Ok. New to backfire. I have Bass Pro gift cards burning in my wallet. I am itching for a 7 PRC. The Ruger American Gen II is very interesting at its price point and with a lot of good reviews on Youtube. But has anyone tried adding weight in the butt stock to reduce recoil and or tried other breaks? The Hawg break on the browning reporting of 70% recoil reduction is also hard to ignore. Bass Pro has the Speed bolt on sale for $950 ish, but then I need a custom trigger job. But with the Ruger, If I pay an extra $250 for the butt stock weight and the Hawg break. I am moving into Bergara/Tikka land. So hard to choose.
I can’t comment on the Ruger, but I’ll tell as someone who tried the HAWG on a 7 PRC, don’t. The break to use is the Ultradyne Apollo LR (Max isn’t compatible with 7mm). It does a fantastic job not only on recoil, but on muzzle flip. My 7 weighs under 9lbs now and it’s recoil is very managable for what that’s worth to you.
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I saw a full review of a bunch of breaks. The Apollo came out on top at 50% reduction in recoil. I think I saw it on brownells with a 7mm option.
Apollo LR is the 7mm option.
A Ruger Gen II in 7 prc is a good option.
Don’t fall for the marketing about 70% recoil reduction with the Hawg brake. We’ve tested several and found about 45% reduction is all you can expect. Just pick a brake with 4 ports and you’re off it the races.
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Jim, thank you for steering me in the right direction. Now if I can get Ruger and Bass Pro to put it back in stock.
So I went to get my hands on the mid budget rifles. The Weatherby Vanguard felt really good in my hands. I have never owned one, nor a Ruger. I was always a Remington guy. But they have fallen apart. But now comparing the Ruger Go Wild at $619 vs the Vanguard Bronze at $681 with guaranteed MOA seems hard to pass up. Am I wrong? I haven’t seen many reviews of it. Looks like one of the backfire partners did a review?
Vanguard is a good gun. I like it. It’s essentially the same as a Howa 1500. They’re both made in Japan and then branded separately for the two companies.
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My personal experience with weatherby’s is that they work great as a hunting gun. The first shot tends to go where you want it to as does the second. However, if you’re looking for a third shot it’s going to walk.
Someone on another Forum said they sent their Weatherby in for testing, and the factory sent back a report saying they waited 5 to 10 minutes between each shot to get a good group.
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oh my, 5-10 minutes. That is a joke.
I should say that I cannot vouch for that account. I do not know the person personally who made that post and at this point can’t even remember which forum it was on.
Just goes to prove what Jim has said in the past about how accuracy guarantees from the factory companies are basically worthless
Had a Ruger Go Wild in 6.5 CM. 10 rounds in a row of factory Hornady 140 Match. Sub MOA. I pulled two shots or they would have been 1/2 MOA.
Wish I had not sold it.
wow!!! Just can’t decide between that and the Begara. I like the savings, but I don’t want to blow through a bunch of ammo and then discover I don’t have a shooter, but that how the game is played. Lol
Grandson’s Ruger America, go wild. 5 shot group after load development, so I couldn’t tell you what factory ammo to use.
As my grandpa would say “Holy Moses!!!”
Can you add that weight kit to the Go Wild like you can for the Gen II?
I really don’t know.
I am seeing a number of videos showing difficulty opening/closing the bolt on larger caliber Ruger Americans. Is this common? Dirty guns? Bolts need polishing or lube?
Did they show removing the bolt shroud and lubeing up underneath the shroud? Supposed to help with bolt lift. I have not seen the issue.
My thought on a Ruger vs Vanguard is resale - I think would be easier to sell a Ruger based on reputation and awareness. I think more aftermarket stuff like stocks or prefit barrels for Ruger - but just a guess based on how many they must sell. I would bet the Ruger American is the best selling bolt gun out there. Or darn near. Probably way more than vanguard. Not saying the reason to buy a rifle but it is a thing considering the reputation for being accurate.
I have 2 x Ruger Americans Gen II and I don’t have any bolt issues. one of them is .308