Ruger American Rifle Generation 2: Review

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For years, part of my routine as a writer was cataloging the best-selling firearms in the United States, and during the last five years there was one clear winner in the hunting rifle market: the Ruger American.

Month after month, year after year, the affordable, astoundingly accurate American led the list in rifle sales. However, the American Rifle was initially launched in 2012 and after a decade it was due for an update.

That’s exactly what happened in 2023 when Ruger introduced their revamped American Rifle Generation II. At its heart the new Generation II rifle is very much like the original rifle. Both utilize a push-feed three-lug action with a plunger-type ejector that extends through the recessed bolt face and an extractor that is the outboard lug. The full-diameter bolt and trio of locking lugs mean that American Rifles (both generation one and two) offer a short bolt lift.

That’s a benefit because it reduces the chances you’ll rack your knuckles on your scope while cycling the action. The full diameter bolt eliminates much of the slop you get with other designs and the Ruger’s action cycles very smoothly.

A Worthy Upgrade

The first-gen American rifle was a workhorse rifle that embarrassed more expensive rifles with its accuracy, but its cosmetics left something to be desired. Its basic blued metalwork and plain plastic stock were functional but not particularly attractive. In other words, it was a budget rifle that looked like a budget rifle.

The Generation II rifle received substantial aesthetic and functional upgrades including a professionally applied Cerakote finish on the metalwork, a spiral-fluted steel barrel and a new splatter-pattern stock. Pride of ownership is important, and the American Rifle Generation II no longer looks like the least-expensive rifle in the rack.

Practically speaking, the new look provides more durability than ever thanks to the Cerakote finish and small nicks and dings don’t stand out as much with the splatter pattern stock. Also new for the Generation II rifle is an innovative removable comb riser design that allows you to very quickly swap combs for perfect alignment with your optic. Loosening the rear sling stud allows the included comb to be removed. Taller comb risers are available through Ruger, and if you’re using an optic that is mounted very low, you can remove the comb riser entirely. These rifles also ship with a removable length-of-pull spacer that allows you to adjust the length of pull from 13.75 inches to 12 inches.

Every American Generation II rifle ships with a Picatinny rail for mounting optics and a removable oversized bolt knob, both welcome features. But perhaps the most noteworthy mechanical improvement is the installation of a three-position tang-mounted safety. The rearmost position engages the safety and locks the bolt. Slide the tang forward one notch and the action can be cycled but the safety remains engaged. When the tang is in the forward-most position the rifle is ready to fire. Visual indicators also illustrate the condition of the rifle: two white lines indicate the safety is engaged and the bolt is locked while a single line indicates that the bolt is operational but the safety is engaged. A red line indicates the rifle is ready to fire.

Different Models

There are three different American Rifle Generation II models currently available. The Standard model comes with a 20-inch barrel, gunmetal gray Cerakote metal finish and gray splatter stock. There’s also a Ranch model with a short (16.1-inch) barrel, cobalt Cerakote finish and FDE splatter adjustable stock as well as a Predator version with a burnt bronze Cerakote, 22-inch barrel and green splatter stock. All three versions come with Ruger cold hammer-forged barrels that are threaded and ship with radial muzzle brakes. Except for the .40+ caliber chamberings (.400 Legend, .450 Bushmaster), all American Gen II rifles come with the new spiral-fluted bolt.

Many features from the first-gen gun carry over to the new model including the bladed Ruger Marksman Adjustable trigger. Owners can adjust pull weight from three-to-five pounds. Ruger’s patented Power Bedding integral bedding block is also being carried over from the original rifle. This simple and effective bedding system allows the barrel to be free floated for maximum accuracy. Like the previous American rifle, these guns are compatible with a variety of removable box magazines. The Standard rifle I tested in 6.5 Creedmoor came with AI-style removable box magazines and a three-round detachable box magazine. That rifle model also features a 1:8 twist barrel.

Controls

The control layout is basic and shooter friendly. Its three-position tang safety is easy to access and quiet to operate. There’s a bolt release on the left side of the receiver that allows the bolt to be removed. The bolt also disassembles easily with a simple twist, allowing you to clean and lubricate. There’s a paddle-style magazine release located in front of the rifle’s trigger guard that, when pressed forward, releases the magazine. As mentioned, loosening the rear sling stud allows the owner to remove or replace the LOP spacer and swap or remove combs. To separate the barreled action from the stock simply loosen the hex head screws (on all rifles you’ll have to press the mag release paddle forward to access the rear action screw which can be loosened with a 3/16 ball head hex wrench). I also like that the rear sling stud is recessed just enough that it won’t hang-up on brush yet it’s still easy to access.

