O NE OF MY SHOOTING BUDDIES, WHO shall remain nameless, really likes Ruger’s American Rifle. I don’t know for certain exactly how many he owns, but it’s a lot. And they’re chambered for a wide variety of car- tridges, everything from .224 Valkyrie to .450 Bushmaster. He’s gone so far as to have some of them rebarreled to some rather obscure (even obsolete) car- tridges. Now, he’s probably not your typical rifleman, but his appreciation for the bolt-action Ruger American Rifle is pretty common. From the day it was first announced about a dozen years ago, the American Rifle has been extremely popular with hunters and shooters. In all its various configurations, it’s always been a very good value. Big news from Ruger for 2024 is that the platform has been updated, and according to the company, these improvements are what customers have been asking for. Ruger is calling the new version Generation II, and the first configurations to receive the updates are the Standard and the Ranch models. Shooting Times received a Standard Gen II chambered for 6.5 Creedmoor to evaluate for this report. New Features One the most noticeable changes to the Gen II rifle is the stock. Instead of the plain black synthetic of the previous Standard American Rifle, the Gen II Standard has an improved stock. Most importantly, the new stock is more rigid and ergonomic. It’s finished in gray with black splatters, and it features a remov- able low comb riser and a removable length-of-pull spacer. With the spacer in place, the length of pull is 13.75 inches. Without the spacer, the length of pull is 12 inches. Other length-of-pull spacers and different-height comb risers (medium and high) will be available for purchase through the shopruger.com website.
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APRIL 2024 • SHOOTING TIMES
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