I have now had my 6970 "Compact" Ruger American Ranch .300 Blackout for three weeks and figured I'd share some thoughts on it here since I think they will become pretty popular.

The rifle is very short, light and handy. It balances well and aims naturally, especially with a lightweight scope and ring combination, despite having a super light (hollow synthetic) stock and a fairly beefy "mediumish" barrel profile. In stock form the balance point is near the back of the magazine just before the trigger guard. The barrel has a 1:7 twist, is threaded 5/8x24, is hammer forged, and there is plenty of material there to work with for any style of barrel fluting (which is in the cards for mine eventually). It broadens just aft of the threading for an excellent shoulder for mounting a suppressor.

The stock needed cleaned up a bit cosmetically due to some manufacturing marks and flashing but overall feels nice in the hands and the bedding system is phenomenal for a cheap gun, it just requires a pretty even 60-80 in-lbs on the action screws and the V-shaped bedding blocks do the rest. Before I bought it I had it in my head to do a non-aggressive golfball pattern stippling job to the grip surfaces but upon handing it I don't think it's necessary at all. I do have a personal pet peeve that bothers me about the stock, and that is the recoil pad. It is a very soft, grippy rubber material, even grippier than that on the Gunsite Scout. It has excellent recoil absorption properties and most people seem to like cushy, non-slip, almost tacky feeling butt pads, but I'd personally rather have a hard plastic one or at least a rubber compound that that does not feel "sticky" and grab and pull up on my shirt or jacket when shouldering the rifle quickly. The stock color is attractive and darker than it appears in photos, it matches Magpul FDE pretty closely and is definitely more of a tan than a beige. The metal finish is nearly identical to that of my Gunsite Scout, which is a good thing. The magazine is a cinch to remove and effortless to re-insert unlike several Savage, Mossberg and other DBM bolt guns I've had, and rounds feed extremely smoothly to the point where you almost don't feel the bolt stripping the next round. However, I do not like that you can't top load the rifle from an open bolt like a traditional bolt action rifle, the 5-round rotary magazine must be "front-loaded" with the rounds inserted at an angle near the front of the mag and slid in rearwards. This is becoming commonplace but again, it's a pet peeve of mine.

The bolt throw was "notchier" than I was used to out of the box, but after cycling the action 100 times or so it smoothed right out. The 70-degree throw leaves plenty of clearance for mounting 1" scopes as low as possible (assuming your adjustment ring isn't huge) and the full-diameter body aids in the speed and feel. It's definitely no Sako action but it's definitely better than some of the Winchester's I've had. The safety is perfectly located on the tang and easy to use, but the click is a little loud for my liking. It may loosen up a little and disengage more easily/quietly with use as well. The trigger is excellent and easily adjustable, not custom rifle or match grade but there is no notable take-up or overtravel (even without an external stop pin as I've had to install on some trigger guards for Savage Accutriggers) and it breaks as clean as you could ask any box-stock bolt gun under $800 to do.Another gripe I have is that Ruger used four T10 Torx screws to attach the factory picatinny rail. I prefer regular hex head screws because of Torx bits tendency to twist or break - and sure enough, whatever kind of torque they applied, in conjunction with some sort of insane threadlocker, made the screws extremely difficult to remove. I used heat and PB Blaster and still managed to break four separate CrMV T10 bits trying to get them out.



On my first trip to the range I shot 40 rounds of Armscor 147gr FMJ with temporary optics that consisted of a Simmons fixed 4x32mm scope in Leupold low rings on the factory base (I have a Leupold 2-7x33mm scope and Talley Lightweight Extra Low mounts on order). Weather was in the high 60's and winds were gusty, rocking my target frame back and forth slightly from time to time. I shot without a muzzle device (factory thread protector installed) from a bench with the rifle rested on sandbags. I didn't get the kind of groups I was expecting based on other people's previous reviews (some folks have been reporting some seriously tight groups from these rifles already)... however, I hadn't yet adjusted the trigger from the factory setting and found it a lot heavier than I was used to so that probably contributed to my less than stellar groupings. In addition, I only had one type of ammo on hand to try so I had nothing to directly compare it to, and I was using my prescription glasses for eye protection and they were sort of messing with my sight picture and generally making it hard to get a good view through the scope. My average 5-shot group at 50-yards was roughly 1-1/4", and my best 3-shot group at 50 yards was just a hair over 1". Because of the wind and my lackluster performance at 50 yards I did not shoot for groups at 100.





