Went to Fort Valley Gun Club in middle Georgia today and decided I would really put the Ruger American Rimfire to the the test and see what it is capable of. I have a 12x Leupold mounted on it for my wife to use so I just shot with that. I am used to 24x and boy are those chickens little at 12x! We shot Standard rifle first so I used my 54msr frankenhunter and shot a 30/40 with a 9,6,6,9.



Then for hunter I used the true "hunting rifle". Here she is as I shot it. Right out of the box with the high cheek piece attached and a Leupold 12x. Trigger is right at 2lbs and breaks very cleanly. I started on Chickens and honestly just had a bad set while I was getting used to everything being different and only hit 4 of the little buggers. Then everything settled down and I knocked out a 28/40. If I hadn't messed up on chickens I would have out-shot my $2700 rifle with a $260 hunting gun. So evidently a rifle that costs 10 times more isn't necessary! I am still really impressed with the quality of this rifle especially at the price point they are sold at. I really feel like THIS rifle could be the key to getting people started in silhouette. At nearly half the cost of the CZ rifles that are generally recommended I think the Ruger American Rimfire is an absolute home run.

Congratulations! So a Ruger American with a 12x40 Leupold can really get the job done! Very good news! What ammunition does this thing like?

Nice comparrison, drives home the value of technique over equipment, VERY good info for bringing in new shooters!
An interesting comparrison would be group size for different ammo mfr's...

I used my same lot of SK Std+ that I tested and bought in Winsboro year before last.

WFUinCO, check my other thread for some very rudimentary ammo tests that I did with this rifle. Not terribly conclusive but gives an idea of potential. Best groups was with Eley Tenex (.782moa group followed up by a 1.175moa group at 100yds) which I really feel puts this rifle in the game.

What did it take to get the trigger working well?

Nada brutha, it has a great trigger right out of the box. So far every review I've read has been the same as my experience. A nice creep-free bread that is very consistent. Mine breaks right about 2.25lbs and is a nice sharp break. No mush... no grit, just SNAP.

It's a amazing that Ruger has brought a complete rifle to market that costs a the same as a Kidd barrel. You know, the next time someone says they're going to get into this game by modding their 10-22, I'm going to point them towards this rifle. What a deal. I'd buy one to play with, but I've got a safe full of rifles I don't have time to shoot.

Good Show!

This is all good news. Thanks for sharing.

Michael

Two days later and I am still irked at myself for only hitting 4 chickens. Should have been at least a 30/40 if not a 32. Four more chickens would have gotten me my second leg into Master... with a $260 gun! Grrrr

Life isn't over! And you've done us all a service.

[quote="Trent"]Then for hunter I used the true "hunting rifle". Here she is as I shot it. Right out of the box with the high cheek piece attached and a Leupold 12x. Trigger is right at 2lbs and breaks very cleanly. I started on Chickens and honestly just had a bad set while I was getting used to everything being different and only hit 4 of the little buggers. Then everything settled down and I knocked out a 28/40. If I hadn't messed up on chickens I would have out-shot my $2700 rifle with a $260 hunting gun. So evidently a rifle that costs 10 times more isn't necessary! I am still really impressed with the quality of this rifle especially at the price point they are sold at. I really feel like THIS rifle could be the key to getting people started in silhouette. At nearly half the cost of the CZ rifles that are generally recommended I think the Ruger American Rimfire is an absolute home run.

Good points Trent
This story sorta smacks of the philosophy I have been spewing for years. It’s the shooter, not the gun. When, within reason, the gun becomes a major issue I feel the shooter will be competing in the upper AAA at least and more likely half way up the Master class. You can’t buy skill, you have to earn it and learn it.
Case in point: At the 2006 Smallbore Nationals in Ridgway, the top 10 Master scores totaled with the 3 open winners totaled exactly 1049 points in BOTH STANDARD AND HUNTER. These are the 13 BEST Silhouette Shooters in the country, maybe in the world since we had 3 foreign countries represented.
Gimme a CZ a respectable scope and 5 cases of ammo along with the time and self-discipline to practice but better as Tony T says, TRAIN.

2 more cents from...
Gator

Thanks for your thoughts Gator. I agree with everything you said. I know there are a TON of guys and gals out there that can (and do) put me to shame and I know for a fact they could do it with Charlie McClure's 2x4 stocked Mossberg and me shooting my 54msr. You can't buy skill/talent.

I got around to taking a better photo of the Ruger. Some people don't like the stock. Some people even call it downright "ugly". I personally don't understand that. I think it is a good looking stock, and it is solid as all get out. I would actually call it a "composite" rather than a "synthetic". The word "synthetic" just makes me think of the soft flexy stocks that Remington puts on their SPS rifles.

I wish I had the desire to TRAIN as one mentioned, but I just enjoy our once a week matches, monthly Saturday match, and happy with my A scores. AA is still on the horizon. I enjoy keeping our sport alive at our club by keeping the records, handling the money and reporting, plus be the best ambassador I can be. Dang, Ruger should have had this American available 2+ years ago, when I moved up from using my 39a and bought the CZ. Include me appreciating Trent's report. Also, sharing on RimfireCentral.
We have a couple new people this year and will be sharing Trent's report even though our season ended. Indoor paper starts in January. Many thanks Trent!!!

teetertotter wrote:I wish I had the desire to TRAIN as one mentioned, but I just enjoy our once a week matches, monthly Saturday match, and happy with my A scores. AA is still on the horizon. I enjoy keeping our sport alive at our club by keeping the records, handling the money and reporting, plus be the best ambassador I can be. Dang, Ruger should have had this American available 2+ years ago, when I moved up from using my 39a and bought the CZ. Include me appreciating Trent's report. Also, sharing on RimfireCentral.
We have a couple new people this year and will be sharing Trent's report even though our season ended. Indoor paper starts in January. Many thanks Trent!!!

Like you I wish they had this a couple of years ago prior to me buying my CZ. I actually wished they used a 10/22 barrel instead of the pined one. I would be all over it even now.