Ruger American Rifle
Later this month Ruger will enter yet another product category. Until now they have neglected the budget bolt action market, preferring to sell mid-range and high-end rifles instead. The Ruger American Rifle is budget-priced with a MSRP of $449.
The rifle features aluminum bedding blocks, Savage Accutrigger-style adjustable trigger and four round rotary magazine. It is chambered in .243 Win., .270 Win., .30-06 and .308 Win. The action comes in one size (long action).
The Remington 770 and Savage Axis both have MSRPs about $90 less than the American. The American is priced about the same as the Mossberg ATR 100 and has similar features, including a Accutrigger-style adjustable trigger.
Ruger will sell truck loads of these rifles and by the end of 2012 there are sure to be a variety of models with stainless and camo finishes.

I do like the Savage axis. It is a good starter rifle, the only drawback is the actual bolt handle. The handle is a casting. The Ruger American rifle appears to have a forged handle and I like the stock to receiver bedding system. I’ll be getting a Ruger RAR.
I want one! I love ruger firearms. I just hope they come out with a lot of accessories for this gun i own the sr.40c and the 10/22 and both are great cant wait to add this one to them.
Well, I was in the market for a truck gun. I was going to order a Stevens 200 in .308 until I saw the new Ruger RAR. I will have to get one. I have never had a bad Ruger anything. They build quality.
for the price it seems vary good don’t know why ever one is talking bad about it
The new rifle looks very a lot like the Tikka T3 Lite rifle, I read on the Gunblast by Jeff Quinn the it shot SUB moa with factory ammo, (just
like my Tikka 30-06). Also the Safety is in a very useable place.
I love FN Mauser, own two of them, plus 10 other rifles, but this
looks like a great rifle, in spite of the Naysayers. We hunt in
very steep Idaho mountain and canyon country and a six and 1/4
pound 30-06 is nice to pack compared to the Mausers that weight
2.5 pounds more, accuracy is everything, we shoot out to and
beyond 400 yards and the 30-06 and 270 will do it with the right
ammo, puts dozens of elk in the freezer over the years. I am
gonna check one out when I can and maybe sneak it home
when the wife is working…..
Idaho Dawg Master and Mosin Nagant Blaster Extraordinaire!
looks like a savage edge with a ruger logo on it
And, yet another failure to make a left handed entry level rifle….
*sigh*
So, you want a Left Handed entry level rifle buy a Savage. The Edge is available in 4 calibers in left handed versions.
Yes, shame on Ruger for initially targeting a measly 90% of the market for a bargain basement low-profit-margin rifle.
The magazine release clip looks a lot like those on tv remotes, in my experiance that setup tends to break more often than it should.
It looks to me like a cross between the Browning A-Bolt and the SIG SHR 970 with a few minor changes thrown in. Put it in a wood stock or a less “modern” looking synthetic stock and I’d be perfectly willing to give one a try.
Yeah, this thing’s pretty much an exact rip-off of the Browning x-Bolt, sans the quad-screw scope mounts. If it holds up as well, it’ll be a fantastic buy!
Recall in 3…2…1…
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Since we’re comparing it to the Savage, how good are Ruger barrels these days?
Why not give the people what they WANT in a general purpose bolt-action rifle?
Short-Action versions in .223 Wylde, .300 BLK, 7.62x39mm that use 20rd AR / Stanag type magazines… A Short Action 308 taking 20rd Pmags, and Long-Actions firing .30-06, .300 WinMag, & .338 Lapua using Accuracy International 10rd Magazines…
Threaded muzzles for Brakes / Comps, or Suppressors, and one extended top rail… Two front sling attachments to mount both a bipod & sling…
If Savage could pull off the above, I predict with their barrels, triggers, and accustocks, they could knock Remington off their high horse from 1200 meters.
I agree.
I would buy it in 7.62x39mm, or in fact a Savage Axis or Mossberg ATR in 7.62x39mm.
I wouldn’t buy a .300 AAC/BLK, but all those other options sound awesome. What might be nice would be a similar rifle to the one you described in 5.45x39mm with a chrome lined bore. Might drive domestic manufacturers besides Hornady to put out 5.45x39mm loads good for hunting or plinking.
Oh, and the 7.62x39mm version should take AK mags not AR mags. AR mags would just be silly.
Whatever kicks Remington off the throne they undeservedly occupy.
If I ever got into hunting with new manufactured stuff, this would be on my short list I think. But, as Shooter said, the name is dumb and is probably trying to appeal to the same people who proudly preach that they buy American while they fly a very tattered flag.
I’m all for a little patriotism, but this is just a bit silly.
Someone tell me I’m wrong and explain why please.
Nah I prefer a Winchester M70.
Every time. Stop.
Did Ruger’s marketing department call in sick from work the day they decided to pick a name for this thing? The only possibly acronym we’re going to get is the RAR, and that’s best case scenario. They’ve done a good job so far of keeping model designations unique and distinctive, but the American Rifle seems like a last-ditch stab at trying to earn political brownie points amongst a market you fear may just ignore your product in favor of other more proven options.
Right now the sub-$400 budget rifle market is so overcrowded with options and models, it seems questionable for Ruger to attempt entry. Then again, people said the same thing about the LCP…and failed to account for the benefits of spending millions of dollars each year on advertising.
S&W foundered badly when they attempted to serve the el-cheapo rifle market, time will tell whether this becomes Ruger’s i-Bolt or not…
Are you sure it’s only available with a long action? The Ruger site said there was a .5″ difference in OAL between the short and long cartridge models.
Is it just me, or does this look EXACTLY like a Savage EDGE/Axis? The stocks look very similar.
Looks like a great gun! The trigger and bedding will give it a leg-up on the budget rifle competition. I think that’s definitely worth an extra $100 over a Remington 770 or Savage Axis.
I was considering buying my son a Savage Edge/Axis combo w/scope and this looks as if it is well worth waiting for…..besides, he has to bring his grades up in school this semester!
It does look very similar to the Savage models and if it performs as well I’ll be pleased to add another Ruger to my collection.
He better hit the books! lol
Gunblast recorded a number of Ransom-rested 1″ (or a tad under) groups in 30-06 with mediocre storebought ammo. Color me impressed. Shoot some Black Hills match out of a .308 variant and it ought to do at least that well if not significantly better.
Now, how soon can we get bigger mags for it, bolt a longer picatinny rail on there and brew up a ghetto scout-oid?
Ruger… Shut up and give me a Scout in 300blk with AI style mags!
A scout in .300AAC deserves STANAG Magazines…
“Other Steve”….you realize why .300BLK in AI magazines doesn’t make sense, right?
Good piece of honest, common sense machinery. If it is as good (or better than) M77 it must be close to excellent. For the price and 1inch group so much so.