Pros: Zero reliability issues, tame recoil, smooth feeding, very positive ejection, comfortable to shoot for extended periods. My wife was happy shooting it seated and offhand and at 5'0" and 115lbs she is sensitive to weight, length and recoil. This will be a blast with a can on it.

Cons: As noted above, I found the magazine to be a little bit of a pain to load repeatedly, so I'm going to have to budget for one or two more - no big deal since you should have at least one extra just in case anyways, but I do wish they were more affordable. Second, I found the comb height just a little too low even with a compact scope in low rings so cheek weld was less than ideal. I have "high" cheek bones so I'm used to having to spend a little coin on stock packs to get my head up 1/8-1/4" or so, although I think it's silly to have to do so with one of the lowest scope mounting arrangements possible.

I have yet to see on in person but this is another rifle that seriously tempts me, especially if it is priced like the other American rifles.

I paid $399 + tax for mine at a LGS but some are reporting prices as low as $350 from some online retailers, although they are of course always out of stock at those prices. It just depends on how patient you are and how soon you want it I guess... I'm an impatient fuck so I probably overpaid for mine.

I'm probably going to buy the first one in .223 I find.  If it makes it to mid-January or so I might just order one.

I gotta "spare" 5.56 can that needs a home.

Good luck with your hunt for the .223 and let us know when you find one!

I'm experimenting with optics right now. As mentioned earlier the 4x32mm Simmons, factory rail and Leupold low rings above were just placeholders... Keeping with my theme of a light weight hunting rig, I got a 2-7x33mm Leupold Ultimateslam with the SABR reticle today and I also have a 2.5x24mm Leupold FX-II Ultralight with the Heavy Duplex reticle on order which will arrive later this week. So far I like the Ultimateslam, but the reticle is a little busy in the center and the circle around the crosshairs is smaller than I envisioned it... it doesn't really aid in speed of acquisition and may even hinder it, so it only serves a purpose as a holdover marker. Although, with the four sample loads I inputted into Strelok, the SABR reticle matches up pretty well with .300 Blackout (both subs and supers). It's going to make it a hard decision to see if the simplicity and weight savings of the 2.5x Ultralight is worth the sacrifice in utility the Ultimateslam offers.

The Talley ultralight ring bases will also be here later this week. They're 1/10" lower, 1.2oz lighter, and way stronger than my current ring and base combo - these should work out nicely.

Does anyone know of an online retailer that has these in stock?

This would be a perfect sub gun with a .30 cal can. I wish some online dealers had them in stock.

Man, I just ordered a Handi rifle in .300 blk.  If I'd known about this, I would have waited.  I can't find one anywhere though.

My dealer had their hands on mine within 2 weeks of my request, and the ordering guy was gone for three days during that timeframe... I think you guys will find it's faster to go that route than to wait for the cheaper online retailers to get (and keep) them in stock regularly.

Progress pics:





New ammo to try...



New scopes to try...









And yes, I'm counting ounces.

Nice pictures.  For some reason, the ones with the silencer attached aren't loading.  Weird.  

I have a 6970 on order with my LGS.  I have two scopes to choose from for this rifle, a Sightron 4x compact and a Nitrex 1.5-4.5x, both are 1 inch scopes. I also have a 16 inch upper in 300 BLK and parts to build a 7.5 inch pistol upper.

Let us know how the Fiocchi ammo works out for you.  Lots of reports of blown primers. I picked up some from PSA but I may pull it down and reload it all.

One of the things I plan to try with the Ruger .... I read about shooting 90 grain bullets with a load of Trail Boss powder. Supposed to be a lot like shooting 22 CB caps. I bought a box of Hornady 86 grain jacketed bullets to try, the box says "30 Mauser". Seems like this load would be great for close range pest control, without making a lot of noise.

Both of those scopes you listed seem like a good fit. My goal was to keep the weight of scope, rings/base, and mounting hardware under 12oz, and all three I pictured fit the bill... in fact the Leupold FX-II and Talley rings weigh a combined total of 8.56oz... that setup is slicker than snot but I wish the Heavy Duplex reticle was useful for BDC... it's ok for ranging, but the posts are way too far apart to be of any use for bullet drop and the crosshairs are super thick, thick enough to almost fully obscure an 8" plate at 210 yards. I really wanted to like it more, but it lacks versatility. The bikepacker in me shudders to think that 3.6oz is just not worth the guesswork lobbing such fast-dropping bullets at targets or game, but it's true.


