Ruger KindAmerican

[Handsome Rob]

Kinda-American, if you're pun deaf......

I decided to move on my old faithful Savage Axis .223 for something with a faster twist. The 1:9 was OK, but I've been craving a 1:8 to wring the best accuracy of of 77 grainers. It ended up being donated to a friend for his little boy to use on hogs in Texas. He only 6 (maybe?) & they hunt in thick scrub so accuracy beyond 50yds max was moot.

I'm a broke-ass, so high end stuff is a no no & Tikkas are pretty much unobtainable right now. I decided that the Ruger American would fit my budget & needs very well indeed, thankyouverymuch.

I placed local want ads & prices ranged from "are you high right now?!" to "you smoked crack before you replied, didn't you." I literally couldn't find anything for less than $150 over retail & no retailers had them in stock. Poo.
Well, I happened to get chatting to a customer & fellow shooter & he mentioned that his brother had one he'd be willing to come off, cheap. "How cheap?", I asked, pensively.... "less than 3, more than 2."
"Tell him it's sold, we'll argue about the cash later! "
Turned out that it's the youth model, compact. Well, I figured if the price was right, it's a barreled action & I can work up from there. I was planning on another sub 20" barrel anyway. $225 & a free dog bath & trim sealed the deal.

Damn thing looked like it'd never been shot. I immediately started googling stocks & hit a wall. Boyd's, chassises (plural of chassis? Anyone?) or Ruger. Poo again.
I won't have another Boyd's under my roof, cheap & solid as they are. They're just ugly as a mud fence, heavy & none of them seem to fit me properly. Hmmmmm.....chassis? While there are a couple that'll work, none were particularly appealing or affordable by the time you've bought the actual important bits & the ones that were don't work with the 223. Poo x3.
Actually, I've since discovered that yes, in fact, they will but it seems like AICS magazine manufacturers & AICS magwell manufacturers don't, can't or won't communicate They do, in fact, make .223 mags that fit in a .308 hole.

So, Ruger it is. I blew the dust off my ebay account & found a new take off, in a short action, with the replaceable magwell for $100. Got it, tried it, it fit. Advertised my compact stock the same day & sold it for $100. Sometimes it's good to be lucky!
Did further googling, knowing that Ruger makes the Predator model with 3 different mag configurations. Rotary, AR15 & AICS. The rotary is garbage. It's short, unreliable & only seats 4. The AR requires a different bolt (it has a cutout on the underside to allow passage over the feed lips) BUT the AICS might be a go. Google says......maybe. I found out that Ruger will sell you the magwell as long as you give them a serial number ($34, to the door) however, you'll have to argue for a few minutes with customer service because "That part is incompatible & you can't do the conversion with that serial number range" well, they're wrong. There are several threads on the Ruger forum explaining this. It took some convincing & a few white lies ("yes, I've done this before!") but they finally took my money.
Got it, bolted it in, job's a good'n. PMag .223 mag ordered.
Doesn't work.  It even says right there on the page "Will not work with Ruger American Predator." I guess I missed that. Poo x4, verging on 'Dangit!'

So, I took a $40 gamble & ordered an MDT magazine. I discovered that the steel AICS mags work great, but they're also $70+! Well, the MDT works perfectly. There is a little rocking, front to back, but not enough to hinder feeding at all. Until you've got 2 left, then the last round catches on the bolt body & tries to double feed. ..............(ping)
30 seconds on the belt sander putting a chamfer on the bolt fixed that (the hell with warranties anyway)

I already had a set of 30mm rings & bought a cheap rail (it's a .223, not a .338), installed a tried & tested SWFA 6x & here we are! Sub $400, accurate as all get out (no load testing yet, just a half dozen of my AR bulk reloads under 1" at 80ish yds), under 7lb & still ugly as a blacksmith's thumb!

 

Bolt detail

[Moped]

Nice setup! Wish I had the know how to do what you did!

Edited March 19, 2022 by Moped

[Mike1000]

3 hours ago, Handsome Rob said:

still ugly as a blacksmith's thumb!

Nice job and great value!
 

They do say a rifle takes on the characteristics of it’s owner

[Handsome Rob]

56 minutes ago, Mike1000 said:

Nice job and great value!
 

They do say a rifle takes on the characteristics of it’s owner

Hey now! I resemble that remark!