Ruger American 7.62x39 ranch rifle

[jwhite]

I have a slight addiction to this round, especially in bolt action rifles, and when i heard about the Ruger American coming out i had to have one. I mounted a VX2 2-7x in a set of Warne low rings and it makes for a nice little package. I replaced the factory threaded protector with a Simple Threaded Device flash hider and i was ready to shoot. First three shot group (only 75yards) was just over .5"! and that was with old Russian ammo i pulled the FMJ's and seated Nosler B-Tips in their place. Tried some 8M3 ammo and it grouped about 1.5" and the brass cased round nose soft point ammo from PPU was grouping just over 1/2". Just breaking the barrel in and hope to try cast boolits this afternoon, probably start with RanchDogs 150gr and some 314440's. Over all very impressed so far and really the only thing i am not wild about is the mag release is a bit big but would be great when wearing gloves. Be the perfect rifle for me when hunting the islands around my area, hate to drag something too nice around boats and saltwater as they always seem to take a beating when doing so.

[marlin39a]

I bought one also. I'm hand loading Hornady 123 gr SP's over Hodgdon CFE-BLK. I hope to get it sighted in this week. I have a mini-30, so it was a good choice.

[dg31872]

Any trouble with the rounds feeding from the mag?
I have been debating getting one of these or the CZ 527.

[jwhite]

no trouble feeding yet but only fired less than twenty rounds so far, the flatnosed cast bullets will be the real test of its feeding ability.

[rintinglen]

What do these things weigh? I mean scoped and ready to go, not what do they list at.

[jwhite]

just weighed mine, right at 6.9lbs with nylon sling and magazine in place. The Warne rings and the flash hider are quite hefty, could easily shave a few more ounces with light weight rings and the factory thread protector.

[jwhite]

had a chance to run some bolts through the new Ruger Ranch Rifle, first load i tried was the 150r RanchDog boolit sized to .314, lubed with Lee lox, with 26grs of Reloader 15. This load has worked well in a few other rifles and it excelled in this one as well. Had i not pulled the 3rd shot i would have had 4 shoots in under .5" at 100yards, this would have been a personal best for me. I also tried the same bullet with 29grs of Data 68 and it was right at 2.5" for 4 shots.205838205838
205839

[Hickok]

I have a Ruger Hawkeye compact in 7.62 x 39. I would never sell it.

[Texas by God]

That's the best Tula group I've ever seen. Good shooting cast load too. That's a neat gun.

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[jwhite]

I have a Ruger Hawkeye compact in 7.62 x 62. I would never sell it.
i have one as well, both my daughters shot a couple deer apiece with it and i have gotten several with using cast boolits. Just as you said, "I would never sell it"

[jwhite]

That's the best Tula group I've ever seen. Good shooting cast load too. That's a neat gun.

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205845
Check out how the Tula 154r stuff shot, that was also impressive. The back stop where i was shooting was wet sand and i was really impressed how the 154r Tula opened up, perfect mushrooms and intact with jacket. The 125 soft points expanded but separated the jacket overtime and the 123gr Noslers really came apart and i never saw a trace of the 150r Ranch Dogs.

[Texas by God]

Did you recover any Privi rn bullets?

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[jwhite]

I did not find any of the Privi, i am trying to get enough magazines and newspaper gathered up to soak in water and do some real bullet testing, i am curious how the Privi bullet and the new Nosler plastic tipped bullets will perform along with both cup pointed and hollow pointed version of the 150r ranch dog boolit. I did a bunch of bullet testing years ago in this round with various bullets and several versions of a 165gr LBT mold i had made; had hollow pointed, two alloy boolits with pure lead noses and split nose boolits with tin foil in the nose along with different alloys. I posted a lot of that here when i was doing it and it should be easy to find searching for my old posts, had some good pictures or recovered bolts.

I have not shot any deer myself with the Privi round nose bullets but loaned one of my Zastava mini mausers to a friend for him and his daughter to hunt with and they both got deer with that load. I helped him skin his deer and the damage looked about like a 30-30 through the boiler room, maybe a bit less damage, definitely opened up and complete penetration. His daughters deer went a pretty good distance and while i wasn't there when he skun it out i think her shot placement left a bit to be desired.