I ordered the 200 rounds before learning about the potential issues with it, so we'll see what happens. I read a lot of reports on loose primer pockets over on 300blktalk, however my lot number is substantially higher than a lot of those reported with issues so my fingers are crossed, especially since I mainly bought it to reload the brass.


I'm excited to try both light and heavy subs in mine, and I agree the ability to shoot light subs is where having a bolt gun really shines over a gas gun. I don't have enough loose brass yet and I'm having a hell of a time finding H110 and Trail Boss locally. The 1:7 twist is extremely versatile, that's what is going to enable this gun to be so much fun to load for. I have 110gr. Varmageddon bullets I'm going to load for supers and subs, some 208-gr. A-Max pills, and a metric shit-ton of 150gr. surplus pulls. When I run out of the factory Barnes 110gr. loads for hunting, I'm probably going to load 125gr. NBTs for deer.


Yeah that's a bitch ain't it? I have a Silencerco Harvester in jail, but I have a while to wait. Haven't bothered checking the status, just mailed the check 2 weeks ago.

Photos of the Leupold Ultralight.

Very nice, that scope is perfect for this rifle.

I thought it would be, it looks right at home on it and the whole setup is really slick and quick-handling, but it lacks versatility. The reticle is the weakest link... I have the Heavy Duplex version, and the wide posts are ok for range estimation, but they are way too far apart to be of any use for bullet drop compensation. The crosshairs are also too thick in the center, thick enough to fully obscure a car's license plate at 167 yards. I think it would be a fine scope on a true brush gun in heavily wooded areas where shots are likely to fall between 40-120 yards and bullet drop isn't much of a factor, but where I hunt shots usually range from 80-210+ yards and this doesn't fit the bill. The weight savings isn't worth it in this case, so I am going to be sticking with the 2-7x33mm Ultimateslam. At 9.96oz it's still pretty trim, the magnification range is ideal, it's brighter than the FX-II, and the SABR reticle's BDC matches up pretty well with several of the sample Blackout loads I've inputted into Strelok.

These were calculated with Barnes factory loads.

First pair is with a 50-yard zero,





Aecond two are with a 100-yard zero,  

I bought one of these Ruger American Ranch rifles in 5.56mm off gunbroker.  Just picked it up this week.

Seems like a real nice rifle, this will be a Christmas gift for my son.

There are currently 11 Ruger American Ranch rifles in 5.56mm for sale on gunbroker.

Thanks for review !!   I enjoyed it.

You're welcome, glad to hear it!

I had some free time yesterday so I started experimenting with some DIY ultralight slings and a homegrown mini hunting chest rig. I got the idea for the chest rig from the Hill People Gear kit bags but I made this one entirely out of leftover stuff I had laying around. It weighs under 24oz stocked full of essentials, it's virtually silent, and the straps don't interfere with my binos or rifle sling.

I was wondering if the Ruger has any issues feeding short, flat bullets.  I've been shooting subsonic JHPs in the 85 to 100 gr. weight range in a T/C Contender.  I've had a 1:8 SSK .300 Whisper barrel for years.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the light subsonic bullets hit to the same POI as my 220 gr. subs at 100 yards.  

The difference is the light stuff will reliably expand at subsonic velocities.  I haven't tried them on live targets, but they should make a dandy varmint loads.

I'd tell you if I knew, but I don't have anything under 110gr. on hand to load up and try. Maybe someone else can chime in to help.

A little more progress today. I've got my homemade sling pretty much the way I want it and moved on to fixing some of the stuff I didn't like about the rifle itself from the very beginning... Replacing the sticky rubber buttplate with a hard plastic one was first on the list (this also drops 1.5oz and 1/2" from the LOP). I finally got around to cleaning up the sharp and ugly manufacturing marks from the edges of the stock, and I swapped the 3-piece steel QD sling swivels and factory swivel studs and for a set of fixed swivels, dropping another ounce total and making it significantly quieter. Finally, I smoothed out the bolt channel inside the receiver some more with a soft cloth wheel at medium to low speed on the Dremel loaded with lapping compound. The process was messy but it really did a great job of polishing it up and highlighting the areas of imperfect machining that was causing the slightly rough and notchy bolt throw I commented on previously. It's pretty slick now.



