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Posted: 7/7/2024 6:57:27 AM EDT
[Last Edit: RedSev13][Edited]
| Hello all. I recently picked up a new Ruger American Ranch GenII in 7.62x39. What options or things are good to look into in terms of the bolt and bolt hand handle for upgrades? For example I see a lot of people upgrading the shroud from the plastic factory one to a metal one along with the firing pin shroud for example. Thank you for your time. |
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Originally Posted By RedSev13: Hello all. I recently picked up a new Ruger American Ranch GenII in 7.62x39. What options or things are good to look into in terms of the bolt and bolt hand handle for upgrades? For example I see a lot of people upgrading the shroud from the plastic factory one to a metal one along with the firing pin shroud for example. Thank you for your time. Clean it 110%, removing the protective spray that Ruger uses and which seems to go everywhere., then lube it properly. Invest in good quality cleaning gear and get a cleaning rod guide to protect the rifling at the muzzle. IDK the level of difficulty in completely dis-assembling/re-assembling the bolt, so you may wish to obtain any tools necessary to do that job. Read the Owner's Manual very carefully and fully. See if there are "torque" specs for the screws which attach the barreled action to the stock and use an appropriate torque wrench. If the barrel is meant to be free-floated, check that. Some steel-cased 7.62x39 ammo has primers which are recessed a bit more than usual, and on some Mini-30s light firing pin strikes occur due to the Mini-30 firing pin not being long enough. You want to ensure that your RARII rifle does not exhibit the same issue; I've not heard of such, but I don't hear everything. On its' face, replacing OEM plastic parts with equivalent metal units seems a reasonable thing to do, but only if the new metal parts are well-made. Suggest this can come later, after "break-in" and proper research. |
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Originally Posted By raf: Nothing specific to add, but I strongly suggest a certain amount of "breaking-in" before doing any mods to it. In the unlikely event you find it necessary to send the rifle back to Ruger, they take a dim view of user-made/installed mods. Clean it 110%, removing the protective spray that Ruger uses and which seems to go everywhere., then lube it properly. Invest in good quality cleaning gear and get a cleaning rod guide to protect the rifling at the muzzle. IDK the level of difficulty in completely dis-assembling/re-assembling the bolt, so you may wish to obtain any tools necessary to do that job. Read the Owner's Manual very carefully and fully. See if there are "torque" specs for the screws which attach the barreled action to the stock and use an appropriate torque wrench. If the barrel is meant to be free-floated, check that. Some steel-cased 7.62x39 ammo has primers which are recessed a bit more than usual, and on some Mini-30s light firing pin strikes occur due to the Mini-30 firing pin not being long enough. You want to ensure that your RARII rifle does not exhibit the same issue; I've not heard of such, but I don't hear everything. On its' face, replacing OEM plastic parts with equivalent metal units seems a reasonable thing to do, but only if the new metal parts are well-made. Suggest this can come later, after "break-in" and proper research. Excellent points. I did shoot it yesterday after cleaning all the storage gunk off. Unlike some I always deep clean and relube a gun new or used after buying it. However, it shot well and is a fair point on the steel case. I shot mainly GECO 124gr brass case ammo and it shot very well. I will continue to shoot it but I do like most, scratch my head at the use of plastic parts in certain spots on the bolt. Saying that if anyone has any companies thst they have changed parts on or simply kept it stock and never had issues? |