Did you recover any Privi rn bullets?

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[jwhite]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?38175-30-Rooski-boolit-tests
previous cast boolit tests

[dg31872]

What does the bore of this rifle measure?
Is it a 308 or 314?

[Texas by God]

.308" bore on the Rugers I believe.

[jwhite]

both the 7.62x39 ruger american ranch rifle and the ruger hawkeye compact are .310 bore.

[dg31872]

Okay, thank you. I think the moulds I have will do a good job then.
Just need another sizing die, and I am set.

[duckear]

Ruger did this one right
Right bore, .310
Right magazine, current Mini-thirty

Its on my short list.
I'm just waiting for the hype to die down a bit and pick one up when the price drops a bit.

These rifles are showing that all the cheap steel ammo is not that bad accuracy wise: the AK is the problem, not the ammo.

[kens]

I barrelled a mauser in 7.62x39. It is a accurate round with quality ammo.
I got some white box russian ammo that is won't group.
I got some black box WPA ammo that shoots nicely.
PPU shot well also.

[Catshooter]

That's a nice little rifle jwhite. And it sure shoots well!

I've just finished working up a load for my Cz 527 in x39 with the Hornady 123 grain and AA 1680. I read some years back an article by C E Harris (I think it was him) that pointed out that the book loads for the x39 were built around the AK/SKS pressure level. Forty thousand. The 527 was a fifty thousand psi action and his Ruger M77 was good for sixty.

So I've been able to get 2,750 fps or so with no pressure signs whatsoever. Impressive little rifle.

I'm going to a gun show soon I have to look and see if there's a Ruger calling my name . . . :)


Cat

[43PU]

I just ordered one for my wife, we watched hickok45 and she said afterward that she wants one for deer season....this year! So it should be in the shop today I'm putting a nice 3-9x40 nikon monarch on it I'm really excited about all of the great reviews I have seen on it so far

How did the ranch dog 150 feed? I'm thinking about buying the NOE 165 version just for this rifle(and other rifles of course)

Also I called ruger and they said it's a 300 bore with 311 grooves to SAMMI specs is what they told me so i have a bunch of lee 312-160 loaded up with 20 grn of IMR4198 to test out (PC and GC)

43PU

[Texas by God]

I used to use the Rem 180 gr CL RN (for the .303 Br) in an SKS and it shot well. It is a .310" bullet.

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[rockrat]

I took a Rem 700 308 barrel, cut off most of the chamber, threaded it for a Savage action, chambered it and put it together. The South African ball ammo I have will go about 1.5" @100 and the Lapua ball will go just under and inch. I just use it as a single shot.

[vzerone]

Ruger Mini 30 brand new for sale on Gunboards Trader right now.

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?872257-Ruger-Mini-30-7-62X39-NIB-unfired-Great-Deal!

[43PU]

So I got the rifle last week and we have already put 500+ rounds through it, I took it out to. 600 yards while breaking it in with Geco brand ammo (to get the brass) and I was hitting a 18x30 sil every shot and a 10" every shot and was even able to connect with the. 4" spinner 5 out of 20 rounds!!!to say I was impressed would be an understatement. I worked up a load with IMR4198 and it seems to really like it, using the lee 150 grn FN seated out Really far I was getting consistent 1" groups at. 100 yards.

Fast forward 2days and I took my wife out shooting since this is her rifle and it shows. 207197. That is a 15 or 20 round group my wife shot with 21.5 grn of IMR 4198 with the lee 150 FN seated to the second lube groove that my wife shot OFF HAnD at 100 yards and here is a recovers bullet it only lost 6 grns and expanded out to average of .710

[43PU]

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[jwhite]

[QUOTE=43PU;4188400]I just ordered one for my wife, we watched hickok45 and she said afterward that she wants one for deer season....this year! So it should be in the shop today I'm putting a nice 3-9x40 nikon monarch on it I'm really excited about all of the great reviews I have seen on it so far

How did the ranch dog 150 feed? I'm thinking about buying the NOE 165 version just for this rifle(and other rifles of course)

The 150r RD fed like a champ in my Ranch Rifle, **** accurate as well.

JW