Ivana – A Ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39mm
For those of you following along at home, I reached an important point with The Mistress.
That point was reliable accuracy.
Due it being a “Friday arvo” sort of rifle, I’ve been struggling with a consistent, accurate rifle.
I’ve finally reached that point that making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear is no longer viable nor worthwhile.
So this year, I went for another option as a general purpose, practical rifle:
The Ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39mm.
There are several reasons why I went down this path.
Ballistically similar performance, but Spitzer bullets means a better long range performance and range.
I prefer intermediate rounds as that happy medium between terminal ballistic performance and recoil.
I went for the old ComBloc round for that compromise between cost, performance, availability and recoil.
Preferred ammunition is S&B 123gr soft point.
I’m pretty happy with accuracy.
A 16 inch barrel is as short as I’m comfortable with.
I’m not a fan of the factory stock. It’s a bit too flexible and cheap for me. Thankfully, I managed to find one of Magpul’s Hunter stocks.
I like the ergonomics, and the modularity for mounting accessories to my tastes.
Unfortunately, it’s a bit heavier than I prefer. Having said that though, a little bit extra weight can be useful for soaking up recoil.
ransitioning to the Hunter stock means compatibility with STANAG magazines.
I’m currently using 5.56mm Magpul 10rd P-MAGS as 5 round capacity with 7.62 rounds.
I have 10 round STANAG magazines with appropriate magazine followers for the larger round on order.
My usual Aimpoint T1, Surefire Scout light and Blueforce Gear VCAS sling complete the ensemble.
On advice from an old mate’s who has one of these rifles in 6.5Grendel, he suggested a flash suppressor for the short muzzle. I’ve gone for a PWS item that was on special at Cleavers.
30 bucks is 30 bucks.
I now have a weather-proof, low maintenance, hard hitting and reliable rifle.
Maintenance in particular is attractive to me. There’s so few moving parts compared to what I’m used to. Far less to go wrong.
It’s also now compatible with my Bergara .22 in Magpul Hunter stock as a “trainer rifle”.
Next step will be to spray paint it camouflage.
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