A few years back, when my niece was ready to start hunting mule deer, my brother set out to find her a good 'starter rifle.' He was looking for something affordable, lightweight and with a more moderate level of felt recoil. This was back when the Standard models of the first generation of Ruger American rifles were still fairly new to the market place. He found one chambered in .243 Winchester on sale, with a scope package. It wasn't fancy, but it had the features, caliber and price tag they were looking for.
What turned out to be the real surprise with this budget gun was its accuracy. My brother has been hand loading his hunting rifle cartridges for some time now. After a bit of trial and tuning, he had this rifle printing three-shot groups in the 0.6- to 0.8-inch range using his home-rolled rounds. Needless to say, this particular Ruger American rifle was promoted from starter-rifle status to primary rifle status and is still in use today.
The successful Ruger American rifle lineup has diversified significantly since its launch in 2012. The catalog currently lists seven sub-categories in a variety of caliber options with suggested retail prices ranging from $599 to $1019, depending on the features selected. But rather than continue to expand this line indefinitely, the company decided that 2024 would be the year to launch the Gen. II models with some notable changes to the design. This evaluation takes a closer look at the Ruger American Gen II Standard model, chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, with a listed price of $729.
Fortunately, when it comes to these next generation models, Ruger has not 'fixed' that which was not broken. The alloy steel receiver and tri-lug bolt assembly remain the same, including the bolt handle's 70-degree throw and modular knob. The receiver is topped with a six-inch long aluminum Picatinny rail to support the owner's choice of rifle scopes and is secured into the stock using Ruger’s patented Power Bedding integral bedding block system.
One of the key changes to the Gen. II is the tang-mounted, three-position safety slider in place of the Gen I two-position safety. When pushed all the way forward (toward the muzzle) this new safety is in the Fire position. Pulling it back one click from Fire to the first Safe position blocks the trigger but allows the bolt to be cycled for loading and unloading purposes. Moving the slider all the way back, or to the second Safe position, blocks the trigger and locks up the bolt assembly. This third position works to ensure the action will not be bumped open when the rifle is bouncing around on a shoulder sling while walking through the woods.
The Standard model Gen. II receiver, barrel and radial muzzle brake are all treated with a durable Gun Metal Gray Cerakote finish. The 20-inch sporter barrel's deeply cut spiral fluting is a premium feature which looks great and contributes to the rifle's unloaded weight of 6 pounds 7.5 ounces. The recoil mitigating 1.75-inch muzzle brake is threaded at 3/8 x 24 TPI so it can be removed, for those who prefer to shoot without it or replaced by other devices.
Ruger’s Marksman single-stage trigger is a standard feature for this rifle series. Outfitted with an integral blade safety, the trigger is adjustable for a pull weight of three to five pounds. The trigger of the gun sent for this review arrived with the trigger pull set to four pounds. Its arch of travel was just about a sixteenth of an inch with a clean break and no over-travel, so I saw no need to adjust the pull weight. The release lever for the polymer three round AI-style magazine is set into the front of the rounded trigger guard.
Ruger re-designed the Gen. II Monte Carlo-style stock to give it an up-to-date profile and to incorporate useful modular features. Molded from durable light-weight polymer, the fore-end and pistol grip's surfaces are curved and contoured for a comfortable feel. The tri-color gray splatter finish not only looks sharp but provides a non-abrasive random texturing for improved purchase. And a set of sling swivel studs are installed at the factory.
The top of the shoulder stock arrives with a removable black polymer cheek riser installed. This riser adds half an inch to the height of the comb. Sets of 5/8- and ¾-inch replacement risers (#90746, $19.95) are available from the shopruger.com website. This rifle is capped off with an effective 1.25-inch-thick soft rubber recoil pad mounted to a 1.75-inch spacer that provides a 13.75 inch length-of-pull (LOP) right out of the box. Loosening the rear sling swivel stud allows this spacer to be removed in order to reduce the LOP to 12 inches. For those who prefer 12.75- or 13.25-inch lengths, a two-spacer kit (#90747, $29.95) is also available from the company's online store.
For the range test, the Gen. II was fitted with a Meopta brand Meopro Optika5 2-10x42mm rifle scope that I've worked with before. Secured to the rifle using a set of Warne MSR Flat Top Quick Detach 1-inch rings, I would have to say that Meopta hasn't quite figured out entry level scopes just yet. Many of their optics are in the $1,600 to $2,400 price range while the Optika5 is listed at $449.99. At that price, the sight picture is too clear and the controls too refined for what you pay. Hopefully the Meopta team won't figure out that they are giving their customers more than they bargained for any time soon.
I liked this rifle before pulling the trigger and it just got better during the range testing. This gun fed, fired and ejected all of the ammunition tested with the bolt cycling smoothly and the trigger breaking cleanly. It should be noted here that the radial muzzle brake was loud; impressively loud. Its concussive nature was only enhanced by the fact that the test was conducted at an indoor range. No one is going to say thank you for using this type of brake next to them at the range or in the field.
However, the trade off for the increased noise is well worth it for those in the market for a low-recoil rifle. The 6.5 Creedmoor has a reputation for being a moderate option when it comes to kick. But the combination of this caliber, the brake and the effective rubber recoil pad reduce the recoil to modest levels for a centerfire hunting rifle. These softer shooting characteristics and the adjustable LOP make this gun a good fit for a variety of shooting experience levels, including nieces getting ready for their first deer hunt.
Formal bench-rested accuracy testing was conducted by firing three, 3-shot groups at a distance of 100-yards. A Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph was used to measure the bullet velocities for the test ammunition including Federal Fusion, Hornady Outfitter and Winchester Deer Season loads. Here is the complete set of range results:
The new Ruger American Gen. II rifles neatly balance the defining features of the series with a useful and eye-catching set of upgrades that set these guns apart from the originals. But in making these mid-priced rifle changes, Ruger has kept the customer's cost much closer to that of a budget bolt gun than one might expect. Similar hunting rifles from other manufacturers are likely to cost around $100 to $500 more. And in the time since the Standard model was launched, Ruger has already expanded the Gen II lineup to include Range and Predator variations.
I've handled a fair share of bolt guns over the years and I'll admit, not everyone's experience is going to be the same as mine. We all have our own unique set of physical characteristics and personal preferences. That being said, this rifle had that elusive 'it' factor, right out of the box. The weight was just right. It balances intuitively and swings naturally. The stock's splatter finish feels as good as it looks. And the experience only improved at the shooting range with the noticeably tame levels of felt recoil and accuracy potential with factory ammunition that's hard to beat. Quite frankly, I would have no reservations about moving this Ruger American from 'test gun' status into the family rifle set.
Technical Specifications
- Type: Bolt-action rifle
- Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor
- Magazine: Removable polymer box; 3-round capacity
- Barrel: 20 inches, spiral fluted, five-groove rifling, 1:8-inch RH twist
- Trigger: Ruger Marksman adjustable; pull weight: 4-pounds (as tested)
- Sights: None, Picatinny optics rail
- Safety: Tang mounted three-position slider
- Stock: Splatter-finished polymer; soft rubber recoil pad; LOP 13.75 inches
- Metal Finish: Alloy steel; Gun Metal Gray Cerakote finish
- Overall Length: 41.25 inches
- Weight: 6 pounds 7.5 ounces unloaded
- Accessories: Magazine, cheek riser, stock spacer, lock, owner's manual
- MSRP: $729 (Model 46912); ruger.com
