I think this accuracy is ok

[allenintexas]

Finally was able to test fire my cheap but expensive new toy. Factory ammo, 5 shots, 100 yards. I think this will work.

Ruger American Ranch, 16" threaded in a heatseeker chasiss.

[Happy2Shoot]

Looks great to me.

What ammo, suppressor?

Did you use a rear bag?

[tdbru]

AIT,
have fun. Looks like a fun rig.

as an aside, how do you find the design and execution of the Ruger American? Some have commented about really rough, unfinished like machine and tool marks. Is your new acquisition up to your quality levels? Ergos? Easy to run? Difficult to run? Does it feed, extract, and eject reliably and smoothly? Comments on the trigger pull? rough? smooth? take up? overtravel? Have you weighed the trigger pull break point and is it consistent or does it have a lot of variability at the break point? Barrel interior finish? Smooth? rough? Firing pin delivering centered impacts? any slop/gaps around the firing pin and bolt face firing pin hole? Firing pin protrusion ok? Any failure to fire due to light primer strikes? Excessive firing pin protrusion causing primer cup failures or holes? Any design features in place to handle either a pierced primer or ruptured case head with respect to keeping the hot gas and particles away from a shooters face and eyes? How is the Chassis' magazine release? too hard to actuate? too easy to actuate? is the lever placed such that it could be accidentally actuated while carrying or shooting the rifle resulting in the magazine separating from the chassis when it's not intended to? What is the overall weight of the rig as it appears in the photo? How is the reach to the bolt while the rifle is shouldered? can you run the rifle from the shoulder or do you need to take it off the shoulder to get it to cycle reliably?

if the 1000 questions are a bit annoying i apologize and will understand not answering them.
thanks,
tdbru

[HokeyPokeyKid]

That a nice looking setup, I'd be happy with that group all day long.

Good job on your part with the shooting too!

[allenintexas]

Looks great to me.

What ammo, suppressor?

Did you use a rear bag?

Bagged front and back, Hornady Black 123 gr ELD match, Dead Air Nomad suppressor

[allenintexas]

AIT,
have fun. Looks like a fun rig.

as an aside, how do you find the design and execution of the Ruger American? Some have commented about really rough, unfinished like machine and tool marks. Is your new acquisition up to your quality levels? Ergos? Easy to run? Difficult to run? Does it feed, extract, and eject reliably and smoothly? Comments on the trigger pull? rough? smooth? take up? overtravel? Have you weighed the trigger pull break point and is it consistent or does it have a lot of variability at the break point? Barrel interior finish? Smooth? rough? Firing pin delivering centered impacts? any slop/gaps around the firing pin and bolt face firing pin hole? Firing pin protrusion ok? Any failure to fire due to light primer strikes? Excessive firing pin protrusion causing primer cup failures or holes? Any design features in place to handle either a pierced primer or ruptured case head with respect to keeping the hot gas and particles away from a shooters face and eyes? How is the Chassis' magazine release? too hard to actuate? too easy to actuate? is the lever placed such that it could be accidentally actuated while carrying or shooting the rifle resulting in the magazine separating from the chassis when it's not intended to? What is the overall weight of the rig as it appears in the photo? How is the reach to the bolt while the rifle is shouldered? can you run the rifle from the shoulder or do you need to take it off the shoulder to get it to cycle reliably?

if the 1000 questions are a bit annoying i apologize and will understand not answering them.
thanks,
tdbru

Not annoying, happy to answer.
As far as the design and execution, I never really thought much about it. The rifle was an impulse buy, I didn't even know what a 6.5 Grendal was. I thought it would be a cool, short, light gun to carry in the Ranger. I've read the comments about how rough the action is but mine is as smooth as some of my custom rifles. Maybe more clearance than the high dollar guns but it doesn't bother me. One thing I do not like is the bolt shroud. It's plastic.
Feeding in the factory stock with factory mags was flawless, I never had any problems but then I decided to put it in a chassis. The Chassis takes AICS magazines.
Did you know that there are no AICS magazines for a 6.5 Grendel? I didn't. So $160 for 2 magazines and $70 for internal magazine conversion kits and I have semi-reliable feeding. I'll keep tinkering with the magazines to see if I can improve on that.
Trigger pull. It pegged my gauge out of the box. I backed the adjustment screw all the way out. It breaks at just under 3 and a half pounds now and is pretty consistent. Not a lot of take up or over travel. Actually a pretty nice trigger and I was quite surprised but I'll probably still change it out down the road. I like 2.5 pounds on my hunting rifles.
Never looked down the bore. lol
I've seen no problems with the firing pin, the strike seem very well centered and there doesn't seem to be any gap. I've not had a misfire but I've never used any of the hard primered stuff. Probably won't either, I have lots of nice brass so no need.
The chassis is a Heatseeker by Sharps brothers. if I had researched a bit better and known it would only accept AICS mags, I might have gone a different route. I don't know if there is a different route but to answer the question, the magazine release is positive and is as good as it gets I suppose. I'm good with it. I don't think you could accidentally release the magazine.
Weight? Not sure but it got heavy quick with the chassis and the furniture, suppressor, a 4-12 x 40AO Vortex and a loaded magazine. not the light compact rifle I had originally intended but hey, who can leave well enough alone?
The reach to the bolt while shouldered is fine but it has an AR stock and buffer tube so the LOP is adjustable if need be. And as far as running it from the shoulder, refer back to my comments about the magazine issue. Still gotta work that out.

OK I just weighed it. 9 3/4 pounds without a magazine.

To sum this all up, I gave $450 nib for the rifle (impulse buy), $439 for the chassis (impulse buy), $119 for the furniture, $189 for the scope, $80 for rings, and $230 for the mags and kits, so Ive got over $1500 in this "cheap" rifle. and this total did not include shipping or tax. How the hell did that happen? Oh well. I think it looks really cool, sorta like a Ruger precision, it shoots very well and I like it so I guess nothing else matters. Hmmm, I wish I hadn't added that all up.

[allenintexas]

That a nice looking setup, I'd be happy with that group all day long.

Good job on your part with the shooting too!

Thanks. it will do for sure.

[tdbru]

Thanks AIT!
Good to hear it's smooth. Good Shooting you did.
All my little "projects" do end up costing much more than early anticipations. Kind of the nature of the beast.
i picked up a std barrel mini Howa. Didn't like the plastic stock and got a B&C. Didn't like the plastic bottom "metal" or the plastic magazines, eventually. at first they were ok but later on I decided it would look much trimmer with a normal internal magazine with a hinged floorplate and picked one up from Jefferson Outdoors (HokeyPokeyKid) and have been quite pleased.
as you mentioned, don't add up the costs of changing most of what one originally gets with what you want or think it should be. The little utility rifle is still light and handy but priced well outside of "utility" now....

the Ruger American looks attractive at times due to running std AR steel magazines. So i was interested in what an actual user of the beast thought. Thank you.
-tdbru

[EastTNHunter]

[Rosecrans1]

You may find the more you shoot it, the tighter those groups can get! And that is a very good group! Oh and yea! Never add all that s#*t up. Put the receipts in a box until the warranty expires then throw them out. With age comes an always lower price than what you actually paid for them.

[Dragonscout]

You may find the more you shoot it, the tighter those groups can get! And that is a very good group! Oh and yea! Never add all that s#*t up. Put the receipts in a box until the warranty expires then throw them out. With age comes an always lower price than what you actually paid for them.

Yea, what he said and DO NOT ,I say again, DO NOT let the wife see that receipt bag!

[JCart]

[LRRPF52]

Yea, what he said and DO NOT ,I say again, DO NOT let the wife see that receipt bag!