Review of Ruger American Rifle — New Varmint Version
This month Ruger is introducing a new varmint version of its popular Ruger American Rifle (RAR). The RAR “Predator” model is offered in six (6) different chamberings: .204 Ruger, .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington, .243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .308 Winchester. All have 22″ free-floated, medium-contour barrels except the .308 Win, which has an 18″ tube, making it a very handy truck gun.
Gun writer Ed Head got his hands on one of the new RAR Predator rifles, chambered in .223 Remington. He reviewed the Predator for the DownRange.TV blog. The reviewer liked the compact 6.62-pound rifle, which features a molded polymer stock and hammer-forged 1:8″ twist barrel. Ed Head liked the short-throw bolt, and he praised the crisp trigger. Accuracy, as tested, was not that impressive — 1.224″ on average at 100 yards. But the tester noted that some types of ammo shot much better than others. So, conceivably, with handloads, this gun could shoot well under 1 MOA. Shooting at steel targets, the tester “managed to shoot 1.5-inch groups at 100 yards, 2.5-inch groups at 200 yards, and 7-inch groups at 300 yards, all with the Lake City ammunition.”
Overall, reviewer Ed Head liked the Predator enough that he decided to purchase his test rifle: “I like this rifle and I’m going to buy it from Ruger. It will shoot ‘minute of squirrel’ at reasonable ranges and should do well on bigger critters — predators — out to 400 yards or more.”
Rifle Features
- One-piece, 3-Lug 70° bolt with full-diameter bolt body and dual cocking cams.
- Integral bedding block system that positively locates the receiver.
- Action comes with factory-installed aluminum Weaver-style scope rail.
- Two-position safety can lock trigger (but not bolt) to allow safe unloading.
- Adjustable 3.5-lb Ruger Marksman trigger with Savage-style inner safety blade.
- Barrel factory-threaded at muzzle for muzzle brakes, flash hiders, and/or suppressors.
- Rotary magazines with 4- or 5-round capacity (depending on caliber). These magazines are a little tough to load correctly.