As tested, the Ruger American Rifle Generation II weighs in at 6.5 pounds unloaded and unscoped and measures just 41.25-inches. MSRP is set at $729, which keeps the second-gen American rifle right in the mix with other budget bolt-action rifles like the Franchi Momentum ($799), Winchester XPR Hunter TrueTimber ($719) and the Weatherby Vanguard Badlands ($799).

Range Testing

The new Ruger American Gen II is a better performing rifle than its predecessor for several reasons. First, the three-position safety is a practical improvement for hunters. The design allows you to lock the bolt if you’d like, and in dense cover that’s a benefit. Rifles with two-position safeties that do not lock tend to flop open every time they contact heavy brush. Not only is this a potential safety concern (hunters may inadvertently chamber a round by closing the bolt closed on a loaded magazine if you aren’t paying attention) but the noisy THUNK of the bolt flopping open can ruin a stalk.

The oversized bolt is also an improvement because it’s easier to operate in a hurry and, if you wish, you can swap the included handle for something that better suits your hunting needs. With its 20-inch barrel the new American is shorter than the previous field models, making this rifle handier in dense cover, blind or a tree stand. A shorter barrel also makes this rifle more manageable with a suppressor, and the standard threaded barrel and brake is a worthwhile addition.

I had a few issues with first-gen American rifles feeding properly, but that problem seems to be resolved on this gun. The supplied AI magazine fits securely in the gun without a bunch of fiddling and the lip on the base of the magazine also makes it easier to pull from the rifle than other guns with flush-fit mags. Reliability was excellent throughout the test.

The one-piece CNC machined bolt operates smoothly and there’s no slop. The trigger is also pretty good. Break weight was a crisp 3.5-pounds, and you can drop that down to three pounds if you’d like. A couple decades ago that would have made the Ruger a standout in the budget rifle class, but similar-priced guns from Winchester, Franchi, Weatherby and Savage have equally good triggers. You can upgrade the trigger if you’d like, but my guess is that the vast majority of hunters will stick with the factory setting and find it works just fine for them.

Accuracy and Reliability

I tested this rifle with three value-priced loads as part of Petersen’s HUNTING’s budget-rifle roundup this year, and it performed fairly well with the affordable ammunition I used in that test. Average three-shot groups at 100 yards hovered around an inch with most falling in the 1.25-inch range. For this test I switched to premium ammunition: Hornady’s 143-grain ELD-X, Federal’s 130-grain Terminal Ascent and Remington’s 129-grain Core-Lokt Tipped. Both the Federal and Remington ammunition group right at or above one-inch for three shots while the Hornady ammunition produced two groups in the .9-inch range.

It’s never easy to update a rifle that’s already a winner (just ask the folks who worked at Winchester in the 1960s). Ruger had to make the American II a worthwhile successor to the original gun, and they’ve accomplished that. In fact, with the added performance upgrades, this is a better gun than the one it replaces. The American Generation II isn’t quite as refined as some higher-priced rifles, but it’s well built, reliable and accurate. With an MSRP of $729 it’s also an exceptional value.

Ruger American Gen II Specs

• Type: Bolt-action centerfire
• Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor (tested), also available in .204 Ruger, .22 ARC, .223 Rem., 6mm ARC, 6mm Creedmoor, .243 Win., 6.5 Grendel, 6.5 PRC, .270 Win., 7mm-08 Rem., 7mm PRC, .308 Win., .30-06, .300 Win. Mag., .350 Legend, .400  Legend, .450 Bushmaster
• Barrel: 20-inch spiral fluted steel barrel, 1:8 twist, threaded with radial brake
• Overall Length: 41.25-inches
• Weight: 6 lbs., 8 oz. without scope, unloaded
• Capacity: 3
• Stock: Gray splatter polymer, 12-13.75 inch LOP adjustable, removable com
• Finish: Gunmetal gray Cerakote
• Sights: None. Picatinny rail
• Trigger: 3 lbs., 4 oz.
• MSRP: $729.00
• Website: ruger.com

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