Ruger is undoubtedly one of America's largest and most well-known gun manufacturers, creating handguns and rifles right here in the U.S. So it was a simple choice of name when the company created one of its most famous and well-regarded bolt-action rifles: the Ruger American. That was back in 2012, and although the American remains a top seller, Ruger never stopped innovating. Our American Rifleman testers got their hands on Ruger's next-generation American rifle ... simply named the Ruger American Gen II. There are three models in the line; there's the Standard model we're testing in this video, the Predator and the Ranch.
So what makes this the NRA's Gun of the Week? Noted our testers, "You’ll get a redesigned stock with a splattered-paint finish and ergonomic treatments to the gripping surfaces. There’s a removable comb riser for a better cheekweld with optics and removeable spacers to adjust the stock’s length of pull, so it can be configured to small- and large-frame shooters alike. You’ll notice the Gen II stock is set up for detachable box magazines; either STANAG or AICS-pattern mags are used, depending upon the chambering selected. Our test sample arrived chambered for 6.5 mm Creedmoor, so with it we received a three-round, AICS-pattern box."
But where the Ruger American Gen II really shines is its barrel, which has these spiral-pattern flutes that do (as it happens) three things: First, the flutes reduce the gun's weight. Second, the flutes reduce barrel temperatures faster, so you can keep shooting longer without a "cooldown." It comes threaded to accept a suppressor, should you wish to install one, and has a radial muzzle brake installed from the factory, which reduces recoil.
At just 6 lbs., 8 oz. unloaded, this rifle is just as ready to go up and down mountains on an elk hunt as it is to plink steel from hundreds of yards. The Standard model reviewed is $729. For more info, visit Ruger.com!
