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I really despise gun writers that have no problem selling their soul
to whatever company sends them a gun or product to review. I will not
ever be that guy. With that being said go ahead and get prepared for a
review of the Ruger American Rifle Predator edition that will make it
sound like my soul was bought and paid for.
When I began this review, Ruger had asked me what caliber I wanted
the Predator in and I almost went with .308, but a friend suggested that
I give 6.5 Creedmoor a chance. I am glad I chose the 6.5. I’ve now
fallen in love with the cartridge and the reason will become more clear
the article progresses.
When I unboxed the Predator, I found a skinny little tapered barrel, a
light composite stock, and a surprisingly smooth action. I say
surprising because there was really nothing remarkable about the rifle
other than the action. Admittedly, I did not have high expectations for
the predator. It is a deceptively modest gun.
The American Rifle is known for its modest appearance and solid performance.
Specs:
Stock: Moss Green Composite
Capacity: 4
Material: Alloy Steel
Finish: Matte Black
Barrel Length: 22.00″
Overall Length: 42.00″
Thread Pattern: 5/8″-24
Weight: 6.62 lbs.
Twist: 1:8″ RH
Grooves: 6
Length of Pull: 13.75″
Sights: None-Scope Rail Installed
Suggested Retail: $499.00
A few features make the Ruger American Rifle Predator an exceptional
rifle. Likely the most important in terms of accuracy is the tapered
cold hammer forged barrel. The process allows for precise rifling, which
aids accuracy. The barrel on the predator also comes threaded for a
suppressor. The 6.5 Creedmoor is threaded at 5/8”-24.
There’s nothing pretentious about this gun. That doesn’t limit its capabilities.
The barrel is also free floated using Ruger’s Power Bedding that
positively locates the receiver, thus increasing accuracy. As with other
variations of the American Rifle, the Predator uses the Ruger rotary
magazine for smooth feeding and a flush fit to the stock.
The stock is ergonomic and lightweight. That flimsy feeling that I
noticed at unboxing had no noticeable negative effect during my time
shooting the predator. The stock, weight and ergonomic design aids in
the overall design of the rifle making it comfortable to shoulder for
long periods of time in various shooting positions.
To add a little awesomeness to the rifle that comes threaded for a
suppressor, I attached a Harvester from Silencerco. The Harvester is a
very impressive suppressor as it manages to be an affordable,
lightweight, and effective.
I had a
Leopold Mark AR optic
in on T&E–an optic designed for a completely different platform;
despite that, I mounted it on the Predator and zeroed at 100 yards.
100 yards, top group is one 4 shot group from bipod. Bottom group is 2 shot group after sight adjustment.
I was immediately getting sub MOA groups and quickly had the rifle
dialed in. While the groups were better than I expected, what impressed
me the most was the trigger. The Ruger Marksman Adjustable trigger is a
fine trigger that feels much better than one would expect in a rifle in
this price range.
On The Range
I had about 500 yards to play with, and a series of 5” plates hanging
at the base of the berm. I had about 30 rounds of Hornady left, so I
decided to get the barrel hot and see if would retain its accuracy. At
300 yards, I began whacking plates. I manipulated the bolt and
transitioning to another plate. About 20 rounds later, the gun still
couldn’t miss, so I backed up to 500 yards and got the same results with
my last 10 rounds.
A few days later I taught a long range hunting class and let eight
different shooters put rounds through the Predator at 400 yards.
Everyone remarked how light and how soft shooting the rifle was. Some of
the shooters had some very expensive rifles and scopes at the class.
One such student remarked that he paid a couple thousand dollars to get
his rifle to be able to do what the Predator was doing out of the box.
My hope for this article was to keep the rifle, optic, and bipod all
under $1,000 and be able to consistently hit at 1,000 yards. I was able
to keep the cost of the entire set up under $900. After the long range
hunting class, my confidence was high that the Predator would allow
consistent thousand yard hits, but I wasn’t able to test it until a few
months later.
The 6.5 Creedmoor is an excellent choice for predators.
Stretching out
We joined some friends for some fun on Independence Day, a fitting
day to be testing the American Rifle. There were a few children and
several adults out for our shoot. I brought the Predator and a
Primary Weapons Systems MK3 chambered in 300 WinMag (wearing a
Vortex Razor HD).
The line also included a decked out Remington 700 in .308 and a
Winchester Model 70 also in .330 WinMag–a gun that kicked like a mule.
After the guns were confirmed, everyone took turns shooting each
others’ guns. Everyone loved shooting the $10,000 rifle/scope combo of
the PWS MK3, but the predator was the easy favorite among the kids and
the ladies.
Finally, we took a long walk to a location where we could get a
1000-yard shot. The range was built on a recently harvested wheat field,
and had steel targets ranging in size and distance from 200 yards to
1,000 yards. Fortunately the Kansas wind was taking a break for the
holiday and we only had a 5 MPH full value wind blowing from right to
left. I plugged some data into an iPhone app, put the data on the gun
and pressed the first shot at 1,000 yards. There were a few
adjustments made, but after the Predator was dialed in. It could not
miss the 3’x3’ plate at 1,000 yards.
Price Tag
The Ruger American Rifle Predator can be purchased for under $500.
Paired with a quality optic for around the same price, one can expect to
have a superb hunting or target rifle. I actually intend to get an
optic with a little more reticle in it to mount on the predator and take
it to a long-range match. I am sure it will get some funny looks until
the participants see the rifle’s capabilities.
The Ruger American Rifle should appeal to anyone who wants an
affordable and extremely accurate rifle for hunting or fun at the range.
Pair it with a good suppressor such as the Harvester and you get a fun
soft shooting rifle that can deliver a high level of accuracy from 0 to
1,000 yards.
Odds are the doe never heard that shot.
And a side note:
A friend who needed a rifle for a deer hunt conducted the final test
for the Predator. Her first hunt ever, she carried the rifle to her
stand, sat quietly until the buck walked into view, raised the Predator,
and too her first deer. I imagine the Predator would be a suitable
rifle for many young men and women to use on their first hunts and many
more thereafter.
The Ruger American rifle Predator holding its own in some tough company. Foreground is PWS MK3 with Vortex Razor HD.
The American Rifle and the Leupold Mark AR are a solid match.
Rifle, scope, and bipod for under $900? Not bad.
The Harvester, from Silencerco, doesn’t make the rocket fast 6.5 round completely quiet, but it takes some of the bite off.
Safety mounted on the tang.
