Aftermarket Ruger American Upgrades

[3MTA3]

I have a Gen 1 Ruger American Ranch in 300 Blackout. It's my first Ruger American. I want this rifle to stay a compact and handy field rifle that makes little noise, so will typically be using subsonics. I'm currently waiting on SBR approval so I can cut the barrel down to 11" so it's still reasonably compact with an Omega 300 attached.

The only upgrade so far has been to replace the Gen 1 stock with the vastly improved Gen II stock. With the built in comb I can shoulder the rifle with my eyes closed then have my scope perfectly aligned when I open them. Can't ask for more than that! The stock is also short enough that I can cut the barrel down as planned.

I've also spent some effort smoothing out the bolt to get it to run smoothly. I did that by applying a bore polishing compound and then working the action until it ran smooth.

My only gripe is that it's a bit tight when chambering a round. I did disassemble the bolt and cleaned and lubricated it, but it could still be better. I plan to replace the bolt handle with something that has a more positive grip which could help.

So far, so good.

The American is a budget rifle, even though it comes with an excellent barrel, and the trigger on mine is really good with no slop and a nice clean break.

I'm curious about any upgrades that could improve performance and reliability.

Are there parts that have a history of failure I should either replace or keep spares? I'm mostly thinking about bolt parts here, because frankly there isn't much to go wrong on a bolt gun outside of bolt and trigger. The cast cocking piece looks a bit suspect for example, and I do know you can break them during bolt disassembly if yu put force on the smaller weaker side.

Is there any way to reduce the sound made by the safety? IMO it's a bit noisy.

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[drstrangelove]

I had same gun. Only sold it because I happened into a CZ 527 300blk
Ruger was accurate but internal rotary mag was persnickety.
300blk is susceptible to reloading errors, especially with cut 223 brass, need to watch neck thickness, which can make chambering difficult.
Don't overlook having the headspace checked, especially if it's factory ammo making things tight to close.
I put a Kydex cheekpiece on mine and ran it scoped Nikon p-300
I sanded out the barrel channel for free float with an 80 grit wrapped dowel.
Subsonic suppressed is a dull whump.

 

[3MTA3]

I had same gun. Only sold it because I happened into a CZ 527 300blk
Ruger was accurate but internal rotary mag was persnickety.
300blk is susceptible to reloading errors, especially with cut 223 brass, need to watch neck thickness, which can make chambering difficult.
Don't overlook having the headspace checked, especially if it's factory ammo making things tight to close.
I put a Kydex cheekpiece on mine and ran it scoped Nikon p-300
I sanded out the barrel channel for free float with an 80 grit wrapped dowel.
Subsonic suppressed is a dull whump.

Thanks, I need the headspace gauges anyway after it gets shortened. I'll check that as it sits.

No rotary mag in this one - it takes AR mags

 

[Twodogs]

I put together a left hand 300 BLK gen 1, always hated the mags, saw that MDT started making a left handed stock for the Ruger American that used aic mags, bought one on black Friday for $200.00, had to open up the end of the barrel channel a little for the suppressor to fit only running a 10" barrel, better stock and better mags liking the rifle a lot more now.