I seriously considering this rifle not just for its well known value performance to cost ratio, but also because this perticular Caliber both powerful medium game and range affordable, but can also be loaded into 20 round Ruger Mini 30 magazines which fit this particular Ruger American. Making it a sort of tactical hunt, brush, scout gun. What do you all think? Am I Arizona Dreaming or on to somthing? PS, this caliber usually 4 MOA out of the AK & SKS, is well documented on YT for sub-MOA using Wolf ammo out of this rifle from the box.
IIRC @iznthesky has one and really likes it. I don’t think he gets on here much anymore though. From what I remember on his posts it’s on my want list.
You’re definitely on the right track. I didn’t know the Mini 30’s mags would fit this, so if you’re already set there, all the better. Cheap ammo you hopefully have already, threaded barrel, 1913 scope rail out of the box. What’s not to love?
I have a couple of Ruger American rifles in various calibers, though not 7.62x39, and generally speaking I really like them. The criticisms are all true, like the stock is kind of cheap feeling, the trigger is just OK, and some MLOK on the body would be more useful than a single sling swivel. But you’re right that as a value proposition they’re tough to beat. Expensive enough to be reliable and accurate, but cheap enough that you don’t feel bad beating on them. Ruger’s customer service is pretty good if you have problems, too.
I also have a couple, and what I found is that they have the best bedded design in a composit stock with metal pillars and as a result shoot extremely well sub-moa or not so well like 2"to 3" moa. For me on my 243 I found out it was the portion of stock running forward along the sides of the barrel that were touching. After releaving forend stock material 1/8" each side, using my drummel tool (fast work), followed by finising off with sand papper the problem was completely solved. I suppose one could buy a Boyd’s heavy resin/wood laminated Stock, then epoxy bed it adding about 2Lbs total to the rifle, but then I’d be hiking through the desert with a 8.5Lb rifle instead of a 6.5Lb rifle. I have a fully adjustable Boyd’s stock on my Remington 6.5 creedmore, but that for shooting steel not lugging. Yup, with a couple 20Rd magazines it could be quite the ready for anything bolt action IMO.