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I've not heard of any shroud issues on the gen Is or IIs, some just don't like plastic parts but IMHO it's not a potential problem. I've had AR mag version Am. Ranch in .300bo and Predator in 6,5Grendel, only issue I had was a slight feed issue on the Grendel if I cycled the bolt too softly. Smoothed it out a bit and no problems. The older Mini-30s did have issues with short firing pins and undersized bores but those issues were fixed a long time ago. I've not heard of a bolt action Ranch having those issues. They seem to be good to go with both brass case domestic and imported steel ammo. My only upgrades were an oversized rubber ball that fits over the bolt handle. Pretty basic but saves my hands when not using gloves on a long range day, and keeps em from scratching their neighbors in the safe. Any money that I could spend on bling is better spent on better glass. |
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Originally Posted By wanderson: I've not heard of any shroud issues on the gen Is or IIs, some just don't like plastic parts but IMHO it's not a potential problem. I've had AR mag version Am. Ranch in .300bo and Predator in 6,5Grendel, only issue I had was a slight feed issue on the Grendel if I cycled the bolt too softly. Smoothed it out a bit and no problems. The older Mini-30s did have issues with short firing pins and undersized bores but those issues were fixed a long time ago. I've not heard of a bolt action Ranch having those issues. They seem to be good to go with both brass case domestic and imported steel ammo. My only upgrades were an oversized rubber ball that fits over the bolt handle. Pretty basic but saves my hands when not using gloves on a long range day, and keeps em from scratching their neighbors in the safe. Any money that I could spend on bling is better spent on better glass. From a trusted Mini-30 owner/user on another platform, Bepe: "My 189 series was purchased in 1989. I had suspicions that the bore was .308 but never slugged the barrel. Ended up selling it in a weak moment about 15 years ago. Forum member Beck owns a 189 series with the serial number about 50 away from mine. His is confirmed .308. Reportedly the .308 barrels had a tapered leade that made it a non-issue when firing .310 or .311 bullets. No issues with pressure or accuracy. Same non issue when firing .308 bullets in the .310 bore barrels. Several of your big maker loading manuals now have data for the x39mm using .308 bullets. Reports of accuracy using the .308 bullet that is comparable to .310, or better depending on bullet. Load data runs a tad higher with the .308. [Mini-30] Firing pin protrusion is still a hit or miss proposition. No deliberate fix. Some rifles fire steel case without a bobble. Others not so much. End user can swap out an [extended] ASI pin without much trouble." Note that for 100% reliability, the ASI/firingpins.com Mini-30 firing pin will need to be fitted by the user to a specific length. Consult Perfectunion.com or Rugerforum.com and search for specific advice. Only posted to correct possible errors in quoted post and prevent such errors from going forward. NO disrespect intended. I would certainly hope that Ruger has seen fit to install correct length firing pins into their bolt action rifles which are compatible with ALL types of ammo, including the crappy steel cased ammo (with unusually deeply recessed primers) that lots of folks have stashed away. I have NO info to the contrary. I only mention this issue with Mini-30s for historical interest, and for the benefit of Mini-30 users who encounter "Failure-to-fire" issues due to light primer strikes when using some foreign made steel cased ammo, in some Mini-30s. |
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I have an American (ranch I think?) in 5.56 and had big plans for mods. After shooting it, it shot so well I decided against it. All I did was add a pic rail to the front for a bipod. Just as gud!  Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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I have several of the Gen 1 Ranch rifles. They all have been just fine in stock form. Nothing really needed changed. The plastic bolt shroud never bothered me, it doesn't function for anything but to keep dust out. I changed a bolt handle on my Grendel but didn't need to. The Gen2 has a threaded bolt so changes are easier. Something I do to mine is pull the trigger return spring out to lighten the pull. The trigger safety blade spring has been just fine on its own resetting the trigger and never been an issue. Also on my 7.62x39 I replaced the magwell with the AR style. Again nothing wrong with the mini style but I already have 7.62 AR mags. My 10yo with my 7.62 Ranch this past weekend. 