I may also replace that ridiculous looking piece of styrofoam in the stock with something better looking and more substantial - I know it's inconsequential to the weight and performance but now that I know it's in there and what it looks like it's going to bother me.



Update: I got the buttplate done. Although its somewhat ugly, it's very functional and I'm pleased with the feel. My main goal was to get rid of the tacky rubber that grabs clothing when shouldering, so it obviously does that, but it also has the added bonus of dropping another 1-1/2oz of weight and 1/2" of length from the stock. I made sure the texture I added doesn't snag fabrics but is enough to keep it steady on the shoulder so it won't slip. It's not as clean looking as I had hoped it would be, but my tools were limited to a Dremel with sanding drums and a soldering iron, so I did the best I could with what I had. And worst case, I can always toss this one I made and start again, or put the factory recoil pad back on.

Finally satisfied with my setup...
Talley "Extra Low" ultralight ring mounts, Leupold UltimateSlam 2-7x33mm SA.B.R, homemade 1" web sling that quick-adjusts from the rear and leaves a fixed "safari Ching" style loop at the front, fixed sling swivels, and DIY hard plastic buttplate.
Weight is 107oz (6.7lbs) as shown. I may get a Glades Armory bolt handle for my Birthday in March but otherwise I'm happy with it so I'm going to use it as-is.

One of my few gripes about the Ranch as noted in my original post was the trigger... in that even with the set screw fully removed, it still felt notably heavier than other 3-3.5lb triggers I own. I don't have a trigger gauge to test the actual pull weights, but according to my fingertip scale I'd say it would not go any lower than 4lbs, so I searched around and found several tutorials on other forums for a "free trigger mod". I tried this trick on mine and it is much better now... It retained the crispness of the break and lack of take-up or overtravel the factory trigger exhibited, but reduced the pull weight well below 3lbs... basically all gain and no loss from doing it. The pull weight feels perfect now, the trigger blade safety still functions 100%, and I can not get it to drop-fire. As always, your mileage may vary; try it at your own risk. This modification took roughly 20 minutes but half of that was me going one step further and polishing the trigger assembly itself with a low speed cloth wheel loaded with polishing compound to remove some marks I saw.



Hope this may help someone else.

Saved for future.  

Update 1/4/15... Really enjoying this gun. My round count is 220 now, five types of ammunition included, temps from 95F to -5F, not a single issue, groups started tightening up with ~30-40 rounds down the tube. Now that it's broken in and I have a brass pile going its time to start working up some handloads, and when it warms up a little I'll post more accuracy and chronograph results. The modified trigger and stock are working out great, the stock would be even more ideal if my scope didn't have such long eye relief... it's over 4" at some magnifications, so sometimes I find myself an inch or so inside the ideal range shooting offhand. I am unable to move the scope forward more without milling the mount to clear the ocular lens's lock ring. No other changes to report besides picking up a spare magazine from Ruger using their 20% discount offer for filling out the owner notification card.

First bolt gun to really interest me in long time

Outkast I am jelly of that sling, may I ask how you made it?

Thanks for posting this.  For the moment I am a disabled hunter and I was thinking about buying the ACC 300 blk Handirifle.  Now it will be the Ruger American Ranch when I can find one.  Peace and thanks again!

+1.  I tried one of these back in either 2012 or early 2013, and was pleasantly surprised, never really thought about getting one, I started to think twice when I saw this pics in this thread.  Hopefully Ruger puts out a left handed version of the ranch with a stock in that color.  interest peaked.

have one of these coming in from KyGunCo ($378 shipped w/ins)
300BO.com has tons of loads for these & AR's; I got some 110gr sp's (30 carbine fodder)
to load for break-in; also some Hornaday 209's waiting for empty brass.

The nice thing about bolt guns is there's TONS of different powders guys have used,
(H110, Red dot) not just 1680 & Trail Boss.

gonna mount Muller 2-7 x 33 on Millet low rings. No can on order yet, but eager to try some
ultra slow subs (i live on an acre near state forest, so shooting in the back yard ain't hard)

keeping this post tagged for updates; will post pic in a couple of weeks once I get everything
mounted