Help me out on a Ruger American Gen2 Build

So, I was not planning on getting another rifle, but the PX had a 20% off sale going on and had a Ruger American Gen2 Predator in 308 Win. I got it for $400, no tax. I just could not pass it up. I am wanting to do a chassis hunting rig. Trying to keep it fairly light, maybe 8 lbs with scope. I have been looking at the offerings and right now it looks like KRG Bravo, MDT Field, MDT LSS, and Sharps Bros Heatseeker for chassis'. I am also keeping an eye out for Black Friday scope deals. I would like to keep the scope under 20 oz with a 16x magnification. I do need to pull the action from the stock and weigh it so I know what my limits are. Also, while not a bare bones budget, I do want to keep it lower or I could have ended up buying a rifle already in a chassis system.

Open to suggestions. Anyone done a build like this? Thoughts on components?

Only way you will know weights for certain is to pull barreled action and weigh it. Leupold and vortex have some relatively inexpensive offerings in the 16-20 oz range. No help with the chassis. Is 8lbs your limit, or are you a little flexible?

Tiny Tim said:

Only way you will know weights for certain is to pull barreled action and weigh it. Leupold and vortex have some relatively inexpensive offerings in the 16-20 oz range. No help with the chassis. Is 8lbs your limit, or are you a little flexible?

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Seeing feedback, I am flexible. Let's say as light as possible.

USAFRet said:

Seeing feedback, I am flexible. Let's say as light as possible.

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Brother, they look pretty good. I might have to take a trip to my BX. The spec for model # 46902 Gen II (standard) in .308 Win is 6.2 lbs. As @Tiny Tim noted, removing the stock and weight of the barreled action is the best means to establish your weight goal. Your chassis choices are great, but you will be hard-pressed to make it significantly lighter than it is. One thing you will gain is rigidity. Because of the cost of those chassis (more expensive than the rifle), you will have to consider diminishing returns.

Depending on your component choices, under 8 lbs, hunt-ready (sling, bipod, loaded mag, scope, scope rings, etc.) is achievable. I went through this with my .30 Gibbs in Kimber 84L Hunter (spec is 6 lbs 2 ozs), except I kept mine as-is.


Depending on the sling and bipod I use, it weighs between 8-8.5 lbs. Good luck!

Ed

I decided to go with the KRG Bravo. I have owned both the Field Stock and the KRG. The KRG is just a bit more robust. Although a bench stock, it should put me where I want to be with weight. The Ruger Gen 2 is a 6.5 lb rifle. If my calculations are correct, with a scope it should put me around 8.5, maybe a little more.

This will be an elk rifle for a disabled veteran hunt as well as shooting from a ground blind for whitetail, so I won't be lugging it and hiking for miles. I think it will be a nice little setup.

Now for a scope.

So, I went ahead and ordered a Timney trigger. The trigger in the rifle can be adjusted down to about 3.5 lbs, but it has a lot of creep and I like to run a trigger at about 2.75. I have a Riton Conquer coming back from repair I can use until I find a lighter weight scope at the price and with the features I want.

Dang. At $400 each, I would have bought the whole set on the rack…

Good pick up and a fantastic cartridge!

FireFlyFishing said:

Dang. At $400 each, I would have bought the whole set on the rack…

Good pick up and a fantastic cartridge!

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The rack was sparse. It was a great deal, though. I also picked up a S&W Bodyguard 2.0 for about $350. The sale is still on and there is another gun store on post. Heading there this weekend to see what they have. Haha.

And, I just saw the same rifle on Gunprime for $599. Oh, and $400 is OTD. No tax on post. It was a stupid good deal.