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RE: OPs question, similar options exist for Gen 1 and Gen 2 Bolt Shroud Bolt Shroud Bold Handle |
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Plastic parts can have their place. If the plastic part functions properly, and it is NOT subject to wear/and or breakage, possibly GTG. At least it will not rust and is probably lighter than its metal counterpart. A little extra weight can be good or bad, depending on how it affects the rifle's center of balance. In the past, some plastic parts were made of plastic which deteriorated with age alone, but one hopes that modern plastics are used which do not suffer from age-related issues. Some plastic parts may be damaged by some chems used when cleaning firearms, but again, one hopes that the modern plastic used is invulnerable to such chems. I admit to a general preference for substituting metal for plastic, but YMMV. |
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I disassembled the bolt. Put on a movie, and hand polished it with mother's. I hit a few spots with sand paper. One small part of the receiver I had to hit with a file. Otherwise it would give the bolt some gouging. Still did, but not as bad as the first rifle. |
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Originally Posted By Capt_Destro: I disassembled the bolt. Put on a movie, and hand polished it with mother's. I hit a few spots with sand paper. One small part of the receiver I had to hit with a file. Otherwise it would give the bolt some gouging. Still did, but not as bad as the first rifle. Was the part you "addressed" with file/sandpaper the "upper" part of receiver "bridge" as I mentioned previously? I found Mods necessary on my Ruger GSR rifle. Worked "perfectly" afterwards. Posted specifically about such GSR mods before. I found it necessary to "address"/chamfer the "square" part of the bolt of my Ruger bolt action .22 rifle in order to allow the bolt to close quickly and smoothly. Just gently chamfered the offending part. Took a couple of minutes with the right tools/files. These relatively minor mods "ought" to not be necessary, but fortunately well within the capabilities of most experienced firearms owners in order to "remedy" such flaws. Other firearms from different mfrs also requiring "some" mods to be reliable, so it's not all about Ruger. @Capt_Destro |
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Originally Posted By raf: Was the part you "addressed" with file/sandpaper the "upper" part of receiver "bridge" as I mentioned previously? I found Mods necessary on my Ruger GSR rifle. Worked "perfectly" afterwards. Posted specifically about such GSR mods before. I found it necessary to "address"/chamfer the "square" part of the bolt of my Ruger bolt action .22 rifle in order to allow the bolt to close quickly and smoothly. Just gently chamfered the offending part. Took a couple of minutes with the right tools/files. These relatively minor mods "ought" to not be necessary, but fortunately well within the capabilities of most experienced firearms owners in order to "remedy" such flaws. Other firearms from different mfrs also requiring "some" mods to be reliable, so it's not all about Ruger. @Capt_Destro Originally Posted By raf: Originally Posted By Capt_Destro: I disassembled the bolt. Put on a movie, and hand polished it with mother's. I hit a few spots with sand paper. One small part of the receiver I had to hit with a file. Otherwise it would give the bolt some gouging. Still did, but not as bad as the first rifle. Was the part you "addressed" with file/sandpaper the "upper" part of receiver "bridge" as I mentioned previously? I found Mods necessary on my Ruger GSR rifle. Worked "perfectly" afterwards. Posted specifically about such GSR mods before. I found it necessary to "address"/chamfer the "square" part of the bolt of my Ruger bolt action .22 rifle in order to allow the bolt to close quickly and smoothly. Just gently chamfered the offending part. Took a couple of minutes with the right tools/files. These relatively minor mods "ought" to not be necessary, but fortunately well within the capabilities of most experienced firearms owners in order to "remedy" such flaws. Other firearms from different mfrs also requiring "some" mods to be reliable, so it's not all about Ruger. @Capt_Destro Basically yeah.. I learned to make minor adjustments and stuff due to AKs having spotty QC. Ignore the Glock rear sight. I was messing with different BUIS that would fit under my scope. Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File My first rifle had razor sharp machining on the bolt and receiver |
I heavily modified my American Predator to try and build something that I could not not find in the market. All of this worked smoothed things out tremendously and made the operations feed more solid. Most of the direct upgrades are from Anarchy Outdoors, and all the others are a mix n match from around the internet.      Here is everything I did. -Magpul stock I modded to fill in the sling cutouts and adjust the grip angle to be more comfortable -4 piece flash hider -Polished bolt and replaced cocking piece and firing pin with anarchy outdoors upgrades -Upgraded bolt handle and knob with swept back sphere -Bolt shroud is a PTG, which is perfect but took 9 months to get -Polished up trigger and adjust down to 3.5lbs, was good before but really nice now -Pic rail for light and sling stud in side m-loc, makes it real comfy/fast to use sling as support -Stowed extra plunger, extractor, and springs in stock just in case I ever need ‘em -Front sight is a 10/22 clamp on base (shimmed with brass and has set screw with a dimple in the barrel to keep it rock steady) with a tech sight tower and blitzkrieg post -Rear sight is a TS100 set into the stock rail, apertures have a 12 MOA difference, and “close range” one is drilled out slightly from .062 to .078 to let a bit more light through -BZO with M80 puts zero at 25 and 210, with a 2.5” max deviation out to 250.long range aperture hits at 400, but I need to confirm that |
