Ruger American Rifle Hunter - worth it?

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undeg01

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I bought a Ruger American in 308 for my best friend’s son who is 14 and has limited experience with rifles. We sighted his rifle in with 168 gr FGMM and like someone mentioned previously, accuracy was very good. Sub-MOA accuracy. Once sighted in, he was ringing 4” steel at 200 yds with every shot. For Oklahoma whitetail, that gun will do everything he ever needs.
 

Chappy

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I do not have a 308 in my closet and have been wanting to add one. Been a Browning guy all my life, but they aren’t the guns they used to be and am looking for something different.

I have narrowed down my choice between Bergara and Ruger….but leaning hard on Ruger for two main reasons:
1.) the Ruger is a few hundred less
2.) and from what I am seeing the grouping b/w the two is the same

I hunt mostly wooded areas with 150 yard maximum shots. 90% of my hunting will be from stands with a shooting rest, so weight is not a huge factor.

Before others start suggesting different calibers, I have most everything b/w 25 - 300…just not a 308.

Looking to hear from folks that have had positive/negative experiences with the Ruger.

Thanks.
Can’t beat the price of Ruger and it will not disappoint you. I have the Ruger American in 6.5 creedmore and it’s dead on accurate. As for the Ruger in 308 I do not have any experience with. Good luck in the stand.
 

OzarksOkie

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6.5 Grendel is all you need for anything in the lower 48.
I see most of the responses have a 6.5. If I am not shooting out past 150, is there a reason to take a chance on ammo supply for that caliber, i.e is it really that much better than 308?

Not trying to start a big debate, just looking for real benefits in the woods…something you won’t read in a technical review.
 

Jcann

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I see most of the responses have a 6.5. If I am not shooting out past 150, is there a reason to take a chance on ammo supply for that caliber, i.e is it really that much better than 308?

Not trying to start a big debate, just looking for real benefits in the woods…something you won’t read in a technical review.
The Grendel was designed for the AR platform therefore its store bought ammo will be limited to SAAMI spec 52,000 psi. If one shoots it out of a bolt action you can probably push the max pressure limit with reloads but I wouldn’t attempt doing it in an AR.

What does ”better than 308” mean? Yes it’s better than a 308 in regards to less recoil. Yes with certain loads it will shoot slightly flatter to a degree than a 308 with certain loads.

Is it the be all end all chambering for the lower 48? Not no but hell no. Will it work for a 150 yard deer gun? Most definitely, but so would a 6mm Creedmoor, 243, 22 Creedmoor, 308, 7-08 …………..

If you reload for the 308 you can take a 110 grain Sierra Varmint bullet and probably shoot it over 3,000fps or kick it up to a 190 grain Sierra Match King at 2,500fps. You have much greater versatility with a 308 than a 6.5 Grendel. @swampratt has done a lot of reloading for the 308 and can go into far greater detail than I.
 

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