be the bullet your using is very tight on the chamber and even tighter ones fired. Possibility also the chamber was machined out of spec and has a tight chamber. Sorry just guessing without seeing your rifle, also make sure this area is not dirty, will not allow the bullet to catch. Spay cleaner behind it, to push any debris that might be stuck behind it and put a little oil for the spring
 

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I'm not sure what the issue is with your ejection, might be the bullet your using is very tight on the chamber and even tighter ones fired. Possibility also the chamber was machined out of spec and has a tight chamber. Sorry just guessing without seeing your rifle, also make sure this area is not dirty, will not allow the bullet to catch. Spay cleaner behind it, to push any debris that might be stuck behind it and put a little oil for the spring
When it happened it was with Federal and Winchester factory loads, I just got it back from Ruger and have not even shot it yet. Hopefully the new barrel won’t be out of spec, and they gave me a good one.
 
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You can always put it on safety and cycle rounds to compare it before firing. Also cycle once fired brass to see if it's fighting the bolt. I use hornady and starline brass, I've noticed the hornady grow more than the starline brass. But never had issues with the brass being stuck. I have seen reloders that only neck size and their brass gets stuck.
 
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I handled an American hunter today at sportsmans warehouse. You will give up a little velocity due to the barrel length but it looks like a really solid rifle. I like the heavier barrel.
Even with a 22 inch barrel? There is a Davidson's Special model with a 22 inch barrel.
 
I was interested in learning long range shooting, but I do not have cavernous pockets. After seeing X-Ring's YouTube review of the American Hunter in 6.5C with 18" barrel, I was sold. I am aware of velocity loss with the 18, but also kept in mind that I would ultimately like to add a suppressor and still be able to move it around easily. Will I be reaching 1200yds with this rifle? Doubt it, but it is a solid affordable option for me, as I still had to get EVERYTHING else. I paired it with a Vortex Viper HST 6-24x50 scope. I will be getting it zeroed and broken in this weekend, and I can't tell you how excited I am to get started. I have read Ryan Cleckner's book and have managed to get the rifle/scope/cheek rise dialed in to "just right". Time to get to the range !
 
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I had the same issues with the bolt being sharp. Other than that the action and bolt were true from the factory. I rebarreled mine to 6mm Creedmoor and haven’t looked back. Still in the Magpul hunter stock too!
 
I recently switched the chassis to oryx, I have less feeding issues during the match. The fit is excellent and loads well with the MDT metal magazine with binder plate. Really good rifle for the money, just needs a little bit of simple detail
 

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Hello members,
I saw a few other threads on the new Ruger American Hunter rifle but not much information has been provided as far as accuracy and function. I have been debating on purchasing one in 6.5 Creedmoor with a 22in. barrel as an introductory rifle for the PRS world. Any input would be awesome, thanks.
Just purchased the exact rifle. Jury is out, at this time trying to rectify an issue that I feel is the gun and not the ammo. The following photos are of 1 shot at 100 yards and another at 65. Yes close range but was sighting scope before 225 yard to finish. Brand new right out of the box, these are the only 2 rounds put through the gun
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Many of my customers wear by this gun - especially in 6.5. I don't think you can go wrong with this one at all! Their precision is phenomenal and far beyond what you would expect for that price!
 
I bought the 6.5 hunter. While it was a better shooter than I am it was too heavy for my uses. 1/2 inch groups with 142 sierra MK and 3/4 with the 143 ELDM when I was having good day. Sold it and got a Go Wild 6.5. Love both rifles Ruger got it right with the American line of rifles.
 
You can only use the 5 round magazines with the 6.5 chambered rifles. The 10 rounders have feeding issues with 6.5CM.