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Originally Posted By raf: @Japhy I would be very interested in details concerning the clamp-on front sight base you used. I used the clamp on base from this kit here. . . https://taccom3g.com/product/sight-riser-for-ruger-10-22-22lr/ - The predator barrel diameter was just a bit smaller, so I shimmed it with some brass sheet stock. - I drilled a hole through the base at the dovetail flat, then threaded it for a set screw. - Mounted the base with the shim and leveled it with the rear rail, then set the clamp. - Once clamped I drill through the shim and dimpled the barrel to maintain the alignment with the receiver. - Then I took it all off and cleaned up the dimple and shim. Re-mounted, checked level, then put in two stacked set screws with loctite to make sure it is not going anywhere. - Then I put the tech sight on the base. It was a pretty quick process, but make the whole thing rock solid and trustworthy. |
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I put an AK magwell adapter on from Occam Defense. It comes with several shims to adjust for whatever mags you use. here are the linkies that I found. https://occamdefense.com/parts-accessories/ruger-american-upgrades/ https://regolithforge.com/product/ruger-american-magazine-well-7-62x39/ https://www.firecastlecustoms.com/shop |
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I have 3 Ruger Americans. I have noticed that the barrels seem a bit rough internally. I clean mine on a regular basis and about every other cleaning I have to use some Patch Out and Brasso (with ammonia and pumice) to get the copper out. I also notice that after several outings and cleanings the roughness seems to diminish. I do know that when the barrels are all "coppered up" they don't shoot so well. Accuracy takes a dip. Other than the rough barrels, I really like mine. I have NOT converted to ASI magazines. I still use the factory rotary magazines. kwg |
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I have this in mine so I can use AK mags. https://occamdefense.com/RUK |
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Same, I also recently ordered their iron sights for the American. I will update with photos once they arrive and I get them installed. |
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Originally Posted By Japhy_: I heavily modified my American Predator to try and build something that I could not not find in the market. All of this worked smoothed things out tremendously and made the operations feed more solid. Most of the direct upgrades are from Anarchy Outdoors, and all the others are a mix n match from around the internet. https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/7631/MV6gBS.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/5876/bxQQKE.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/5047/wW8HHv.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/2122/DApmxv.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/5576/V5D4oH.jpg Here is everything I did. -Magpul stock I modded to fill in the sling cutouts and adjust the grip angle to be more comfortable -4 piece flash hider -Polished bolt and replaced cocking piece and firing pin with anarchy outdoors upgrades -Upgraded bolt handle and knob with swept back sphere -Bolt shroud is a PTG, which is perfect but took 9 months to get -Polished up trigger and adjust down to 3.5lbs, was good before but really nice now -Pic rail for light and sling stud in side m-loc, makes it real comfy/fast to use sling as support -Stowed extra plunger, extractor, and springs in stock just in case I ever need ‘em -Front sight is a 10/22 clamp on base (shimmed with brass and has set screw with a dimple in the barrel to keep it rock steady) with a tech sight tower and blitzkrieg post -Rear sight is a TS100 set into the stock rail, apertures have a 12 MOA difference, and “close range” one is drilled out slightly from .062 to .078 to let a bit more light through -BZO with M80 puts zero at 25 and 210, with a 2.5” max deviation out to 250.long range aperture hits at 400, but I need to confirm that 
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This is mine, with the Occam defense iron sights and magwell. Attached File |
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Originally Posted By RedSev13: This is mine, with the Occam defense iron sights and magwell. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/207888/IMG_3845_jpeg-3645301.JPG Looks good. Sucks the Nodaks are basically vapor wear at this point. I'm glad somebody stepped up. |
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Traffic jam in front of the gun shop. Went in looking for a toy. Specifically a Ruger American RAnch in .300 Blackout. They didnt have one but found a cammo one at a distributor. $575 out the door price. Gave him money and a week later it arrived. Put on a Primary Arms SLX 1-6 Nova Wolf Pack Armory PLan B flash hider Pen spring trigger mod Wears a YHM R2 most of the time - So quiet I worried I had a few squibs if it werent for the slight recoil Yeah the original Colt mag worked fine though I dedicated LAncer 20 round transluscent smokes for it. I just think the Colt 20 looks cool in it  
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As a "General" response, and not at all specific to this platform, I would generally favor well-made (Possibly OEM or aftermarket) plastic components over Replacement steel components. Plastic will not rust, and OEM components are within OEM warranty. I certainty have modded firearms with replacement components of varying composition. Suggest that "automatically" replacing OEM plastic items with steel items might be a needless expense. Your time and money are likely best spent elsewhere. |
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